On Sunday afternoon, after the conference is over, but before the evening’s show, I host a little tea party. This year my co-hostesses were Brigitte Bisoux and Mimi Mischief. I don’t think we took any photos which is a shame because we were freaking adorable with our full skirts and aprons. I made the aprons Brigitte & I wore out of fabric with a tiny print of wee teacups and they tied with pink satin sashes, but Mimi, a costuming student, wore one of her own creations.

The party was sponsored by Jacqueline Hyde Emporium, who provided all the tea and made it possible for us to have yummy little sandwiches, scones, and tiny cakes. Jacqueline herself had a family emergency and couldn’t attend, which made me so sad, as I’m sure people would have been snapping up tea from her right & left.

We served:

It’s a nice way to relax and socialize after the intensity of the weekend and to get ready to enjoy The Newcomer’s Showcase.

It’s time to get back to my Expo recaps. There are only a couple more to go…

I will confess that I’ve been stalling on this one. How do you describe so much awesomeness?

If you, O Constant Reader, are unfamiliar with The Expo, allow me to explain that The Main Event is the big competition. It’s judged by last year’s winners (and myself) and the Legends and special guests get to bestow awards on their favorite performers.

It’s really hard to judge. And this year was incredibly hard. The level of talent was so high. So many wonderful performances. Creative, funny, beautiful.

And I had to miss the acts that were not in competition because the judges were off deliberating.

In the end, the winners were…

The Shanghai Pearl’s favorite: Vivienne La Flamme and Vanil La Frappe, for their rubber ducky bathtub duet that made her dreams come true.

Jo Weldon’s favorite: Gorejess, for dealing with a wardrobe malfunction with grace and charm (and an upraised middle finger)

Toni Eliing’s favorite: Donna Denise with a classic strip and extraordinary tassel twirling.

Judge’s Choice: Bobby Barnaby, for his etherial fan dance. Sometimes called “Judge’s Choice”, sometimes “Honorable Mention”, this award recognizes a noteworthy performer.

Best Hybrid: Peggy de Lune, for her hysterical sing & strip in the guise of a ditzy stewardess from Chicago. This award is for the best combination of burlesque and another art. In this case, singing. There were also acts under consideration that involved acrobatics, baton twirling, and singing with live accompaniment.

Most Humorous: Dangrrr Doll, for her adorable polar bear act. As last year’s winner, Paco Fish pointed out, one way to burlesque something is to take something serious and parody it and another is to take something ridiculous and be serious about it. She fell in the latter category in a big way. Personally, I was won over when she pulled a rhinestoned fish out of her underwear.

Most Classic: Donna Denise, for her above-mentioned classic strip and tassel twirling. Donna is one of those rare women with total pectoral muscle control. She can pop her breasts up and down and twirl tassels. Last year she was April March’s favorite and it was a delight to see her become a title holder this year.

Most Beautiful: Femme Brulee, for her rain cloud into sunshine act.

Best Solo: Gorejess, for just total bad-assery. I suppose I could sum it up by saying she was a housewife who turned into Rosie the Riveter, but it was so much more powerful than just that. And she handled the loss of a pastie completely in character.

Congratulations to all the winners and you’ll see them next year!

What a week it’s been! When the lockdown extended to Boston proper, Scratch and I were already on the road to NYC. We had tickets to see Nathan Lane in The Nance Friday night and, honestly, getting out of Boston didn’t seem like a bad idea.

I’m one of those polite people who turns off her phone the minute she takes her seat in the theatre. That night we were following the manhunt right up until the minute the house darkened. As soon as intermission started, we were back on line again to get the latest. What strange and frightening times.

Anyway, on to the show!

The Nance is the story of Chauncey Miles (Lane), a homosexual actor in 1937. He hides in plain site by performing in a burlesque show as a “nance”, a caricature of a mincing queen, flinging about double entendres and innuendo — similar to black performers working in blackface or Jewish comedians playing “Heeb” roles. I’m going to gloss over Chauncey’s story and focus on the burlesque part (as that is supposed to be why I write these little notes).

