Tattoo Tuesday V.32

This week I am featuring one of the sweetest, cutest ladies in the blogging world, Ms. Kyla Roma! If you don't already read her blog do yourself a favor and pop on over to say hello. She's always posting tons of goodness and her site always a fun, engaging read. Kyla also has some beautiful artwork on her body, and I'm so happy she was excited to share them with all of you!

Name and blog name: Kyla Roma - http://www.kylaroma.com

Age: 25

Occupation: Blog designer for Freckled Nest & part time receptionist

Age of first tattoo: 18

Favorite tattoo: My shoulder piece!

Featured tattoo/location: My cherry blossom shoulder piece & partial sleeve

Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: Rich at Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada!)

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?

I love Japanese art and mythology, and because I have a koi fish on my back I wanted something that would work with that visually. Cherry blossoms can represent both the beauty and brevity of life, but beyond that they're just beautiful and are everywhere in my favourite city, Vancouver. I've been going out there every year to visit my best friend for a long time, and it's a place where I can go to regroup and get away from the daily grind. It's a reminder to myself to focus on the beautiful things in life, and to not take things so seriously.

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

I have a 8" koi fish swimming on my back that was my first tattoo I got when I was 18. My favourite thing about her is the expression on her face - she's a very happy and feminine fish!

3) Do you plan on getting more?

Yes! I'm planning to make both my arms half sleeves, to pull the cherry blossoms down below my elbow on my left arm and to incorporate some colourful and detailled birds on both arms. I have lots of ideas for when I have more spending money.

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

I anticipated that I would get negative reactions, but it really hasn't happened. I've had a coworker make fun of my shoulder piece once, but I think that really comes from a place of not taking the time to understand, or not knowing what to say.

My family is used to the tattoo on my back, and they're still getting used to my shoulder piece. Everyone has been kind and curious, if a little taken aback, but they all know me really well and think it suits me. I'm still wearing cardigans around my grandparents, but they're really sweet people who try to understand what I'm going through, so I'm not going to keep it hidden forever.

Generally I've been a little surprised by the amount of staring that people do at tattoos, but I've already started tuning it out and I don't notice too much any more. Mostly it's been really positive because I've wanted this for so long, and to finally have it feels fantastic. When someone comments on how beautiful they think it is, it really makes my day.

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

Public Service Announcement: Being tattooed on top of your collarbone is a really special kind of awful. I love mine, but I'm not sure that I'll do the top of my shoulders when I do my right arm! Make sure you eat a good meal about an hour before you go to your appointment so you don't run out of energy. Long sessions are exhausting, and sugary drinks can really help you. And if your shop doesn't have a TV, bring a laptop and a bunch of DVDs.

Also, don't be a hero! If your artist has a long wait list, book two appointments to shade & colour a large piece up front. My artist had a four month waiting list, and when we did the colour it lasted for just shy of five hours. Had I thought ahead and scheduled two appointments I could have had the colour done with only a few weeks between appointments instead of having to do it all at once or wait four months.

Micael Tattoo

Micael Tattoo Studio

Qualidade e Atendimento em Tatuagens desde 1997

Ambiente de acordo com normas da Vigilância Sanitária (CVS12), respeitamos as regras estabelecidas pelas instituições de saúde, técnicas de lavagem de mãos, uso correto de luvas de procedimentos, isolamento completo com filme de PVC de todos os materiais não esterilizáveis, as agulhas e hastes pré-esterilizadas e envelopadas individualmente são descartadas completamente sem qualquer tipo de reaproveitamento após seu uso, as biqueiras são esterilizadas previamente em produto químico específico e depois em autoclave testada semanalmente através de indicador biológico, embaladas e seladas em envelopes individuais, garantindo assim nenhum risco de propagação de doenças como Aids e Hepatite C.

Fazemos reforma e coberturas de tatuagens antigas e mal feitas, devolvendo sua vaidade e auto-estima tomadas pelo desenho errado feito no local impróprio.

Utilizamos somente tintas e materiais de primeira linha, para que sua tatuagem tenha uma vida longa e seja motivo de orgulho para você durante muitos anos.

