Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Here ’tis Friday again. Here’s your tip!

When gluing rhinestones, put your fabric on a silicone mat or piece of parchment paper.

Gluing rhinestones is a bit like baking. You don’t them to stick. I mean, you do, but you only want them to stick to the surface you’re decorating. Not to your work surface. Not to the layer of fabric underneath. Putting either parchment paper or a silicone mat under the piece you are decorating will prevent glue soaking through and sticking to something else. By their very nature, they’re easy to peel off when the glue is dry.

Silicone is pricier, but reusable. Parchment can be cut into precise shapes, like say, the inside of a glove. I use both, but I also bake a lot.😁

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Here’s your tip!

Naps are nice.

I don’t know about you, but at heart I am an old lady who would like nothing better than a good book, a cup of tea, some cats, and an early bedtime. However, I have chosen to be a showgirl and some of those shows start pretty dang late.

To stay perky and focused, the answer might not be more coffee, but, if you can swing it, a nap. The key is to get enough sleep that you are feeling refreshed, but not so much that you’re groggy. Everyone is different and you’ll need to figure it out. For me, about half an hour is right. Don’t forget to set an alarm and then actually get up as soon as it goes off. A little light stretching and maybe a quick shower or sponge bath and you should be ready to go.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

There isn’t going to be a Friday Tip this week. Maybe next week. I’m not particularly in the mood to share my skills and wisdom with the world. This has nothing to do with you, Dear Readers. In fact, I appreciate all of you, very much. However, things are just a bit much for me right now.

There may be something like a tip about priorities and self-care in there, but I leave that as an exercise to the reader.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday!

Remember last week when I talked about being an ambassador for burlesque? This is related.

Support your local community —  not just your burlesque community.

If there’s a cause that’s important to you, one way to support it is in your burlesque guise. Donate tickets or a gift certificate to a raffle. Share the proceeds of a show. Teach a free class. Volunteer in person, perhaps as a troupe. It shows the rest of the world we’re more than their preconceived notions and puts the burlesque world in generally in a better light.

And if the organization is a 501(c)(3), you can write off your charitable donation on your taxes.

For example, your Headmistress loves antique carousels, so for the past couple of years when the Paragon Carousel has their annual fundraiser and is looking for sponsors…

Look at what good company we are in!

And sponsorship has cartain other privileges…

I did name my horse after Kitten Natividad. And we won the third race!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you are going to have a lovely weekend!

Here’s your tip:

You may not have signed on for this, but you are an ambassador of burlesque.

As a burlesque performer, whomever you meet is a potential audience member, producer, or performer. They may have preconceived opinions of burlesque or no idea what it is. Be a good ambassador and show how wonderful the art and its practitioners are.

I’ve heard too much about members of the burlesque “community” being really horrible, which tarnishes everyone else. If you’re a shining example, you’ll reflect back that light on others and make everything better.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Be prepared for holidays, movie releases, and other occasions that want themed shows. Check your calendar now and plan ahead so opportunities don’t catch you unprepared.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Find an accountability partner.

There are so many distractions in life and it seems like there are always things getting in the way of just getting stuff done. One way to focus is find someone who has similar goals and work together to achieve them. I don’t necessarily mean collaborate, but create an environment where you all can get stuff done, a little at a time.

To illustrate, earlier this week Christina Manuge held an on-line quiet sewing hour for her Patrons where all the participants logged into Zoom, spoke briefly about what projects they were working on, and then muted themselves and, if they liked, turned off their cameras. Just knowing that there were other people working away, kept me on task and I got a lot done in the allotted time.

It doesn’t have to be something you do at the same time as your partner. If you both set the goal of going to the gym three times a week, you can set your own schedule and then check in with each other and compare progress. Commiserate one another if you hit a snag and congratulate each other for hitting your goals.

Support each other and we all benefit.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Have a tip!

For a strong and shapely rear, exercise all parts of your butt.

The biggest muscle is the gluteus maximus. That’s the one we all know. It’s worked when your leg moves out behind you, like back leg lifts, but also squats and deadlifts.

However, you also want to work your gluteus medius, which is the one at the corner of your seat. Exercises that bring your leg out to the side, like side leg lifts or the ignominious “dog peeing on a fire hydrant”, work this area.

Technically not part of your glutes, your hamstrings deserve some love. Having them toned and strong lifts up your bum. Moves with your knees bent, like trying to kick your own butt, target hamstrings.

A series I like is bridges, keeping your shoulders and upper back pressed into the floor and raising just your hips. Start with your feet close together, then bring them to hip width, raise one leg to tabletop, then the other, finish with your feet out wide. That should hit everything.

This tip brought to you by my aching hamstrings from yesterday’s barre class.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.