Blog buttons!

Hi guys,

I wanted to let all of you know that I've shared a few more buttons over there on the right hand sidebar, if you'd like to add any to your website or blog! My lovely friend Elsie made the two smaller ones awhile back, so thank you again Elsie, you're the best! And if you haven't already stopped by, be sure to head over to her blog, A Beautiful Mess, for her 24-hour blog party! So fun.

Here are the links to all four buttons:



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16 week update

I can't believe I am 4 months pregnant this week. That just seems insane to me to think about how quickly this time is going by! I read that beginning this week (each Thursday is a new week for me), I could begin to feel "flutters" of our baby moving in my belly. Fetal movement begin anytime between 16 and 20 weeks, and I am really looking forward to that. In other baby related news, this week little Baby H is the size of an avocado! That kind of throws off my plans to make homemade guacamole tonight. haha. Just kidding. But anyway, this week the baby can also HEAR sounds...that is so neat and I'm excited to start showing our little one some good music.



Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

At this time, your baby is holding her head erect. Because her muscles are developing, she can make some faces now. Your baby is able to squint, frown and open its mouth. There is enough calcium in the bones that they will show up on an x-ray. Your baby's fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms. Because your baby is moving well now, you may begin to feel his movements! Some women say that the early movements feel like gas bubbles or a slight flutter. If you have not yet felt the baby move, don't worry. Fetal movements are usually felt between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy.



It's just so, so neat to have this little human growing inside of me! My belly has gotten a bit bigger than last time I posted photos at 14 weeks, and from this point on I will take these every single week, as well as some "cute" maternity photos as my belly gets a bit bigger. Here are my 16 week photos:





It's funny to look at these photos because I feel huge but I know I don't look as big as I think. I am indeed bigger overall, and I've been struggling with feeling like my legs and arms aren't as toned, but overall I'm doing okay in the body image department. I know that if I continue to exercise and eat well, whatever changes that happen are happening naturally, just as they should, and I can get back to normal once the baby is born.

I've been getting a lot of questions on my formspring about our nursery colors and things of that nature. I've had the nursery ideas (both for girl and boy) picked out for some time now, and I will definitely share the theme when we start decorating. This past weekend Hank, my Mom and I went to Buy Buy Baby, a huge baby store in the valley. There were so many cute, cute things and I am getting more and more excited by the day to decorate, and actually buy baby clothes once we know what we're having come June 25th.

Hank revealed to me that he's thought we are having a girl for the past month, even though he continued to call the baby he, him and Henry IV! hahaha. He says he will be happy with either gender of course, but I know he'd love a boy to carry on his namesake. I don't have a preference either way, and I still don't have a feeling towards whether Baby Hampton is a girl or boy. My Mom thinks girl, Hank thinks girl, and most of my friends think girl. So for those reasons, I'm sure I'm having a boy! ;) We shall see soon enough though. And for names, we are set on both girl and boy names. You all know what our boy name will be, but I'm excited to reveal our super cute name if we do end up having a girl.

Oh, and I wanted to add that I swear Madeline can tell I'm pregnant. She's so sweet and gentle, and will often come up and lay her head right on my belly. I wonder if her super-sensitive ears can pick up on the heartbeat. Hank says no, but I like to think that's what she's doing with her ear to my stomach! I know she'll be a great friend to the baby!

Think Pink!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to post about an awesome charity event a friend of mine in Mesa is doing, in the hopes that some of you may be interested in supporting her! Above you will find a photo of the adorable Lindsey and her two children- she is undertaking a 3-day, 60-mile walk where all proceeds with go directly to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. My Mom is a survivor, so this hits especially close to home, and I applaud Lindsey for making this long trek for an amazing cause. Lindsey is a crafty, fun, over-achieving "super mom," a great wife, and still manages to make time to work as a hair stylist, AND walk for three days! Amazing. I hope all of you check out her blog and this link to learn more about how you can help.

