Sweet 16...a letter to my younger self

Today quite a few of my friends tweeted things to their 16 year old self using the hashtag "#tweetyour16yroldself," and I found this to be incredibly interesting and also pretty thought provoking. Hindsight always seems to be 20/20, and the older I get the more "if I knew then what I know now" seems to apply to everything I've been through.

I was quite the wild-child in high school, so any advice I'd extend to my 16-year old self would have to include something along the lines of "you are not invincible," and "slow down, you're still a baby!" I love all of the experiences I've had in my life, but in my later teen years I do feel like I made some "interesting" decisions...luckily they never affected me in a negative way, and for this I consider myself lucky. I occasionally used to look back with regret, thinking about this or that, but when it comes down to it, every single thing I went through or experienced absolutely made me into the person I am today, as overdone as that line is. But I really believe it.

So, to my 16-year old self, I say this:

You are a wonderful, beautiful person just the way you are. You don't need to feel like you have to prove yourself to anyone, you don't need to feel like you have to live up to anyone's expectations. Like any teenager, you will spend the next few years trying to figure out who you are, and I promise you, at 16 you are not that person yet. Be kind to your parents, they are only trying to protect you and worry about you because they love you. Your Mom will be your best friend in the upcoming years, as hard as that is to picture when you're a temperamental teenager. Remember that you are the company you keep, and although you never get mixed up in the wrong crowd, you will dabble here and there unnecessarily. Stick to the friends you've had forever. The boyfriend you will have at 16 isn't love, so think about that before you convince yourself he's perfect for you. Remember that no one else can define your worth but yourself. You were right to trust your instinct those times that seem so important (they were), so keep doing that. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Time will go by so quickly and these years will be a distant memory before you know it. Cherish the time you spend with your father, as he teaches you to drive stick shift in the blue Passat, up and down McDowell Road. Later on you'll think back fondly on those seemingly stressful lessons. And speaking of the Passat, remember to take the emergency brake OFF. This will be an issue numerous times, including the evening you and your girlfriends decide to drive it to a desert party, leaving it on all evening. Trust me. Don't forget to tell your sister you love her; it's so easy to get wrapped up in your own life and during these years she needs you now more than ever. Be there for her. Don't ditch Math class so much- bad grades in trigonometry will come back to haunt you in college and you will have to take remedial Math courses to make up for the deficiency. Save yourself the pain! Oh, and if you "happen" to hit a gas pump while driving out of the station, don't just leave! Be a good person and go in and talk to the attendant. This will avoid a huge headache later. Try to work on loving yourself, and pay attention to this one: you are not fat! Looking back now it's laughable to think that you, my little 115 pound 16-year old self ever thought she could lose some weight. Don't let Mom get rid of her vintage Frye boots, and don't throw away your collection of Sassy magazines. Don't pierce your belly button. Twelve years later the hole will still be there, and it will be itchy and annoying when you are pregnant with your first child. And on the topic of your first child: you WILL find love some day. I know it's hard being so young and feeling like you want to feel wanted and loved and part of something...but nothing you find at this age will be worth anything. Wait. Go slow. You are smart to not want to get tied down to anyone so young, and you will meet your other half in due time. He will be better than anything you could ever dream up. I promise. Life will be good to you, you just need to trust in that and try and slow down. And finally, this: believe in yourself. If I can impart any bit of wisdom that I've learned over the past decade, it is that. Give yourself more credit, because you are so fabulously wonderful in all of your teenage naivety. It's a beautiful thing to not know what's next, to not understand this wide, wide world, and that's exactly where you are. Everything will turn out okay. You will cry, you will laugh, you will lose friends and feel like you want to die. You will be depressed. You will be happy. You will have your heart broken, and you will break hearts. You are going to go to college, join a sorority, travel with your best girlfriends, and find adventure. You'll go to grad school. You will meet the love of your life, become a teacher, get married, and have a baby. I know it sounds like a distant fable at this point, but trust me, it only gets better. You think that 16 is great? Try 28. Just hang on, go slow, and breathe. You only get to do it once, and looking back on everything, that ride seems way too short. Above all else, stay positive, stay happy. And have fun!

So yes, that's what I would say to my 16-year old self. How about you? If you decide to write yourself a letter, link back here in the comments if you'd like to share; I'd love to read it! Have the best night, and happy letter-writing if you decide to do it! xoxo

A Slice of...Gijon, Spain!

This week we are hopping over to a gorgeous city by the name of Gijon, in Spain! The fabulous Frédérique has graciously agreed to give us a little tour from her point of view and I am kind of dying over all of these beautiful photos. Spain is definitely on my must-go list, and I think Gijon has just become one of the stops along the way! Enjoy.

First I would like to thank the lovely Danielle for the feature on her wonderful blog and the opportunity to introduce this city that I love to you.

