MNT Show Pics

Glama Sutra is fantastic at documenting fabulousness backstage.  I don't think a single show has gone by where she didn't snap several pics backstage of posing dancers.  Last night she whipped out the camera phone for some post-show shenanigans on stage.  Here's what she got:

Prix, me, and Glama at MNT

I'm about to take off this bra, ya'll.

Artsy boobs

Topless Vlog #27

You can see the latest topless vlog here!

I talk mole removal, performing in Hot Springs, new t-shirts, bathing in Hot Springs, and how YouTube gargles nuts.

LINKS:
Carolina Blue tees
Monday Night Tease
Quapaw Baths

My Final Reveal: It Takes a Village

Layering fabric paint, beads & rhinestones

Since my last blog, we've spent 13 hours on the costume.  I've installed snaps on the bra straps for what I think will be an awesome reveal.  I basted the appliques to the bra and spent a few minutes painting the flowers on the trim.  The rest of the time has been spent hand beading.  I'm not doing it alone.  Dearly devoted Mr. Snapper has put in four hours of hand beading time on the costume.  He knows I have hand issues (since most of my hand sewing has been with my left hand over the past several months), and he knows that I have to hand bead the costume to make it look as awesome as possible.  I'm fortunate that he's willing and able to help me make things happen.

Look at those shoes!

I spent $24.27 on a pair of shoes that match the trim on the undergarments.  They have a low heel and closed toe.  Since I bought them on Amazon and not in a store, I didn't try them on.  They're a little loose.  I tried dancing in them today and they're going to need a little bit of felt or moleskin inside so they grip my heels better.  I may or may not rhinestone them.

I buy rhinestones next weekend.  Let's see if I can keep this costume under $250.

Total spent to date: $143.27 and 32:30.

Snapper Rewedding: First Steps

On August 14th of this year, Mr. Snapper and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  When we planned our teenage wedding, I didn't want anything big or fancy; I just wanted to change my taxpayer name and spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  My mother-in-law was the one who pushed for the ceremony, preparing everything behind the scenes at the last minute.  She borrowed and bought everything for our cobbled-together wedding.  It was adorable and well attended, but it was more of "what a ceremony is supposed to be" than a reflection of who we were as a couple.  The wedding date was pushed from July to August because of a strange illness that had me on intravenous antibiotics for six weeks.  My mother-in-law had ten days to slam her only son's wedding together, my sister-in-law called all of our friends and family to attend, and my father-in-law performed the ceremony.

Parts of the wedding were very much us.  We selected the music.  I let my dad wear jeans and a leather vest to give me away because he was a biker.  Our friends were in the wedding party and a friend sang at the wedding.  The vows, the borrowed dress, the borrowed bouquet, the communion -- while lovely and very fitting for some folks, just weren't us.  Of course, we weren't the interesting people we are now.

Andrew and I have known each other slightly longer than we've been working together creatively (by maybe a few minutes), and we were married six months after we met.  Over the past two decades we've become more interesting people, and it's awesome that we've done it together.  We decided two years ago that we wanted to have a new ceremony on our twentieth anniversary, but this time it was going to be planned and executed by the two of us.  Because we're entertainers the rewedding is going to be a show event.

Since New Year's we've been working diligently on the rewedding: picking colors, hunting for awesome favors, selecting our wedding party, working out the structure of the show, looking for new wedding bands, thinking about music playlists, figuring out wardrobe.  I understand why people schedule some time between the proposal and their first ceremony for all the odds & ends of throwing a wedding.  The players in this event won't all be the same as the original wedding, but this is a Snapper event in Los Angeles so the wedding participants are all performing.

Special thanks to Jessie & Charlene for making this happen!

We met in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and it was a love at first sight situation when we actually met.  Since that's where I was born, where we met, and where we were initially wed, we wanted to have a taste of our younger lives in our wedding favors.  The folks at Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium accommodated my last-minute request to make 100 bars of our favorite soap, Bathhouse Couture, for pick-up while we were in town this weekend.  The bars have a hint of glitter, making them perfect for a burlesque rewedding.  Each bar is individually wrapped and has a special label just for our event.

I'll share bits and pieces of the planning of the rewedding since I have so many friends and family who won't be able to attend.  Our event is August 12th, two days before our actual anniversary.  Watch this space for the official announcement.

Foul Play Cabaret

Friday, April 19th

This is very special show dedicated to Quentin Tarantino and his films! Please to get in the spirit and dress as your favorite Tarantino character. Be prepared to be amazed! See y'all on the flip flop :)

 

General Admission tickets are $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door. Call Maxine’s for VIP upgrades. Advanced tickets are on sale now online through http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/22961.aspx.

