10% of all of my auctions will be donated to The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp started by one of my personal heros, actor Paul Newman, to give kids battling cancer a chance to have a fun camp experience.

All of the items in the auction are from my personal collection, and many have been on the burlesque stage with me and in photoshoots (and now I have an extra 14 inches of closet space! WHOOT!) I am selling retro vintage pieces, burlesque items and rare gothic Lip Service and Betsey Johnson items.

All winners will receive their item lovingly wrapped in pink tissue with black ribbons - with a special note from me.

Good Luck!

Love,
Veronica

Yes. It's true. I am the LEAST inclined sports person in the world. But when the international burlesque goddess, the World Famous *BOB* (and yes, that's her legal name) calls and asks if you would like to be part of her "Babes on the Water" program and kayak on the Hudson River - you say yes! I was absolutely intrigued by kayaking on the river famously known for being the place where the mafia dumped their hits, and I was thrilled by the danger of it all - I mean, one wrong move and you are in the Hudson. And that's well.... terrifying.

The day started looking rainy and gloomy. I put on my false eyelashes and clipped my white rose in my hair and thought - it will not rain, it will not rain. I got out of the subway to walk to the pier - and it was pouring. The second I walked up to the pier to see *BOB* and her friend, Ricky, waiting - the rain stopped and the sun came out. I knew it was going to be a great day.

Chris, the volunteer at the dock, told us about how he once had a studio in the building of Irving Klaw, the famed pin-up photographer who did most of the Bettie Page photos. At one point, the floor was giving away by the closet, and they took away the floor to reveal vintage magazines of Bettie Page. One magazine had a picture of her in the actual closet that they took the floor out of and found the magazines in! What history! The studio was on 14th street and 3rd avenue.

All this before we got into the kayaks! That's why I love living in New York City...everybody's got great stories...and if you are looking to be entertained all you have to do is open your eyes!

The three of us got on the water and had a great time paddling around. I shared some of my tour guide stories about the buildings across the water that I remembered from back in the days when I first got to New York and made a living working on those double decker buses. Being on the water in a small kayak and seeing the Statue of Liberty in the distance was really cool. The freedom of being on this little kayak on the Hudson with the skyline of the city all around us was an unbelievable experience. I will never stop being amazed by this city. I waited for years to get here, I dreamed of it forever, and many days I have to pinch myself that I'm actually here and doing what I love in my life. I try to rate my life by my inner 8 year old...if my 8 year old self would be proud of me, then I'm on the right track. And today she was definitely thrilled.

The day can best be summed up by a huge billboard we saw painted on the side of the pier that said, "The Good Life" to which *BOB* said, "Yes, thank you! We'll have one of those each!"

**********

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. I started off with one fantastic Dad and now I'm proud to have four of them - my awesome SD, Mark - and Burke's two dads, Bob and Francis that treat me as one of their own. I am grateful every day for all four of them. I am one lucky daughter!

Much love always...

This upcoming Thursday, I will be teaching my Spellbinding Burlesque class at the The New York City School of Burlesque from 7-8:30pm.

Besides performing itself, this class is one of my favorite things. At this point, I've taught women from ages 18 to 72, fabulous women of all shapes and sizes with all different backgrounds...some that are interested in trying burlesque professionally, and some that are just doing it to immerse themselves in the glamour and fun of it. Watching a whole new world open before these women who are dipping their toes into burlesque has been such a wonderful high. By the end of the fourth week, my students and I have bonded so much, that we don't want the class to end.

The last two classes I've taught were sold out quickly....so I would like to invite you to be a part of our circle of bewitching bombshells. Pre-register now and join me at the New York School of Burlesque starting this upcoming Thursday from 7-8:30pm. For more information, all the details are on this link - Spellbinding Burlesque Class with Veronica Varlow

It's a great class to take with a friend!
Here are some things my students have said:

"Veronica Varlow sees the beauty in You, and in falling under Her spell, you fall under YOUR spell. "Spellbinding Burlesque" is all about charm, sisterhood, and secrets!" - Coco La Pearl

"I loved the class! I wished it lasted FOREVER!" - Dame Beso

"Veronica - you gave us such great advice, opportunities, tricks, etc! Thank you!" - Miss Amanda Jones

"Your class is like a super-stylish, slumber party!" - Tallulah Luv

See you on Thursday!

