twirly, whirly hoop dreams

i'll confess that the ability to hula hoop has always eluded me. fairly certain that i tried to figure it out when i was a kid, but for whatever reason, could never quite get the hang (or swirl of) it was one of those things that i simply chalked up as something that wasn't meant to be.

as an adult, i assumed it would be something that i didn't really need to know how to do and subsequently pushed the thought aside but lately i've been curious and a little intrigued with the hooping lifestyle. a few weeks ago i picked up a lightweight hula hoop at the toy store, thinking i would give it a whirl. even if i didn't like it, i knew one of my boys would claim it and either learn to do it themselves or use it to try and teach the dog some new tricks. $5 and a few days later, i was shocked that hooping wasn't as hard as i remember it being, in fact, it was pretty fun!

this of course led to a search for online hula hoop info and what i found was a whole community of people who LOVE their hoops. intrigued as i read more about the different sizes, weights, and designs, it was natural that i should decide to try and make my own. (as it turns out, that cheapo one from the toy store is actually a little too small and light for my body) so, off to Lowe's i went yesterday on a quest for supplies.

pvc tubing- check
duct tape- check
tubing connectors- check
electrical tape- check
pvc pipe cutters- check
play sand- check




spent the afternoon reading through some of the online tutorials and watching a youtube on how in the world i was supposed to use my handy dandy new ratcheting pipe cutter, by the time the kids arrived home from school, i had 1 brand new spiffy hula hoop to show for my efforts. unfortunately, it was still a little small for me, but keegan gladly claimed it for his own and i attempted to make another one for myself, finishing it after we were done with dinner.


so, here's my preliminary thoughts on the process... i don't like duct tape. it's bright and pretty and it's amazing all the wonderful colors they make now, but wrapping the tube with it was a gigantic pain in the butt. it didn't lay right, was hard to get it to stay on a nice angle,and when it overlaps too much, the results are just not pretty. i had better luck with the electrical tape though but realized very quickly that this is one of those things that takes practice to get good at, kinda like hooping itself. i like that i will be able to remove the tape and update it if need be, either with better tape or new colors :)

... and with that, my hooping journey begins, time to get those hips moving!

bangles never FELT so good

so, i've always liked the look of bangles but the clack, clack, clack of them banging around as i moved always threw me off. i think that's why i find wearing these felt bangles to be so much more my style. they're soft and quiet, extraordinarily durable and the bright colors add a "pop!" to my favorite outfits.



it's easy to mix and match them too, depending on my mood and what colors i'm feeling like on any given day. all one color, complimentary colors, triadic color scheme or the whole rainbow, the possibilities are endless!
sometimes i just wear one, other days, 5, but i usually stick with odd numbers. (matches my quirky, asymmetrical demeanor, i guess)