collections / tattoos:

June 16, 2011


The other day I mentioned to Nicholas that we should get tattoos. Can't really remember his exact reply, but it was pretty much a "no" ;) Searching for tattoo photos - I found I like the simple shapes or words, it's kind of inspiring! I really kind of want to get one, maybe something small. But I'm a baby when it comes to pain, I don't know if I could do it! Plus, there's the fact that it's just so permanent! Well, these pictures are still nice to look at.

What about you? What are your thoughts on tattoos? Does anyone have one?

image source: aqui-ali | thanks carrie!

Photo source: clockwise witness | thanks another feather!


*None of these beautiful images above have proper credits!
If you know the source, please comment & I'll update the post! :)


image via antrax23

75 hello's:

  1. Funny - I have been on the verge of getting my first tattoo, "love" on the inside of my wrist. I mention it to my husband who rarely says no to anything and he says no. I think I am going to keep my body ink free. I bought a ring to compensate and happy with the purchase.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have three of them. A bird, a ribbon and a connect tree. Love them :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These are so pretty! I wish I had the nerve to get one, but I'm sure once I find something that really speaks to me that the nerve will come.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have two - a star on my wrist and the Auryn on my back. I love both of them and don't regret a thing.
    On me (or women in general, i guess), I like tattoos when they are subtle, little surprises. But on men, oh man, am I a sucker for a full sleeve! Something super sexy about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've always been in love with the idea of a tattoo!
    I think having something permanent as a part of you reinforces a memory, a particular person or event that happened at this stage in your life.
    If I choose to have a tattoo, It would be something meaningful to me, something unique with a love one's handwriting or my own.

    http://ninjafloral.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. how funny. just yesterday i got some ink done. it's the words "vita meravigliosa" (wonderful life in italian) in my own handwriting and i absolutely love it. and i have a star on my wrist and on my back and the sentence "think before you act" in chinese on my inner arm and there is nothing that can ever happen that i will regret it. i'm still craving for more and regarding the pain... i'd rather get a tattoo done than going to the dentist. yes it's pain but i can handle it. yesterday i almost slept in as it was so soothing. i really love tattoos but if you have doubts it's better not to do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love tats and they are beautiful art i have quite a few getting another one soon trying to decide

      Delete
  8. Those are nice and delicate. I think something small is good for a first tat, especially if you can't handle pain. Tattoos aren't really painful, more of a different type of sensation. I have 4 now and my last one is the largest. It takes up most of my left side on profile. Whatever you do, make sure it has meaning for you. Something you will love and that will remind you of why you have it. I don't think they are addictive either, that's rubbish. Oh yeah, don't go in expecting to be in pain. Just be present in the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. DANNI! This is so awesome that you're posting about this because we were in Iowa visiting friends and that tattoo parlor was so much more affordable than Dallas that on a whim I decided to get these two heart tattoos!

    http://theeclecticlife.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/tattoo-crush/

    That and because we were going to Chicago afterwards and I thought it'd be fun to have them! The day after I got my tattoos I asked Jon like 15 times "Did I really do this?" I'm still kind of in disbelief but Jon's been begging for me to get a nose piercing or tattoo for the past five years!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I saw a temporary tattoo tutorial on the following site and thought of this post!

    http://ohthelovelythings.blogspot.com/2011/04/inspiration-bird-tattoos.html

    I'm gonna try it because I'm too chicken to get a real tattoo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. i have one on my foot - a series of snowflakes and I love it. really love it. but now i really want something on my wrist. i am thinking either a simple wave to represent my sailing. or a little hand written word. just not sure which to go for.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would never get a real tattoo, but I have seen some designs that are really pretty. :) If I hypothetically ever got one though, I would probably use the Chinese character for my last name.

    ~TRA

    http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. A dear friend of mine just got one on the collar/shoulder area that says "Your Spirit's strong in me" in Hebrew. (From Elevation Worship's song "Give Me Faith").

    I think I'll be getting the same one soon... although I'm not sure where.

    ReplyDelete
  14. party
    pooper
    here
    whilst
    these
    images
    are
    sublime
    tatoos
    are a
    big
    no no
    for me
    ...

