Deluxe Tattoo Family BBQ

This is me 5 minutes before guests arrive.  Our house is shoe free so I really should invest in a cute pair of slippers.

We don't serve alcohol at our parties.  But I always like to have a glass before everyone gets here. shhh, don't tell.

Tofu skewers in rooster sauce marinade.

The rain caused us to move the bbq from the soggy yard to the driveway.

Our girls baked and served dessert-Pie shop style

I snatched these off my niece's instagram.  Love the candidness.

The kitchen is where it is at.

The Deluxe Tattoo Parlor bbq.  We want the guys and their families to feel like a part of ours and food and opening our home is the best way we have found.

Benefits Of Being A Tattooers Wife

We finally finished my arm.  3 years!  I had a baby during that time which significantly slowed the process.  I don't get tattooed while pregnant and with a new baby there just isn't time.

All totalled it took 21 hours split between about 10 sessions.   Mav did all the black first and I had to wait patiently for the piece de resistance, the pink.

Although I like tattoos purely for the eye candy this one does have some meaning.  My daughters Ruth "Magnolia" and "Pearl" are both represented.  (I have Graces' name on my wrist under the pink bow and Dorothy Violet will be coming soon.)

Tattoo Shop Hijinx

  It's always a treat for the girls to get to visit Papa's shop.

This is a sure sign you are underage!

We step out of the backroom a moment and come back to Dot enjoying a can of Coke!

Clarification: Tattoos Part 2

Well it seems some are bothered by my Tattoo 2 blog.  The part where I state:
 "Also to all the tattooed masses out there I wish you could stop complaining about people judging you for your tattoos.  Yes, they will judge you, say dumb things, and sometimes strangers will reach out and touch your tattoos.  You have put yourself in that position, deal with it or invest in a sweater."
I was not saying such behavior is acceptable rather it should be expected.  If you didn't know people  might judge you because of your tattoos or ask rude questions then I question your intelligence.  As a person who couldn't even bring myself to let my father know I had tattoos until I was 35,  I know it can be hurtful to be judged in this way.  I can only work on changing others opinions with actions and behavior, but cannot demand to be respected and expect results.
The comment was made more to those with tattoos who seem to thrive on the cycle of negativity.
  Because tattoos are more mainstream than ever those looking to use them as a form of rebellion are left disappointed.  To compensate whenever a remark is made it is spotlighted-for example as a status update.  A person newly tattooed often falls into this because it's new and they want to feel part of the club.  But after 20+ years in the tattoo community I can tell you that gets old.  Sure, I could tell you stories of the rudeness we as a family have endured but I choose not to focus on that, because for the most part we are treated just like everyone else or I have stopped paying attention to it at all.
The whole point is tattooed or not tattooed, traditional style or tribal armband, vintage or vintage repro, recycling or upcycling, homeschool or public, Montessori or Waldorf, etc... we all are people and we have preferences.  Opinions are great and blogs are a fun place to share them- (look this is mine.)  People are welcome to respectfully disagree and you can comment as such.  I try to write true to myself and I hope to "meet" people who share my interests, although we do not have to agree on everything.   I hope not to offend people-not because I want "followers" but because I want to be kind.  

Tattoos Part 2

I while back I did this post here, to address all the talk about whether or not you can be true vintage with tattoos.  The point basically was, no you can't, but not because of your tattoos rather because of the fact we live in 2011.
Now I'd like to show the reverse side of that coin and chat a bit about tattoo snobbery.  To be fair I have to state as a tattooed woman I am slightly biased.  I'll come right out and tell you that when I see a gal in vintage and and a certain style of tattoos I give her (often mistakenly) more 'credibility' -(whatever that means!)  I left any scene many years ago, although I brought my tattoos and vintage clothing with me.  I love running into older gals like myself and clothing and tattoos are one way I recognize them.  We have a bit of shared history-like running into someone from your graduating class.
 My closest friends though do not wear vintage or have many tattoos-if any.  It's refreshing!
My issue is with tattooed women feeling superior to those not tattooed or not tattooed with THE right kind of tattoos.  My opinion is traditional styled tattoos go best with vintage clothing- BUT a tattoo does not have to be custom, meaningful or traditional style to be a good tattoo.   I have seen many bad tattoos that contain all these elements.  Get tattooed with what you want.  There is nothing wrong with walking in and choosing a design off the wall (gasp!) if that is what you want.  A good tattoo is a good tattoo and a bad one is just that.   My hope is that gals love their own tattoos-good or bad. (most are fortunate not to know the difference so keep your opinion to yourself)  Just like your clothing they are a reflection of you, not someone else's ideal.
Also to all the tattooed masses out there I wish you could stop complaining about people judging you for your tattoos.  Yes, they will judge you, say dumb things, and sometimes strangers will reach out and touch your tattoos.  You have put yourself in that position, deal with it or invest in a sweater.
Now let's all look pretty and play nice.

Paper Dolls, Barbie, and the Pin Up

Did you know I own a tattoo shop?  I do.  Deluxe Tattoo Parlor.  Truth is I have very little to do with it, my husband, Mav, is the one who runs it.  When I was in high school I wanted to become a tattooer.  The problem is I don't like touching people, or having a job.  So instead I married one.

Our girls do not think of tattoos as anything odd or different.  They spend a fair amount of time at the shop and they always pick out a tattoo.  They choose from the flash, find the tracing, make a stencil and put it on.  Often times they go over it with a tattoo machine-sans needle.  Sometimes one of the guys at the shop "tattoo" them in this way.  Cartoon characters are the top choice followed closely by mermaids.

 A lot of people ask if we are going to let our children get tattooed.  No,  I will not let my children be tattooed,  not as "children." Once they are grown of course they can make their own decisions.  I have the hope they will rebel against us-the establishment, and not get tattooed.

 This has given the girls a unique perspective in imagery.  Lots of dragons, swallows, skulls, pinups, daggers, koi fish etc... and I often wonder how it will play out in their lives.   I have a hint of what it might look like with my niece.  She also had a lot of exposure to tattoo arts beginning at a very young age..  Here she is photographed by my daughter Ruth.  See a correlation?

Are pinups my children's version of Barbie dolls?  I think maybe.  We do try to counter this and create healthy body image.  Raising young girls I can tell you it isn't easy.  I also know if we looked at Mav's art since having his first little girl we would notice a more modest approach to pinups.