keepcalm

the only things that have changed for me is when I was a teenager and had no tattoos all I wanted was to be tanned and impress girls and now that I have tattoos all I do is hide in the shade trying to keep my tattoos fresh.
also when I get out of the shower I find myself staring at my body for ages just thinking "how fucking cool do I look" which usually results in me being late for work.

Got this fella from Deno.

Sounds well-deserved! Congrats! Hope you guys are doing well.
A few months ago marked two years since I left my ex-husband. He wasn't abusive, but it was hard to bring up the divorce discussion (I'm the one who wanted to). My life has been totally and completely awesome since then, though, so I'm so glad I did it! Cheers to moving on, @hollyjoybee!

Sounds well-deserved! Congrats! Hope you guys are doing well.
A few months ago marked two years since I left my ex-husband. He wasn't abusive, but it was hard to bring up the divorce discussion (I'm the one who wanted to). My life has been totally and completely awesome since then, though, so I'm so glad I did it! Cheers to moving on, @hollyjoybee!

So... I have no news, no pictures, no nothing. I'm just here to complain about how impatient I get when waiting for my appointment for a new tattoo. I know what I want and I want it now! I am beginning to see the appeal of walk-ins and spur-of-the-moment decisions, haha.
::whine::
This post brought to you by boredom and a couple of hours of looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet.

@Erica that one is nice!

Not sure if this is what you meant but this is who I thought of:
sam rulz

Dennis at @ProvidenceTattoo

So... I have no news, no pictures, no nothing. I'm just here to complain about how impatient I get when waiting for my appointment for a new tattoo. I know what I want and I want it now! I am beginning to see the appeal of walk-ins and spur-of-the-moment decisions, haha.
::whine::
This post brought to you by boredom and a couple of hours of looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet.

So... I have no news, no pictures, no nothing. I'm just here to complain about how impatient I get when waiting for my appointment for a new tattoo. I know what I want and I want it now! I am beginning to see the appeal of walk-ins and spur-of-the-moment decisions, haha.
::whine::
This post brought to you by boredom and a couple of hours of looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet.

Keep calm @keepcalm

Great stories in here! I'll add mine since I enjoyed reading this thread so much.
I was 22 when I got my first (a small ibis on my ribs), and I hadn't told anyone I was getting it, not even my boyfriend at the time. Obviously he saw it shortly thereafter, and the following summer, he went with me to spend time with my family at our lake house. (I don't live anywhere near my parents.) I knew mom would see it once I was in a swimsuit, but my then-boyfriend (now ex-husband) was a bit of an ass and preempted me, saying, "keepcalm has something to show you." Well jesus. Mom made the "I'm disappointed and I disapprove" face and didn't say much else. Dad said nothing, really. Mom has since -- ONE time -- expressed some vague interest in seeing it closer up and/or touching it (people are always touching!). Otherwise, it's never discussed (for good OR bad).
It then took me five years to decide on the elephant I got on my hip/top of thigh last year. Only the outline was done when I ended up at the lake house again with family. I managed to hide it from mom as it was only for a couple of days. Now it's done, and by the time I am in a swim suit in front of my parents again, I'll also have a ship and a lion on the back of my left and right shoulders. Whoops, haha! Three at once might be a bit much for dear old mom, but I'm 28, and she knows what she can do with her opinions. :) Dad, on the other hand, seems to have a non-opinion. My extended family members are more outspoken on my tattoos than my parents have been! In fact, I have one cousin who told me she is living vicariously through me because her father (my uncle) would kill her if she got a bunch of big tattoos. He even gave ME a stern look when he saw the ibis! #YOLO, amirite?!?! (<-- just kidding about that last bit ;))

Hey @beez and other folks who had suggestions -- got to stop by the shop today, and Scott suggested breaking the illustration up into two: putting the ship on the back on my left shoulder and the lion on the back of my right. Leaving them unconnected, and just swinging the "water" down and toward the middle at the bottom of each.
I dig it. Can't wait to get these done as I am quite stoked on them.

Hey, thanks @mtlsam! I figured that was probably the case, but I'm not super savvy in the tattoo world yet so I'm never sure what's "typical." Only time will tell if I get brave up to "use up" more of that arm real estate! :) If I do, I know I'll want more straightforward designs in black and gray, so hopefully they would all meld together/harmonize with no problem.
Thanks again for the reply!

Hi Keepcalm,
I wouldn't worry too much about the planning right now. The beauty of old-school designs is the you can just "stamp" them on and have a great sleeve. My sleeve came together from a bunch of bigger and smaller tattoos placed a bit haphazardly. I had ideas of what I liked, but was open to getting classic designs that filled the spaces I had to work with. An arm has a lot more space than you might think!

@Mark Bee & @beez, thanks for the replies! Would love to hear more - the law of averages, etc. ;)
It will probably be fine, but it would just suck if it wasn't, that's all, haha. Thanks again!

I got an elephant tattoo last September. It's pretty simple compared to what has been posted, but I really like him. Got it done at Tattoo Paradise in Washington, DC. I'm no veteran (this was my second), but I liked the shop and the guys and girls there were great.
Took the photo as it was healing - you can see all the skin that was peeling off, ha. Sorry!