Glitter shoes for glitter hoops

Clearly, making and selling hoops is just an excuse for me to surround myself with more glitter. I do love sparkles! And red. And hoop dance. Which is why these glittery, red, ballet flats are perfect.

2 Lips Too "Too Kansas" ballet flats

Being flat, these shoes are great for daily use and...hooping. I found them here. They've since raised the price (although they're still on sale), so if you keep an eye on them, you may be able to snag them for less. Also, I typically only buy shoes from stores that offer both free shipping and free returns; despite being a Zappos store, 6pm.com does NOT offer free returns. So unless you're 100% sure of your size, you might want to try and find the shoes elsewhere.

I also found several pairs of glittery, ballet flats at Target (like these gold ones, and these black ones---both for $12.99). I considered them, but ultimately decided on the red ones. Although this does not rule out their addition to my shoe wardrobe in the (near?) future. Because I'm weak like that.

It was like herding cats...

...but with more smiles.

Last Monday was my final hooping session with the A.L. Burruss kids. I always plan to take pictures at my hooping events, but I generally get so caught up in the activity that picture-taking tasks fall by the wayside. This time, though, I was determined to get a photo. Thanks to the (equally determined) efforts of a few adults (THANK YOU, Mrs. Hutchinson, Leigh Borkowski and Jayne Nix!), we did make it happen.

After some tears, confusion, and rearranging, a photo was taken of the A.L. Burruss Alphabet Hoops Class of Spring, 2012.

A.L. Burruss Alphabet Hoops Class of Spring, 2012

And then all mayhem broke lose.

I will most certainly miss hooping with these kids.

12 Schools, 24 Hoops - West Side Elementary Donation

(l to r) Ashley Bagwell, Assistant Principal--Lorene Shaw, Alphabet Hoops--Ken Wakefield, Physical Education.

About the "12 Schools, 24 Hoops" Program

Alphabet Hoops is focused on introducing kids to the joys and benefits of hula hooping. I do as much as I can with the time I have, but I have a family, a full-time job AND a penchant for crafting---all of which occupy a portion of the limited hours in my day.

So, to increase the number of kids that I reach, I also need to introduce hula hooping to adults who work with kids. To that end, my goal for 2012 is to donate two adult-sized hula hoops to the P.E. department of each of the 12 Marietta City Schools. (And, if the teachers are interested, each hoop handover will include a mini-introductory lesson to hooping!)

Check my donation tracking page for a  list of  the 2012 hoop donations to the Marietta City School system that I have completed so far! 

Hula hooping at Holiday Camp!

Next week, I'll be teaching hula hooping to the kids at the Marietta Community School Holiday Camp. I LOVE the way their faces light up when I show them a trick that they, too, can do. Seriously. Their faces glow with joyful anticipation.

Image via Marietta City Schools

Marietta Community School is the continuing education division of Marietta City Schools and has been serving the Marietta community for almost 30 years. They offer child care at West Side Elementary during school holidays. A $10.00 registration fee holds your child's place for all available camp dates, but you must reserve the specific dates your child will be attending. The cost is $35.00 per day, with multiple sibling and employee discounts available upon request. Camp is open from 7:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m.

If you have questions about the camp offerings visit their Web site or contact their Coordinator:

Annette Kouba
770.429.3170 (ext. 3305)
akouba@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Yes, I bought a tutu

And a Hello Kitty one at that. It's pink, it's tulle, and it's totally ridiculous. And I love it. I am SO grateful that my hula hooping After School Program allows me to justify this addition to my wardrobe.

Disclaimer: Don't be alarmed. I will be wearing this over leggings. I am over the moon with glee about this skirt, but I haven't completely lost my mind!

My to-do list: February 7, 2012

I'm thinking that it will be therapeutic to share the insanity that is my to-do list. Here are just some of the things I want to do soon. Or now. Or yesterday. Of course, this list does not include my "regular tasks." You know. Like my full-time job, my part-time job, my other part-time job, my hooping activities, my involved-mom tasks...

• Try this recipe. I'm actually planning to make it for dinner. Tonight.
• Make this dress. I already have fabric for three (3!) of them.
• Work on this quilt. I'm scheduled to "Quilt 'Til I Wilt" this Sunday. Yay!
• Introduce Mason to Lacrosse. For a variety of reasons, tennis isn't going well.
• Finish my picture wall. Well. Hang the frames on my picture wall, anyway. Getting pictures in those empty frames is another project entirely.

What’s on your to-do list?

Five pillowcases...in a single weekend

Floral pillowcases with lace accent

For weeks now, my oldest has been asking me to teach him how to make a pillowcase. Last month, I finally found time to teach him and a friend how to make one. And we ended up with 5. Because I’m an over-achiever like that.

Actually, I ended up with 5 pillowcases because I tried a variety of methods. The very first one had exposed seams which I did not like at all---even after I finished the seam edges with a zip zag stitch. Next, I made one with a regular border and French seams. This was better, but not good enough. That’s when I decided to make a “sausage-style” pillowcase with French seams. The result is a pillowcase with no exposed seams.

I originally found text-only instructions for the sausage method. They made sense, but it hurt my brain to picture what the instructions were explaining. So I was grateful for the video tutorial that I later found. Online tutorials are awesome. Especially when they’re free.

SUPPLIES: To make a standard-sized pillowcase you will need 1/3 yard fabric for the border and 3/4 yard fabric for the body. If you want to add an accent strip (I used lace in my floral pillowcases) you’ll need 1/8 yard of fabric or about 45 inches of at least 1-inch wide lace or ribbon.

I made three floral pillow cases, then taught my oldest and his friend how to make one.

Update: I originally used 1/4 yard for the border but I've decided that's not quite large enough. 

Making the pillowcase "sausage." (Hey! I made those gloves!)

Straight stitches require intense concentration

This part was fun until one of the pins jabbed him in the neck

Proud owner of a green-checkered pillowcase

I originally planned to help my youngest make a pillowcase also, but he chose a pom-pom border that was too difficult for a six-year old to manipulate through a sewing machine. (Goodness! I had a time of it myself!) So I made that one, too. Result: 5 pillowcases in a single weekend.