    ***

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm such a baby about pain, too! That's really the only reason I have never gotten a tattoo. I do love the one that just says "free." It's so simple and clean, but still kind of enchanting and definitely memorable.
    But I think my husband would also say no, because of the whole permanence thing, which I totally get.
    A friend of mine has gotten several tattoos and she always has someone draw them on in sharpie or with henna ink before getting the actual tattoo, just to see if she still likes it on her skin for a few days (or more, with the henna).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love the collection of tats.
    I have one on my wrist and love it. It was painful but totally worth it. I plan on getting another ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. i have the same struggle...have you ever heard of stray tats? Temporary tatoos...pain free!
    http://www.straytats.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love this collection! I've been searching for the perfect feather drawing for my next tattoo :)
    I do have one! It's a mandarinfish (a fish from the Indo-Pacific - very colorful!) and I got it because it signifies my love for the ocean and my career path of a marine scientist. It's on my left foot :) I'm VERY particular about the placement of my planned tattoos, I definitely feel like there is a balance element to it. If I can do it, you can do it!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. What great photos! I have three myself. My advice, if you haven't gotten one before... get one if you have something that is meaningful. Oh, and don't even be worried about the pain.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have that "love is enough" tattoo pinned on pinterest. Not sure where it originally comes from though since the picture link just goes to a blog. http://pinterest.com/pin/13648488/

    I wouldn't say I'd never get a tattoo but I just don't know what I would want permanently etched on my body. I am with you though in that I like the simple ones and the words. I like wrist tattoos.

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are lovely. I have a peacock quill pen on my shoulder/arm that writes out an excerpt from my favorite e.e. cummings poem: "and this is the wonder keeping the stars apart.iI carri your heart. i carry it in my heart." I also have the word "atoned for/forgiven" in hebrew on my wrist. : ) Amen to that.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love these photos! I especially love the one that says "forgive" on his arm... but wow, if I were to get that I better make sure to live it out - what a challenge indeed!

    I have one on the back of my neck of a treble clef, it was something I had thought about for years before I was comfortable enough to actually get it done. I did it with my sister a couple days before my wedding :) Good sister-bonding memories!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love tatoos, I've been thinking about getting one for awhile, but I really hate needles.

    ReplyDelete
  24. i love the tattoos, especially the "imagine" one.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have two tattoos - a treble clef on my toe and the one-word sentence "Write." on my wrist. And I. Love. Them. (You can check out pictures of them here: http://pianogirl28.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-prison-tats.html )

    The tattoo pictures you posted are so lovely! It sort of makes me itch to get another one, but I think my mother would officially have a nervous breakdown if I do. ;o)

    ReplyDelete
  26. The black birds flying across the back shoulder blade is my friend Becca, shot by my dear friend Carrie Davis found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsdelicate/

    specifically here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsdelicate/3348416340/in/set-72157606582114756

    Thanks for posting these, lovely.
    -Hannah

    ReplyDelete
  27. The lovely dandelion tattoo is from here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/aqui-ali/488600761/

    I love all the images you found. I have one tattoo on my back, and it's knitting related :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm a big baby when it comes to needles, but I have two tattoos. There is one on my hip - the leaf from the band The Album Leaf, which is about 4 inches in length, and the other - on my wrist - is of five small triangles in different colors with no black outline. I had a dream about the latter, colors and all. The leaf didn't hurt at all, but the wrist sure did! But they were both worth it and I love them to death. I get a lot of comments about them too.

    (I'm already fantasizing on a third!)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello, you have a lovely blog! Some of these photographs are just beautiful, i love the bird silhouettes.

    I have a tattoo on the back of my neck (which i designed myself) however it was done when i was 16 and i have grown out of it, i wish i could design something else to go there now, but because i cant see it, it doesn't bother me so much.

    You should get a transfer of the design you want and then Nicholas could wear it a while....he might change his mind =]

    Stacie x

    ReplyDelete
  30. FOr seven years I considered getting my tattoo...a lot of thought went into it. I have a realistic willow tree with a cross carved into the trunk and the roots digging into my back - if you want to see it, I'll e-mail you, but I won't post. It is private and I don't share with everyone. My advice, do not do it on a whim, put thought into it and find the right artist!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I just got mine done last Saturday. It is of my own design of a banner (or ribbon...) surrounding a feather with a skeleton key on the end of the banner. On the banner it says "Love Loud." I am so beyond in love with it. My husband got 2 on the same day I got mine, one is his medic alert (diabetic... much more substantial than a little bracelet) and another of my design of 2 headphones whose wires tangle together and form a heart. It was the greatest thing I've done for myself... (And I can't wait to get more!!)

    here's mine (since my description didn't really do it justice): http://www.flickr.com/photos/mango_sparrow/5825425269/

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have many tattoos. :o) I have "Don't panic" on one wrist (from "Hitchhiker's Guide"), Cajun Sunrise roses in a traditional style on my feet, large panels of traditional roses and a lock and key on the back of my calves, a moon and stars on my right shoulder, matching stars on my left shoulder, and then a crossbow inside my right ankle.

