Me and my Tattoos

I never thought I'd get a tattoo. I'm sure just about everyone who knows me would say the same thing. Especially given the fact that I'm at an age where most people are regretting and/or removing their tattoos. But after all the drama and trauma of 2005 and 2006, I felt the only thing that got me through was my strong, stoic, Saturnine Capricorn discipline. So to honor that, I got a tattoo. I chose the astrological glyph for my sun sign inked on my lower back. A badge of courage, a mark of honor. A "tramp stamp." OK, whatever...

It hurt. Not as bad as I thought it would, but it was definitely not painless. They first ink the outline in black. That feels like someone taking a sharp nail and dragging across your skin. Then they fill it in. That feels like coarse sandpaper rubbing into your skin. But it only takes about 20 minutes. Heck--it took longer to sketch up the drawing before the tattooing process even began! My Capricorn glyph was done at Sharky's Tattoos in Huntington Beach, CA right around my birthday.

After a while, I thought about getting some other tattoos. Since my name is Stella, which is Italian for "star," I've always liked stars. And so I got some tattooed across my left shoulder.













Of all my tattoos, this one hurt the least. It was done by Teri at House of Ink on the Venice boardwalk. She's really nice and very gentle. I love the shading she did and the colors--pink and orange. Personally, I think it's very delicate and sexy looking. Not words one usually associates with tattoos.

At the same time, I proclaimed in permanent ink my love for dolphins by getting one tattooed a couple inches above my right ankle. Cute, huh? Also done by Teri, this one hurt a bit more than the stars, but less than the Capricorn glyph. I had the dolphin and stars both done in mid-May.

Since I was a bit disappointed that the Capricorn glyph was 1. smaller than I expected and 2. placed higher on my lower back than I wanted, I decided to add my rising and moon signs. So last weekend I had the glyphs for Cancer and Gemini inked below the Capricorn one.

This was also done by Teri and it was very painful! But I think it came out beautifully! I love how the design looks so cohesive and how the colors complement each other. It hasn't totally scabbed over and healed yet, so it will look better in a week or so.

So, now I'm up to five. Will I get more? I don't know. Maybe...

Tattoo pics courtesy of Elizabeth Springett. Thanks, E!