Tuesday 30 August 2011

A little news roundup

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3780933/Peaches-Geldof-Im-too-tatty.html

Another mod-related story from The Sun, saying how Peaches Geldof hates all the tattoos she's had done. She claims she started getting tattooed at 14, so this really goes to show why kids need to wait a few years until they're 18.
But it does reinforce a stereotype that everyone who gets tattooed will 'regret it when they're older'. My Mum often used to say this to me, as a lot of her friend's got tattooed because it was fashionable to have a butterfly or dolphin back then, and now regret it. However, obviously this isnt always the case, and I know lots of people who love every tattoo they have, even their dodgy first tattoos, because of the memories behind them!

Also, the story below was linked from the story about Peaches' tatts, and it really does seem grossly unfair. Must have been a slow news day for them to publish a whole story about how she was wearing a nose ring that they think looks ugly... I personally think she looks fine, and I feel quite sorry for her getting so much stick over her appearance. Another article mentions her 'ample curves', implying that she's fat, when in reality she's a perfectly normal shape.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3036703/Peaches-Geldof-gets-nose-ring-to-go-with-tattoos.html


The Daily Mail are also reporting on mod-related things today, with a strange article on a Vogue fashion shoot.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2031523/Vogue-Italias-shock-tactics-continue-Stella-Tennants-13-inch-waist-nose-ring-lip-stud.html
I'm not quite sure what angle they're taking. It actually seems unusually open-minded from The Mail...
Personally I think it's an interesting shoot and the model looks very pretty. I wouldn't call it 'shock tactics', just a photographer taking inspiration from an interesting character..
Well, had an eventful weekend!

Spent Friday night and Saturday daytime in Brighton, then hopped on a train to Worthing Saturday afternoon to visit Kalima and get my tongue split!

My boyfriend had his split done by Quentin a just over a year ago and he is such a lovely guy and a brilliant mod artist!

I dont actually wanna go into much detail about the procedure because I think thats just something for the artist and client to know, but what I will say is that the sound of the cutting and the clamps are the very worst part!

The left side is still quite swollen and I don't have much movement in it yet, but it's  doing pretty well considering! I managed to eat pretty much straight after too!

The only issue I've really struggled with is that where it's making me dribble a lot, I'm swallowing so much saliva it's making me throw up fairly often. Drinking Coke seems to be helping, although I feel pretty weak because I've not been able to eat...

I won't publish the video here but I'll try and get some gory screen shots on here!

Monday 22 August 2011

Hand poked foot... Kinda hurt!

My right foot is now all tattooed and pretty! Yay! I had it done on Friday, and it took about 6 hours in all.

It was all hand-poked with a single needle, which was actually more painful than I expected. Once the first dot was done, I hoped it would get more bearable as it went along, but no such luck! The best way to describe it is sort of like eyebrow plucking, but more uncomfortable!

Boff, the artist (from Divine Canvas) was a real legend, putting up with my strange, twitching feet and legs for 6 hours and with me being indecisive about the specifics of the design. Another artist there, Manu, really helped by making me relax at one point when I was literally crawling down the back of the chair, and it's honestly much more bearable if you just sit back and relax and let it happen. So I sat ok for a while after that, just getting a bit wincey on the particularly nasty boney bits.

Then came the toes...

Boff thought it would look much better if I had my toes tattooed as well, but I wasn't convinced as I couldn't think of any sort of design I liked, plus I imagined it would hurt more than the foot, and after 6 hours I wasn't sure I could manage. Then he used the needle to draw on (not actually tattoo yet) dots along my toes, and I was begrudgingly forced to admit it looked pretty badass...

By this time, it was Boff, the studio's piercer Iestyn, my boyfriend and a friend of theirs all downstairs in the studio, chatting and having a laugh. It was taking my mind off the pain quite nicely actually, listening to the guys joking about. When Boff started tattooing my toes, I was having a VERY hard time staying still, and it was very painful. I was trying not to look, but could hear cries of "Boff, you sadistic bastard, going between the toes!" which really didn't help! Luckily it only took 5 mins, and most of that time was spent trying to penetrate my little toe, which is like a tiny armadillo from years of impractical shoes...

