Currently I have five tattoos which I have had done in the last ten years, but as those of you who also have tattoos know; they are curiously addictive and at the moment and can't help but think there might be room for another...somewhere.
Before I divulge about what I have and where I just want to share an amusing anecdote from my childhood (which also formed part of my speech at my wedding). I was never a girlie little girl and when I was four I was taken to see Father Christmas at a department store in town. When he asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told him, very earnestly, The Fisher Price Garage. This being the early 1980s he laughed at me and I felt quite upset that I would not be opening said gift on Christmas morning. Anyway I did receive the Garage but in order to realign gender stereotypes I was also the ungrateful recipient of a baby doll. On opening it I informed my Mum "it's got an ugly face" and rapidly lost interest in it to play with the lusted after garage. By Boxing Day the unfortunate doll had been drawn all over with my new felt tip pens and then became known by the moniker of 'Tattoo'. I think my parents should have known then...
After having multiple piercings in my ears (3 in my left and 5 in my right, used to be 6) and then my nose and my navel I ran out of areas I wanted pierced, I briefly flirted with the idea of eyebrow and lip piercings but am very glad I changed my mind. In 'those days' (we're only talking late '90s early '00s) there was a limit to what one could get pierced! "In my day" there was no back of neck, handweb and the like. It seemed extremely outre to see someone with a piercing above their mouth for example. As a fan of piercing I do personally think it has gone a bridge too far (and no! I refuse to acknowledge that is because I am old!) I think all these facial piercings look really messy and dirty!
So after a stint with henna tattoos and transfers I thought it was time to start getting the real deal. Here are my five tattoos...
1 - butterfly on right shoulder (2000)
First ever tattoo, just chose it from a book at the tattooists (Ian's in Reading) rather impressively passed out whilst having it done. Love being able to show it off in racer back vests.
2 - 3 stars on lower back (2001)
Designed it myself (oh so talented lol) but based loosely on Wonder Woman's outfit and also would like to point out that back then stars were quite unusual as tattoos, really! another Ian's of Reading tattoo. Fainted again. Some people call these lower back tattoos 'Tramp stamps' hmmph! Although I still like the design I think in hindsight a different design in this location would've been better. Nice shot of my muffin top lol.
3 - rainbow and star on stomach/hip (2002)
First tattoo in colour, semi designed it myself by morphing two different tattoos together from a book at Ian's. Again I fainted - wuss. I should've known what to expected by now. Again excuse the muffin top!
4 - flowers on left foot (originally in 2004, redesigned and redone in 2007)
When I had the first tattoo done it was a single black flower and I was told that feet were hard to do and not many tattooists would do feet. This has definitely changed since then! This was done at Area 51 in Basingstoke. I warned the female tattooist that I had fainted before so was treated to a very relaxing experience: sprawled out on the couch eating chocolates to keep my blood sugar levels up! great! However, this tattoo wasn't that great and was very pale I even had it redone the following year. By 2007 it was looking really crap so I got a totally new design over the top. This was designed literally as we went along by Duncan at Area 51. I love it and love the summer when I can show it off more. I think it's quite sexy!
5 - stars on side (2009)
Surprisingly wasn't as painful as I thought considering the top big star is on my rib cage (ok fair point I am quite well upholstered there...) I think I may one day get this star filled in or add to it but at the moment am happy with it. This was done by Steph at Poison Ink in Basingstoke.
For my next (final?) one I am thinking birds! possibly on my right ankle. We'll see...
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