As always, thanks guys! Have a beautiful Tuesday. :)

Lindsay's race blog: www.azrackpack.blogspot.com

3 Day Race site: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/ArizonaEvent2010?px=5032553&pg=personal&fr_id=1460

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Sylvia's Back Piece

The one day in Hawai'i when I didn't take any tattoo pictures, I did pass out a few fliers. One I handed to a woman sitting in a chair at the Safeway Center on Kapahulu Avenue.

She had what appeared to be an incredible back piece, the top of which was visible to passers-by.

Sylvia later e-mailed me and shared a link to a site that featured a photo of the tattoo, along with an explanation of the piece. I have extracted it here for the enjoyment of the Tattoosday audience.

First, the tattoo:

Sylvia explains:

"My tattoo represents my ancestry...from the family of the 'Royal Hawai'ian Ole' (chanters of the Alii court), from the snowy mountains of Japan, the homeland of Portuguese Bean soup, and the inter-mix marriages of American Indians and Puerto Ricans. I believe the seven I have on my back describe who I am the best. Most locals have meaning for their tattoos but we also have people like Lindsay who just go with their flow. Many families have several signs that make up their families even as far as the Scottish Clan "Duncan" like me..."

What's wonderful about this tattoo to me is that Sylvia has incorporated so many cultures and motifs into the design which, as she acknowledges, is based on the wonderful mix of heritage and ancestry that comprises her background. This is very typical of people who live in Hawai'i, which is host to such an explosion of multicultural intermingling.

I love how the honu/sea turtle brings all of the elements together. The eagle, dragonfly, bear paw, wolf, buffalo, and shark all join to provide a rich tapestry of images that each speak to a different aspect of her heritage.

Sylvia's tattoo was inked by Joseph Garcia, Trigga Happy Tattoo in Waipahu. Eagle, Dragonfly, Bear Paw, Turtle, Wolf, Buffalo, and Shark.

Thanks to Sylvia for responding to me initially and for sharing her tattoo via her post here. We here at Tattoosday appreciate your contribution!

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband!

Two years ago today I said "I do" to my best friend!

I still get chills thinking about that amazing day and how beautiful it was to be able to share it with all of the people we love so much. I feel incredibly lucky to have found Hank, and everyday I reflect on what an amazing partner he is. Kind, loving, compassionate, fun, so incredibly handsome...he is truly the best person I've ever met in my life and I'm truly PROUD to call him my husband.
















If you'd like to read more about our wedding, my friend Melissa featured it on her wedding blog awhile back. Click here to head over to The Loveliest Day.

We celebrated our first anniversary last year at the beach in New Jersey. It was at the beginning of our three-week East Coast trip, and it was such a perfect day. I can't wait for our anniversary trip to Hawaii, and to spend another romantic week with my husband in celebration of our marriage.









Happy Anniversary to us! ;)

Memorial Day Weekend

It's wonderful Sunday and I'm totally exhausted after spending a great weekend with my family. It was fun celebrating both Hank and my birthdays (his is on June 1st), and it was nice dedicating the entire time to family, rather than running around trying to get things done and see friends. I am finally feeling like it's summer, and I'm sure that's mainly due to the summer time barbecue we had, and all the time in the sun and in the pool at my parents'. And what a relief to NOT have to go back to work tomorrow. I have a nice day of relaxation planned- gym early in the morning and then I'll be getting things done around the house.

I hope all of you are having an excellent holiday weekend! Here are a few photos I snapped yesterday. I really need to take some belly photos so I will be doing that this week as well. Have a great Monday!

parents' backyard


Madeline is SUCH a water dog and hates getting out of the pool! It's so cute.






birthday!


Hank loves Carvel ever since his first trip back to NJ with us a few years ago!




and for a fun comparison, here's us LAST year, celebrating in Vermont! We have six years of photos of blowing out our birthday candles together. I love that and feel so lucky to have our birthday just days apart.



my sister's newest tattoo!


hanging out with my grumpy girl

Eric's Tattoo: Zero the Fool and an Obsession with Time

I met Eric on Seventh Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets earlier this month.

