Red Snapper

Who wants mail?

I got some fun postcards to send out from time to time-- all of them safe for exposed postal mailings. The print quality makes them look very vintage.

If I haven't mailed anything to you yet and you want me to mail you a postcard every now and again, message me your address. :)

Kings lose to Stars. Snappers live to face another day.

Recognizing change can be difficult. Learning of the changes in my father's health has been alarming. I have memories of eating cheese and drinking home-brewed wine at the kitchen table in my teens, and eating cheese and barbecue chips with him when I was an ivory kiddo with very few freckles. A man who was once physically strong is now very weak. I'm coming to terms with all of it.

I'm also coming to terms with my hockey affiliation. We attended a handful of games (two of them courtesy of the...

Full reveal - "If You Really Love Me"

Shot with the new camera under the fancy lights with the new curtains.

Shot in the home studio, but not in my actual home studio. That room is full of costumes that need to be put away and in-progress projects. The room isn't quite deep enough for shooting and dancing. At least, not how I have it set up right now.

We had roughly thirty minutes between the time the camera arrived and shooting to figure out how to make it work. The video work will be cleaner after November's video. I may s...

I do love this quilt.

Photo by Mr. Snapper.

I really do love this quilt. I need a new bed to go with it.

When we moved from Los Angeles, we ditched our mattress and ordered a new memory foam mattress from Amazon. (I did two corset commissions right before the move, so I bought the mattress as soon as we arrived.) I expected it to be as comfy as my previous memory foam mattress, but I was mistaken. Two weeks into the relationship with the new mattress, I discovered it was classified as firm. No good for a side...

Weekend plans.

Remember how my video camera died and it sucked?

Good news.

Thanks to my patrons, commissions and side hustling as a writer, we’ve added a new weapon to our arsenal.

This son-of-a-bitch shoots video and still. 

This means the home studio now has:

• Backdrops
• Red curtains
• A lighting kit
• A kickass camera
• A mic kit
• A working knowledge of how to compose shots 
• A basic understanding of iMovie
• Vary...
  2018-10-18 19:17:42 +0000 UTC View Post

Big photo shoot weekend ahead!

I have a full weekend of shooting content ahead. I believe I have seven looks planned.

Mr. Snapper is my MVP. He's helping with the styling and a bunch of other stuff. He acts as an assistant during the shoot-- moving my boobs so they're lifted, adjusting stray hairs, helping me dress and hanging up outfits. It's a good thing he can't do makeup and hair!

Know what a big shoot means? Another tab in my Google spreadsheet of packing lists. The more organized I am in pre-production, the simp...

I'm more diligent as a stripper than I am as a variety artist.

Mr. Snapper and I traveled to Tucson over the weekend to perform "Buttercup" (AKA the finger in the butt song) at Arizona Burlesque Festival.

When I'm dancing, I pay more attention to what I eat before the show so I don't upset digestion with dancing or have trouble fastening all my layers of clothing. I have checklists so I pack everything I need along with backups of items that wind up with some wear and tear.

When we do variety stuff, I'm less worried about what I'm wearing. I grabbed...

Behind the scenes at the Dalmatian shoot.

Mr. Snapper shot some video while I set up my furry friends for the photo shoot. I talk about the toys I've collected.

The "newest" toy wasn't from St. Louis. I actually got it in Hollywood in 2003 to sit in the back seat of my new car. That one used to wear a pumpkin suit.

Shooting with my best friend.

I love this dog. Having the dogs involved in this photoshoot was unintentional but predictable.

Coca is a rescue from Tijuana. She's also part border collie. High-anxiety and noise-sensitive, she's a handful. I send her to day camp when people come over for a social visit to make it easier on her. (She loves dogs.) A photoshoot with a visitor would be pretty impossible.

Both dogs LOVE toys. They've been eager to get into the Dalmatian toys for years. They took the opportunity to sniff th...

Tub Tales 09.29.18

You now get a private link for each Tub Tales video. YAY! https://vimeo.com/293835517/25042ddf69

Mr. Snapper and I went to Chicago last weekend so I was in a strange tub. (Well, strange to me but not interesting-strange.)

