virgin (tattoo) diaries, pt. 5

If you're following my adventures in ink, you'll remember my latest dilemma: to colour or not to colour.

As if it was even a question! C'mon. I am actually incapable of monochromatic, let alone grayscale. Hubby puts his foot down at one accent colour in each space (*pout*) so my house is definitely a compromise. When it comes to my body, though, he has zero say. I'm a walking bag o' Skittles, mostly. He's OK with it, provided I don't push it on him too much.

I try, though, because I'm a giant pain in the ass.

I had the remainder of the work done in October (yeah, I'm shit at timeliness) and I am absolutely in love. Smitten! I decided 5 minutes into my appointment, however, that I just wouldn't be totally satisfied to leave it as-is. I like to meddle with things, over-work them. It's why I can't make pastry to save my life (I'm my mother's biggest failure). But David's a total pro and won't lead me astray. I'm saving up to get some additions to it, maybe in the fall. More flowers, more confetti, more awesome.

I'm probably not going as far as getting sleeves, but I definitely feel like it has the potential to be even more spectacular if we expand it. Just a little.

It feels right. It feels like me. It was worth the pain. (It hurts, you guys. A lot. Like hot Exacto-knife slashes, over and over. Don't let anyone tell you that it's like "a million bee stings" because that's an understatement. And a bloody lie.)

I may be reconsidering my original tattoo body map. I'm thinking that I like concentration: fewer, bigger pieces. David does amazing things with poppies and I'm so very fond of his animals. He'll be seeing a lot more of me.

Of course, now that I'm hooked, I'm stocking up on inspiration. Here are some gems, for your eye-feasting pleasure:

virgin (tattoo) diaries pt. 4

I'm sick today. 

Delirium is setting in: I'm convinced that this super-cold will be my ultimate demise. Oh, the agony! I'm pretty dramz about being sick. My Mother just spit coffee at her netbook screen (understatement of the year, yeah, Ma?). It's not that I am a wimp when it comes to pain (hello, giant arm tattoo). Mostly, I just can't stand letting go of control. Body aches and sniffles forced us to cancel our big Thanksgiving dinner (this vegetarian was even gonna cook a pork roast!) and abandon all plans to do home improvement-y stuff. Well, now hubby's flying solo on those projects, and the pork has been demoted to the freezer. 

On the upside, I can catch up on some blogging and delve into guilty-pleasure TV. Umm, Breaking Amish and Drop Dead Diva, anyone? I won't apologize. 

So yeah, blogging. Typing actually hurts. Hurts! But, it hurts the core of my being to be a giant lazy blob (I thrive on being busy). And in the spirit of pain, shall I give you the latest in my adventures-in-ink?



(This is officially a saga, by the way. More parts than the goddamn Lord of the Rings.)

My precioussss is two weeks (and four days) old today. Technically it's not flaking or scabby anymore, but there are shiny areas that resemble scars and I'm for sure going to get in trouble for picking. I didn't pick. Well, mostly I didn't.

In less than two weeks, I get it coloured. But wait. I can't imagine loving it anymore than I already do. TRUE LOVE FOREVER! Maybe I'm having cold feet about the colour? Me! I'm flip-flopping, but I'd better decide very soon. This man is highly coveted and I've waited 7 months for my appointment.

If I go colour (which I've always wanted), I can't go back. If I stay black and grey for a while, I can always change my mind. But the design was meant to be coloured - there are parts that seem unfinished. Will that just bug me? Also, Mr. David Glantz is a colour master!

When in doubt: Photoshop, right? I attempted to see what my new tattoo would look like in Technicolor but it resembled a child's colouring book. I won't share the results. Let's just say it wasn't a win for Team Colour. 

Instead, I'll compare some of my faves from my inspiration board on Pinterest and elsewhere in the blogosphere:

{ BLACK + GREY vs. COLOUR }

Place your bets!

{ Pinterest // Inked Girls }

 { Pinterest // Now and Then }

 

  { Pinterest }

{ Pinterest // Inked Girls }

{ Pinterest // Jason Kim for BlackBook Mag }

p.s. I'm still conflicted!

colour-lust: red + mint

I'm "colourful". OK, that's a euphemism for "criminally insane" (borderline, yeah?). But I'm OK with it. I wear it on the outside with irrational pattern combos and upwards of five accent colours in one outfit. If I had my way, our apartment would be saturated in tangerine and fuchsia and shots of turquoise and crazy conflicting pattern-on-pattern (that's what my insides look like, or so I imagine). But I'm sharing Lead Decorator role with a decidedly more stubborn conservative human.