Micael Faccio trabalha com tatuagens há mais de dez anos, estudou no Liceu de Artes e Ofícios de São Paulo e no Instituto de Artes Unesp. Apesar de passear entre vários estilos de tatuagem, como os neotribais, orientais e etc, prefere não se rotular por nenhum deles, seu maior interesse é o aprendizado e extrapolação das técnicas de desenho e comunicação visual em si mesmas.

Cláudia Ferreira tatua desde 2007, e tem preferência por desenhos florais e femininos com influência do estilo Art Noveau e Tradicional.

Os piercings e body mods ficam por conta de Paulo Vasconcellos, profissional com mais de dez anos de experiência em perfurações e escarificação.

A equipe Micael Tattoo trabalha com atendimento personalizado, pensando sempre em lhe proporcionar a melhor experiência em sua modificação corporal, respeitando e procurando adaptar técnicamente da melhor maneira o que você imagina ter em seu corpo.

Estamos localizados na Rua dos Ingleses, 649 primeiro andar, esquina com Av. Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, a 3 quadras da Av. Paulista e do Metrô Brigadeiro.

Atendemos Segunda a Sábado das 10 as 19.
Ligue e Agende seu horário
www.micaeltattoo.com.br

Siga o Micael Tattoo Studio nas principais redes sociais:
Flickr
Deviantart
Twitter.com
Fotolog
Facebook

Under One Small Star - Two Tattoos from Anna

I met Anna earlier this month in Penn Station. I felt compelled to stop her when she walked by and I caught a glimpse of this amazing tattoo:

I love seeing ink that is new and original, and I had never seen a line of anything run up the length of a leg like this.

Anna explained that this was a line of poetry that reads "My apologies to time for all the world I overlook each second" that she heard on a trip to Cambodia. Her group leader, Jan, had shared the poem, "Under One Small Star" by Polish Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska, and the verse meant a lot to her during her trip there. This one specific line really resounded with her, so she first "paid a Khmer translation site and then had a friend [she] made in Cambodia, Ponheary, check the translation just to make sure it was correct".

I love the international flavor of this tattoo - a poem originally in Polish, translated to English, then re-translated to Khmer, transcribed in flesh in America!

The line runs from top to bottom and was inked by Jason at Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, New Jersey.

The poem is reprinted in its entirety at the end of this post.

Since it is Tat-Tuesday, let's look at a second tattoo from Anna, this one on the back side of her right arm:

This is Joan of Arc, "a hero of mine," says Anna, who admires her from the feminist perspective and finds her an "unbelievably inspirational" historical figure.

This piece was tattooed by the wonderful Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned. Stephanie's work has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Anna for sharing these two of her seven tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Under One Small Star

My apologies to chance for calling it necessity.
My apologies to necessity if I'm mistaken, after all.
Please, don't be angry, happiness, that I take you as my due.
May my dead be patient with the way my memories fade.
My apologies to time for all the world I overlook each second.
My apologies to past loves for thinking that the latest is the first.
Forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home.
Forgive me, open wounds, for pricking my finger.
I apologize for my record of minuets to those who cry from the depths.
I apologize to those who wait in railway stations for being asleep
today at five a.m.
Pardon me, hounded hope, for laughing from time to time.
Pardon me, deserts, that I don't rush to you bearing a spoonful of water.
And you, falcon, unchanging year after year, always in the same cage,
your gaze always fixed on the same point in space,
forgive me, even if it turns out you were stuffed.
My apologies to the felled tree for the table's four legs.
My apologies to great questions for small answers.
Truth, please don't pay me much attention.
Dignity, please be magnanimous.
Bear with me, O mystery of existence, as I pluck the occasional thread
from your train.
Soul, don't take offense that I've only got you now and then.
My apologies to everything that I can't be everywhere at once.
My apologies to everyone that I can't be each woman and each man.
I know I won't be justified as long as I live,
since I myself stand in my own way.
Don't bear me ill will, speech, that I borrow weighty words,
then labor heavily so that they may seem light.

--Wislawa Szymborska

On Aging

I'm not sure if I'm in the minority here, but when I think about getting older, it doesn't bother me one bit. I've never been one to shy away from celebrating a birthday- in fact, I absolutely love them and really enjoy not just my own, but everyone else's too. As the years go by, I've noticed that my love for turning another year older has become more of the oddity than the norm. I've also noticed that with this fear of aging, comes an acceptance of holding onto youth. I'm definitely not one to judge but I do not get this at all. I don't understand trying to hold onto what you looked like before, when this is now, not then. I don't understand risking your life to cut, tuck and snip unwanted body parts up, up and away. I don't understand trying to mask years of emotion and experience by freezing your facial muscles into place. I just don't.

At 28 years old, I've already seen a large number of my friends and acquaintances get all sorts of procedures. Although I accept my friends and I support whatever decision they want to make in regards to their body, it makes me incredibly sad. What is it about our culture that makes women feel like they need to change who they are to suit some notion we have of beauty or youth? Why can't we accept that every stage of life is beautiful? Now- I know some of you reading this may have gotten said procedures, and I hope you know again, I am absolutely not here to judge. I'm simply coming from another side. In fact, if you are in support of the things I've mentioned I'd genuinely love to hear your viewpoints. I understand that in many cases, people feel insecure about certain aspects of their bodies, and plastic surgery or other procedures can help them feel more confident. As always, live and let live; more power to you. I'm not questioning your decision to have the procedure because I know everyone has a reason to do what they do, but I'm more so questioning the basis of the thought process there- what about our culture drives women to make decisions like that?

In all actuality, I think the biggest confusion for me comes in the form of Botox or other injections. One of the things I don't get, and will never ever get, is how someone could inject something into their face without knowing the true implications of the product. Because Botox, Restylane, and the like are fairly new and have been widely used for less than 15-20 years...how on Earth can we even begin to guess the long term affects of these procedures? Even if something is deemed "safe" now, how do we know what will happen in 30, 40, 50 years? These chemicals people are injecting into their bodies are just that- chemicals. And we truly don't know what will happen in a few years from now because this is all uncharted territory. Will they cause Cancer? Loss of all muscle use in the face at age 60? Who knows.

I just started noticing the very beginning of fine lines around my eyes and although I regularly use eye cream and will continue to use eye cream, I feel that wrinkles and lines are inevitable. It's okay to age. It's okay to not look like a teenager when I'll be 30 in two years. I'll make smart choices and use the right products to look the best I can, but it's inevitable- my body, face, and overall self will absolutely change with time. When I see older women with lines on their face, I know each of those lines holds a story- each laugh line was made through the repeated gesture of smiling, and even those brow furrows came from more thoughts than we could imagine. I hope that as I continue to age I will be able to accept all of the changes my body will go through. I know it's easier said than done, especially since I haven't really experienced much of the process yet, but I think with awareness and mindfulness it will be easier. Right now my body is housing another, and after our baby is born my body won't ever be the same. And that is okay with me. Trying to hold on, trying to make things the way they were...this is just not a natural thing in my eyes. Time goes on, aging happens. I want to embrace each number I see, be it 30, 40, or 80, with happiness and celebration that I have made it another year, or forty. I want my face to show everywhere I've been, and I want to be around other women who accept these things about each other rather than peer pressure one another to get the latest procedure and try everything under the sun to turn back time. This is not "Death Becomes Her," and there is no fountain of youth. All we can do is treat our bodies with the utmost respect and do things that keep us feeling youthful and keep our bodies in the best shape possible. We can wear sunscreen and eat fresh foods, exercise, take vitamins and use good for us products. All we can do is make choices that benefit our health, and in turn benefit our spirit. And if I'm doing the best I can, I am going to accept every single wrinkle and change that transpires. I can't wait to be 80, tattooed and wrinkly, and hopefully have a happy life full of self-acceptance to look back on. I write this as a reminder to myself, a reminder to cherish every little step in this journey and to ACCEPT every change, for it is truly, truly inevitable. I hope you'll join me in working towards this acceptance of aging, and in turn an acceptance of ourselves. This may be slightly irrelevant to some of you- many of you are possibly quite a bit younger, but I think it's always something to think about. When you're in college you are no longer a high schooler. Time has gone by, things have changed. After college, you're a twenty-something trying to make it in the world, time has gone by, things have changed. Later you'll be 30, then 40, looking back on your life and musing about how quickly time flies. Why look back and realize you wasted time worrying about the inevitable?