Now, about me: my name is Frédérique. I'm a 25 years old French gal who followed her dearest to Gijon a town in Spain in a region called Asturias...which is quite an adventure when you don't speak a word of Spanish.

So here's Gijon:

I immediately fell in love with the city and the region when I got there. It's not the most touristic area of Spain so still well preserved. What I love about it is that it is a city really attached to it's tradition but also very welcoming. We've only been here for 6 months but I love the city a little more everyday.

One thing I like very much are the people. They can seem boor from the outside but are really the nicest persons in the world. They would do anything for you and are really welcoming. So maybe they don't say "hello" everytime you go in a store, or forget to say please, but as for me that's not a biggie.

Top 5 things to do in Gijon:

1. Take a walk!

There are so many breathtaking views. I'm truly in love with the landscape in Asturias. It is very green, the sea is cold but you have the most beautiful cliffs, the countryside is so pretty and preserved and great beaches of course.There are lots of walks to make, parks to visit. It's absolutely beautiful. Plus, the mountains are really close and you can have a guide take you listen to the call of the deer (never done it but I've heard it's great but early in the morning :)

2. Eat in a merendero:

Merendero is the spanish word for pic-nic. The merenderos are a kind of restaurants where you can eat on wooden tables outside. The food is mostly typical tapas (great cheese, typical ham, salad...) and off course sidra! It's really a must do since you get really close to the locals that way, all the people eat near each other, talk and share. People will probably come talk to you ask you were you are from. They will show you how to pour the cider if you don't do it right, but don't get upset if they seem to scold you it's how they talk (took me month to realize that). It's really pleasant, and the kids get to play nearby.

3. Come during the "Fiesta de la sidra natural":

This festival takes place at the end of august and it celebrates the typical cider from the region but also the traditions of Asturias (singing, dancing, music). I thought this cider smelled like feet at first but once you get used to it, you can drink it like water! There is a certain way to pour it called "escanciar" (see picture) and you have to drink it bottoms. During this week-end, all the city is full of cider sellers who make you taste so basically the whole town is in the streets, drunk. So much fun and still a great spirit.It's great to see people so proud of their culture and eager to share it with us, it isn't only about the cider but the whole asturian culture. The best time for me was when hundreds of people started to sing miners songs, gave me the shills.

4. Visit Cudillero

Cuidllero is a little fishermen village near Gijon (I know it isn't Gijon but still, sooo pretty!). It is very typical an hasn't much changed in decades. The houses are built on the mountainside and it is so beautiful, it's really a thing not to miss if your are in Asturias. You can eat near the port, a three course menu with a bottle of wine for 12 euros (15 dollars) and lots of great seafood.

5. Spend an evening on Playa Espana

It's a beach near Gijon (10min) who is really known for it's parties. So all the night bugs go there and there are big concerts near the beach. The ambience is laid back and nice.

Earlier in the day you can go eat in small restaurants near the beach, in France they are called "Paillottes" they don't have much choise and you should'nt go too well dressed but the ambience is unique.

I could still go on and on! I hope I've made you wanna know more about the city and maybe even visit it. I'm sure you would love it.

Link love

*pre-pregnancy photo! :)

Recently I've done a few interviews scattered across the blog world, and I thought I would share some of them with you all in case you'd like to hop over and check out not only the features but the super amazing blogs that interviewed me too! I really enjoy each of these girls' websites and recommend them to all of you.

Visit this link to check out my "Love You More" feature, an interview about self love and confidence on Miss Mixtape...

an in-depth interview about all sorts of things from my daily routine to my fall fashion inspiration on Tea Talk can be found here,

and finally, click for a cute interview by Ashley from Merry Made Handmade!

Here are also a few other blog posts from around the world wide web that I think are worth a visit:

Head over to A Beautiful Mess to see Emma's Sweet Shoppe at the new Red Velvet store...all of the store photos from the past couple of days have made me want to take a trip to Springfield, stat!

Click here to read a great article on Oprah and motherhood. It's honest, funny, and really a great read. I should also mention that this link has unfortunately been a little on and off today, so if it doesn't work right away, bookmark and check back later!

Check out an great sponsor giveaway over at Freckled Nest. Great items and who doesn't love cute (FREE!) things?!

Head over to Seablanket to see what's in Chelsea's fall makeup bag. I love these "what's in my bag" posts (reminds me I need to do one soon- maybe with my diaper bag!) and I'm loving the makeup bag take on it.

Love love loving these nameplate necklaces The Hipster Mom featured (I also love her blog). I so need one for Henry.

Have you visited me on Tumblr yet? If you have one, say hi so I can check out yours while you're there too!

My sweet pal James' baby girl Gemma is 9 weeks already! Where did the time go? I just adore the baby posts that are all over my friends' blogs, and Ms. G. is definitely one of my favorite little ladies.

