Tattoo Tuesday V.35

This week I am featuring the cute and crafty Cristie! Be sure to stop by her blog and say hello- you'll definitely enjoy her cute photos and creative inspiration.


Name and blog name: Cristie from the citybirds nest (www.thecitybirdsnest.blogspot.com)

Age: 27

Occupation: sales and crafter- citybirds shop on etsy

Age of first tattoo: oh i think i was 19

Favorite tattoo: can't tell you... love them all way too much to choose...but i do love harvey my bird!

Featured tattoo/location: my right arm aka harvey

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: sam williams at tattoo tuesday :) in sf

1) Tell us about the tattoo you are sharing with us- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

i draw all my own art and i had been wanting to get a bird. my favorite thing to draw is flowers so i wanted to incorporate it in my drawing. i had a really hard time drawing this bird as it kept looking too cartoonish. finally with sam's help it all came together. the flowers are stylized dogwood. i stared at my piece of art for a couple of months before i decided to get it and i am really happy with the way he came out. sam just recently went over some of the lines to give it more of a pop and to keep it consistent with the other tattoos.

2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

yes i do! i have one on my left arm of flowers and two others on my upper shoulder on the side of my neck..those are new. i have another one of some poppies on my right shoulder blade, a star on the small of my back and two anchors on either side of my hip bones!




3) Do you plan on getting more?

oh yes! they are addicting! i want to extend my flowers to more of my back...probably down the side of my back and i really want two birds on the inside of my wrists! one representing me and the other for my mister :) i will keep it in the same style as my others just outline. i LOVE tattoos but for me personally i don't want heavy images on me...i like the airy/lacey quality of all my designs.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?

my family has accepted them. my mom at first was a little sad because it was her "babies" skin but she has grown to like them and since she is an artist i think she really appreciates that they are my designs and no one else's. my grandmother always jokes about them but my family knows that i love my tattoos so much and they accept that they are a part of me....as for my nose ring well that is another story :) i get a lot of compliments on my tattoos and i don't think i have gotten any negative remarks about them actually. i get the occasionally stare from older generation but other then that it as been all good. some compliments really surprise especially who they come from. i work in a high end showroom where i sell fabric & furniture so i keep them partially covered for the most part. i am always surprised when an little old lady compliments me on them...it is nice to work with people who accept them and haven't said anything to me about them in regards to keeping them perfectly concealed. i was nervous at first when i got my left arm done...i wasn't sure what my boss was going to say but he actually really liked it!


5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

i have two bits of advice...find an image that you love...stare at it for months and what i really like to do when i have done something that i really like and i am not sure where i want to put it i have my mister draw it on my on my desired area...this helps for me to visualize what it will potentially look like and if the placement is wrong or if the design needs to be tweaked. my other piece of advice is if you can't draw or have an image drawn on you before you get it permanently on you then find a tattoo ARTIST. there are a lot of tattooists that will just tattoo anything on somebody without a care of what it looks like or the placement...i think placement is key and a good tattoo artist will work with you on placement & design...i am always open to help out with drawings if anyone is interested just contact me via my blog. i have done several for family & friends and it is such a wonderful experience to know that your work is on someone else :) enjoy and happy tattooing!