Much of the action occurs at the Irving Place theatre at the time Commissioner Moss and Mayor LaGuardia were attempting to eradicate burlesque from New York. And the show on “stage” is wonderful. We see classic burlesque comedy, like “Meet Me Round the Corner” and “Crazy House”, and iconic strip acts (usually only the beginning of it — this is Broadway, not actual burlesque) including a balloon pop and a half bride/half groom (that one was particularly exquisite). I was reminded again of the power of live music as the band punctuated both the bumps and the jokes.

The set was a fantastic 3 part turntable, with sets for Chauncy’s apartment, the stage at the Irving Place, and backstage at the theatre. One of my favorite moments came when the scene turned from a dancer on stage to the action backstage, but you could still see the dancer through the wing. After removing her gloves, she stormed backstage because the wardrobe mistress wasn’t in the wings to catch for her. This was just a little background action while the plot was going on center stage (that is, center stage on the backstage set), but some very nice business none the less.

It’s a very well-crafted play and an excellent portrayal of burlesque in the ’30′s. We found it very inspirational, especially some of the comedy. I don’t know how someone not as steeped in burlesque history would enjoy it. Nathan Lane is excellent, but all the acting was quite strong. I’m very glad we were able to see it.

And afterwards we had cheesecake at Lindy’s. Like you do.

Despite all the chaos today, I refuse to skip a Friday Tip! So here it is…

No lipsynching!

True lipsynching, where the “singer” is crisp, clean, and right on cue, is incredibly hard to do well. If you can’t do it perfectly, just don’t. As Jo Weldon says, it makes you the music’s bitch.

Sometimes you don’t even realize that you’re mouthing the words while you’re dancing. Do watch out for that; it can make you look distracted.

Now, as always, I’m merely giving you a suggestion, not orders. This is not to say never. Sometimes it can create a dramatic moment, like when James and the Giant Pastie “sings” the first line of the song to St. Stella in their statue act. I like to give the audience the cue to sing along with the chorus of “Minnie the Moocher” by mouthing the first “hi-di hi-di hi-di-ho”. But both of those examples are deliberate choices and only for a moment.

You probably heard that we had a very bad day here in Boston yesterday. I’m sure you’ll understand if I take a little break from reporting on my Expo exploits today.

All The Boston Babydolls and our extended burlesque family are fine. Sad and shaken, but safe.

I want to thank our friends and fellow performers from around the world who checked in and sent well wishes yesterday. Your love and concern was quite overwhelming.

Every year at The Expo we have a Costume Exhibit, curated by BettySioux Tailor, who is assisted by Blitzen von Schtupp. This year we tried a couple of new things. Besides costumes belonging to our winners and guests, plus the ever popular Wall o’ Pasties, people were invited to submit costumes with a theme relating to luck, gambling, Vegas, &c.

On the left, Betty Blaize’s “Luck Be a Lady” costume. On the right, “The Jack” from Blitzen von Schtupp. Card fans by Ruby Solitaire. Styling by BettySioux Tailor.

Here we have the right hand side of the exhibit. Usherette costume by Scarlett Letter, The Shanghai Pearl’s “Bird of Paradise”, Wall O’ Pasties (and a few bras & g-strings), and BettySioux’s rhinestoned TV playing a slideshow of past costume exhibits.

And the left hand side. Jo Weldon’s “Nightmare”, made by Fleur de Lys, a classic costume by Burgundy Brixx, and Corinne Southern’s “The Temptation of Eve”.

Then we had a second exhibit, of costumes from The Wrathskellar. It was accompanied by a loop of all the video diaries we produced for the past year’s show, so visitors could get a feel for the characters.
In the center is The Innocent with her cheery pink dress and “Fame or Bust” suitcase. Looming around her are:

I’m so proud of this coat and there’s such a story behind it that I’ll probably make that a separate missive. After I’ve finished with the rest of the Expo report.

It’s Friday! Here’s your tip!

If you?re not getting a lot of extension on your hip moves, make sure your knees are nice and soft.

