FOUR THINGS TODAY

Today-

-it was raining.
I do enjoy the summer rain, and how fresh everything looks and how sweet it smells after it, but only if it comes every once in a while. On a day when you have things you need to do the rain is welcome, as one does not get a bad consciousness from sitting inside when the sun is shining outside.  Since summers here are short we are all taught since childhood "not stay inside when it's sunny outside". So all the time during summer, when you're not on your holiday but working indoors that rings in your ears and you feel a bit guilty to the sun on the other side of the window. Sort of.

So it was also a bit too rainy in order to wear the prettiest shoes in the world, shoes that are MINE. But I took a little moment to admire them instead. These velvet bowed beauties are by Frollein von Sofa.

Some time ago I organised my sewing area and found a bag of forgotten fabrics that have been waiting to transform into (mainly) dresses. Got started, a little bit, on one of them! (Although, that was not really one of the things that I was supposed to be doing).

Then I made a set of quinoa cookies. Or, perhaps they should be called 'quinoa balls' when in this shape. Not really first on my to-do list either but oh-so worth it anyway; they really are very delicious! Getting back to those some day here soon.

I also fought with my computer(s) for a few hours (that was what I was suppose to be doing. In short, my old mac is dying and my new one does not recognise my external hard drive I had all stuff stored on and the old maccadelic is not really into migrating itself over or to upload anything to icloud, just the spinning rainbow wheel of death, and all this right here is definitely one of those things testing how long it will take before you lose your shit for good, you know, as in both the shit on the computer and the shit in your MIND). But then I left the computers to suffer alone and had a long late night production meeting. New work and projects coming up on the showbiz front. That's a lot more to do (once more) but it will also be fun!

DR.SKETCHY'S HELSINKI: MARIE ANTOINETTE

The other week I posed for DrSketchy's Anti-Art School Marie Antoinette-themed night that was held at our studio!



Vegan cupcakes, pastels, lots of fluff and rosy cheeks.

You may remember I used to go quite a lot to the cabaret-live-drawing evenings of Dr.Sketchy's before, but then I ran out of time and so did Tinker and Aiju who were organising them in Helsinki - this was the first night in a few years. And while we were at it we decided with Tinker Bell to start producing them over here again (Dr.sketchy Finland has mainly been active in Tampere only during the Helsinki hiatus). So be prepared for more nights of good music, some wine and most of all drawing fabulous models in fun themes!

Here are a couple of paintings from the night by Anna Kainulainen:

You can follow Dr.Sketchy's Anti-Art School Finland via blogger or on Facebook!

Read more about Dr.Sketchy's here.

BALANCE BY THE SEA / SUMMER AT THE STUDIO

I'm back from our usual three days of archipelago midsummer celebrations! It wasn't all wine-sipping and constant eating for me 24/7, I took some time to do some pilates and balance practices as well. The setting kind of calls for that; I've always liked to work out by to the sound of the sea.

In summer my pilates classes over at our studio are Monday evenings, and what better way to continue summer after the celebrations by celebrating your own strength, hmmm..? Tomorrow at 18:30! With the Elvis themed dance workout before that. (Which we also did with my mom and sisters too at the beach today. It's fun!)

I also have a morning pilates class every second Thursday, and every second Thursday Ruska has her Seasonal Yoga Body Clock Yang class. We have a summer discount for the whole season where our anytime card is only 90€, and you can buy our 10-times card for the summer season for just 100€ (normally 140€), until July 15. We're open all trough the summer except for week 29 in July!

And -woop woop!- next week we're having a burlesque beginners-intensive camp! Two days of fun and learning including stage-make up practices as well as a free entry to the Vegas-themed summer edition of our RubiesKlubit in the evening - a complete starter kit that is! The camp is in Finnish but if you speak English eller svenska we will mix! Do join in on the fun!

Plus, one last thing of self promotion (which I often forget to do, ehrm) ; do remember that we organise bachelorette/hen party burlesque classes (burleskipolttarit) too!  At our studio, or alternatively we show up to where you are celebrating (with some limitations, of course). It's is rather popular these days, having burlesque classes for the bachelorette parties, and were actually the first in the country organising them, together with Bettie, Kiki and Olivia. So we know how to keep you entertained!

But yeah, pilates, tomorrow evening -or, today by now I guess, as we are just about to tick-tock over to Monday's side here.
"Be in control of your body, not at the mercy of it." (Joseph Pilates). YES to that. So see you!

IN LONDON & VIENNA

I am out in the archipelago celebrating Midsummer for a few days, but meanwhile here are some snapshots from my workations in May -

We were a mere week in London for the London Burlesque Festival!

I rented a fab air b'n'b in a old bank-building-turned-aparements in Holloway.

We hooked up with our old pal from Norway Miss Knockout Noire and hit the town as The Scandinavian Leather Jackets. That included a lot of laughter.

And then I paid a bunch of money to see Daniel Craig (drool) and Johnny Depp (drool) in wax.

The most interesting were the really old dolls though.

But we did indeed work there too - here in the middle of getting into drag for our boyband act.

And later the usual glittery burlesque setting as well!

A week later, very early in the morning, it was time to gather the boyband again and fly over to Vienna and the Vienna Boylesque Festival!

A too-early wake up can be balanced up with a prosecco breakfast upon arrival, meeting up the rest of the Finns who had been there for the first nights of the festival already.

Streelights of love in Vienna!

The world's best boyband, next to the world's without-a-doubt-best-female-boylesque performer Lou Henry Hoover, before the show.

Backstage post-show photo by Neil Kendall (@neilnezkendall). So many men and so much glitter!