And finally, go get some Vegan inspiration at Jennifer's wonderful blog "Hibbard Kitchen." I love everything she posts- it's all very doable and delicious.

Enjoy!

John Shares More Than Just a Fly on the Wall

I met John walking down 7th Avenue in the upper 20s back in the beginning of September.

He has six tattoos, but it was this one, on his left side, that I spotted through the hole cut in the side of his t-shirt:

Fans of the popular British graffiti artist Banksy will recognize this as a tattoo based on his work. Another Banksy-inspired tattoo appeared here on Tattoosday in October of 2009.

Why this design? Aside from the fact that John likes the imagery, he especially likes the dripping effect at the bottom of the piece, as if it was spray-painted on. He also related to the ape's sign that reads "Laugh now but one day we'll be in charge".

The piece was inked at Tattooville in Neptune, New Jersey.

Here's a shot of the original Banksy work:

John offered up, an additional tattoo, as well:

Yes, that's a fly tattooed under his right armpit.

John explained that this was tattooed by an artist under the moniker "Porkchop" at Asbury Park's Parlor Gallery. It was part of an occasional event called "Fly Day Friday".

If that sounds bizarre, it gets even crazier. If you present Pork Chop with an item that was bought for under $5.00, and he finds it valuable, he will trade it for one of his fly tattoos.

John successfully presented an item and got the tattoo in exchange.

"What did you offer?" I asked.

"A Pets.com sock puppet," he replied.

Cool.

Thanks to John for sharing these unusual tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Catanya

It's not often that I get someone to share facial tattoos here on Tattoosday, but the occasion arose last month while I was browsing at one of my favorite inkspotting locales, the Borders in Penn Plaza.

I was lucky to meet Catanya, who I noticed had interesting markings on her face, and I was compelled to ask her about the ink. She gladly posed and told me a little about the designs.

Catanya explained that she got her tattoos in the 1970's in New York. She was involved as a dancer in the art scene and eventually married a photographer and relocated to New Mexico and currently resides in Baja, California.

She referred to herself as a "gypsy tribal belly dancer hula hooper" and explained that the design on her forehead is a yin-yang, the tattoo on the right side of her face is Apache feathers, and that the left side and chin are Moroccan in their origins.

Catanya also told me that she had been photographed by someone named Stanley Stellar many years ago here in New York, and that he might have photos from those early days.

Thinking it would be great to have a photo of Catanya from when she was much younger with these tattoos, I tracked down Mr. Stellar and asked if he still had access to his photographs. He completely came through and forwarded this shot:

I certainly feel  fortunate to be able to share photos of the same tattoos, separated by thirty-three years.

Such an opportunity allows us to see an example of how one person has aged gracefully, along with her tattoos.

Catanya subsequently emailed me and elaborated on her tattoos and their history:

Back in the early 1970's I was part of a "tribal style" group of dancers and musicians from all over the world. The main things we had in common were our love of the Dance, world music, colorful costumes and even more colorful life styles. That included Henna, Kohl rimmed eyes and LOTS of Tattoos! We also sported plenty of nose jewelry!   The tattoos for all of us were personal and also tribal, (as can be seen in India, Morocco and other  exotic places around the world.) I do not think that any of us took our tattoo ceremonies lightly. 

I received my first tattoos in Venice, Calif. in 1973.

I like to think of it as an initiation ceremony. It was wonderful! Lots of music and dancing and plenty of red wine and good herbs.

My tattoos were applied the "old fashioned" way. India Ink, a needle and a broken pen.

They were done by two brothers from Cuba. They were also fantastic Conga drummers!

A few years later, I had a few more tattoos added to my collection. These were executed by a wonderful tattoo artist, Boyd, in Taos, New Mexico.

I do not regret any of my tattoos and find as the years go by that I am actually "earning" them. I am becoming them. They ARE a personal manifestation of my journey in life.

As my friend Walter once said to me, (referring to my Eagle feathers tattoo), "Catanya, when I look into your eyes, I see that you are growing your real Eagle feathers."

Walter Chappell and Catanya, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1985
© 1985, 2008 Robert Saltzman

The photo above was taken by Catnya's husband about eight years after Mr, Stellar's photo, with the late photographer Walter Chappell, their friend quoted by Catanya in her testimony.

I want to profusely thank Catanya for allowing me to photograph her and for sharing her tattoos with me, and all of us here on Tattoosday! It's an encounter like this that really stands out among the hundreds I have had over the last few years. To be able to see how someone has so gracefully and proudly worn their tattoos over time is truly an honor and a blessing.

I also want to thank Stanley Stellar for sharing his photograph of Catanya from so many years ago. You can see more of Mr. Stellar's photography here. Be sure to check out his wonderful tattoo photos under the "images" section.