I know that sounds simple, but it’s easy to tense up, lock your knees, and then wonder where your bump went.

Another fun part of The Expo (I keep saying that — it’s all fun) is shopping! There were a lot of vendors this year, but I was so busy I did very little shopping.

Here’s my meagre haul:
My Face for the World to See, Liz Renay’s autobiography, from The Nevermind Shop. I saw Liz Renay (“rhymes with ‘play’”) at Exotic World in 2006, carried onto stage in a litter by scantly-clad hunks. That sort of entrance stays with you for a while. And I got the book for an absolute song.

A sleep mask from Not Your Grandmother’s Linen. This is the best sleep mask I’ve ever used — the elastic is covered with satin, so it doesn’t tangle in your hair, there’s a tiny cushion at the lower edge, so the light can’t sneak up the sides of your nose, and the fabric has a subtle design of wee couples getting it on. She designs all her own fabrics and they can get rather racy — at second glance.

A hair comb from Esoterica Jewelry. It’s hard to see in the picture, but the comb has green gems. “Redheads and their green” said Erica, the proprietress. Most of her items repurpose elements from vintage jewelry in nifty ways. I’ve bought from her before, but only as gifts. This one is for me.

Not pictured is the tie that is being hand-delivered to Haute Under the Collar for them to bling up for Scratch. He owns several ties from them already, but this one is going to be special…

Even though I didn’t buy these at The Expo, I wore them there. (Forgive me for the crummy picture. My camera is cranky and often refuses to flash.) Both sets came from Farasha & Su’ad Dance & Designs. The amber set did dual duty as I loaned the necklace to Tony Elling for hostessing on Friday night and I wore it again on Saturday. The blue set I wore on Sunday. I also noticed Betty with the same set in red and Mimi Mischief in purple.

Betty, as usual, cut a wide swath. I know she picked up a ton of trim at Meadhall Outfitters, got a couple of vintage dresses at The Fox Affect, and bought an enormous organza boa at Nancy’s Basement.

I’d like to mention Vixens Ahoy who appeared for the first time anywhere. If you’re looking for retro accessories, like tea aprons or handbags, Marion is your lady. She does custom work too! (like a number of Boston Babydoll costumes…).

The Teaseday Club is an experiment Scratch is trying out. He wanted to produce a fun monthly revue for local and visiting performers that might not otherwise have a place to perform. So, he created this cabaret with burlesque and variety acts and lovely libations at the bar in the lobby. Last night was the first show.

Sadly, I didn’t get to watch *any* of the show, as I was on last in both my sets and for the one set that I wasn’t performing, I was stage kittening. But I’ll do my best to report on the acts.

(All photos from Mystic River Studios by Rich Jarvis Photography)

Set 1

Amber Rane performed her award-winning housewife act (which she developed in the Burlesque Your Way course at B.A.B.E). It was adorable when she debuted it and I bet it’s only gotten better in the past year.

Alissa Coates has a stunning voice and last night Teaseday Club members got a real treat. She accompanied herself on the guitar (the first time in front of an audience!) while singing “One Sweet Love.

Vikki Likkerish performed her Muff ‘N’ Mix act. I love this number and her current version of the punchline is awesome. I remember when she won a Taste O’ Burlesque contest with it and one of the ballots had “Cup f–ing Cake” scrawled on it, just to make sure we knew who they meant.

Sally the Altar Boy is a poi spinner, or “object manipulator” as Scratch likes to say. We’ve always been quite impressed with his skill. All I can tell you about this act is that he used glow poi, wore a striped suit, and the music was “That Old Pair of Jeans”.

I was up next. I had originally planned to do my boa & panels strip because it’s nice and fresh from the Mardi Gras Ball, but while I was out of town I saw that Delilah Spring was added to the line-up and I know her fan dance is to the same song. I pulled that act and chose my old favorite “Minnie The Moocher” instead (you’ll find out shortly why that was appropriate). It’s an audience favorite. And they joined in on every “hi-di hi-di hi-di-ho”.

