Jenn's Ink Celebrates a Seventies Vibe

On a day that found me unsuccessful with inkspotting the 5th Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge, Fate walked me past Jenn, sitting outside a laundromat a block away from my home.

She happily shared the work on her upper left arm:

These stunning colors encircled her biceps.

She said this piece, inked by Jared Stomber at Kustom Kulture Ink in Baldwin, New York, is an "ode to 1970's fashion". This is one area of interest to her that moves her artistically and she wanted to express it through body art.

Fictional character Rhoda Morgenstern (from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and spin off Rhoda) was among the cultural icons that inspired the design.

The inner part of Jenn's arm also features artwork that recalls the animated birds from the opening sequence of The Partridge Family.

Although her birds are much more elaborate.

Thanks to Jenn for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoo Tuesday V.23

This week I am featuring the ever darling Mia! You guys are going to die over this wonderful woman's beautiful tattoos. She's a full-time tattooer who lives and works in Hawaii (Waikiki to be exact!). Mia's blog is also a treat, and I hope all of you pop over her way, and while you're there, visit her Etsy shop and check out her gorgeous paintings and prints. I'm so, so in love with her Tea Party print. Thanks again Mia for sharing a little slice of your life with us all!

Name and blog name: mia graffam. www.gildedatrium.com

Age: 20

Occupation: tattooer

Age of first tattoo: i was sixteen and absolutely clueless when i got my first tattoo (a japanese style lotus blossom on my left hipbone). i picked a random shop and just had a vague idea of what i wanted. i’m lucky that i ended up with a good tattooer because i would have let just about anyone tattoo me at the time.

Favorite tattoo: i have a lot of favorites, but i especially like the tattoo on my upper right arm of a fancy lady holding a candlestick (brad stevens, fun city tattoo, nyc).

Featured tattoo/location: winged hourglass on my chest with a banner saying “this too shall pass.”

Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: amy wagner who works out of tattoolicious in honolulu, hawaii.

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

my chest piece was one of my first visible tattoos, and one of the few tattoos i have that actually has a meaning. for the most part i tend to get tattoos that are pretty and decorative or i’ll let my friends draw up whatever they want to tattoo on me.

the hourglass with wings goes along with the saying “this too shall pass;” it’s basically a reminder to myself that everyday stress as well as the really tough parts of life are all very temporary.

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

left arm sleeve: zombie girl holding a lantern and skull, pocket watch, keyhole, feathers, roses. right arm: lady with a candle, rose in a shoe, australian seabird with a dagger and rose, and a space wolf. torso: snake with butterfly wings on the right side of my ribs, fleur-de-lis on my lower stomach, and a lotus blossom on my left hip. right leg: zombie hand holding a key on outer thigh, teapot and poppies on inner thigh, zombie lady holding a ram on the back of my thigh, penguin on my shin, and a circus elephant on my calf. left leg: hand holding opera glasses in a skull with a banner saying “only the dead have seen the end of war” on my shin, and a carousel horse on my calf. i also have a rose on my right foot and a dagger on my thumb.

3) Do you plan on getting more?

i plan on being almost completely covered, but i’m saving space for specific artists. right now i’m focusing on finishing my right sleeve and both of my legs. the last tattoo i want to get is an entire back piece, so i’m saving room for that.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?

my family definitely isn’t excited that i’m heavily tattooed, but they are pretty accepting for the most part. most of my friends are heavily tattooed, so I don’t ever feel out of place or get any negativity from them. I’ve have run into a lot of negative people however, who either comment on my tattoos or stare excessively, but I’ve also met a lot of amazing people who only have positive things to say.

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

tattoos are really attractive when done well, but they can also be complete eyesores if they aren’t executed properly. when i first started getting tattoos i wasn’t picky enough and i didn’t really know the difference between good and bad tattoos. i got a few tattoos that i either want to cover or i’m just going to have to live with. so know your stuff! don’t get a tattoo on a whim, and don’t be impatient. if you have to wait for an opening in an artists schedule, wait, don’t settle for someone who isn’t going to do a good job. and of course look at someone’s portfolio and make sure their stuff is clean and their style fits what you are looking to get. a tattoo can look nice at first glance but make sure to check out the artists line work (lines should be solid, flowing, and even), their shading/ color (it should be smooth, there shouldn’t be patches in the color unless its negative space, and it shouldn’t look rough), and see if they can actually draw well.

Lisa's Guardian Angel

I met Lisa recently on the subway platform at West 4th Street.

She had this cool tattoo on her right forearm:

The tattoo, which took four hours to complete, is Lisa's guardian angel.

Lisa told me that this is a representation of her guardian angel, a "spiritual guide," although she emphasized that she's not religious.

