Name and blog name: Abi at Vanilla & Lace and Josh
Age: Abi- 21 Josh- 28
Occupation: Abi: Fashion designer/dressmaker for my shop, Josh: Musician and author
Age of first tattoo: Abi- 16 and Josh- 18
Favorite and featured tattoo: Abi- typewriter, Josh- chestpiece
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Abi: Silje Røe Hagland at Scapegoat in Portland, OR (she has a Tattoo Tuesday of her own!). Josh: Chris Anderson at California tattoo in Savannah GA
1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?
Abi: The typewriter represents that talented husband of mine and his love for writing. It's the start of a half sleeve dedicated to him and us.
Josh: I had this romantic idea to get a tattoo for my wife even though (at the time) I had no wife or girlfriend. I used this to get Abi to marry me, lest my tattoo be silly.
2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?
Abi: I also have the sleepwalker boy from Sigur Ros album art and the MAC cosmetics logo
Josh: I've lost count. I have a full sleeve and a half-sleeve, pieces on my legs, back, hands, neck, ears and feet. These include, but are not limited to: Gregor Samsa from Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," Jason Voorhees, the Agnus Dei, flies, a baby mummy and Calvin and Hobbes.
3) Do you plan on getting more?
Abi: Of course!
Josh: Yes.
4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?
Abi: For the most part people are accepting and open to the ones I have.. but I'm not heavily tattooed so that could change quick! Even so, I get all the regular questions/comments like "You'll regret that when you're old!" or "I thought you didn't want to be a trashy mom".. those are always nice.
Josh: I grew up in an impossibly small town in southeast-Georgia. To have many tattoos in said town ten years ago was a bit unconventional; I was banned from the church I had grown up in and still receive the occasional sneer when I visit home. As a missionary for a decade, folks have been surprisingly accepting of a heavily tattooed fellow.
5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?
Abi: It's been said a million times but I'll say it again.. Don't get tattooed by just anyone. Do your research, good tattoos are worth the extra money. And don't take the advice from my husband below.
Josh: Go to a tattoo shop, close your eyes, spin around in a circle with your index finger extended and have whatever you land on tattooed on your throat. If this is too much, I recommend a strawberry with wings or a monkey surfing a banana.