    But I think the roses on my feet *might* just be my favorite. They are so colorful and pretty and girly!

    ReplyDelete
  33. i don't have a tattoo but would really love to get one...i finally found something i would love to have permanently.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I would REALLY love to get a tattoo - a flock of birds one. But, like you, I'm a real baby when it comes to pain.
    You found so many gorgeous photos! I think I know the source of the origami crane one : http://www.tattoologist.com/2010/06/monday-randoms.html

    ReplyDelete
  35. I have 2. One is on my lower back. It's an apple with the word inspire inside. I'm a teacher. :)

    My second one is most recent. I have a blog post about it:
    http://mostlynice.blogspot.com/2010/11/faith-hope-and-love-tattoo.html

    I love meaningful tattoos!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Very nice. I would love to get a tattoo. I love the bird ones. Thanks for the ideas. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'm a baby too, but I still want one! It's just a matter of money and not having a job that cares, because I like the idea of having it right below the crook of my elbow, like some of the photos above. I have it all planned out too, so tempting! :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi!
    My husband and I have matching tattoos (a small four leaf clover with a dolphin in the center). We both put ours where they could be easily hid (on my hip and on his shoulder. I was very nervous about getting a tattoo so I made myself go first and you know what? It wasn't very bad! I would also like to have a word tattoo but want to make sure I don't regret where it is! Have fun! Hope this helps!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I have a sewing tattoo. I love it! As for pain, it's more annoying than anything. Just kind of feels like someone is scratching at a minor sunburn.
    The idea of permanence still scares me even though I have it. But I've kind of grown into it and it's become a part of me. I say yes ;)

    ReplyDelete
  40. i have two and i love them both! want to get more! the pain part isnt so bad, mostly because you know it will be over soon.

    ReplyDelete
  41. i would like a tattoo, too - not sure what image, though. i feel like it should have some sort of calligraphy horse (since i was born in the year of the horse according to the chinese calendar). the deal with my husband, though, is that if i get a tattoo, he gets a motorcyle, since he doesn't want me to get a tattoo and i don't want him to get a motorcycle. :) the images you posted are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  42. My husband and I never imagined that we would ever get a tattoo but we both got a small one on the inside of our wrists for our wedding anniversary. I have "agape" in Greek and my husband has "29:11" from Jeremiah 29:11. We absolutely love them because it's a daily reminder to us about God's love and plans and if we're blue or doubtful we just look down at our wrists! I also like it that with the tattoos being in Greek and numbers, no one can get it at first glance.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Love this collection, I have been keeping a board on Pinterest to get inspiration for my next tattoo. I have three and I love them all. Only the one on my left wrist is visible to me every day. I love tattoos myself and will probably get at least a few more. For some reason I love sleeves and larger tattoos on men, but on women I like the more subtle.

    ReplyDelete
  44. what a gorgeous collection! i would love to get a tattoo, but i'm waiting for one that will fit- the permanence of it kind of freaks me out. the typography tattoos + the feathers are my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  45. these are some of the most beautiful tattoos i've ever seen.

    i don't have any tattoos, and neither does my husband, but we talk about it often.

    i doubt we would ever get any if we haven't now since we're nearing 30 and getting past that age... if that makes sense.

    i'm really picky about tattoos, especially since a huge percentage of our friends have awful tattoos and i would hate to have to live with a bad tattoo for the rest of my life... i guess if i were to get a tattoo i would have to really love it and really be sure of what i were to get and what it meant to me.

    but these tattoos? they're so gorgeous!

    ~Andrea @ http://hecallsmewifey.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  46. oooh i love the birds on the shoulder and forearm! so pretty and dreamy

    ReplyDelete
  47. oh I have one and it's a little camera on my right hand ring finger. it's of an old pentax type of camera and it looks like it was sketched. I love it and hope to get more!

    ReplyDelete
  48. I'm not a tattoo person myself, but I do enjoy looking at them on other people. I love the dandelion one.

    - Sarah

    http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. I kind of want a tatoo too... but it's just so permanent, haha! I almost got one once, but then had a nightmare that I got it and it was horrible so I chickened out.

    I LOVE the tattoos above - especially the dandelion. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  50. Some lovely tattoos here! I'm still planning on getting mine when I'm no longer pregnant and I can find a babysitter. :) My husband has absolutely no problem with it, and in fact, has been encouraging me. I've got two planned, but we'll see how I do with the pain.