Tattoo Tuesday V.42

This week I'm happy to post another fellow (this is the third!) here on Tattoo Tuesday. Mark is a friend of my friend Vanessa, and he is one of a handful of people she recommended to me for this feature. I think it's great to mix it up a bit, and even though I do love all of my Tattoo Tuesday girls, I think throwing a guy into the mix now and again keeps things interesting. Mark offers a fresh perspective and I definitely think his advice is worth taking. So thank you Mark for participating!


Name and blog name: Mudrat Mark, http://mudratmark.tumblr.com/ and http://noheroestucson.tumblr.com/

Age: 24

Occupation: Accountant/Grad student

Age of first tattoo: 21

Favorite tattoo: This is always a hard question for me to answer because some have a lot of meaning to me and some I have done just for aesthetic reasons. If I had to pick just one though, it would probably be my chest piece. It was my first "big" piece and I am proud of how it turned out.


Featured tattoo/location: Black and gray (sleeve? pant leg?) I'll go with pant leg.

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Henry Cortez at 4forty4 Tattoo in Tucson, AZ. Right leg.



1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

Two of my really good friends tattoo out of the same shop (4forty4) and so I kind of just gave them each a leg, from groin to toe to work on. Aside from pieces on my calves and the tops of my thighs that were already there, I have pretty much just let them do their thing. Ryan Barnhart has been doing amazing traditional color pieces on my left leg and Henry Cortez has been doing awesome black and gray pieces on the right.

So, like most of my right leg has gone, Henry and I were up in the middle of the night talking, probably laying on my stomach in bed twirling my hair and kicking my legs back and forth in the air when he said he wanted to do a realistic portrait of Frankenstein's creature. I jokingly told him that I would let him do it on me if it was free and then like three or four days later my pant leg was started.

From my knee down we have done portraits of Frankenstein's creature, the Bride, a pair of praying hands and the Crimson Ghost as well as filling in the space in between. We just started working above the knee about 3-4 weeks ago and have done a few pieces. First, on the back of my thigh we did a very Edgar Allen Poe-ish scene with a raven and some books and a skull. In the same sitting we did a pretty chola looking Virgin Mary which I think came out really amazing. Most recently we did a painting by Gustavo Rimada called "American Psycho" with a few changes made by Henry.

2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I will start from the top and work my way down. On my upper body I have a Dia de los Muertos chest piece, a cartoon pinup of my girlfriend and our chihuahua on my back right shoulder and a sea siren on my ribs on my right side. On my left leg I have a sugar skull, Valerie Vargas girls, Sailor Jerry pieces, a traditional style reaper and a scene from Sin City. On my right leg I have the pieces I mentioned above plus a grizzly bear on my thigh and another scene from Sin City.

3) Do you plan on getting more?

Yeah, I plan to have both my legs filled from groin to toe within the next few months if everything goes according to plan and then start work on my upper body. I think I am going to take more time in between pieces on my upper body so I don't run out of space too quickly.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos?

My parents are not fans of most of the things I do in my personal life. The morning after I got my first tattoos, my Mom told me to go and wash them off (she said the same thing the first time I dyed my hair when I was 14). To quote my Dad, "Those are hideous, when are you going to get over all that tattoo stuff bud? You are an idiot." Aside from that, my siblings are all tattooed and my little brother is actually being worked on as I type this.

As far as adversity or negativity, sure, I think it is pretty normal but I am used to it. I go to a business school and work in accounting so people are pretty shocked when they see me and I think it takes them a while to get used to the idea that I am pretty heavily tattooed. Other than that, typical stares from people in public and what not. No skin off my back.

I have been with my girlfriend for over 5 years and she has always been incredibly supportive of me getting tattooed and riding motorcycles and just being an all around bad ass mother fucker, which is why I consider myself extremely lucky. I found someone who supports me and is willing to go along with all the weird shit I do. She does have tattoos but I am not sure she wants me to throw them up here on the interweb, so we will leave those a secret for the time being.


5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

I say go for it. You only live once, so why not do something that will bring you happiness? Obviously you need to plan things out so you don't end up regretting your first tattoo like many people do (me included). Talk to people you know who have work done and find a shop/artist who fits with what you are trying to do. Remember, the person you end up working with is putting permanent art on your body, so don't be a dick, and treat them with the same kind of respect you give any other human being.

Don't forget to tip!

Oh, Dolly!

Happy Monday!

Today I thought I'd make tribute post to one of my favorite ladies in the whole, wide world- Dolly Parton! I've been a Dolly fan forever (although I still haven't ever been to Dollywood), and I think she is just so fun and uplifting. Dolly is a little firecracker, and if you watch any of her interviews I'm sure you'll fall right in love with her too.

Are any of you Dolly fans?

Here are a few videos via youtube! Enjoy.





and the cutest interview: