Birthday girl – Dutch friends, faraway sisters and domestic bliss.

SWALK
Sealed with a loving kiss xxxx

So yesterday was my birthday. I celebrated with some old and very good friends in Holland (I blogged about them and their forget me not tattoos around a year ago). There was one special person missing and that was my sister, Olivia, who is currently in Australia. But today I received a lovely package through the post…

Birthday post from the gypsy xx

The hand-drawn card is beautiful and it has the little envelope design from our matching tattoos! I think she also kinda has my fringe.

Sister tattoos - rose and envelope
Matching sister tattoos – rose and envelope

I also got some lovely earrings from my sister’s Gypsy East jewellery range that she runs with her friends Emily (I think Emily is the very talented artist who drew the card, she also has ace pink hair) and Sylvie. They make pretty jewels with the treasures they find on their travels…here is picture of all the gypsy girls together…

Oh and here’s a picture of me in my new Dutch birthday apron from my Dutch friends. I like to call myself a tattooed domestic goddess, although I am somewhat lacking the domestic bit.

Tattooed (domestic) goddess
Tattooed (domestic) goddess

 

Thanks to all my friends and family for the birthday love, I am a very lucky girl (and don’t ask me how old I am…)

xxx

Friday 13th tattoos – did you get yours?

Are you superstitious?

So tattoo shops have a tradition of celebrating Friday 13th by offering lucky (or maybe unlucky) tattoos from a sheet of flash for £13 – you can also give an optional £7 tip if you like. (I think some shops might charge £30 now – times are tough!)

Unfortunately, I am on holiday with some family friends, so didn’t manage to get myself a Friday 13th tattoo, but here is a selection of yours…

Friday 13th tattoo candle

Friday 13th tattoo dagger

My Twitter friend, Daniel Vane aka Grandmaster Tash, was a little greedy and got himself the dagger (by Julia) and the candle (by Naresh) from Flamin’ Eight, in Kentish Town, London.

Friday 13th tattoo Bethany

I love this little dagger – it’s on Bethany, who runs one of my favourite blogs ever, Arched Eyebrow. She got it done at The Circle, London. And picked from the sheet of flash below by El Bernardes…

Friday 13th flash

Friday 13 tattoo rabbit foot

Lucky rabbit foot, by William Corvidae Sparling, who works at Exile Tattoo, Benfleet.

Friday 13 cattoo
Friday 13 cattoo

This little cat is on Lou LaLa, she got it done at This Old Skin, Wymondham, Norfolk.

Friday 13 noose tattoo

Noose by Scott Move, Haunted Tattoo, London.

Friday 13 cherries

These cherries are on the lovely ReeRee Rockette, who runs Rockalily Cuts. Tattoo by Stewart O’Callaghan, tattoo apprentice at Prick Tattoo, London.

Get your tats out – Ruby Confusing

get-your-tat-out

Name: Amber
(Ruby Confusing blog, @Ruby_confusing twitter)
Age: 29
Occupation: Manger of hairdressing academy
Location: Norwich, UK

Amber
Totally tattoo perving on Amber

I had my first tattoo aged 17 and it was on my hand! It was tiny a little butterfly from Bambi, which has since been covered. I always found them fascinating and knew that I wanted at least one – it has now turned into quite a lot. I can’t say I remember seeing many on other people, and it was a good few years until they became more mainstream.  I suppose it was when I started to meet friends who worked in the tattoo industry and who had a lot of tattoos that I started to collect more and more. I think this is due to feeling more comfortable in my own skin and finding good artists that I trusted. I’m pretty lucky that with my job in the hairdressing industry, I’m allowed to have them in visible places, although I think in general employers are becoming slightly more relaxed about tattoos.

Amber tattoo hand
Amber tattoo hand

My first experience with a really good artist was Wink Evans, in Norwich, who is amazing and responsible for a considerable amount of my tattoos – pretty much all of my right arm and a flamingo piece on my left calf.  He works at Factotum.

Amber rose tattoo
Amber rose tattoo

I guess I prefer being tattooed by people who are local to me, as it is easier to make appointments and get work done. Norwich has some brilliant artists, so  I don’t need to go further afield. I do have pieces from other artists – Eric Michalovicand Dawnii Fantana, but this was at Norwich Body Art Festival or guest spots.

Doll legs and sandals
Doll legs and sandals
Russian doll tattoo legs
Russian doll tattoo legs

I’m currently being tattooed by Brad Ward from Factotum, who did the Russian dolls on my shins and the man and lady with animals on their heads and J’adore on my lower fingers.  I really like his style and have been super happy with all my work by him and plan on more.

The fact I had tattoos before I knew much about it has left me with a few that I’m not so keen on… I have had one covered up by Mike Boyd at Indigo in Norwich and it’s amazing and no one ever notices the cherries that were there before! I plan on dealing with the rest at some point in the future.

My style is colour, the brighter the better! I get inspiration from all around me, sometimes it is things I see, tattoos on other people or even things I read! I’m not one of these people who really think about what they want and research it – I just have an idea and then want it done as soon as possible.

I get asked if my tattoos have meanings quite a lot and they don’t really, I like them and that’s why I get them.

I have lots more planned for the future! The main thing being a back piece which will cover up some horrible pink tribal I had when I was 19. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now, but know it is something I’m going to have to  commit to, and before that I have lots of smaller projects I’d like to get finished.

Pair of tattoos
Pair of animal heads

My favourite tattoo is whichever one is my latest one, so right now the man with the fox on his head.