a tattoo story with Kimberly!

Hi I'm Kimberly the blogger behind Lush Lounge (http://lushdeez.blogspot.com)
I have four tattoos at this time, but I want many more! Someone once asked me what my tattoos symbolized. I had no sentimental meaning behind them when I got them.They are on my body because I love them, because they are beautiful, because the make me smile when I look at them, just because I want them there. They only thing they symbolize is a piece of who I am.

I got my first tattoo pretty quick after turning 18. It was a coming of age, rite of passage type thing. My best friend Jayme are born 1 day apart so a couple weeks after turning 18 we went to the tattoo shop together and got matching peace sign tattoos. Hers is on her wrist and mine is on my ankle and a little smaller. The whole 10 minute process was the worst pain of my life! It hurt so bad I didn't think I'd ever get another one. (ha!)

My first tattoo

We match!

A little over a year later I mustered up the courage to go under the needle again, this time on the back of my shoulder. A cute little swallow with a trail of music notes flying behind it. The bird was just too cute & music fuels my soul. Perfect! Surpisingly, it was a lot easier this time around.



Jacques was sooo good for my bird I went back to him a few months later for my arm piece. I had only an idea of a flower with stars when I came to him, he drew it into the masterpiece it is today. I LOVE having someone's original artwork on my body! Bright and beautiful, it fits me perfect! The whole thing took several short sessions, the quote "Follow Your Heart" came to me towards the end of the tattoo and was the perfect way to wrap it all together! That phrase is one I try to live by and seeing it on my arm everyday is a great reminder!

Jacques working his magic on me.

The finished arm piece :)



My fourth and last (for now) tattoo I had been thinking about getting for months before I finally did it. I am not the spontaneous type when it comes to body art. Romantic is what I am, the spot is so sexy, I couldn't be more happy with it's beauty! The hearted "I" filled in red was a sweet little touch  from the artists input.

I have the hardest time deciding which is my favorite - they all are! I love them all so much and I want many more!

a tattoo story - a feature with wattlebird

Hello Scenic Glory readers! Annie here from the blog Wattlebird. I'm so glad Lindsay gave me the opportunity to share my silly tattoo story with you today. I hope you enjoy!

I have a total of 3 tattoos. There's not a lot (or any, really) meaning behind any of them. I believe that tattoos with meaning are special, but they don't HAVE to mean something. Sometimes it can just be a cool piece of art that you carry with you forever. Or in my case just a reminder of something dumb you did on a whim (no regrets!)

When I was young, I always wanted lots of tattoos. I didn't ever think they all had to have a really significant backstory, but I really wanted my first one to mean something special. I thought and thought and thought, but couldn't come up with anything THAT IMPORTANT that it would forever be remembered as my first tattoo. I really wanted to get one on my 18th birthday (my family did not approve, so I had to do it on my own). But since I couldn't come up with one important thing that was more important than anything else, I put it off.

Fast forward a couple of years. I still hadn't come up with a super important and significant tattoo idea (again, it wasn't that there was nothing important, but just that I couldn't decide what was more important than everything else). I was hanging out with my boyfriend, and we were really bored. We were at the store and he had a bunch of coins he was taking to the CoinStar machine, and said, "we should do something really stupid with this money." So we went to his tattoo shop and I got a tattoo of a flying pig on my hip. Yes, really.

Most people assume I regret this decision. I get lots of "what are you going to think of that when you're older?" But I don't think that my sense of humor will just disappear one day. And it's not like it's on my forehead or anything. No, it doesn't have a significant meaning, but every time I look at it I smile. So it was a pretty well-spent $50 if you ask me.

Later that year I got a cute little donkey on my other hip - I felt like the pig needed some balance, hah!

And I also have this little gypsy lady, which I got as part of a fundraiser at Christmastime, where the tattoo shop donated toys to kids in need for each tattoo. She's on my right shoulder, and is my favorite one so far.