....And then I walked out afterwards to say hi to my friends....and Joan Jett is sitting at a back table.

Yep. I met Joan Jett tonight. *faints*

Now I'm going to pass out with my glitter still on.

Nightnight.

I am pleased to present my poster for Original Sin Cider done by artist R. Black!

At Burke's Lovely Mistress Calendar Release Party in December, the founder of Original Sin, Gidon Coll and I met and he proposed doing a poster. I was thrilled at the idea and while I was in Germany, they sent me the ad that R. Black cooked up.

The posters will be available to purchase soon, and there's more where that came from, so stay tuned! Ah, you know how I love to tease you!

Aprella and I. Because we can-can. On "International Bicycle Day". Not to be confused with "International Fake Your Own Death Day" or "International Confetti Day". Taken on stage somewhere in Europe (sometimes the days have a funny way of blending themselves together).

They say a picture says a thousand words - this picture really captures the madness of the tour. And I love Aprella so much - she looks out for me in a big way and she's one of my best adventure partners. This is what it was like for a month - laughing and playing around. This is a picture I'll look back at 60 years from now and remember exactly how much fun it was.

Thank you to all of you who came out to see the tour. Thank you for the notes and the chocolates and the kisses. Thank you for staying out late with us into the early morning.

We were happy to share our crazy world with you...and we'll be back before you know it. Ready for more chaos? Spread the word. Stay tuned for more tour diary from the last couple dates of the tour.

xo

I got some amazing pictures back from Matt Collins of Crush Images - here are two to share in this post - much more to come. Thank you, Matt for capturing the insanity on film.

Last night in Leipzig, we played in an underground German bunker. It was an original stronghold for the city back during the 30 Year War and it was quite surreal to be in this huge cavernous place with all these little secret passages, old spiral staircases, and winding tunnels. The crowd was amazing - and it was so good to see much loved familiar faces in the audience. Thank you for letting me practice my German on you. Ah, yes, my sweet things, world domination is so near...

After the show, there was cookies and kisses, there was group singing spontaneously to "Wicked Game" - alas the guilty parties involved have not forwarded me pictures as evidence to share with you. But I have been promised a happy birthday song sang to me at the festival by a group of devoted muffins in Thale on the 30th. And incriminating video evidence of thus - and anytime you put the words "incriminating" and "video" in a sentence together - you know it's going to be good.

And speaking of video...the cat is out of the bag so I can tell you now. We are filming an official DVD of this tour. I'm also going to be filming guerilla style on stage with the "Crumpet Cam" so when you see me stage diving into the audience with a video camera - just remember - GLAMOUR is the word.

Right now, we're in Hamburg - a few hours away from the show. This is the second time now that we've been through here - in December and now. Aprella, my official adventuring partner and I quietly crept away earlier to explore Hamburg. And now, Emilie is on stage - her beautiful voice is filling the room with the sounds of Mad Girl in sound check.

See you on stage - I'm saving a kiss just for you.

Today we did our laundry. Right now, there are black and white stockings, red and white stockings and various underthings hanging on every spare part of the outside balcony. Our very own pirate flags of rock and roll laundry. Doris, our hostess, took us out on a walk in the forest for an adventure.

Would you like to come along?

There's interesting little creatures...

where the wild things are...

and suddenly we came upon these....

Doris told us we were in Marchenweg in the forest which translates to faerie tale path. The community built faerie houses all throughout the woods. No one owns them...they are just in the middle of nowhere in the woods....a bunch of them, all spread out. So you'll be walking for awhile and come upon many different little houses, tucked behind trees and streams and rocks. All I could think of was how much I wish Zina, Kai, Dicie and Burke were here to see this. We would be out there wandering for hours.

This is why I love Germany. They take their faerie tales seriously.

