Just thought I should mention that the London Tattoo Convention is this month!
I think I'll be getting tickets. My best advice would be to try and go on the Friday if possible, as I've been twice before on the Saturday and sometimes it's just too crowded to be able to stop and look at any stalls for long.
I'm looking forward to looking at work by Simone and Volko from Buena Vista Tattoo Club in Germany, as I'm not sure how two artists tattoo together and I'd like to ask them about that... Also will be nice to see Boff from Divine Canvas who tattooed my foot, as he's a lovely guy. Plus, there are a lot of stalls from clothing companies (remember to get your cash out beforehand as sometimes there's a massive queue and the machines charge!) and jewellery companies. I usually find myself with a huge wodge of flyers from companies to check out once I'm home!
I think I'll be going on the Friday so I'll be sure to take some pictures!
Monday 5 September 2011
Tongue split update!
So, it's been just over a week since I had my tongue split, and it appears to be completely healed! The last stitch dropped out Friday afternoon, and it actually feels much better without them pulling and without being able to feel them floating about when I drink.. Ugh.. I can eat perfectly normally, and my talking is pretty much fine.. I only get a bit slurred with the letter 'N'.
The worst day by far was the second day, when I was swallowing so much saliva I was being sick and it was swollen and painful, and that was the only day when I though "Oh god, what if it doesn't get any better!" But the next day I woke up feeling much better and it's only improved since then! The craziest thing is that a blister on my heel from the day before I had the split has actually taken longer to heal!
Despite what other people said, I was able to eat little things like chips from the start, and by the 3rd day was able to eat proper meals, which I think probably aided my healing no end. My boyfriend was unable to eat or a while with his, which I think may have left his body struggling to heal his split.
I have some screenshots from the split... Some of them are horrendously gory as my boyfriend was zoomed right in and you can see the scalpel doing it's thing in great detail. A bit weird watching it when it's your own tongue, but interesting to be able to associate the things I was feeling with what was going on... I'll upload some of the fresh pics and a pic from now it's healed up once I'm home.
Lastly, on a bit of a tangent, this girl is apparently doing well on X Factor. Good to see a pretty alternative girl doing well. I hope she goes far in the show and they don't try and change her look, as the Daily Mail claims.
The worst day by far was the second day, when I was swallowing so much saliva I was being sick and it was swollen and painful, and that was the only day when I though "Oh god, what if it doesn't get any better!" But the next day I woke up feeling much better and it's only improved since then! The craziest thing is that a blister on my heel from the day before I had the split has actually taken longer to heal!
Despite what other people said, I was able to eat little things like chips from the start, and by the 3rd day was able to eat proper meals, which I think probably aided my healing no end. My boyfriend was unable to eat or a while with his, which I think may have left his body struggling to heal his split.
I have some screenshots from the split... Some of them are horrendously gory as my boyfriend was zoomed right in and you can see the scalpel doing it's thing in great detail. A bit weird watching it when it's your own tongue, but interesting to be able to associate the things I was feeling with what was going on... I'll upload some of the fresh pics and a pic from now it's healed up once I'm home.
Lastly, on a bit of a tangent, this girl is apparently doing well on X Factor. Good to see a pretty alternative girl doing well. I hope she goes far in the show and they don't try and change her look, as the Daily Mail claims.
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..
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!
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
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! :(
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/
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/
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