Inkluded Launch New Online Store

Here at Things&Ink we are big fans of the Inkluded blog founded by freelance journalist Beccy Rimmer. So when we heard Inkluded launched a brand-new online store, we had to share it!

We’ve teamed up with Inkluded to give you the chance to win a T-shirt! Check out our Instagram for more details.

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Inkluded have created a clothing range in which every design has been drawn by tattoo artists. Inkluded has worked with five UK tattoo artists, Hannya Jayne, Dan Metcalfe, Mike Love, Clare Lambert and Kat Winifred, who have all designed something from scratch for the launch range.

Founder of Inkluded, Beccy Rimmer, said: “At Inkluded, we’re passionate about showcasing and sharing amazing tattoo art. This country’s creative tattoo scene is fast-growing and flourishing with talented artists, remarkable artwork and innovative styles – we thought it was time tattoo enthusiasts had one online place from which they could buy tattoo products and fashion.”

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Inkluded was set up with a strong mission, to raise awareness of exceptional tattoo art through blog posts, art exhibitions and by creating an artistic community that people can feel included in. As well as browsing the new products, readers can meet the artists through a series of interviews published on the blog.

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A selection of limited edition T-shirts and vests (prices from £15) are available from www.inkluded.co.uk/store.

Photographs by JustJodie Photography

Goldengrove Jewellery: Margaret Cross

Margaret Cross creator of Goldengrove Jewellery, Brooklyn, NY, designs and makes beautiful pieces inspired by antique momento mori jewellery. We talk to Maggie about how she started her business and her tattoo collection… 

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Photograph by Maxim Ryazansky

How long have you been creating jewellery? I took my first silversmithing class in college in 2003, but I was creating jewellery for a few years before that.

How did you start, what inspired you? After taking a few classes in the jewellery department in college, I realised that I loved the process, it’s tedious, but there’s a lot of freedom for your mind to wander while you work, so I’m constantly filing, designing, sanding, etc. Jewellery was a sweet relief from the printmaking department in college where I majored. I’d hide up in the jewellery department casting and soldering human teeth and tiny animal bones for me and my friends to wear. My focus shifted to mourning-specific jewellery after the sudden death of my best friend in 2008. It was really traumatic. I bought my first antique mourning piece in memory of him, and made memorial pieces for each of his family members and began to wonder why something so seemingly important to the grieving process had become so obsolete.

I use his writing desk as my jewellery bench, with his eye glasses sitting on top, my daily memento mori. I still mourn him.

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Photograph by Maxim Ryazansky

Did you take a course or study? I have a BFA from Pratt Institute, my scholarship program wouldn’t allow me to be a jewellery major (the materials are really expensive) so my electives were in the metal arts department, and I stayed an extra year to focus on jewellery. I still occasionally take classes independently to learn new techniques and skills.

12716759_1580785585493377_1880924051_nWhat inspires your pieces? I’m obviously inspired by antique memento mori and mourning jewellery, but I also draw inspiration from travel. Both of my parents are immigrants and I draw a lot of inspiration from their respective motherlands (England and Italy). After a trip I’ll usually come home and design a new collection with direct references to places, people or pieces I’ve seen. I see both cultures influence in my work. I still continue to make pieces in memory of my friend as well as pieces that might be comforting to someone going through the same thing today.

Where do you source your stones? Each stone is hand picked by me in New York City. Some stones are salvaged from antique pieces ruined beyond repair. My favorite stone dealer has been in the business for 57 years, he’s a WWII survivor and such a pleasure to see every week. He likes to say he “knows a little about stones”. He must be in his 90s, he’s great.

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How would you describe your style of jewellery? Tough and pretty, having a future and a past.

Can you tell us about your tattoos? I started getting tattooed really young at shitty street shops in the city. I’d also let my friends practice on me and we’d give each other stick ‘n’ pokes, so I have lots of that stuff, little inside jokes and punk band references. I’ve become a little more discerning and now I only get tattooed at Rose Tattoo in Brooklyn. Mostly by my husband Mark Cross, but also Hillary Fisher-White and Frank William really appeal to my macabre sensibility, plus there are always great guest artists coming through.

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Where can people buy your jewellery? You can shop the collection online at goldengrovejewelry.com, on Instagram and in store at a handful of shops around the US.

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Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Valentine’s Day isn’t always the easiest holiday to tackle, and some people take it more seriously than others. Our guest writer and journalist 22-year-old Rachel Tucker shares her top five gift ideas to satisfy your beau this coming Sunday…

1. This collaboration from our long-time loves, tattooist Guen Douglas and homeware creators Red Temple Prayer, would be the perfect way to perk up your Valentine’s desk. Gwen’s traditional envelope design is available on a mug or on a card and is available on the Red Temple Prayer website. Red Temple Prayer have a rad collection of kitchenware and accessories, the Forever My Queen mug might even make a good gift to myself. Self love and all that, right?