One day I'll get some more, and I'm sure some of them will have meaning more than just making me laugh. But I really do enjoy the ones I have now, and I think I always will. So the moral of the story is: I don't take myself too seriously, and you shouldn't take me too seriously either.

a tattoo story - a feature with to make love stay

This is Caitlin from To Make Love Stay and I want to share the story of my biggest and most recent tattoo, a half sleeve on my left arm.

 

My husband, Rob, and I fell in love in high school.  From the first time we met I knew that he would be joining the military and our falling in love didn't change that decision at all.  Though I had never had any exposure to the military or ever even thought of dating a soldier, I never doubted for a second that we would make it through this part of our lives and come out stronger for it. After we were together for about a year and a half, Rob left for Basic training.  He was training to become an airborne infantryman, so Basic training was particularly rigorous; we communicated only through letters for the entire 16 weeks he was there, with the exception of 2 3-minute phone calls and one 30-hour visit.  It was a huge wake-up call to us about what the next 4 years would be like.  Rob was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska in late 2004 after completing Basic and Airborne School.  In the meantime, I was in college in Wisconsin. This meant lots of late-night phone calls and visits every few months or so.  This continued until he deployed to Iraq in October 2006.

 

Though he didn't tell me this when he left, Rob's unit was being sent straight into the Triangle of Death, which at the time was the most perilous region of Iraq, right around the most dangerous time of the war.  He would be off on missions for weeks at time; at one point I didn't speak to him for 3 straight weeks -- no phone, letters, or emails.  I got a glimpse of the danger on the day after Thanksgiving, 2006, when he called to tell me that he had earned a Purple Heart for being wounded in action.  The whole story was that he was targeted by a sniper, who missed him because he happened to walk by a pole at the time the shot was fired.  The bullet ricocheted off the pole and into Rob's arm.  I found out later that Rob had been involved in several IED explosions and in fact was known among his friends as having the unfortunate luck of being in or around most of the major incidents that occurred.  He was (astoundingly) never injured all that seriously, a fact that he attributes to a small stuffed raccoon I had given him early in our relationship named Elizabeth, which he carried around with him at all times.   Fast forward 13 months of almost no communication, pain, fear, a far too short 2-week midtour leave, and he finally came home.  Six months after he redeployed to Alaska he came home for good, and we finally settled down together after being apart for the better part of 4 years.

 

The experience tested both us as a couple as well as us individually, and I have no doubt that it made us stronger, more in love, more communicative, and more understanding.  I have the utmost pride in my husband and his friends for serving their country and for completing what he set out to do.  About 8 months ago I decided I wanted to get a tattoo that honored the experience, how it shaped us both together and separately, and to honor the sacrifice of my husband and other veterans, past and present.  Because Rob was a paratrooper, I decided to get a half-sleeve depicting a C-47 (WWII plane--my grandfather was in World War II so this part is for him) and several paratroopers jumping into a field of poppies (a flower that represents those killed in action and veterans in general).  I originally thought it would be grey, black and red, but my artist, Adam Gordon in Farmington, Maine, drew up a colored picture that I liked a lot more.  After 25 hours it was finally complete, and every time I look at it I swell with pride once again.  I spoke to several of his Army buddies just prior to getting it and they all loved the idea, and told me that I had definitely earned the right to get it.  

 

 

a tattoo story - a feature with kate of blatheration

today i have a lovely tattoo story to share from the beautiful kate of blatheration. 

thank you so much for taking the time to share this amazing story kate!

When I was little, probably about four or five, my younger sister
Ansley, who must have been about three, used to play a game entitled
"Public and Baggy". Ansley concocted the entire thing and was
thoroughly in charge of how the whole thing was to be played. Ansley
was Public (the pink bubble) and I was Baggy (the bag) and when she
decided that it was time to play she would charge into whatever room I
was and drag me away from whatever it was I was doing announcing -

"C'mon Baggy! We've got a job to do!"

And with that proclamation she would proceed to drag me around the
house with all of her might. Naturally, I would protest and drag my
feet, but this only inspired her to repeat her announcement with more
vigor and volume. She would yell about the job we had to do, and I
would yell that I had no idea what she was talking about and didn't
want to play. There much yelling and giggling and tugging on clothes
and kicking each other.

