OnyxRose

Of course. Ask the neighbor. Way to miss the obvious, Rose...

Well, yeah, but I'm not interested in keeping it when playtime is over. I'd much rather it stay attached to him.

Thanks for the link. Those were really just meant more for inspiration than a "copy this onto my arm" kind of thing. I was confident in my first design working as a tattoo after doing a lot of research on it, but I'm less condifent in my ability to create a lace-type pattern that works as a tattoo. Someone with more experience in that particular field could do a far better job with the design and make something that will look good for life.

So I know I said if there's a next one, but there's totally going to be a next one. First one's only five days old and I'm already researching the second. (Somebody please tell me that's not abnormal.) I'd planned on second one being something with my kids' birthflowers, but I just don't like those flowers, especially not together. Sentimental, sure, but not for me. This morning I was fabric shopping for Halloween costumes and I saw a pretty piece of lace, and inspiration struck. I'm thinking about something loosely based on lace patterns like the first few of these. I haven't decided placement, size, or color for sure yet, though I am leaning toward a below-the-elbow armband in black, probably not more than two inches wide. I apparently like my tattoos like I like my jewelry - relatively understated. Anyhow. With my first tattoo I wanted complete control of the design, because the symbolism of it is important to me. (Yes, I'm one of "those" who chose a meaningful piece first. I know that isn't always popular around these parts.) As a creative artist myself, I felt confident with that decision, I got exactly what I wanted and I'm very happy with it. But the next one I intend to give the artist more creative license with the design itself and this is where I'm wondering about switching. The guy who did this one is great, his portfolio is good, but it doesn't have anything like what I'm after for the next one. There's one other artist in that shop who has some lace-type things in her portfolio. The new neighbor who just moved in behind me owns a tattoo studio that's been in town close to 25 years (I learned about him on Sunday when I went outside to stop my dog barking at him and he immediately asked about my elephant). There's also another one not five minutes away who has tattooed a number of friends. She did my piercings, but her style wasn't what I was after for my first tattoo. I'll have to look at the portfolios of the latter two, because I don't know for sure that they have what I'm looking for either. I'm also open to driving to some cities near where I live, if anyone knows of other artists whose style might work for what I'm after. I don't want to name my exact city, but I'm in the Gulf Coast area of Florida and am willing to drive as far as Orlando. Is it considered rude to switch tattooers like that for different tattoos? I mean no offense to the first, I just don't know if his style will work for this next idea.

That's exactly what I told him then. Grandma didn't have a problem with it, so he left it. He isn't taking the wedding photos and Sister is immensely proud of her tattoos, so she's planning to leave them in the photos. She figures that our body art is part of us - why hide or erase it, when everyone knows it's there?

That is possible. My kids are still young, both under 10, so I don't have the same level of experience as he does yet. All I really have to go on are his reactions to my choices - which aren't always positive, especially where body modifications are concerned. I mean, the man had a conniption fit over a belly button piercing, which I got when I was 24 and no longer living in his house. The nose ring was a month after that, and he accused me of trying to ruin my appearance with all that metal stuff on my face. (To date, the only metal stuff on my face is a small nose stud, a little tiny 2mm gemstone. My other piercings are all in my ears, except for the navel ring, which is usually under a shirt, and I'm done with piercings. I have nine. Nine is a good multiple of three to stop at, I think, especially since there isn't anyplace else I'm willing to get pierced.) To be fair, though, he did grow up in an ultra-conservative family in an ultra-conservative area, and has always tended to look down on tattoos and piercings, especially in a professional setting. He's a bigwig in his field, and he likes his employees to dress conservative. None of them have visible tattoos, none of them men have visible piercings, none of the women have more visible piercings than than two in each earlobe. I think he expected his kids to adhere to those same standards as we grew up and moved out on our own, and I was the first one to "break ranks," as it were, and do something less than conservative with my own body. I'm still the only one with piercings anywhere other than my ears, but I wasn't the first to get tattooed!

I know this thread is three weeks old, sorry to bring it back up. Do Tegaderm and similar products do anything for the healing process after a tattoo has scabbed over, or is it mainly to keep germs and picky fingers off the scabs at that point? I ask because I've seen small Tegaderm sheets at a local pharmacy and was wondering if it could do me any good. My tattoo is five days old, scabbed pretty much all over, some flakes falling on their own. I've been really good about not consciously picking at it, but sometimes I'll catch myself doing it without thinking, or I'll wake myself up at night scratching. I'm sure it's too late for the "ideal" healing method (I'll keep it in mind for next time, if there's ever a next time) but if it will be helpful at keeping myself from picking at it without realizing it, I'll go pick up a box tomorrow.