This tarot card on his left forearm jumped out at me:

Eric is a mixed media artist whose website can be seen here. He is an illustrator and is currently in school studying toy design. The tattoo he has is primarily based on a linoleum block he had created that recalls the Tarot card "The Fool". Because it is an unnumbered card in the deck, it is often referred to as "Zero" or 0.

The Fool often represents the beginning of a journey, oftentimes a "foolish adventure". He had this tattooed to commemorate his decision to move from Boston to New York City. While the decision may not have been foolish, it did mark a new journey in Eric's life.

The card was tattooed by Hannah at Regeneration Tattoo in Boston.

One may have noticed that there is work around the tarot card, as well, so it's only fair to show the piece as a whole:

And the tattoo extends up the arm a bit from the pocket watch on the right:

The additional elements in the tattoo speak to Eric's obsession with the passage of the time. Snowflakes are only temporary as they fall from the sky and melt, or become mixed with other flakes and lose their singularity.

The flowers are imagined creations representing growth. Eric's floral images are inspired by the artwork of Henry Darger.

He also notes that the time piece is cracked and broken:

This, he says, represents the fight against the obsession and paranoia over the passage of time.

The work around the tarot card was all tattooed by Kelly Krantz at the now-defunct Hold Fast Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From what I can tell, Krantz is not currently affiliated with any one tattoo shop.

Thanks to Eric for sharing his thought-provoking tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Another year older...

and definitely another year wiser! I love birthdays so much- I'm definitely not the type to get sad about growing another year older, I think of it as another year of life, which is pretty exciting! On my birthday I think of it kind of like New Year's Eve...I ask myself what I accomplished over the past year, and what goals I can make for the next. This upcoming year is going to be the most pivotal year of my life so far!



So, here's to last year. It was wonderful. I fell more in love with Hank, my family, and myself. I feel like I emotionally grew a lot as a person and if I had to gauge it, I would say I'm absolutely happier than last year. In my eyes, that says success to me!

Thank you to all of you who have been a part of my life over the past year. Whether you're a family member who is reading this, an old friend, a new friend, a blog friend...someone who visits this site...thank you! Your positivity energy and support has been wonderful and I appreciate it so much!

Today's been wonderful. I slept in really late, then had a great workout. We've spent the day snacking, swimming, and sunning! Our family barbecue will be starting in a bit. It's seriously a perfect birthday. I'm off to hang out with my family. I hope all of you are having a beautiful weekend!

Erin's Yellow Roses for Her Grandmother

Earlier this week, I met Erin and she shared this, one of her six tattoos:

Erin explained that these yellow roses on her left forearm are for her grandmother, her favorite person. Her grandma's favorite roses are the yellow variety.

Erin credits artist Jesse Gabriel at Halo Tattoo III in Syracuse, New York for this work. Work from Halo has appeared previously here on Tattoosday.

Thanks to Erin for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Music recommendation

Hi everyone! I wanted to make a quick post about one of my most favorite hip hop artists, Fashawn. Hank actually turned me onto this guy, as he is a friend of his friend Chris in Fresno. The first time I heard his mixtapes I fell in love with him, and every single song on his album, Boy Meets World, is just so good. I'm not sure if many of you are into this type of music, but if you are (and even if you aren't), you should give him a listen! And really check out that whole album outside of the video I posted below, the songs are phenomenal.

Download Fashawn's album at Itunes.

One of my favorite songs on Boy Meets World:

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Hail to the Chief

It's Fleet Week in New York City this weekend, so it only seemed fitting, with just a few Hawai'i posts remaining, that we share the following offering from Jack, a Chief Petty Officer (E7) in the U.S. Navy.

Jack's was the final tattoo I spotted at Pearlridge, on what turned out to be a record-breaking detour for me (five tattoos from five different people in just under two hours).

Jack's tattoo was fresh, as he had just completed a sitting less than a couple of hours before I ran into him, so the tattoo had that film of ointment that added a little glare to the picture:

The skull at the center of the tattoo is wearing a hat similar to those warn by Navy chiefs.