That was the whole game. And we thought it was hilarious.

When we were a little bit older, I asked Ansley about the origins of
this game and she explained that the line "C'mon Baggy, we've got a
job to do" actually came from the classic Disney movie "The Jungle
Book". She heard Baloo the bear say it to Bagheera the panther and
somehow it got stuck in her little pre-school sized brain. (That
obviously explained why I was Baggy the Bag, but the logic behind
Public the Pink Bubble may forever elude us.)

Many years later, when I was in 7th grade and Ansley was in 4th we
were watching the opening ceremonies of the summer Olympics when she
discovered a huge lump on the side of her right food. She showed my
mom and less than a week later she was diagnosed with a rare form of
cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. This began a seven year battle of
chemo, radiation, remission, relapses, and operation after operation.
We remained unwaveringly optimistic, but as time went on she developed
more tumors in her abdomen that became more and more resistant to
treatment. In August of 2007 we were told that she wouldn't live to
see another summer.

I had never in my life wanted a tattoo, but as her approaching death
began to weigh heavy on mind, I realized that I wanted to get
something to commemorate her spirit, and I wanted to get it in time
for her to see it. I thought about it for all of two seconds before I
knew exactly what I wanted to get. I made an appointment the very next
day to get the words "C'mon Baggy we've got a job to do" inscribed on
the instep of my right foot, in the shape of the scar she had where
her very first tumor was removed. The tattoo was completed in December
of 2007. Ansley passed away in March, three months later.

While the reason for the tattoo is heartbreaking, the meaning behind
it fills me with happiness and glee every time I look at it. Ansley
wasn't able to live, but I am. Ansley wasn't able to share her talents
with the world, but I am. Ansley didn't live long enough to express
all the love she had to give, or achieve life-long passions, or fall
in love, or have babies, or write the Great American Novel. But I am.
I'm inspired everyday to live with enough energy and creativity and
enthusiasm to count for both of us. I'm not just living for me, but
for all the beautiful potential of what could have been.

C'mon Baggy. We've got a job to do.

a tattoo story - a feature with meg of twisted tree

hello again lovelies!  i'm excited to share this next tattoo story with you all.  the fabulous meg of twisted tree contacted me not too long ago with her story and when i read it and saw what she got i was beyond excited :) we both share feather tattoos in the same place!!  here's what she had to say...


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Hello there Scenic Glory readers!

First off let me introduce myself, I’m Meg from the blogs Twisted Tree and Just a Mom with a Camera! I am so excited to share my tattoo story with you…and I am so excited that Lindsay let me be apart of this amazing feature!

I have a total of 4 tattoos, I received my first 2 at the age of 16 (I don’t recommend getting them that young) one of them is supposed to be my zodiac sign, but it looks more like a worm and the other is a rose wrapped around a peace sign…my 3rd I got when I was 18 and it was completely on a whim and it’s a sun with a smiley face on it. Needless to say these really didn’t have much meaning, I was young and it was the cool thing to do at the time!

I’ve always known that I was going to get another tattoo, but I wanted to make sure this one had meaning to it! I took along time and really thought about what and where I was going to get my new one (18 years to be exact)…first I thought I was going to cover up one of my old tattoos, but then I changed my mind, even though they don’t have meaning, they are still apart of me and who I am and was…I’ve always loved feathers and birds and I wanted to get something to incorporate the two. After searching for ideas and inspiration online I found a few different photos and my tattoo artist Ethan sketched up the perfect piece, I didn’t have to change a thing…

Now for the meaning…last summer my Grandmother was diagnosed with Bone Cancer, growing up she always told me that her and my Grandfather’s favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31 until she got sick I never really read the verse, but when I did…it was perfect for her and what she was going through…” But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” The last couple weeks of my Grandmother’s life she couldn’t even breathe without being in pain and this verse shows me that she is now “brand new” walking and dancing with my Grandfather in Heaven and that none of us should take life for granted…the 3 birds in flight represent my beautiful children Ragan, Nash and Izabella and the tiny heart hidden within the feather is for my husband, Gabe…because well, he is my heart, he is an amazing man!