Pretty small flowers in all different colors where scattered about, thick beautiful moss like carpet grew everywhere, and a mist hung over the forest. I found smooth stones from the streams to bring back to the States with me. Walking through the forest was like being in a dark Hans Christian Andersen tale. My boots are coated in the thick mud of the forest which I will be happy to bring on stage with me tomorrow night.

My birthday is next Tuesday the 29th- and the girls and I are going to go down in the middle of nowhere in the forest and have ourselves a tea party.

Do you take sugar?

*click. click*

I stole Carsten away to see Paris with me before anyone realized I was gone.

Look, Pocket, I finally got to see this! For real!

The faithful muffins waiting for eight hours before the show.

*kiss. kiss.*

Listening to White Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" in our dressing room. Wanted to show you the picture of the heart stockings that my sweet Burke and I stayed up until 3am cutting hearts out for. They are another lucky charm for me...and well - they are now ripped from crawling, climbing and doing whatever it is that happens on stage and they look even more more beautiful. They tell the story of the tour.

Ripped stockings and bruises on my legs. My rock and roll medals.

Just found out that two members from the old punk band the Exploited are downstairs in the audience.

*faints*

See you stage in moments.....

Above is a picture the beautiful Daedal took of my burlesque debut in Paris. It was a magical night indeed. The crowd was wonderful and I was honored to use my crystal covered fans for the first time. I took lots of pictures - but I have to upload them for you. I am living my life out of four suitcases right now and things aren't so organized! The shows from the past two nights were high energy and fun for me to play around on stage again. And well, I got to kiss a bunch of plague rats in the audience. Including this one - before the show - Miss Daedal - supplier of the photos in the journal! We finally meet!

And then we tango in front of the Moulin Rouge.

We just arrived in Edinburgh and they have FREE wireless here backstage - so I am soaking it up for a few minutes before we have to put on our fancy costumes and our makeup.

And here's one more of us on stage. I like this one, because I'm either laughing or talking to someone in the front row and you can tell how much fun I'm having.

After the show and the autograph signings, we ran upstairs to the backstage showers and then packed up our stuff to get back on the bus to go. By the time we were leaving it was nearly 5am.

Things I’ve learned on this tour:
1. Rock and Roll time is similar to Burlesque time but even more vague. Burlesque time runs about an hour slower than real time - shows starting at 10 really start at 11. Rock and Roll time is even more unpredictable - when the bus is supposed to get you at midnight – it means four am. When we promise club owners we will be cleared out at midnight – it means maybe five am.

2. Although it seems that no one would want to sleep in a tour bus coffin – after hours of performing and getting ready – you find yourself oddly fond of them.

3. You can effectively brush your teeth with an apple.

4. People you have only just met (UV) are ready and willing to let you borrow their deodorant or soap (Matt).

5. A shower is the holy grail. Even if it's in the backstage of a venue - you jump into those nasty mildew ridden things as if you were in the Ritz Hotel.

6. Plugs start to look funny when they have an American plug plugged into a German conversion plug, plugged into a British plug.

7. Waking up to Emilie and Carsten (our faithful bodyguard/merch king) sing the theme song to Friends could possibly be one of the best things in the world.

After the show in Bristol, I was sitting outside next to the tour bus by myself and was looking up at the sky. A seagull soared past - slowly, magnificent, regal. Quietly - there was just the bird and I on the street. I was wondering if that particular bird ever made it to the seashore where I grew up, or the beaches of Florida. I wondered what that bird had seen. And I felt so lucky to be finally spreading my wings, so to speak, and to be able to adventure around the world.

We're at a hotel at the moment to get our showers before we head off to Edinburgh on the tour bus. The seagulls are making their laughing sound outside the window.

I paid 6 pounds to get internet access to say hello to you for the moment - so you know I love you dearly. Because, well - 1 British pound is worth like 2 million American dollars at the moment.

I journaled a whole thing about Paris in my notebook, but I want you to see the pictures that go with it and my camera is on the tour bus right now. I just want you to know that Paris was a dream come true. The crowd was amazing and I had so much fun with my fan dance in the shadow of the Moulin Rogue. That and it was amazing to be on stage once again with Emilie and the Crumpets.