I went out for a few drinks and a meal with my Mum and boyfriend after that, and it was totally fine, no swelling at all, and only the mildest sting, a bit like very slight sunburn. Since then it's felt a little dry and I put a tiny bit of Dream Cream from Lush on it, as it was hurting a little when I moved my toes, and that seemed to sort it right out!

All in all, I'd say I'm very happy with it. It looks amazing, and the sense of accomplishment after sitting for 6 hours of pain is great! It would have been nice to have tried out hand poking on a more fleshy part of my body first maybe to prepare me for it, but I guess I went in at the deep end and I managed! I do plan to get the other foot hand poked in the future so it wasn't bad enough to put me off!

Next weekend is my Birthday, and I'm off to Brighton, so looking forward to having a rummage in all the shops! Gotta look in Wildcat, as they tend to have good sales on their tunnels and plugs!
 I  must admit, I am nervous about my tongue split, but if I could sit through the tattooing for 6 hours, 15 minutes of cutting and stitches will be managable I hope!

I'll try and upload some pics of the feet once I'm on my home computer, and I'll even post the pic of me gurning away whilst my toes were inked!


xxx

Friday 12 August 2011

Frenectomy

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3747478/Student-has-tongue-job-to-speak-Korean.html

I came across this story in The Sun today, and thought it was quite interesting... a few people I know have had frenectomies (snipping the 'web' under the tongue so the tongue can extend further out) as their tongue web was stopping them getting a tongue piercing.. Apparently the NHS will do the operation if the web is affecting your speech, catching in your teeth while you speak, or if it causes you problems with oral sex. Strange to think the structure of your tongue can affect your speaking of one language, but not another!

Oh, and I don't deliberatly read The Sun, it's a load of sensationalist trash, but it's the only news site that loads properly on my work computer! :(

Thursday 11 August 2011

S.O.P.H.I.E

Just wanted to point out that today it has been 4 years since 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend were attacked in a park in Lancashire, with Sophie ending up in a coma, and her life support being switched off a few weeks later. The attack was apparently all down to them being goths.

Subsequently, Sophie's Mother set up a foundation in her name to promote equality, and help protect subcultures by law. They're doing really good work and they are well worth supporting

http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/

Also, make-up company Illamasqua (who, incidently, make some stunning product) sell a Sophie eyeliner, with £3 of the price going to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation...



http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/catalogue/sophie/


First post!

Hey!

I decided to start this blog, as I spend a lot of time reading mod-related things online, and it seems there's more of a 'scene' in the USA than in the UK. I am an avid reader of Modblog but I find it seems to cover American events more often, and I often find little interesting art exhibits and events which I think UK people would find interesting, plus I'd like to show good work done by UK artists...

Here's a bit of history on how I got into mods and what my plans are for the future.

I started with a second earlobe piercing when I was 12, and it was my pride and joy (despite my Nan being EXTREMELY disapproving :D ). Years later, when I met my boyfriend, who had both of his nipples pierced, I started getting more into mods myself.

I got my helix (top of the ear) pierced by a friend's Mum, which got horrendously infected, but with the help of my EXCELLENT local body piercer (Rob at Bitch Ink in Essex, look him up!) I managed to sort it out! I also got my tragus pierced with my Mum for her Birthday!

I've managed to amass 18 piercings, and one tattoo. I'm starting having my feet tattooed next week actually, hand poked by the genius who is Boff Konkerz at Divine Canvas in London, and I'm planning my tongue split too as we speak!


I'll make sure to take some process pics of my tattoo next week (7 hour hand poking session, eek!) and once I get my tongue split, I plan to do a series of posts detailing the healing progress (and maybe some gory process pics if the boyfriend's stomach is feeling strong!). I'll also try and post any pics of mods belonging to friends and little interesting things I see out and about!

Thanks for reading!
xxx