Thanks so much for reading my story and thank you Lindsay for letting me share it with your lovely readers!

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make sure you stop by and visit's megs corner of the blogging world and say hi!  thank you meg for sharing your story with all of us!

 

hope you all are having a lovely day! xoxo

a tattoo story - featuring mae!

hello beautiful friends!  it's time for another tattoo story.  today's story comes from the lovely Mae of soldiers, sweethearts and seeking faith.  her tattoo story is absolutely amazing and i can't wait to share it with you all today :)

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Hi, my name is Mari. I go by Mae on my blog.
There are three separate and important parts of my tattoo story.

When I was seven, my mom gave birth to my sister Victoria Rose. She was the fourth child to be born into our family. I remember being so excited for her to arrive. It was a home birth. Almost immediately it became apparent that something was wrong. My parents took her to the hospital where she stayed for two weeks. They said she had Trisomy 18, which is a disorder in which you have an extra chromosome 18. (Down Syndrome is Trisomy 21). I now know that the lower the number the less chance of survival of the child. My beautiful sister made it three weeks. November 19th to December 14th 1996. Even though I barely knew her, she is my family and I will always love her and be glad that I knew her.
A while later my mom and sisters and I were at Gottschalks Department store. We were roaming around looking at pretty things. While we were in the china section my mom picked up a plate with a pretty rose pattern and turned it over. It said "Victoria Rose". She knew she had to have it. This name turned out to be a misprint from the actual name of the pattern, which is "Victorian Rose". We own two place settings of this china, one with the misprint and one with the correct name. Whenever we have a special occasion we set the place for my mom with the Victoria Rose place setting. It has become a tradition in my family.

I have known for quite some time that I wanted to have tattoos.I have known for a long time, also, that I wanted to get one that memorialized my sweet sister. I took a picture of the Victoria Rose patterned china into the shop and talked to my artist about it. He drew up the tattoo for me based on the pattern. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put any words with it but I decided to place "always" underneath the rose. It's vague, but I know what it means. To me it means that her memory will always be with us, and she will live on through our family.

I hope my story didn't make you sad, as that was not my intention. I'm not sad about what happened anymore, it's been almost fifteen years since I was blessed to know Victoria Rose. I know that my tattoo will help tell her story to my family and friends for years to come.

Thanks for reading!

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thank you so much for sharing your tattoo story with us mae!  if you have a tattoo story you would like to share feel free to send it my way scenicglory{at}gmail{dot}com ♥ XO, lindsay

a tattoo story - a feature with giggles, glitz & glam

Hello everyone at Scenic Glory! My name is Jana and I blog over at Giggles, Glitz & Glam! I am happy to share my tattoo story with you today.

I think I've kind of always wanted a tattoo, but my mother was adamant that it was a bad thing to do and I would get some disease. My argument? Uncle Toot has a tattoo and he isn't dead. I know, it was a really good argument. I respected my mothers wishes until I was 24...

I hit my rebellion stage after I turned 22. For my 21st birthday, I did shots of creamer and then for my 22nd birthday, well let's just say I did the shots most people do on their 21st. From there is a was down hill. I ended college drinking regularly and even decided to stay in the college town post graduation living with the friends I spent my time drinking with.

I visited home one weekend and was completely convicted after a friend was absolutely heart broken to hear I'd started getting drunk regularly. He just knew I was better than that. Honestly, I knew better than that but something about that lifestyle had captured me. I cried my entire way back to Lubbock as I knew God was calling me out of my sin. It wasn't long before my roommate asked me to go have some drinks with her but to my devastation I couldn't find my strapless bra which meant I couldn't put on my drinking clothes. Yep, that's what kept me from going out that night. I called my mom an absolute mess and we decided that night it was time for me to say good-bye to the college town to move home. A week later I moved home and started fresh.