Set 2

Stella Diamond was a last minute addition when Ginny Nightshade fell ill. For her first number, she sang that classic “I Hate Men”, which she did so well in The Bod of Avon.

Amber Rane returned to the stage and rolled around on her adorable squishy pink bean bag, to “The Beanbag Song”, of course. The punchline to this act is so cute, but I’m not going to give it away.

Alissa Coates sang “Don’t Know Why” which suits her voice fabulously.

Delilah Spring performed her fan dance to “The Mooche”. This is the song I was going to use, but went with Minnie instead. See, the Mooche is the dance a Moocher does. Cute, no? I’m so proud to have had Delilah as a fan dance student. This is a lovely number.

By the way, this was the easiest set ever to kitten. Only Amber needed her costume picked up, and I just had to move the microphone for both Stella and Alissa.
 

Set 3

Stella Diamond strips as well as sings! She hitchhiked to “Burlecue” with her trusty “Fame or Bust” suitcase by her side. (She loves that prop, although she couldn’t be more different from The Innocent in this act.)

Sally the Altar Boy spun his faster set of glow poi to “La Grange”. This picture kind of gives you an idea of what he looks like in motion.

Vikki Likkerish performed her signature Painted Lady act. As usual, jaws were dropping all through the audience.

Delilah Spring presented a number I hadn’t seen yet (and still haven’t since I was stuck backstage). It was to “Mississippi Mud” by The Andrews Sisters and you can see part of her river-themed costume in the photo.

And lastly it was me, performing “My Room” with my black & white fans. A classic.

The Teaseday Club will be open the second Tuesday of every month. That means the next one is May 14th. I’ll probably be in the audience for that one!

Two writings in one day! I hope that satisfies your desires to hear about my goings-on for a bit. At least until tomorrow!

One of the wonderful thing about The Expo is The Conference, ably coordinated by Scandal from Bohemia and before her, Betty Blaize. It has developed into 4 tracks of classes over 2 days: movement classes, lectures, hand-on workshops, and panels. All sort of topics are covered from fan dancing and shimmies to taxes and contracts.

Despite having gone to bed quite late the night before, I was up bright and early Saturday morning to join my fellow Babydolls for the first class.

Boston Babydoll Boot Camp (Evie Sphinx): Evie regularly tortures us for 10 or 15 minutes at rehearsals. This was an entire hour of calisthenics. We did fast footwork across the floor. We did squats, pushups, dips, planks. I don’t even remember what all we did, but I was exhausted and sweating.

Stripteasing in Panel Skirts (Toni Elling): Miss Elling is a master of working with panels and she brought some from her collection for us to try out. Now I need to make some half-circle chiffon panel skirts…

Maximizing the Power of Hands and Gloves (Joe Paul Williams): This entire class focused on the movement of the hands, wrists, and forearms. We learned the relationship of the parts of the hand to other parts of the body, the symbolism, and mind-body-spirit connection. We never put on a single glove and yet I feel my glove removes are forever changed for the better.

Power in Silence (Paco Fish): By silence, Paco meant the silence of the body — stillness. I remind other dancers (and myself) to embrace the power of the pause and this class brought that home again and again.

Elements of Staging for Classic Burlesque Group Work (Joe Paul Williams): Using simple shapes on the stage, we created a Follies style group number in no time at all. We also explored the differing power of serial, parallel, and oppositional movement. I noticed, again, how much Joe’s teachings have influenced Betty and that it was reflected in our most recent choreography.

Stalking the Stocking (Jo Weldon): I always enjoy Jo’s classes, but I was hoping to pick up some tips for Your Lovely Legs! The class was, no surprise, both fun and informative. The high point may have been Mimi Mischief’s stockings trying to make her go down to the basement.

And that was Saturday.

Sunday morning, I skipped Betty’s Boot Camp to be prepared for my class.

Homemade Beauty (me): I’m pretty fanatical about my skin care (see my drawer full of Xerion Skin Science products sometime), but I also like making stuff myself and saving money. In this class we made a face scrub, a foot scrub, and bath fizz (like a bath bomb, only not compressed into a ball) with ingredients you can mostly get at your average supermarket. I may run it again at B.A.B.E.