Lights! Almost action!

Photo by Mr. Snapper.

Part of upping my game over the past year has been investing in equipment for the home studio. This means buying backdrops, a backdrop stand, and a lighting kit.

Next up is a new camera. I have to replace my trusty but deceased digital video camera after years of service. We need a still camera anyway, so why not invest in a camera that can do both very well?

In the meantime, we can do home shoots with one of our $600+ iPhones. (They may be $800 each. I don’...

The quilt that took over two decades.

Photo by Mr. Snapper. Derp by Buster.

I've always loved Dalmatians. This quilt was conceived from that love of Dalmatians. (More Dalmatian tales in November.) I had two Dalmatians back in the mid-nineties: Holly and Piper. I started buying fabric to make a Dalmatian quilt. I even managed to make appliqués and start a few squares back in '97. (One of those squares is at my right knee.)

Years passed. I moved two states, discovering I still had this project when I was still pursuing acting...

Patreon levels are changing in days!

I promised changes. I'm updating the levels tomorrow evening, and I'm switching to "charge up front" on September 30th.

Here are the monthly subscription levels:

$1 per month – You Like Me

You want to be supportive and this fits your budget. I dig it. You’ll get to see a post with a pic each month.

$3 per month – You Like Me Sharing

You want to be a little more supportive. You’ll get access to a behind-the-scenes snapshot and th...

Detective Olivia Stabler had a show open this weekend.

I watch a lot of SVU.

One of the major projects that was in my queue was a murder mystery script for Viva Dallas Burlesque. (Since you can't just hand a script over to performers and expect them to sort it out for themselves, I also served as a wham-bam director.) While Mr. Snapper and I wrote the script together, I did the heavy lifting on this one. He hosted the show (as Detective Elliott Benson) and I managed the clues and audience votes.

We wrote five different endings to throw the c...

These are the soul cages.

I have a tale to share with you because that’s what I do here— share my life as a creator.

The TLDR version is that I’m taking September off from posting because there’s some unpleasantness happening in my world and it’s preventing me from sharing the content I’d like.

At the beginning of this week, I learned my father (still living in my hometown) has been suffering some mini strokes. He seems to be showing signs of dementia, and he is barely mobile. He’s had a couple stro...

Tub Tales Noir

Sorry this is late to you. A lot of stuff has been happening. (You'll see that in another post.) The great news is that there's a NEW camera in my future. This one was shot on iPhone. :D

Password is snappernoir

I'm sparkling and I'm laughing.

Photo by Madison Hurley. Melted hair courtesy of Dallas humidity.

I made this corset based on an existing pattern. I think it's called the heart corset because there's a heart on the front.

I didn't do adjustments to the pattern, so the cups are made for a 32B and not a 32F. I had to embellish a bra to wear under the corset so my boobs didn't flop out the top or sides. #winning

I contacted a friend and former burlesque dancer & costumer today. She revealed her secrets for a cor...

My mental gymnastics will keep me warm at night.

The quilt is too big to lay out on the floor of my studio without moving furniture. The video shows you where I was with the work last week, and I share the significance of the squares.

I've started quilting the front to the back today. This thing is so heavy. 

At least I've had the space to think about the next costume. I mentioned it's going to have a corset. I'm going to make a mockup of...

Why half ass?

Photo by Jeff Fuller-Freeman.

I'm thinking a lot about the next new act.  I think it's going to be a corset act. I keep thinking about songs that have lots of guitar and heavy bass. I can't get "Stranglehold" out of my head right now. I don't know if that will be the best fit, but I'll probably put it on and roll around in the studio with my boa.

I'm well on my way with my little (big) sewing project. It's helped clear out my mental cobwebs. I'll share some of that with you very soo...

And now, disco nonsense.

From Viva Dallas Burlesque on Saturday night. Ben Britt is amazing with getting the videos up right away.

It took years to break the habit I have of back-leading. I've been dancing for longer than Mr. Snapper and I have the muscle memory for certain dance actions. It's not unlike having theatrical sense and turning toward the light source.