The artist for this piece is known as "Buddha" out of Liquid Metal Tattoo in Aiea, Hawai'i.

Thanks to Jack for sharing this, his newest of over ten tattoos, with us here on Tattoosday.

We here at the site salute not only all the men and women in uniform visiting New York during Fleet Week, but to everyone in all branches of the Armed Forces as we enter into Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all for their service to our country!

Tweet! ...and an upcoming giveaway!

Follow me on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/danihampton

I'm going to do a little summertime giveaway via Twitter sometime next week so be sure to follow and stay tuned!

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Honu Thursday

One of the most popular symbols in modern Polynesian tattoo is the green sea turtle, or honu, as it is known in Hawaiian.

I saw a lot of honu tattoos while I was in Hawai'i, but I didn't snap any photos of them until my last day on Oahu, when I was wrapping up my trip with a last minute stop at Pearlridge. More specifically, I was at the Pearlridge Longs Drug Store, a great place to stock up on chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and other tasty local snacks that are hard to find on the mainland.

While wandering the aisles, I spotted not one, but two honu-adorned locals, who were kind enough to share their tattoos with me.

First was Ash, who didn't say much about the four honu on his left leg, other than the fact that he has "always loved turtles," and that his brother was the artist who did the tattoos.

Next was Chantel, who has this lovely tattoo on her upper back:

This not only has the honu element, but also has a floral aspect, along with a Yin and Yang design.

When I asked her where the design came from, she laughed and said she had seen it on a sticker plastered to the back of a car. She liked it so much, she got some paper, traced it, and brought it into a shop called Big Fat Tatts, where the artist sketched it and cleaned up the lines.

Thanks both to Ash and Chantel, for finally getting me my photos of honu tattoos, just a few hours before returning to New York.

Emotional nesting

image from weheartit

With all of these changes going on in my little world, I've become very evaluative of the people and things in my life as of late. Becoming a mother is the craziest thing I will ever do. If I think really hard about it, and think about Hank and my life, for the rest of our life, it's pretty wild to know that we are bringing a little person along on this journey. It makes me want to cry from happiness, and conversely makes me so, so incredibly scared. What a responsibility. What an insanely terrifying thing to have a little being rely on you completely. And how beautiful it is to be able to create this life, to nurture it, and to give it so much love. I believe that because I'm a thinker, because I take everything apart in my mind, I'm in this evaluative state. In a way, I feel like I'm emotionally nesting and taking inventory of my life, the people in it, and the kind of future I want for our family. Because I've had the same core friends for over a decade, I've had a sense of stability in terms of friendship on a deep level. I've made new friends here and there, but as time marches on, I've found that so many friendships have faded away. It happens. People change, people grow up, people move on. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about relationships. I write a lot about this topic in this space because it's really something that is on my mind a lot.

I have a few questions for all of you, and I'd love your input.

1) Do you have people in your life that you feel obligated to speak to or spend time with just because you have a history and not necessarily because you enjoy your time spent with them? Do you feel guilty if you don't stay in communication? Does it ever feel forced?

2) If so, why do you continue to keep someone in your life if you don't feel they add anything positive to it?

These are some questions I've asked myself recently. I'm at a point now where I just don't care to even deal with the negative. If you bring more negativity to my life than positivity, no thank you. If there isn't a mutual happiness when the other person experiences happiness or success, no thank you. If I feel that you aren't trust worthy, no thank you. I feel like perhaps I sound a bit harsh or a bit "much," but wouldn't you agree that because life is so short, it's pretty imperative to be choosy? When I think about where I am going in my life, and all of the people I love that I want to be a part of it, there is just no time to deal with these negative nellies. And I understand that not everyone is happy all of the time- I'm proof of that. And because I do deal with depression from time to time I understand that part of a friendship is listening to the good and bad, allowing someone to vent, and being there for them rain or shine, through happiness and crises alike. I'm more trying to get at the negative-all-the-time kinda "friend," the person who can't be happy for you when something good happens, the one who always seems to have a negative comment, either direct or indirect. The kind of people who leave you feeling emotionally drained and exhausted. Those are the types of people I'm talking about.