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2. Tattooist, designer for the Grit N Glory clothes line, model and all round bad-ass woman, Megan Massacre, has created these “not your school Valentines” cards for those of you who aren’t into all that lovey-dovey mushy stuff. Saying “you’re my homeslice” and “be my weirdo” might just be the way to win them over without wearing your heart on your sleeve.

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3. Great gifts often involve days out, giving up your time and just hanging out, and what better way to celebrate being the rad couple you are than by treating yourselves to tickets for this year’s Brighton Tattoo Convention. This year the date’s been moved closer to summer meaning you might even be able to brave a romantic walk on the beach without being blown away!

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4.  London based artist Alex May Hughes creates amazing, one-of-a-kind gold and glass artwork. Using actual gold carat foil, pearl and mirrors, Alex creates these amazing pop culture inspired pieces. If you’re feeling lavish, why not commission your Valentine’s name, anniversary date, the place you met? Maybe even something from their favourite film or a quote. The possibilities are endless and the results are beautiful.

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5. Last but not least, the idea that I’d like to think is most obvious to fall on. Get a fucking tattoo! Now I’m not saying go and get eachother’s names on your buttcheeks, just because there’s so many different ways you can appreciate eachother through tattoos now! Plenty of studios have flash days on Valentine’s Day so you’ll have loads of ideas to chose from, and lets face it, having something on you forever that reminds you of that person is pretty much the ultimate sign of love.

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Tattoo by Ian Parkin

So there you have it! The perfect gift guide for this Valentine’s day. Eat, drink and get smushy.

 

Gypsy East Desert Erotica Photo Shoot

In the depths of the Rajasthani desert, the Gypsies created magic… 

Check out the Gypsy East ASOS for your own magical treasure that the gypsies discovered on their travels 

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Art direction & styling – The Gypsy East Collective
Model – Emily-Louise McGuinness
Photographer – Alexandre Fantie-James
Shoot assistant – Harry Newbould

 

Does it Hurt? A Compilation of Tattoos and the People They Collect

We chatted to AJ Taheri, Frederick, MD, writer and editor for Weeva, an online company that create personalised scrapbooks and family history books, about his new project; Does it Hurt? A Compilation of Tattoos and the People They Collect.

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What is the Does it Hurt? A Compilation of Tattoos and the People They Collect project? Weeva makes memory books. A lot like scrapbooks, you add your stories and photos into as many sections as you like. You can send out invitations via Facebook or email, requesting friends and family to join in as well and expand your book. Typically we make them as anniversary gifts, birthday surprises, for family reunions, memorials, etc., but lately we’ve been making a lot of community projects. What that means is that everything is the same, except that there’s no invitation necessary. Anyone can participate and add their stories and photos, and that’s what this project is: a collection of stories and photos of tattoos that anyone can add to to share their art, their personal expression, and their passion for ink.

How did the project start?  Starting the project took no time at all; once I decided I wanted to do it, all I needed was a title, and then boom, there it was. Having so many tattoos means people are always stopping me to compliment them, ask questions about them, and share their own stories, and I’ve heard so many interesting things that way. I figured it would be really cool to give people a place to share their own tattoos and the stories behind them in a place other than a blog or a Facebook status. This begins online, but eventually it’ll be a printed book, something more tangible and permanent than just posting something quick on a passing internet thread.

What inspired you?  Tattoos are more common today than they have been in the past, but there’s still a bit of a stigma surrounding them. I just find it really fascinating hearing how many different reasons people have for getting tattooed, seeing what they chose to have on them forever, and knowing what their lives are like behind that. Yeah, some tattoos are on gangsters or prisoners, but some are on millionaires, rockstars, investment bankers, old men, young women, etc. The point is that there are people from every single walk of life who have tattoos, and they all have unique stories. Those are the ones I love to hear.

How can people get involved?  Getting involved is literally as easy as clicking here and sharing your experience. It doesn’t cost anything, you can sign in via Facebook, and you aren’t obligated to purchase the book once it’s created. All you’re doing by getting involved is adding your thread to the tapestry, making the story better for everyone who wants to go there and read them or buy it when it’s done.

I put a story into each thread to give people an idea of the kinds of things I’m looking for with this project. My own tattoos are mostly video-game themed, most of them go back to my childhood in some way or another. My entire right arm down to my hands and fingers is a Pokemon-themed sleeve, with the exception of a couple of Legend of Zelda pieces on my knuckles and forearm. I grew up on those games and I think the artwork is just really beautiful, really colorful and engaging. I’ve got all three rows of my knuckles tattooed, and the last one says LEFTOVER, because I toured with a band a while back called the Leftovers with some of my good friends from high school.

Can you tell us about your tattoos? I’ve got a full chest piece of a bleeding winged heart, and it doesn’t mean anything at all, I just got it because I like the art; a lot of people seem to have trouble understanding why you’d get a tattoo without a meaning behind it, but it’s just art to me. I’ve got some World of Warcraft pieces on my chest as well, a salute to a few years back when I almost played the game professionally. I could go on and on, I’ve got too many tattoos to name them all, but that’s the gist of it. They’re mostly gaming pieces and nods to important things in my life, but a few are just there to look cool.