I maybe back-lead a little in this one. To be fair, he was singing, hosting and dancing in the show.

Would you believe Kitten Natividad gave me these shoes?

Hair and makeup by LaDonna Stein of Dallas PinUp, photo by Through the Looking Glass Photos.

Russ Meyer girl turned mature and sassy burlesque legend Kitten Natividad gave me these shoes. She also gave me a pair of black high heels (same height) and a pink raincoat.

I can't put these shoes on myself. I've worn them in multiple photo shoots, but I can't dress myself in them. I can barely balance. The heel is 5" while my foot is 8.5" long. I think I have maybe an inch or two of my actual f...

Tub Tales 07.31.18

Password 'distracted by the bubbles'

Boy howdy, I yammer on and on and on in this one. I also keep playing with the bubbles. The days are hot here in Texas, so a warm bath isn't as appealing during the summer months. It was just under 100 degrees outside so I was cool enough for a bubble bath.

I really expect a lot more bubbles out of these LUSH bubble bars. 

Plain-faced, which is what you get to know with the behind-the-scenes stuff. You can also see the ridiculous "tan" I'm...

Bad girl does good, film at 11.

Friday night I was the Bad Girls Club representative at Texas Queerlesque Festival, selling merch and raffle tickets to raise money for charity.

I was invited to join the Bad Girls Club a few months ago. I've been using my Betty Crocker skills to raise money for different charities as part of the club. Bad Girls (strippers) doing good and all that.

I'm waiting for my official t-shirt so I can wear it to events like this. I tried to dress the "bad girl" part but I don't own much red or bl...

What shall the next big thing be?

I'm sorting out what the next costume and act shall be. I have some investment pieces coming and some large props in my mind. I wanted to create two new acts this year. I did that, but the acts I built were both for Star Wars. I need some good stuff-- some standards that get me the kind of gigs I want (with the kind of pay I deserve after so many years in burlesque.

I need to get my creative mind activated. It's sometimes recalcitrant or distracted. I'm clearing out cobwebs.

I like to ta...

One time, I was a zombie prostitute.

This was the second time I wore a corset. (First was in college for a Moliére play.)

Mr. Snapper unearthed these photos from an abandoned photo account we had.

It was a couple years before I landed in burlesque. The casting notice was for an art project in Studio City. Trade for prints. I never got my copy of the art print. The concept was a zombie invasion of a Deadwood-type town. They spent the entire morning giving me big hair and fabulous makeup, just to cover me in blood and have a...

I clean up good.

Makeup and hair by LaDonna Stein. Photo by Through the Looking Glass Studio/Dallas Pinup.

Seriously, it had been ages since I did a traditional pin-up shoot. I have one naked photo from this one that I'll share later.

My hair looks incredible.

It took an hour and several travel bottles of conditioner to detangle it enough to wash it. I imagine it was like combing cotton candy out of a tangled mop.

This year is all about the photo shoots, bigger stages, cooler costumes, and da...

Pinup queen time!

You saw the hair in my Tub Tales. It was like hairspray cotton candy.

I decided to get some pinup photos in my crown (and out of the crown) because I have very few current pinup photos. The classic poses, big hair and red lips aren't usually part of my other photo shoots.

I finished my Queening blog. If you have seven minutes and want to read all about my Queening, you can check it out 2018-06-30 17:25:54 +0000 UTC View Post

Tell me what you want.

I want to give you more of the content you want. Please fill out this quick survey so I can do that very thing!

Tub Tales 06.23.18

Seriously, I have huge hair in this video.

Password bread bath bomb

I need to dance to more live music.

Photo by Hershel Self from Poppy Pie's Burlesque Roulette last summer.

There were two shows in Los Angeles that had live music. Both of them had a regular cast, which meant no opportunity for this little stripper to enjoy the live band.

Since I moved to Dallas, I've danced with two live bands. (One of them was in Oklahoma.) Live music presents interactive opportunities that just aren't there with pre-recorded, "canned" music.

There's also plenty of room for things to go awry. I'm o...