She had the basic idea for the tattoo and took it to Scott Campbell at Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She pointed out that she absolutely loves the work he did with the shading in the tattoo:

Work from Saved has appeared previously on Tattoosday here. This, however, is the first work we've seen by Scott Campbell in our travels.

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

A Father's Day Bonus: Janet Spots Ink on the Subway

Last month, my friend Janet (whose ink was featured on Tattoosday here) sent me the following photo:

 Janet reports:

"I took this pic in the 1 train, 23rd Street downtown subway station. The guy was *lovely* and looked like a big construction worker. His name is James, and so is his son's, pictured."

I figured this would be a nice father's day bonus.

Happy Father's Day!

This weekend Hank and I went down to Phoenix to spend time with my family in celebration of Father's Day! We had a nice, relaxing weekend and ate at Green twice. haha. Hank is newly addicted to their espresso barbeque sandwich- he used to always do the spicy Poor Boy but has turned over a new leaf. Once wasn't enough for him so we found ourselves in there two times in the span of 24 hours. Silly. But so delicious.

This morning we woke up early and headed over to IHOP (my father and Hank's choice...disgusting in my opinion but I kept that to myself since it isn't my day! haha). Our group consisted of my Mom, Dad, Hank, me, my sister Lauren and her fiance Abe. Breakfast was fun and it was so wonderful to have two dads at the table now, with Hank being a proud papa-to-be! It's seriously melting my heart to see him so excited about being a dad and today was extra special since we find out if we are having a daughter or a son in five short days!

Afterward Hank and I headed home and I fell asleep hard for the entire drive. I haven't been sleeping well lately so I've been feeling pretty tired for the past few days, which I hate...but I better get used to it, right?! When we got home we went grocery shopping quickly at Fry's and New Frontiers. We've been gone so much that our fridge was empty so we had to stock up. Now Hank is golfing with his Dad and we he gets home we'll be enjoying a nice evening walk downtown. So...that's OUR Father's Day! How was yours? I hope all of you are having a wonderful day and have a great rest of your night!

Some photos from today:

Nanny at breakfast






We were laughing because my Mom and sister accidentally got Hank the exact same card and almost wrote the exact same thing in them! Too funny.


my Dad and me! Happy Father's Day :)


my Dad is an avid gunsman (is that the term?) so Abe and Lauren got him a BB gun that he had when he was a kid! Great present. We got my Dad some home gym equipment.


my cute parents- married 31 years this past Friday!


Lauren and Abe! :)


Hank and Nanny- this photo makes me so happy!


annnd...the men of our family!


Again, Happy Father's Day everyone!

and ps, if you could click this banner below to vote for this blog, I'd truly appreciate it! They reset the count so we have to start again! :) It's a neat way to meet more Moms in the Mommy-blog world...and it's also a great site to check out if you're expecting or are already a mama. All you have to do is click once and click again to vote! Thanks so much everyone!

Katie Carries Her Father's Heart (and Her Mom's and Brother's, Too)

As a tribute to dads today on Father's Day, here's a tattoo from earlier in the week:

This tattoo, on the upper left side of Katie's back, is more of a family tribute, than just a father's honor, but her dad did have a hand in the design.

The words are from the last line of an e.e. cummings poem, "i carry your heart with me":

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

The three hearts were drawn by Katie's mother, father, and brother. As she sees it, she is always carrying their hearts with her at all times.

It's a nice tribute to her family.

This is one of three tattoos that Katie has. The font used is designed to look similar to cummings' typewriter-style of print.

The artist was Cash at Addicted to Ink in White Plains, New York. Work from Addicted to Ink has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

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

Belinda's Penny-Farthing

At the end of May, I spotted Belinda's unusual bicycle tattoo on the 34th Street subway platform during Friday afternoon rush hour:

Of course, I asked her about this piece on her left ankle, since it isn't too often you see old-fashioned bicycle tattoos on people.

Belinda explained tha a while back she had gone on a pilgrimmage to Spain, which included a 100-mile trek on bicycles. This design is of the "high wheel bicycle" that was introduced in the late 19th century and is more commonly referred to as the penny-farthing. She told me that this was a much more efficient bicycle than had been seen before. The larger wheel allowed it to travel better, although the falls from a much greater height were a problem.

Belinda added,

"The purpose of the pilgrimage was not religious but more a curiosity to see this path (the Way of St. James) that people have been taking for hundreds and hundreds of years just because of faith. I felt it was a great way to see the real "Spain" by riding through the small villages and woods...we ended in Santiago de Compostela..."

This tattoo was inked by one of the artists at NY Adorned. Work from Adorned has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Belinda for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!