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    • Jan 21, 2020
    • 4 min read

Chic for Cheap: DIY Hula Hoop Centerpiece for Under $40

Updated: Aug 18, 2020



Here at Brandi Tatianõ Life Events, we don’t believe that beautiful things have to cost a fortune. Too many of us know that when you’re planning a wedding and reaching out to various vendors and venues, the mention of the word “wedding” often causes prices to skyrocket.

We believe that you can have a chic, gorgeous wedding with an understated budget. And because of this belief, we’ve begun a new series named Chic for Cheap where we will feature affordable DIYs that bring the drama but save your budget.

This week’s challenge: a gorgeous centerpiece crafted from hula hoops, a pool noodle, and clipboards. Grab your spray paint and your glue gun and let’s get crafting!

I was able to get the materials I needed from three different stores: Dollar Tree (Silk Flowers, Clipboards, Ribbon, and Hanging Orb), Walmart (Hula Hoops, Rust-Oleum Spray Paint) and Lowes (Pool Noodle and Screws). I have included a list of materials and prices below; anything without a price listed is something that I already owned.

Materials Needed:

Start by nicking the plastic Hula Hoop liner and begin unraveling your Hula Hoop. Repeat with the second Hula Hoop until both are bare.

After removing your Hula Hoop liner, take a flat head screwdriver (I used a dull butter knife in place of a screwdriver) and slide it underneath the clip at the top of the clipboard. Gently work the screwdriver underneath the clip until it loosens on one side and then repeat on the other side. Repeat this step, and once you are done, both clips should be removed from the clipboards.

TIP: Don’t worry about removing the adhesive stickers on the fronts of each clipboard. The fronts of both clipboards will be glued together in the coming steps and you will not be able to see the stickers.


Once your clips have been removed from your clipboards, take your Gorilla Wood Glue and apply a thin layer across the entire front of your clipboard. Place your second clipboard on top and align it until straight and press firmly. Place something heavy on top of the (now glued) clipboards to help them better stick to one another as they dry. Once the glue has set, you now have the base of your centerpiece.


Take your unwrapped Hula Hoops and your (now dry) clipboards outside and spray them. I used the Rust-Oleum American Accents 2X Ultra Cover, Metallic Spray Paint in Gold. Allow them to dry completely.


Now that our Hula Hoops and clipboards are sprayed and dried, it’s time to begin assembling the centerpiece. Measure out the distance you would like your Hula Hoops to be from one another and mark their placements on your clipboard base.

Have someone hold your Hula Hoop in an upright position and begin drilling using your 1” screws. Drill 3 screws (about an inch apart from one another) into each Hula Hoop to affix them to the clipboard base. With both Hula Hoops attached to the base, you should have used a total of 6 screws, with 3 in each Hula Hoop.

OPTIONAL: You can substitute the two clipboards for a Rectangular Wooden Plaque if you wish to have a sturdier base.



After your Hula Hoops have been attached to the base, it’s time to begin working on the base for the silk flowers. Rest your pool noodle against your Hula Hoop to determine your preferred length and decide how many flower arrangements you’d like for your centerpiece to have. I’ve decided that I would like to have two flower arrangements on my centerpiece so I measured and cut my pool noodle into one 21” section and another 16” section using a kitchen knife.



Using the same kitchen knife, I cut halfway through my 21” and 16” pool noodle sections so that one side was still connected while I was able to open it to place on my hula hoops.



Decide which hula hoop you want your flower arrangements to be on and then place your now cut pool noodle sections onto either the front or back hula hoop. Spread the cut section of your pool noodles around the hula hoop so that the hula hoop is inside the pool noodle. Now that you’ve affixed your pool noodle section(s) to your hula hoop, use your glue gun to seal the split where you attached them.



Now that your hula hoops are attached to your clipboard base and your pool noodle sections have been secured, begin adding in silk (or live) flowers of your choosing. Cut the stems of your flowers to about 3” - 4” long so that they can be inserted into your pool noodle sections.

Begin adding your now trimmed flowers and greenery into your pool noodle sections in your desired order, building around the pool noodles for an even flower display. You should not be able to see your pool noodle through your flowers so pack the flowers in as tightly as you feel you need to. Continue this process until your pool noodle sections are full of flowers and you have no gaps or spaces in your flowers.



OPTIONAL: Tie a ribbon (or crystal string) to the plastic orb and loosely hang from the hula hoop to determine the length you’d like it to hang from the centerpiece. You can either tie or glue the ribbon to attach it to the hula hoop, and you can hang it from either the front or back hoop. Place a tealight inside and voila - you have created a chic centerpiece for under $40!



Whether you’re making this for a wedding, bridal or baby shower, or even a birthday party, this centerpiece is sure to be a showstopper that’ll have guests guessing where you bought it.



If you'd like to watch the entire video for more details, join us on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/watch?v=AkhXxrC68_g&t=780s. If you liked this DIY, be sure to share it and tag others who might find it helpful!


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