From our bus we saw the top of the Eiffel Tower, we were all sitting in the back of the tour bus in the "champagne room" and I made everyone hold hands when we saw it, because well, it is the city of romance. And we pulled up to a group of fans waiting out front at 3pm for a show when doors didn't open until 9pm....and that was very very sweet. They sure know how to make us feel welcome!

Okay - everyone is heading out to the bus - I have to go. It's 4am here now and we need our beauty rest!

nightnight.

Here is me cracking up in a random bathroom mirror on the road taking a picture for you. To document this experience, mind you. But I couldn't be serious about it...and I was trying to be undercover, you see.

Ah, the road has been known to spark insanity and I kind of act like I'm six. All wide-eyed and excited with the adventure of it all.

In this picture, you can see the key around my neck - my Step-Dad, Mark gave it to me as a present for good luck before I left. His Dad used to work on the New York Central Railroad that doesn't exist anymore. This is one of the very old skeleton keys from that railroad. It's a beautiful key and I'm lucky to have it. If only they knew that one day, that key was going to be traveling all over Europe on a burlesque rock and roll tour! We put some velvet ribbon on it and some antique lace and it looks perfect. It's very special to me.

Phantom railroads return.

There is tons of crafting going on hidden in this house in the Black Forest of Germany. Emilie, Vecona, Aprella, Lady Joo Hee, Ulorin Vex, Lucina and I have been on the floor in a circle since morning, surrounded by hot glue guns, old Victorian lace, Swarovski crystals, vintage buttons, bows, tattered and striped materials, and of course, the beloved rats.

I spent the majority of the day hand gluing the Swarovski crystals to my pink fans (see pic above) to catch the light for my Brooklyn Bombshell burlesque act that we'll be opening the Paris show with. This is a dream come true for me. In the beginning of the year even, I did a Vision Board with a photo of me from Revolver in the middle and pictures of international landmarks around it - one of which was the Eiffel Tower. Well, Eiffel Tower - in less than 24 hours I will have seen you with my own eyes for the first time. And in a teeny bit over 24 hours, I will have fan danced on a stage in France - covered in crystals. I will have performed with Emilie and the Crumpets - running around, spreading our own brand of the plague. The countdown has begun, the tour bus will be coming to pick us up in six hours to whisk us away. It's going to be impossible to sleep (well, it is anyway with all the whispering we do back and forth all night to each other.)

Those of you coming to the show - you are in for such a treat! And you better hoot and holler - if your voice isn't a barely audible husky whisper from screaming all night long the following day - I won't be pleased! You know how to whistle, dontcha?! Welcome a girl to Paris right, will you? Remember, Dear Muffins...you are part of the dream, too!

Just wanted to update before we left...I will write more with lots more pictures when we arrive.

Back to crafting.....

x's and o's with sugar on top

Aprella and I landed in Germany this morning after 12 hours of traveling and really bad inflight films. Jetlagged and crazy, I passed out the second we arrived at the house. I just woke up again, and I'm not really sure where I am, who I am, what's going on, or what time it is..... but whatever it is, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I woke up to the sounds of Emilie playing downstairs - the music drifting up to our second floor room.

Emilie and Vecona arrived while I was sleeping. I opened my eyes and just curled up in bed a moment longer in the dark listening to the music downstairs and thinking about what amazing adventures the next three weeks will bring. All day I've had that hazy, out -of-body feeling like I'm dreaming. I keep feeling like I need to pinch myself to prove I'm really here. I walked down the stairs to Emilie playing the first few bars of "The Art of Suicide" - I followed the sound and peeked through the door. Moments later, surrounded by costumes and equipment, crystals and feathers - we were all standing in a room together once again. It's been three months since I've seen Vecona, Emilie and Johnnie and to have all of us back together again is amazing. Today I met Lady Hoo Jee for the first time - she's absolutely stunning and sweet. And tomorrow I finally get to meet Lucina and Ulorin Vex. Now I will know what it would be like if I had six sisters!

And wait until you see what we have planned for you.

Fasten your seatbelts.

nightnight.