Fan-Task-Tickle! (Bobby Barnaby): On the care and feeding of fans: how to make them, store them, mend them, transport them. Happily, Bobby prefers bamboo stave fans, like me.

FANatics Anonymous (Bobby Barnaby): An actual fan dance class. Always fun to play with my fans. Bobby uses the other grip, so it was occasionally challenging to translate the moves.

Drop-in Class (me): B.A.B.E. runs these all weekend for people who have only come for the Exhibit Hall and shows. They’re very basic introductory classes. The rest of the instructors were off in Dahlia Fatale’s Fosse jazz class.

I allowed myself a lot of down time this year. By which I mean that out of 16 class periods, I was doing something class related for only 11 of them. I regret skipping Blitzen von Schtupp’s Tantalizing Shimmies and Italian Burlesque: Sophia Lauren Style with Sophie Champagne, but I had to conserve my strength and brainpower at least a little.

Here’s a little picture of me and Toni Elling in her panel skirt class: She’s graciously allowed me to wear one of her skirts. I look a tad disheveled, and I’m going to put the blame on Evie and her calisthenics and not for my inability to look in a mirror.

I promise I will get back to my notes about The Expo, but I just spent a glorious long weekend in sunny Florida and need to take care of a little neglected business.

But I did want to let you know that you can see me at the first meeting of The Teaseday Club tonight at The Davis Square Theatre along with Alissa Coates, Amber Rane, Delilah Spring, Sally the Altar Boy, Stella Diamond, Vikki Likkerish and Ol’ Scratch.

Also, if you’re a dancer, actor, or any kind of movement-based performer, you want to take the Body Language for Performers Workshop at B.A.B.E. on Saturday. Joe Paul Williams is an amazing instructor — he will blow your mind and open your eyes. I cannot do his fabulousness justice, so just come take the workshop. At $35 for 3 hours, it’s a bargain and you’ll leave inspired. I promise.

Start strong. Finish strong.

Your first and last impressions are important as they are usually what the audience will remember best.

The Last Chance Speakeasy was late Friday night after The Rhinestone Revue. It came about because Scratch wanted a casino-type party to celebrate the lucky 7th year and there were so many applicants to perform this year that he wanted to create an opportunity for more of them.

The room that would become the Exhibit Hall on the morrow was transformed into a classy cabaret by The House of Gorejess. There was a small stage at one end for performances, hosted by The Purrfessor, a spread of nibbles, a bar in the vestibule, and two blackjack tables, manned by Scratch & myself.

I can’t write up a blow by blow, like the previous missive, because there were so many acts. I want to single out a few that made an impression on me:

It was great way to end the night and gave even more performers a chance to strut their stuff. I’m hopeful The Expo will continue to have a similar cabaret in future years.

And here’s a picture of me and Dot Mitzvah in our slinky black dresses.(On me, dress by J. Peterman, shoes from Angie Pontani, gloves from Carmen and Ginger, purse from Melissa Flynn, necklace by Diamond*Star*Halo)

Friday night at The Expo is The Rhinestone Revue, a showcase of the best performers: last year’s winners, previous year’s winners, and invited guests. And The Boston Babydolls.

We’ve been working extremely hard on a brand new number for the Expo and keeping most of the details under wraps. I’ll tell you more about that later.

Unless otherwise noted, photos from Boston.com

The show was supposed to be hosted by our Legendary guests, Toni Elling, The Duke’s Delight, and April March, The First Lady of Burlesque, but a week ago, April broke her ankle in 3 places! So, Scratch helped out Toni. I couldn’t hear so well from the green room, but they did call April from stage.

The show opened with Scarlett Letter, Most Classic 2007, Best Solo 2010, doing a classic tease in purple. I’m a sucker for panel skirts, which she used beautifully. And the hair tease was incredible! Scarlett has *four feet* of red hair (and miles of bad intentions) which she took down, hid behind, and whipped around to the delight of the audience.

