Since I got my Stella banjo uke refurbished,I'd been wanting to get a case or gigbag for it. Imagine my surprise when I spotted the Hola! gigbag for a mere $14.95 on Amazon. In fact,I liked the first one so well I got another one for my Luna tribal pineapple soprano- in a different color,of course!
     I was amazed at the plush padding-15 mm. Stiff enough to have the bag retain it's shape when a uke isn't inside it. On the inside of the gigbag,where the headstock and string ends hit,there is an additional layer of material there so that part of the bag won't get snagged by the string ends. The outside is made of what looks and feels to be a water resistant material- Oxford nylon fabric. And you can get this in plain black or different designs and colors. A blast from the past is this sports metal zippers instead of plastic. Hearing th zipper brings back a lot of childhood memories of wearing different jackets I had!
   And this has a decent sized accessory pocket for a tuner,capo,small book,etc. The handle is well padded and there is a slender adjustable strap for carrying it over your shoulder. While I would ideally have a slightly heavier duty strap,I had to remind myself soprano ukuleles don't hardly weigh anything,and a light strap is all that's needed.
    I don't know how long Amazon will have them at this price- so if you're needing a decent gigbag for your uke,or just want to see what it looks like,I've included a link below!

          I was recently in a meeting with a consultant,and of course music came up,and I mentioned I play a few instruments. After a few more moments in this meeting,the woman mentioned how she and a friend had taken a ukulele class last year,and now she has no time to play it. She was not happy with the false belief that she had no time for it. So,as I usually do,I made a suggestion.

                       "Why not take your ukulele to work with you?"

       She was delighted with the idea,and towards the end of our meeting,she told me how excited she was to start taking her uke with her. I mentioned she could play on break or during lunchtime. I know this because it's what I did at the last day job I had. I was just starting my uke journey, and I would sit outside and strum chords or pluck out tunes. Back then my phone wasn't saavy enough to have a uke tuning app on it- the phone I have now has one so I never have to worry about  taking my clip on tuner.
          I also mentioned she could "steal" 15 min or so at home to play as well. during commercials on TV,while relaxing with a hot cocoa,anytime you have those inbetween moments. Waiting for a friend to stop by? Play your uke while waiting. 
        Doing holiday baking? Play your uke while the goodies are baking in the oven. Start looking at finding time to play like a treasure hunt.....it's usually those "inbetween times".