The Mark Of The Gypsy.

Today is the second day of my photo challenge and well, at the moment I am in a grey tshirt, orange headband, bright green shorts, a hot pink bathrobe and my Peter Alexander studded slippers so the photo challenge of 'what I wore today' will have to wait a few hours until I leave the house.

A few of my friends (followers of my blog are automatically my friends lol) have asked to see my three tattoos so here it goes.

Before you read on, all of my tattoo photos are back-to-front if you get what I mean. They are backwards because I take them myself therefore my camera is always facing the wrong way. Or something like that. Just imagine them around the right way. Thanks.

When I was 18 my friend SikAlb (that was his nickname - we no longer speak) told me he was going to get his Albanian eagle tattoo touched up and would I like to come. I automatically ran into my brother and asked him to draw me a small tattoo about the size of a 50 cent piece (for all you non-Aussie people that is about 4cm I'd guesstimate). I trusted my brother because he has always been a good artist and he came back to me with a print out that he had designed in photoshop of a 'AE' which of course stands for my first name Anastasia-Evangaline. I loved it. I took it to mum and she loved it, so I went with him that day. I still remember that I was wearing a cabolt blue gypsy skirt, a pale blue singlet top and some sandals. I was very slim and very tanned. I called the tattooist before I left the house to get a quote and he asked me how big it was and where I wanted it, when I said it was on my bum, he said 'Do you have a nice ass? If not, I'm not doing it' and then he laughed. I said 'I like to think so' and I laughed then he quoted me $50. Not bad.

I caught the train with him to the suburb where the tattoo parlour was and I went inside. The tattooist was tattooing a girls lower back when we arrived. I could have fainted I was so scared. That buzzing of the tattoo gun chilled me to the bone. Just thinking about it now my hairs are standing up on my arms. Three tattoos and I'm still not used to it.

Anywho, we had to go and walk around for half an hour because he was running late. I considered pretending to go and get something to eat while actually sneaking off and catching the first train to pass me by, but I stuck it out and ended up getting it done. I had to go first. I thought I'd have to take my skirt off and pull my underwear down under my bum (sorry to my family who are reading this), but luckily he was a decent guy and just got me to pull it down about 15cm so you could barely see anything. I got it on my **looking at my bum to see which side it is** right bum cheek. I got it there because it was something special. Something just for me and whoever was lucky enough to see me naked (sorry again to any family reading haha). It was over in the blink of an eye. I actually said 'Why are we stopping, is something wrong?' He just laughed at me. Tattoo newbie. I stood up, he wiped it down with a cleaning agent & a big smile on his face and then told me what healing cream to get.

SEMI NUDITY WARNING. ALL THOSE WHO AREN'T IN FAVOUR OF SEEING MY BUM CHEEK PLEASE SCROLL DOWN REALLY FAST TO SKIP THE PHOTOS.

The first photo is of me on the day, the second is an hour after it was done, the third is a week later.

My second tattoo was a tad more devious because I called my mum and told her I got the tattoo before I actually had it done, just to see her reaction, because she was cool with it, I went and got it done.

I had gone away on holidays in 2008 with a friend of mine, Sharlett. She's the hairdresser made my hair red, brown and then eventually black again, although she was ready to strangle me because we went through stripping my hair for nothing.

We were in Sydney on holidays and I decided I wanted another tattoo. I went into a tattoo parlour in Fairfield and told them I wanted a V on my right ankle. It represents my grandfather and my last name as both start with a V so I killed two birds with one stone (cruel saying, but it applies here).

I can't find any photos of the tattoo, they must have been wiped when my harddrive died so heres one I just took. I'm not really happy with the font but I love what it stands for so that is the main thing.

My last tattoo is my favourite. It's a gypsy on my left hip/outer thigh that I got last year at the same tattoo parlour while I was in Sydney for 'his' birthday.

I didn't get this because of my dads side, I got this because my family are always moving around, we don't live traditional lives and I have always felt free to float around in life. I think gypsy women are hypnotic and mysterious. Two things I'd like a guy to see me as one day haha.

These photos were taken as I was getting the tattoo done and and just as he finished so it is swollen, red and shiney. It looks lovely now though. He did a fantastic job.

My thigh/hip did NOT react well to getting a tattoo here. It was swollen so much that it puffed out about 3cm from the rest of my leg, as well as the fact it was red and hard for about two weeks. She looks a lot better now she has healed.

PS - I am not praying to god with my arms up in the air haha, I am playing Yoshi my Nintendo Ds to distract me from the pain. That tattoo hurt like hell.

Are you tattooed?
Was it a good or bad experience?
Do you regret what you got?
Are you planning on getting a tattoo?