I won't stop dreaming in full colour, though. Dorothy is my homegirl.

Maybe it's because I leafed through a book on cars of the 60s yesterday, or because Pinterest is swimming in S/S 2013 runway looks, but I'm daydreaming in a seriously unseasonable colour palette. It happens to be one of my most loved combos of all time, actually. I grew up in a 1950s time-capsule, so it's no surprise that my tastes err on the side of retro. 

Mint + apple-red + vanilla!

It's sounds like a very yummy cocktail, n'est ce pas? Wanna meet me at the diner and sip one? Two straws. Batting eyelashes. Footsies. 

Just for funsies (and to set the mood for this post), let's pretend we can experience colour with all of our senses. Yes, I am eight.

Smell: "In the Summer Kitchen" by CB I Hate Perfume

Taste: milkshakes

Hear: One Fine Day by The Chiffons

Touch: melamine + taffeta

Maybe this snapshot of my little kitchen studio will illustrate my love for this combo:

{ photo by: Jessica Blaine Smith, 2011 // dorky hair + awkward smile: my own handiwork } 

 More delicious examples of this gorgeous union of colour are everywhere in life (and all over the internetz)!

 {ia's Vintage lunch box // AM Radio tackle box }

 

{ interiors // photos via: shelterness.com }

{ custom handmade oxfords by goodbyefolk }

{ awesome street style // pics by selectivepotential.com & laviepetite.blogspot.com }

{ wood chevron necklace on Etsy }

{ photo by ANDREKART // photo by me! }

{ berry bowl by Claylicious on Etsy }

 { vintage fan // AM Radio vintage desk lamp }

p.s. in case you thought I was joking about that 1950s time capsule stuff. This is my parents' basement:

---

Header photo, right panel: Ruby Belle Dress

New Orleans Style – Part 1

This post is easily 3 weeks in the making. I just can't seem to make time for blogging lately. Ugh. Life. I'm traveling for work in a week and am thrilled that this particular trade show just happens to be located in New Orleans this year. Oh em geeeeee! There are so many pockets of the earth that I've yet to explore, and I'm thankful to get to see at least a little BIT of the world on the company dime. We have plenty of chill-time on this trip, too. Stoked!

So you know I love playing dress-up, yeah? Halloween trumps Christmas in my world. Themes FTW! And since I was somehow terribly ill-equipped wardrobe-wise for Vegas, I'm planning ahead. Dressing the part is a little less straightforward this time around. Vegas = short dresses + tall shoes + glitta, dahhling. Easy (though I failed). But Louisiana? Aside from wearing as little as possible (have you checked out this WEATHER?!), I need to do some investigating on appropriate/thematic style. Of course, this is all just me being a weird-o ("quirky", right?) - any city infected with H&M-itis will likely look relatively every other city suffering from the same, but I'd like to believe there's a hint of unique flavour wherever I travel.

For funsies, I decided to challenge myself with a colour palette. What better hue scheme than one inspired by Mardi Gras? We won't be in Nawlins for the event, sadly. The official colours - kelly green, bright yellow, rich purple - are difficult to cram into one outfit, but if anyone can do it, it's me. I intentionally try to incorporate as many colours as possible into my style-world. I'm hell-bent on abolishing matchy-matchy. Today I'm wearing two pink things, though, and it's killin' me (it's the dog's fault – don't ask). I'm not literally going for a Mardi Gras theme as I shop/pack for the trip, but I'm writing this as a fun exercise.

In Part 2 of this post (coming soon!), I will focus on space-saving packing with smart mix-in-match pieces and my must-haves for hot-hot weather. Basically, my REAL non-fantasy-dress-up travel style post. But for now, let's have fun with this theme. 

The two outfits above, deconstructed, plus some extra Mardi-Gras-esque goodies:

 

Larkspur and Hawk $1300 // Fulton $95

ModCloth.com // Stylebop.com

 

 LPCollection.com $225 // Dorothy Perkins $17

 farfetch.com $500 // Debenhams.com $95

 

J Crew "Minnie" pants $103 each

 luluguiness.com $495 // Marc by Marc Jacobs $420

 Karen Millen // ModCloth.com

 Steve Madden // Madewell

 oasis.com $100 each

p.s. Archie jumped up on the table and stood on the keyboard when I left the room. This was his contribution to the post: wssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

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