Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you’re someplace cool today!

In tips past I’ve told you tricks that involve old stockings, like this one and this one. Here’s another! And it’s seasonally appropriate.

Stockings are useful gardening tools.

As you can see from the photo, I’m using an old stocking to support this pumpkin that has grown up the fence. The stocking, securely tied to the fence, will stretch as the pumpkin grows and the vine doesn’t have to support all the weight.

Stockings also work well to tie tomato plants to stakes without cutting into the stems.

Do you garden? Do you reuse stockings or other unlikely items?

P.S. It turns out this is my 600th tip! If I’d realized that, I would have tried to make it more momentous. Ah well!

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Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ll get to your tip in just a minute.

I can’t seem to stop talking about Wrathskellar Tales. We have 4 shows this weekend (through Halloween), then Inside “Wrathskellar Tales” next Friday, where you can tour the space and learn all its secrets (great if you want to see what we created, but aren’t so keen on the creepiness or the boobs), and we’ll be doing an encore presentation of the show on Saturday, November 5th for all of you who were too busy in the days leading up to Halloween. Tickets, as always, are at wrathskallar.com.

And just to tease you, here are a few performance pictures (courtesy of Kevin Cafferty):

And at last, here is your tip!

When wearing a garter belt, get stockings without stay-up grips.

The silicone banding in stay-up stockings (also called thigh-highs) makes it much harder to clip on garters and for the garters to grip securely. Look for true stockings that require garters and you’ll have an easier time.

Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip.

Stop a stocking run with soap.

Everyone knows you can use clear nail polish to keep a run in your stocking from getting worse (you knew that, right?), but you can also use soap.

It’s so much more convenient when you’re out and about. I don’t have room in my tiny evening clutch to carry a bottle of nail polish just in case, but there’s always a ladies’ room around. Just dab some liquid soap around the run or rub it with a moistened bar of soap — those bitty hotel bars are the perfect size. Let the soap dry and continue on your merry way! It’s not as permanent a fix as nail polish, but it can save your evening.

I’ve also heard you can use hair spray, but I’ve never tested it.

Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

Dear Constant Reader,

As you read this we are on our way to Cleveland for the Ohio Burlesque Festival! We’re looking forward to headlining tonight with 2013 Howard Award* winners Peggy de Lune and Donna Denise, and boylesque sensation Bazooka Joe.

Despite the excitement, I wouldn’t forget your Friday tip!

Rehearse stocking removes with “stunt” stockings (i.e. ones that already have runs in them). Save your good stockings for performance.

Tip of the hat to Red Snapper for reminding me of this one.

*That’s the official name of the awards given out at The Great Burlesque Exposition. They’re named after the notorious Old Howard theatre, late of Scollay Square.