I went in for my tattoo consultation last weekend and I'm scheduled in for June! I'm so excited, it's silly. And I'm so nervous, it's silly. Thankfully I'll have a lot to keep my mind busy until then. When I went in I did the same thing as when I get a hair cut – I brought pictures of what I like and what I don't like, so when I express myself all wrong I still have something concrete to explain my tastes.

In keeping with the Japanese look that I already have (and my love affair with Vancouver), I'm going to be getting cherry blossoms done in an old fashioned looking illustration style.  See? I'm terrible at expressing myself ideas about visual things. This is a little of what I brought in…


I love the placement of Mandi's tattoo, the old fashioned look of the illustration in the top left and the airy, delicate feel in the blossoms at the bottom.

{from: + + +}


I don't like designs that are overly sharp or cartoonish, that emphasize the branches over the blossoms and that are spread out over a really large area.

{from: around the web}

I won't get to see the sketches until the day I go in and I can barely wait! I'm going to a new shop this time and am working with the owner who seems to think it's a neat idea, and gets the style that I'm looking for. It should be four or five hours all told. Deep breaths!

Everyone seems to love or loathe tattoos, what's your take?

I rarely see ones that I want for myself, but I just love ones that really suit their owners