And I'm not sure if all of this made sense. I started typing, and it kind of all came out. The main point is that I feel I am just really emotionally taking stock of my life. I know what works, and I know what doesn't. I know what kind of people I want to surround myself and my family with.

I'd love to see your take on this topic, and hear your answers to the questions I've posed above. It's kind of an awkward topic to really blog about. I had a long conversation with my best friend the other night about this, and I know that's what prompted this entry. It was a great conversation- we discussed the natural and sometimes eventual "drift" from friends that happens when it just isn't meant to be a lifelong friendship, and how easy it is to feel guilty that it just doesn't work out. And additionally, why we feel guilty and what we can do to just "be," and let things happen as they will. It's definitely a lot to think about and I feel lucky to have friends that love to discuss and analyze as much as me! :)

So as always, thanks for reading my random thoughts! I hope you have a great night, and I look forward to reading what you have to say! xoxo

A Peek at the Final Issue of Holly Rose Review

 Tattoo by Sean Herman, from the June issue of Holly Rose Review

Considering that one-twelfth of the year, Tattoosday sheds its inkspotting  mission and, instead, plays host to tattooed poets in honor of National Poetry Month, it only seems fitting that I should pay homage to the final
issue of Holly Rose Review.

Holly Rose is the brainchild of Theresa Senato Edwards (who herself is a tattooed poet), who has given us four deliciously beautiful online issues that embrace both tattoos and poetry. The online literary 'zine juxtaposes brilliant tattoo work with the poems of an assortment of diverse and talented writers. Each issue bears a theme, and the last (and sadly, final) issue is "Worry".

What's unique about Holly Rose is the juxtaposition of poetry and tattoos. It's an illustrated volume, but Edwards assembles poems that not only speak to the theme, but almost seem as if they could be captions to the body art displayed. Issue four features tattoos created by Luba Goldina, Sean Herman and Maxime Lanouette. And their work seems to transcend the description "tattoo" as the illustrations serve as works of art that correspond to the themes illuminated by the accompanying poems.

But not every poem has a tattoo with it, which is fine, as it makes the appearance of ink more special, and allows the reader to focus on the poetry, as well. An added bonus is the audio player found on some of the
poems' pages, so the reader can not only read the poem, but hear it in the author's voice. One page even features a video of the poet reading her work.These added dimensions make Holly Rose a truly magnificent experience.

All four issues are currently available for perusal on the website http://www.hollyrosereview.com. If you're not a fan of poetry, check it out anyway and see some amazing tattoos. Maybe you'll discover some poetry you'll enjoy. Issue four features work from Dorianne Laux, Jayne Pupek and Changming Yuan. Issue three contains work from Christine Hamm and Joseph Millar, both participants in the 2010 Tattooed Poets Project. Issue two has poetry by Martha Silano and Daphne Lazarus (whose tattoo appeared here).

It's easy to get lost in the site, admiring great tattoos and reading fabulous poetry, so head on over to Holly Rose and see what a lovely pairing tattoos and poetry make!

Mel's Star Shines from Down Under

Earlier this month, I ran into Mel coming out of Penn Station.

She has amazing work, and it was soon clear why. Mel was visiting from Melbourne, Australia, where she works as a tattoo artist at Get Smart Body Art.

I was drawn particularly to one of her newer tattoos, this dot-style Tibetan-inspired design:

I told her it reminded me of the style of Thomas Hooper, an artist at New York Adorned whose website (here) showcases some astonishing work, including tattoos made from the dot-style technique.

Mel noted that it was an original design that was inked using a rotary tattoo machine, with the purpose of achieving this effect. Thomas Hooper's style, she acknowledged, inspired her to attempt this ambitious tattoo.

In all fairness, she collaborated with Mick Kelly, at Get Smart Body Art, who did the actual tattooing.

Thanks to Mel for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!