    ReplyDelete
  51. i love them! my husband's arms are almost entirely covered with the most beautiful Christian, old school tattoos. I love them and can't wait to get my first!

    ReplyDelete
  52. I LOVE them!!! If I had the funds, I would be totally covered in tattoos! Unfortunatly I have only my single simple Germanic symbol of the sun/seasons/year with my sister and plans for so many more!!
    Are you on Pinterest? If not, you'd love it. Promise.
    And if you are, you should follow my tattoo board; it's the one that I most obsessively update near-daily.
    -K

    ReplyDelete
  53. Got Just Breathe on my ankle two weeks ago, I was surprised that the pain was more like a pinch. Going back the end of July to get a dragonfly added to it. I'm 48 and not going through mid life crisis like my mother thinks I am, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I've always loved the birds and the feather in the back of the shoulder, these are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  55. I was nervous when I got mine three years ago, but now, even though it took two hours, I can't even remember much about how it felt. Basically, your shoulder is a really good place to get one done if you're nervous about pain, and easy to cover up if you're worried about that.

    It took me about eight or nine years to decide on a design and an artist, though. I have the Two of Pentacles from the World Spirit tarot deck, to celebrate finishing law school, and I had to wait several months for my artist to get an appointment. Waiting to make your first one perfect is very worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  56. After overcoming the fear, nerves, and worry about later regrets I finally got my first tattoo on the outside of my right calf. Funny enough, it's often in plain sight, and is often seen by others, and often not noticed as well. I love it!
    I have a calla lily wrapped around my leg with the words 'believing' written above the stem. There's a little black bird sitting on one of the letters.
    Calla lilies represent pure, untainted beauty-- a message i hope all women remember about their own beauty in a culture that is often obsessed with changing and 'improving' their physical appearance, and I hope to always be believing in the good that God has in progress, despite the daily ups/downs life has for us. (xo)

    ReplyDelete
  57. We've been into type and white tattoos lately! This is a beautiful collection you've gathered!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I have 3 but I actually regret all of them..

    (I wrote about them here.. growcooksew.blogspot.com/2011/01/inked.html)

    However, I LOVE all of the above, so I'm sure yours would be beautiful if you did get one!

    ReplyDelete
  59. i have a simple one-word tattoo on my inner forearm, and i love it :) definitely put thought into the words/image you choose (and the font!). painwise, i was really nervous and it really didn't hurt, just vibrated a lot. i think the pain really depends on where you get it. good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  60. i love the 'forgive' one - i don't think i've seen tattoos written in such a clean serif font before - you should check out the people who get their kid's drawings tattooed onto themselves at

    http://www.followthecolours.com.br/2011/04/tattoofriday-kids-drawing-tattoo.html

    ReplyDelete
  61. These tattoos are beautiful! I'd love to get a simple feather one, or a little cross but I'm scared I won't like it and then have to live with it forever! I kinda like the idea of tattoo wedding rings (too late for me now but it would've been fun!) Hx www.helenlimbrick.com

    ReplyDelete
  62. I love the thought of a single word to remind you of a favourite motto. Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  63. Yeah, these are great. Love the simplicity.

    Wanderlusting Fool

    ReplyDelete
  64. You could always try henna if you don't want something permanent. Henna dyes the skin and typically lasts a couple weeks before it fades. :)

    ReplyDelete
  65. Recently, I decided I wanted a tattoo on my wrist. I love these pictures because they're cool -and, so many people I know judge tattoos, thinking they're ugly or not classy. I'm glad you feel the same way I do! I may just get one, despite the others! :)

    Cute blog!

    ReplyDelete
  66. love these. one of them is actually a fave of mine on flickr = here's the credit:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarabreanne/4280216931

    ReplyDelete
  67. ps. and yes, i have some tattoos myself and love every one of them :)

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/puttytat/sets/72157625463423279/

    ReplyDelete
  68. not sure if someone's commented about this credit yet, but I found one of the sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whateveryou/4852273885

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hello,
    The last one, 1 year ago. http://www.supakitch.com/#/blog/17/ophelie + http://i.imgur.com/iFpYr.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  70. I just got my first tattoo (at age 49) a few days ago...just do it! Don't worry about what anyone else says or thinks - you will love it. My 16 year old daughter also got one on the same day.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I have a tribal sun on my lower back with my name in chinese in the center of the sun.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Great & wonderful tattoos design. I specially like father tattoo. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Really cool tattoos. I like all of them.

    ReplyDelete

Friends, Thank you so much for reading + supporting my blog, and for taking the time to leave me a comment. Your comment support truly means so much to me. Have a lovely day! xo, danni