Mary Poppins rides again.

Now I know that green eyeshadow, glitter and pink lipstick are far from the usual Mary Poppins look but Drag Mary is a different story! Also I climbed out of this costume into others.
You can't see it but I nailed the fake eye crease look finally. It's where you draw a new crease above the natural one and it's used on stage to make one's eyes look bigger.

Makeup is such an odd thing. I personally have very little time for it and my only concession is lipstick. The whole idea of painting on a face every day just to go to work, or out to dinner, bored me, it's a tedious chore. But using it to do crazy things like moving my eyebrows up, contouring etc for a character - that is interesting to me. I don't aspire to look beautiful or sexy, but to look like Constance, who is neither - like clown makeup.
Hey ho!

Actual fabric and sewing! Well, eventually!

Well today for the first time in ages, I went fabric shopping for ME. this means, no sequins, no metallic. Oh my word, what a surreal experience!
The Fabric Store, aka GlobalThatWas (GTW) (because really, it's a difficult name otherwise) was my destination. Because, they advertised 18 Liberty prints for $18m.
Now I don't know if you're studying my tasted in fabric that much, because, well, stalking, but I love the Liberty prints that are hard core pre-WW2 in their vibe. I love most of the actual fabrics - tana lawn, baby cord, Lantana etc. So, I get excited to the point of needing a slap over about 5% of the offering, and that's fine with me. Nobody wants to all like the same things, amiright?
This wee moment of absolute indulgence yielded three purchases:

1. Silk chiffon in the warm colourway of Alma. This is my all time favourite Liberty print - I have an entire dress in the Tana Lawn version. So I bought a half metre to make a floaty scarf to tie back me hair. This intense matchy matchy thing really appeals to me! I bought a length of the Lantana wool/cotton blend in the softeer colourway of this print a while ago that it will also look delish with.

2. 2.5m of baby cord in this amazing Bloomsbury vibe print in a range of colours that just scream, "Wear me with Denim!" It's a perfect weight for the spring weather, or the autumn weather because it may take me that long to make it Erk.

3. This Tana Lawn called Karm A, was what I went in to look at. It's quite green, and I love green more than it loves me, but I had to have it. Because Paisley!!!

My photo was so meh, here's the photo from their website. OH MY GOSH!
I bought 5m because I had a plan to also make something for Jack, who considers paisley to be his favourite colour. But after today, I am not so sure; this is why:
I texted in fun to say I was leaving the office*, going to GTW, and if I wasn't at the shop in 30 minutes, to stage an intervention (he was working at the shop) Well, it took a bit of time to get there and honestly I hadn't been there very long when their phone rang. The lass who answered it seemed a bit confused, but I realised soon the call was about me. I saw her writing something on a piece of paper, clearly under instruction, and handed it to me. One word, INTERVENTION! cheeky monkey.

His paisley privileges have been temporarily withdrawn. No doubt I will relent though. If only for the embarrassment factor of being dressed alike!. ;-)

*People I have a day job now. I am dipping my toe back into corporate life again. Only part time for now, and it's working very well - the shop doesn't need me full time thanks to awesome staff, and it's good to have Options.

My August!

 I'm starting at the most recent and working backward. Last Sunday we had a photo shoot for our Time Travel Cabaret air raid shelter show in November. I am utterly stuffed to the gill with pride that my baby sister is joining us FINALLY. She sings like a dream and has so much stage presence. I've dug her out of suburban family contentment. She's not unhappy about it. Here we are in full quasi 1944 gear.

Here's the whole crew. We've not got the proper pics back yet, so it's selfies for now. 

Since my last post, I've started a 25 hour a week IT contract on top of the shop, so I am using my time with more...determination? I feel a little squeezed in, like my life is wearing shapewear. It's not terrible, but it is slowing down my blog reading and writing. Bah

AND, I have acquired my first ever knee high boots! Look! They fit my huge calves. Bliss! They were a swap.
AND, I attended the New Zealand Burlesque Festival. What an incredible experience that was. If I was a different person I would have five posts full of photos to show you all how incredible it all was. Set in the little village of Devonport on Auckland's North Shore, we had an amazing time of it. But I am terrible at photos and so you'll have to take my word for it. Here's a couple of shots of me on stage at the Saturday Spectacular Tease show

 Doing despicable things to my hookah

A close up dressing room selfie that shows my Mad Hatter makeup better. My most fun face to do!

The curtain call. Son Jack is the lithe figure in black at the right end. I am fourth right along the back, just where the black panel finishes. I still had my weird makeup on. 

Sunday started with a brunch at which the national Golden Garters Awards are handed out. These are by voting only, and I was totally blown away to be nominated for two - Favourite MC, and Faovourite non-Strip Tease Act with Clever for our Foodtard Song. Hans (Clever Hansel) couldn't come to the Festival so I took along his photo - seen here propped against my water glass at the brunch table. SoundBitch and Sharne are deep in talk - probably about life with a ponytail and black T-shirt aesthetic lol. 

 Well, the upshot was that I won Favourite MC, and here is my very gold award on the Wall of Amazing Things in my living room. Foodtard lost out to the act I voted for so I was stoked about that! it involves synchronised swimmers, a pole and Bolero. It is AMAZING.

This award means a lot to me as I am a tireless campaigner for Emcees who are entertaining but also respectful and do not take over a show. I must say the Emcee for our show, Miss La Vida, was FANTASTIC and hopefully will appear on the finalist list next year.

So that's me for now. I am tired, sore, contented, stressed, honoured, busy, challenged. Many more less readworthy things are happening and I may touch upon them if I get to post more often.

Thank you for reading dear ones xo