This was all kind of a mish-mosh of things running through my head, but I wanted to share because it's something that's been on my mind for awhile. If you got through this barrage of thoughts, thank you for reading until the end! And now I wonder: Do you have a hard time getting older? Do birthdays bother you? Or are you more in my boat, with each year being a badge of celebration? I'd love to hear from you. :)

Happy Monday, everyone!

Music Monday

I don't usually participate in this wonderful weekly blog feature that a lot of my pals partake in, but this week I thought I would give it a go. Music is a huge part of my life, and I don't think there's many instances where there isn't some form of music being played or created in our home. Recently, I've been listening to the same bands and the same albums over and over, so I thought I would recommend some of my old favorites, just in case any of them are new to you.

The first band I'm sharing is one of my all-time favorite bands (musicians) from my younger years, Pedro the Lion. SO GOOD. I'm going to recommend his first (and in my opinion, the best) album, originally released in 1998 and then re-recorded and re-released in 2001 by Jade Tree. The album is called "It's Hard to Find a Friend" and has a million of my favorite songs on it. To me, this music is incredibly contemplative. It makes me want to lay in bed and just stare at the ceiling, think about life, and daydream. I hope you enjoy it too.

Here are a couple songs from that album. Every song is amazing, so if you like it, I suggest downloading the whole thing! If you're viewing this post via Google Reader you'll need to actually click on my blog to see the playlist.

Another band I've been non-stop listening to lately is one of my normal favorites, Lucero. Oh, Ben Nichols. His voice is so amazing and their songs are just so wonderful. Listening to them makes me want to go sit and swing on a front porch, in the middle of the summer somewhere in the South, and have an ice cold beer. Or whiskey. A few things wrong with this picture. One, we don't have a proper front porch or a swing, I live in Arizona, I don't drink beer or whiskey (pregnant or not)...and we're heading into fall. Oh well, a girl can dream. I bet that if you don't already LOVE this band you will soon.

a few of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums from this band (Tennessee):





And last but not least I've been listening to St. Vincent an awful lot. My friend Elisa originally introduced me to this wonderful woman a long while back, and I really, really love her and her multiple instrument playing, beautiful singing self. My favorite album of hers is probably "Marry Me," released in 2007. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from that album.





I hope all of you enjoyed this little music post, and I hope you have a fabulous Monday!

Caitlin's Pin-up with a Heart on the Sleeve

Earlier this month, I ran into Caitlin as I got off the A train at West 4th Street. She has twnety-three tattoos and, as customary, I asked if she could pick one to share with us here on Tattoosday.

She obliged, selecting this, her most recent tattoo:

This is based on the artwork of the pin-up stylings of Baron von Lind. I believe the piece that this is replicating is his work "Daphne":

I wish I could give proper credit to the artist, but it was a noisy train platform, and I scribbled down Willie Childress, Asheville, North Carolina. If anyone knows who this is, or what shop he belongs to, please let me know so I can give the artist his proper due.

Thanks to Caitlin for sharing her pin-up with us here on Tattoosday!

Be sure to head over to the Baron von Lind website to see more of his art.

Baby us

Hank's Mom gave me some photos of Hank when he was a baby, and I fell in love with what an adorable little guy he was. I thought I'd grab a couple of me from my Mom, and share a few of both of us here. It's so fun to imagine what H. will look like, based on what we looked like as little ones! I think it's safe to say he'll have light hair, but really, you never know!

Here's Hank:







And here's me!

Don't mind the naked baby-ness ;)

that's me on the left, and my sister Lauren on the right! I wish I still had that dress.






No