Special guest Willy Barrett (aka Delsarte Master Joe Paul Williams) seductively stripped… a bar of chocolate. All the while Betty Blaize and Delilah Spring fluttered their fans around and behind him. It was funny, but sensual as well. His movements are so expressive. As a final tidbit, he and his backup dancers only had one rehearsal together. You never would have guessed.

Lucy Buttons, Most Classic 2009, Queen of Rock ?n Roll Burlesque, strutted her stuff to “Nasty Naughty Boy”. I missed most of it because I was getting ready for our act, but I know she ended up covered in glitter and a bottle of champagne was involved.

Scandal From Bohemia, Most Humorous 2010 had everyone laughing as she made a sandwich to Weird Al’s parody of “My Sharona” (look it up). My favorite part — her hair ornaments were actually giant frilly toothpicks that she thrust into the sandwich.

BettySioux Tailor, Most Beautiful 2010 rocked out to “Purple Haze”. We were back stage, rocking out to her music and watching her silhouette on the backdrop. I love the undies BettySioux is wearing — I almost got to wear them in her fashion show last summer.

Then it was our turn. We were supposed to start the act in complete darkness, but the stage right side lights were still on. And continued to stay on. I could see Linda B., our stage manager, frantically hunting though the cables, and I’m sure, at the lighting board, Hunter was gnashing his teeth. Scratch called for us to come off stage. We’d try again after intermission.

We did and all went well. More in a moment. I want to finish gushing about the other performers. I know I’m teasing you, but that’s the whole point!

The first of last year’s winners was Cherokee Rose, Most Classic. We were heading back to the green room at this point so I can’t describe the act. I’m sorry I missed this because she said it was a very dirty number and there was a riding crop involved.

Dot Mitzvah, the first ever Best Hybrid winner, did what she did best. She sang. Opera. While stripping. At one point hitting some amazing high notes while pulling off her glove with her teeth! And it was funny too.

The Shanghai Pearl, one of our special guests, performed her Bird of Paradise act with a costume inspired by a Blue and Gold Macaw. She gives such good face! And her tail wasn’t bad either! Later, her feathers were available for closer examination in the Costume Exhibit.

Paco Fish, Most Humorous, was disturbingly erotic as a judge with a special relationship with justice. And his gavel. It was quite the contrast to his high-energy cheerleader act, but still showcases his background in physical comedy.

St. Stella and James and the Giant Pastie, Most Beautiful, performed their winning number from last year. If it’s possible, it was even better. James, a statue, came to life and seduced St. Stella. For the record, I believe he posed as David, Le Penseur, and Discobolos.

Jo Weldon, another special guest, performed her act in honor of all the ladies of Pink Light Burlesque. You can see her gorgeous tribute fans in this picture, but her pasties, g-string, and shoes are equally dazzling. I’m just in awe of Jo. her stage presence is incredible. She began the number just by standing still on stage. Every eye was riveted to her and then… she took a breath. It was like a revelation. (Photo from WBUR.org)

Burgundy Brixx, Best Solo, was just the epitome of the showgirl with a classy and elegant striptease. And then there was the boa. Oh, her boa was the perfect surprise. Far be it for me to spoil it for you.

It was all fabulous! Oh, I’m sorry, wasn’t I supposed to tell you about our number? All right, I’ll stop teasing. This was the very first time we presented this number and we were all so excited! We wanted to bring a little Vegas to Boston!

The theatre went completely dark, our music, the JXL Remix of ?A Little Less Conversation” came up, and a single flashlight came on to spotlight the first dancer. We did the entire thing in the dark, lit only by penlights held by the dancers, turning on and off to tease.

It kind of looked like this:

We’re really proud of how it came out! Concept was by Scratch. Choreography by Betty. Costumes designed by Scratch and predominantly constructed by Schwartz, Betty, Devora, and myself, although everyone pitched in to rhinestone the pasties.

And this is what we looked like in the light:
(Teeth & Tits photo by Jo Weldon)

And then it was time to relax and enjoy The Last Chance Speakeasy!