There are a limited number of Reserved VIP Tables with 2 or 4 chairs per. To reserve a table please call Maxine’s at 501-321-0909.

21+

Door 8:00 pm / Showtime 9:00 pm


More info at www.maxineslive.com

Snapper Classes in Hot Springs

I believe I'm the only burlesque teacher in Arkansas, and I'm only there twice a year.  Sign up now.

Topless Vlog #26

Topless Vlog #26 is here.

I share my latest reading adventure, and talk about my Arkansas weekend tour.  Spray tan, blonde wig, Buster and Doodlebug all make an appearance.

Green Beret Survival Guide
April 19th Foul Play Cabaret Show
April 20th Snapper classes

My Final Reveal: I Am Insane

I've been busy getting ready for my Arkansas trip, so I'm a bit behind on my blogging.  Since the last blog, I took up the hem of my robe so I wouldn't walk on it while doing turns in my choreography.

I also installed the elastic on the top of the garter shirt.  I learned a lot about underwear elastic when I made the bra last summer.

I then went downtown and spent $10 on beads and needles so I can hand bead parts of the appliques (like a dumbass who can't get enough pain in the hand, I guess).  I spent a good 45 minutes beading one small section of the garter skirt.  I think Andrew's going to learn how to hand bead to help me get it done and make it through the painful times.

Total spent so far: $119 and 30:30

Topless Vlog #25

Video is here!  (I was spanked by YouTube yet again, so I think all of my videos are going to be moved one by one to Dailymotion.)

In this episode, I talk about the new costume, myupcoming trip to Hot Springs, my next LA show, and the rewedding.  Buster makes a cameo appearance.

LINKS:
Costume progress
4/19 Foul Play Cabaret show in Hot Springs
4/20 Classes in Hot Springs
4/29 Monday Night Tease

My Final Reveal: The Garment

Same panty style as I used for pearl costumes

I spent an hour on Wednesday adding snaps, purchasing and adding ribbon to the robe.  I  spent an additional hour stitching boas to the robe.  It takes a long time, especially when I'm strengthening my left handed technique as my right hand was suffering from carpal tunnel.  It was $9 for more thread and ribbon.

Front and bottom edge of robe

I nearly accomplished my goal of getting the basic costume done during the two weeks my boss was away.  I had a sick day where I spent some time at home sewing boas on the robe.  That was an additional three hours.  A quick stop at Nordstrom Rack provided my bra and two panty options.  $27 later, I just need shoes and an endless supply of stockings for this costume.

Yesterday I started working with Jewel of Denial, one of my first burlesque instructors and choreographer for this project.  I explained to her that I couldn't help but parade around my office in the garment every time I'd get something done with it.  The robe is just meant for parading.  That admission is really going to inform the choreography.  It also led to me referring to the robe as "the garment."  Kind of ridiculous.

My costume progress may slow for the next two weeks because of my upcoming trip to Arkansas.  I have plenty of other stuff to get done for the trip.  I'll continue to post as I get little things done on this project, even if it's an hour of work here and there.

Total spent so far: $109 and 27:30

My Final Reveal: Momentum

Basic robe with garter skirt beneath

I've gotten a lot done on this costume since my last blog post.  It's amazing how much I can get done when I don't have any other immediate activity on my plate.

I spent five hours on the costume on Thursday.  I attached the scalloped applique on the front (basting first).  The scalloped applique was leftover from my mega costume, and I just had to hit it with the floral spray paint to make the color match better.  I also spent $22 on trim.  I found two shades of elastic lace that would work for the back of the bra and the waistband of the garter skirt, lace to spray paint for the bottom edge of the robe, and applique trim for the bra cups and garter skirt.

I also spent five hours on the costume on Friday.  I put together the robe skirt and self-bound one of the seams.  I finished the sleeves (attaching lace and finishing the self-bound seams) and attached them to the bodice.  Not many tasks completed Friday, but these things took a lot of time.

I spent three hours over the weekend painting lace and the other seam of the robe skirt.  I attached the applique trim to the bottom of the garter skirt.  I also used some pearly fabric paint I had in my cabinet to make the flowers on the trim pop.  I had some spare rhinestones from another project that I used to embellish the garter skirt.

Today I finished assembling the robe over about three hours.  I attached the lace to the lower edge of the robe, finished the opening skirt edges, and attached the bodice to the skirt.

My next step for the robe is to scallop the skirt edges (or not), add snaps and a belt, then attach the boas to the bottom and sleeves.  I need to buy a bra to cover to match the garter skirt, which will guide me on the waistline for the garter skirt.  I have to buy beads to do some hand beading on the applique trim.  I haven't found shoes or decided on underthings yet.

Spent so far: $73 and 22:30