Oops, forgot to thank you for the welcome! (Posting while distracted; normally I have better manners, I promise.) He probably doesn't realize my aunt recommended the shop, because that aunt is my mom's sister and my parents are divorced. He's had as little to do with Mom's family as possible since the split. Funny that I don't remember him getting all sore about Sister having tattoos. Maybe because hers are more easily covered than mine; she's got one on her ankle and one on the back of her shoulder, and mine is right in front just under my collarbone. It's an elephant (stuck on an iPad and can't upload, so here's an imgur link); in some shirts its head sticks out the collar and in others it's fully visible. But it isn't as if she made a big secret about them either. She posted entire Facebook albums about them, even, and not a peep from Dad. But I'm the oldest, and he still holds me to a different standard even though all of us sisters (the other one has "normal" earlobe piercings and no tattoos) are grown now.

That sounds terrifying. And I don't even own a penis.

This afternoon my father learned about my tattoo. "I just do not understand why you would deliberately try to ruin your little sister's wedding pictures like that. Look at how gross that thing looks, all flaking off like that!" A few things: 1. My sister has two tattoos, both larger than mine, and both of which will be visible in her wedding dress. (Perhaps Dad doesn't realize this?) 2. I asked Sister if it mattered to her that mine would probably be visible depending on the bridesmaid dresses she chose, and she said that it didn't make a difference to her, because, again, both of hers will be showing. 3. Sister is getting married in May. Tattoo will be long healed by then, and won't look dry and flaky anymore. I should have expected this reaction from my dad. He asked me if I wanted him to photoshop out my nose ring when we took family photos for my grandmother's birthday a few years back. But it doesn't make the comments any less irksome.

My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was nine, and I've been on and off with it for about 20 years. I picked up knitting in January and am mostly self-taught. I spin yarn, too, something I'm also mostly self-taught at. At present I have seven projects going - three crochet, two knitting, two spinning.

Four days into healing my first tattoo. Dry-scabby-ouch, but no flaking off yet, and I woke up this morning with a surprise sinus infection. When I get sick like that, my skin gets so sensitive that breathing on it hurts. You can imagine how well that's going over with the brand-new ink. Also, it's suprisingly difficult to keep my inquisitive three-year-old away from it. There's been a lot of "ouchie, don't touch, just look" going on here since Saturday.

Thanks! Apart from the sick thing, the most complicated part so far has been keeping my preschooler away frim it. "My sticker?" she says. I'm seriously considering getting some temporary tattoo paper and printing her some of her own "stickers."

Okay, okay, I'll quit lurking and actually join. Been hanging around reading for a couple weeks, might as well contribute, right? Anyhow. I'm Rose. I'm 29 and new to the tattooed community. It took me half a decade to decide on the one and only tattoo I have, because I figure if I'm gonna put something in permanent ink on my skin for the rest of my life, I didn't want something I was going to hate or regret in a month or a year. Five years ago I had a general idea of what I wanted, but I didn't have the perfect design yet. I took my time drawing, coloring, revising, and once I had everythng right, I put the drawing where I could see it every day for several months. Once I was sure I wouldn't get sick of it, I researched a few different places in my area before settling on one at the recommendation of my aunt. I stopped in a little more than a month ago to get a consult done. I spoke with one of the five artists they have on staff and after a little discussion on size and placement, we set an appointment. On Saturday afternoon I went back to get it done. We talked a bit more about colors and shading options, filled out paperwork, and finally sat down to work. An hour and a half later, I had a perfect replica of my design on my skin. Then I managed to get a surprise sinus infection. I went to bed early last night because I had a headache, and woke up this morning with my whole head stuffy and painful. My tattoo is only four days old and it's just getting to the dry scabby itchy phase. Apart from drinking a ton of water to stay hydrated and keeping up with lotion on the tattoo as needed, is there anything I can do to keep healing it on track while I'm sick? I'd just as soon not have to go back in for touch-up work as soon as it's healed because it didn't heal right the first time.