I’m home from The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2013, exhausted but glowing! It was a fabulous event and I promise I will tell you all about it: the shows, the classes, the shopping, and the parties.

But right now, I need to get back to the real world and take care of everything I ignored during 3 days of sparkles and fun (and one day of lifting & toting).

The Expo is almost here and I’ve been in a flurry of packing, sure I’m forgetting something important. But I would never forget your Friday tip!

Take care of yourself: get enough sleep, eat well, drink plenty of water, moisturize and wear sunscreen, stretch.

It’s hard when you’re some place exciting and busy, like The Expo, but treat yourself well and you’ll be less likely to end up with post-event ick.

See many of you soon!

The winner of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love is Red Snapper! I’ll be sending you your book shortly *after* the Expo.

I know it’s Wednesday and no, I don’t have a book review for you. I’ve been so busy getting ready for the Expo. More on which in a moment.

You have until midnight today to leave a question on this post for a chance to win a copy of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love. It’s funny, entertaining, and best of all, free!

The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2013 is just a couple of days away! I’ve been working, working away. Let’s see:

* Putting the finishing touches on costumes for The Boston Babydolls new act in The Rhinestone Revue.

* Making a batch of glamour bars for The Last Chance Speakeasy. They’re solid lotion that melts into luxurious moisturizer with a touch (that means, store them in a cool place!) and have just a hint of glitter (from Atomic Cosmetics, of course). The Babydolls like to use them as a base for more glitter.

* Packing up The Diva’s Coat for The Wrathskellar costume exhibit.

* Hemming panels to use in Toni Elling’s class.

* Preparing the B.A.B.E. sponsored drop-in classes.

* Creating ballots for the judges for The Main Event.

* Preparing materials for my class on Homemade Beauty. Come make bath products from simple and wholesome ingredients!

* Sewing adorable aprons for Brigitte and Mimi to wear as hostesses at the Tea Party.

* Planning to host the Newcomer’s Showcase.

* Agonizing over what to wear for every event!

And just to set the record straight, I am not involved in the least with organizing the Expo. I just do a lot.

Hope to see you this weekend!

I’m running a little contest to give away a fun and educational book. All you have to do is leave me a question on this post before midnight on Wednesday.

As you ask questions, I’ll answer them, as best I can.

Red Snapper asks: Where do you get your bulk rhinestones? I tend to shop locally and mix the grades of stones, but I?d love to buy bulk Swarovskis online if it?s more cost effective. I assume your stones for the pasties were an online purchase.

She’s talking about these pasties that we’re wearing at The Expo. I got the stones at Fire Mountain Gems. They’re a great resource for bulk rhinestones. You can buy by the dozen, the gross, and 10 gross. If you buy more than 15 units of anything, your price goes down. They don’t have every color, but their selection has gotten much better since I started shopping there years ago.

For smaller orders, I like Artbeads. They frequently have sales on Swarovski elements (like right now).

Always happy to do my part to make more shiny in the world.

Today’s tip was inspired by a burlesque performer who confessed that she didn’t wash her costumes much and her undies were really disgusting.

Wear a Thong of Last Resort.

That’s what I call it anyway. I’ve also heard it called an Under-G. It’s a wee, nude-colored garment just in case something slips, peeks or falls off. It also keeps your costume clean. The audience shouldn’t be aware of it, but it will bring you peace of mind.

Let’s face it, your show panties are often heavily decorated and nigh unto unwashable, more akin to jewelry than underwear. Don’t let them touch your bare bits! Always have that barrier of the ToLR/under-g.

Did you know that cloth-eating insects like to munch on bodily secretions? Icky, but true. And they chew up your fabric in the process. Clean clothes last longer (as well as smell better).

What to do if you are wearing such a tiny, tiny g-string that you can’t conceal another layer under it? Removable linings. The g-string for my April March tribute act is made of velvet and therefore doesn’t wash well. I basted a red cotton lining to it, which I would unstitch and wash, dry, and sew back into place. I was performing the act so often that I got tired of that process and made a removable lining that snaps into place instead.

Tidily yours,