I was accepted to be in the Miss Michigan USA 2012 pageant.

YES. WHAT. AWESOME. I’ve never done anything like this before- the closest I’ve ever been to being in a pageant is an obsessive “Miss Congeniality” phase soon after the release of the DVD. [I can still quote the commentary.]

I have to raise a whole bunch of money to be able to compete, and the run down of what I need to do is on my IndieGoGo campaign, where you can donate via PayPal or credit card. There are different perks or prizes for different amounts that you donate, including hand-painted tshirts, handmade pasties, and [at the highest price point] a song written just for you about whatever you choose!

In other news, I’m thinking about starting a podcast, both video and audio, of me ranting about whatever, playing music, doing burlesque acts, etc. I’ll probably record a couple episodes before I start it, so I have regular content to put up at first. I was inspired by my friends over at WDDP, the Working Detectives Dragnet Podcast, who recenty featured my Dragnet burlesque act!  That and I need someone to hear all this music I write and don’t have the means to put out an album right now.

CROWN THE CLOWN PRINCESS!
Hayley Jane for Miss Michigan 2012

Love always,
Hayley Jane

So, I completely forgot to put it on the calendar, but I’m going to be doing a show in Champaign, IL this Saturday. Thanks to Joe Vourteque I have started to get a little recognition in the Chicago-metro steampunk communities- now if only the World Steam Expo would return my emails.

Because I am a nerd and I over-prepare, I’m starting to design my potential entry for Miss Exotic World 2012- I know, it’s pretty far away, but I figure I’ll have enough money to build the prop at some point in between now and then. It’s going to be huge- 10 feet tall. And it’s going to be awesome. And I can’t tell you what it is because it’s a SECRET, but also because if I tell a bunch of people what it is and when it’s going to happen, they’ll expect something and if I never finish it, I won’t have let anybody down, because you never knew what it was in the first place. Right? Right!

Regarding classes- currently writing up curriculums for a burlesque act series where we go from start to finish on how to create a burlesque act over 4 weeks and develop a stage persona, as well as a basic burlesque class and some specialty classes on make-up and tassels and other such things. Might do a fan veil workshop, but I’ll have to study with those a little more. I’m in love with my fan veils- I need to start making my own so I can have them in every colour. I mean, ostrich feather fans are gorgeous, and I love the fans that I made, and I enjoy working with them, but I can convey so much more emotion and ferocity with my fan veils. I just have to work more with them and see how concealing and revealing can be maneuvered…

I’v also recently gotten into doing conceals/reveals with just a veil- I did an act wearing only a couple yard of chiffon and it was a real blast. I need to work on the technique more, but I enjoyed the style and tease of it.

I AM A BURLESQUE ROBOT WHEN I TALK SOMETIMES, I’M SORRY.

Also, DOUBLE RAINBOW BURLESQUE ACT. Just so you know.

Love all-the-ways,
Hayley Jane

Ahoy!

I’ve decided to make the front page of my website a blog now, since I’ve wanted to start a legit blog that wasn’t on livejournal for quite some time, and I wanted a blog on my website, so here we go. It’s a blog.

Back in 2008, I blogged a lot on that livejournal, mainly because I felt I had a purpose. I was giving people information. I mean, it wasn’t very important information, but it was information that hadn’t yet existed in that format, directed at that audience. The faeries. I’m trying to bring more faerie elements into my performance. The purple hair helped a lot with that, but now that I’m blonde, I’m not as inherently fae.

My new costume, however, does have some perfectly fae details, which I thoroughly enjoy. Iridescent violet/magenta dupioni silk, Swarovski crystals… It’s gorgeous. I want to strip out of it as much as possible. I am truly in love. I have it on my dress form in my living room so I can just look at it. I’ve been costume crazy lately. Doing a lot of pattern drafting- I should put up some scans of my sketchbook just so you can see all the numbers and details and sketches. I’m always interested to see things like that from artist, maybe you will be, too?

I recently designed this coat that I can not wait to dive into. I’m not as experienced with tailoring, and I haven’t done anything really “heavy” in quite some time. I’m interested to work with the drape of a denser fabric- I’ve been working with so much chiffon and silk lately I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sew through 3 layers of tapestry on a regular basis. Ah, Ren Faire costuming, you’re such a fabulous education in things that can go horribly wrong.

I also need to set up my Etsy with all these extra things I’m making so I can pay for my burlesque habit.

I haven’t blogged in quite some time, so I think I’m going to end this before it gets awkward for all of us.

Love always,
Hayley Jane

Donate, I’m Irish!