On the road !

Playing Ketchup again! I need to hire a personal assistant to blog for me. I've been working hard putting together more burlesque shows and doing come theater work, but now some harder and much more awesome stuff has come about. Classic-Harlequin.com is TEMPORARILY closed. I'm going on the road this summer! I'll be selling tons of hats (I've set a personal minimum goal of 80...) in festivals in California. So far one the list is the Bazaar Bizarre @ The Bay Area Maker Fair , Lighting in a Bottle , and Harmony Festival (I'm getting a hat on Zappa damit!). If you live in Cali, come out and see me! This trip is of course about selling (I'm bringing a lot of new and one of a kind items) but that is not the primary reason. I really want to get out and be inspired to do more. I'm leaving tomorrow and can't wait to be able to spend my weekends at amazing festivals and shows and my weekdays camping on secluded cliffs overlooking the beach. I want to clear my head, which shouldn't be too difficult. I want to meet new people, you are all my muse's after all. And I want to come home revitalized, ready to create more and more interesting pieces. At least that's the plan :-) Join me if you can.

xoxo

Amberry

A Moving Theater of Absolute Uniqueness

Body painting, carousal animals, fusion bellydance, it's going to be a good night. I've been working hard the last few weeks on this project and so excited about it! "A Moving Theater of Absolute Uniqueness" is a one night event showcasing Houston's dance talent. Curated by YET of 'The Renegades and Their Collection of Carnies", it's going to be a great show so come out to the Frentic Theater tonight (5102 Navigation Houston, TX 77011). Not only did I make some awesome costumes for the show, I'm also vending in the lobby so you can take some beautiful pieces home with you. See you tonight :-)

Burlesque Hotness!

Happy Belated New Year! My new year's resolution: make time to blog! So much happens but I'm such a procrastinator, nothing gets posted! And let me tell you, it's been a very busy month for playing dress up. It seems like EVERYONE wants a top hat come new years (and that's the way it should be!)

(Rich's Houston: More pictures of the event are on my Facebook & Myspace)

As for events this month, first we had the "Alice in a Winter Wonderland" event at Rich's Houston. Everyone looked magical, especially Miss. Siouxsie Monroe who was performing in a custom outfit made by me :-)

(Siouxse Monroe: More pictures of the event are on my Facebook & Myspace)

She was a burlesque ice princess, and put on an amazing show. Speaking of burlesque, the Austin burlesque hotties 'The Jigglewatts" hosted a tribute to Bettie Page here in Houston, and it was awesome!

(Bettie Page Tribute Show: More pictures of the event are on my Facebook & Myspace)

There were performances by Coco Lectric, Ruby Joule, Ginger Valentine, Ruby Rockit, and many others. And yours truly got to be the stage kitten :-) Besides the arduous task of looking sexy while being handed discarded clothing, I also had a merch table full of goodies. Hats, headbands, and garters by Classic-Harlequin & some beautiful jewelry by 'Freya's Rat Bites & Other Oddities'.

(Freya's Ratbites & Other Oddities "A Little Tipsy" Necklace)

She's one of my best friends up in NY whose vintage inspired pieces are going to be carried in my shop very soon. So check back often, cause you're going to want one (or five...)

xoxo

Amberry

A crafty girls dream

This is JUST ONE of the hallways were I work (the costume shop of the Alley theater, Houston). On the right is fabric bolts and tupperware filled with fabric. It goes alllll the way down and continues around the corner. On the left are boxes of trims, buttons, gems, zippers, patches, broken jewelry, glitter, paint, feathers, fur, and anything else you could ever need. The first time I saw it I literally gasped. It is VERY hard to not have sticky fingers there! One day, I'll have a room just like it :-)

Oh man, It's been a busy month! Thank you so much for coming out to the Sugar and Spice Ball, the turn out was AMAZING!

(Houston Press Photo. Check out tons more on my facebook!)

I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, but it was worth it. I'm so insanely grateful for the wonderful photographers who were there to capture all the magic, Edouard Dubiton, Mauro Luna, Amanda Cantu, and Houston Press's Daniel Kramer. Check out their photo streams, they know what they are doing! And as if planning that shindig wasn't enough I participated in a super fun fashion show in Austin featuring Team Fabrications JenRea, AND mad a ton of hats for Diverse Works charity auction. I think I work best under the stress of multiple deadlines, but now tomorrow's Halloween, and I'm ready to blow off steam!

xoxo
Amberry

As if you need more reasons to come

You know you want to come! Here are bio's of the wonderful girls performing at the launch party.  

La Catrin & The Love and Terror Cult

(myspace.com/lacatrin)

Ex front-woman for Heist At Hand, Miss Bianca Montalvo aka "La Catrin" is back! Having toured the U.S. and Mexico extensively with her previous prog effort, Heist At Hand, Miss Bianca is currently working on her first solo project under the alias "La Catrin" along with various anonymous persons known as "The Love and Terror Cult". Miss Bianca is currently collaborating in the studio with indie hit maker Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, Recover, Awake and Alert etc..) on La Catrin's debut full length album titled "Humans Are My Keyboards". On stage La Catrin is all about fantasy. Tutu's, Venetian mask, balloons, and neon forest backdrops are the norm. Looks like Lisa Frank grew up, and she's just a bit twisted. 

Siouxsie Monroe

(myspace.com/SiouxsieMonroe)

A burlesque entertainer & fetish model, Siouxsie Monroe makes regular appearances at Rich's monthly event, FREAKSHOW, preforming her famous in feather-fan dance, amongst many other routines. Siouxsie was runner-up in the 2007 Gothic Beauty Pageant; judge for 2008 & MC for 2009. Burlesque performer, fetish model, go-go dancer, and classic pin-up beauty, Siouxse does it all. 

Miss Ruby Joule

(www.HallieMartin.com)

Ruby is a native Austinite with extensive experience in dance, theatre and film.  Early training includes years of classical ballet at Ballet Austin Academy and later, traditional hula and Polynesian dance with Tropical Productions Company.  Her theatrical career includes lead roles in Travesties, House of Yes, and Speed-the-Plow. In film, she has played numerous starring and co-starring roles, and was recently featured in Tim McCanlies’ latest film, The 2 Bobs. She has appeared in countless music videos, including  “I’m Not Dead Yet” by the Riverboat Gamblers.  She has appeared on the cover of Space Squid magazine, and in the pages of The Economist and Wall Street Journal, and dazzles the pages of the latest Bachelor Pad Magazine in a featured pictoral.  

Breathing life into her favorite role yet, Ruby founded The Jigglewatts Burlesque in 2006 and has performed at legendary Texas venues including Austin's Antone's, Stubb's, Esther's Follies, and the historic Texas Theatre in Dallas.  At the Texas Burlesque Festival in 2007, she won the award for "Most Original" and was nominated for Best of the Fest.  Ruby recently returned from a west coast tour where she thrilled audiences at The Viper Room in Hollywood and the Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas, as well as a turn at Harrah’s Casino for the New Orleans Burlesque Fest.

The Renegades and Their Collection of Carnies

(myspace.com/renegadecarnies)

The Renegades and Their Collection of Carnies are the Houston, TX based dance troupe consisting of Jessie, Luna and ms. YET. Their pieces combine visual

 art, inventive costuming and belly dance into their original shows. Using the language of belly dance to present their eclectic vision of performance, the Renegades embody artistic expression through movement.

There you have it! Sugar & Spice & and Everything Nice. What more could you ask for?

Sugar and Spice Ball

Save the Date, It's going to be awesome. Entertainer Bios coming soon :-)