I got back into church and getting my life on track. For a little over a year I really was headed down the right road and then I met a group of Christian friends that thought it was okay to get drunk. So I figured at least now I was spending time with Christians getting drunk so I started drinking again, although not regularly this time just socially. This needed to end too, but God had to get my attention in a whole new way. I had accepted getting drunk as okay since I was with my Christian friends doing it.

I went to this place where they have a 2 drink minimum on a specialty drink of theirs due to the strength of the beverage. Honestly, I only remember getting one drink so clearly one was far more than enough for me. I did really like this drink and I guess started asking for refills from the other patrons sitting near us at the bar. I only recall bits and pieces of the evening like feeling scared and alone because my friends were no where to be found. And aside from those things the rest was told to me by my roommate and friends who rescued me. I managed to text two people that night, whom just happened to be together an hour away from where I was. They realized I was in serious need of help and left their fun to come rescue me. I was told the bartender called them to ask where they were because they were getting ready to call the cops. Praise the Lord they did not. When my friends arrived a couple of strangers had been caring for me and my so called friends were out on the dance floor. My friends took me home which I hear was eventful. My roommate slept in my bed that night fearful that I would die from alcohol poisoning, so she slept there and woke each hour to make sure I was okay.

I believe that God was very present that night. I believe that he saved me from a number of things like being taken advantage of since my friends were no where to be found. He had me text two people he knew were together because I had no idea they were. One of those he had me text happened to be the leader of my home group which I find to be no coincidence. Those two friends were good friends with my roommate which was also beneficial. Those two friends were with two other people who had no problem with leaving their fun activity to take care of some crazy girl. Those two also chose not to judge me but to love me anyway. The bartender didn't call the cops. I didn't have alcohol poising and the list could go on. God had captured my attention full well! That night one of the guys who was caring for me put a rubber-band in my hair to keep me from puking in it so I wore that rubber-band for many weeks to follow to remind myself just how gracious the Lord was to me that night.

Not long after that I sat around the table with my roommate and friend talking about tattoos. We decided right then that we wanted tattoos and called my roommates fiance' and our friend that knows good tattoo shops. Within an hour we were in Dallas ready to get a tattoo. I knew mine would be "grace" because of all that happened that night. The Lord had been so gracious to me and I wanted that reminder there on my foot so that every time I glance down I see and am reminded of God's grace in my life.

 

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thank you jana for sharing your wonderful tattoo story with us today!  be sure to stop by her corner of the blogging world and tell her hello ♥ if you have a tattoo story you'd like to share email me!  scenicglory {at}gmail{dot}com.  XO

a tattoo story - featuring stephanie of the odd duck

hello lovelies!  i have another fabulous tattoo story for you today.  this one coming from stephanie of the odd duck!  be sure you stop over after you read her story and check out her happy place.  also i just realized that she is hosting a giveaway of my FAVORITE book ever....the happiness project.  if you haven't read it i highly reccomend it.  you can enter the giveaway here until april 14th!!  okay now on to her story :)

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I'll start off by saying that I'm one of those girls who is completely fascinated with tattoos and the idea of tattoos. just the sight of a tattoo makes me squeal in excitement. That's a fact. So when I got pregnant at 17 and couldn't get any [because I'm responsible enough to not risk infection affecting the fetus], I was feeling a bit let down.


Don't get me wrong, I was actually really excited to have a baby. Mike and I wanted one, and we didn't care about age [he was only 16 at the time]. My pregnancy was mostly kept hush from the family [ahem], because I'm a scaredy cat and couldn't figure out a good time to bring it up.

The baby was perfect; angelic and beautiful, as any baby is to thier parents. Our relationship was going to be eternal, and I knew that I wanted my first tattoo to be a promise of that fact. I wanted it to represent us in the best way there is.

After studying for over a year, I came up with the tattoo design, which is a mother turtle being followed by a baby turtle. Both are pink to represent us. There is also room for more turtles, if we have more babies [pink for girls, blue for boys, of course].

Turtles are said to be the bridge from Heaven to Earth in many cultures. The point here is that my daughter [and future children] are the closest thing I will have to heaven on earth.

They are viewed as eternal beings, as my love is eternal for her. They represent a long life, which is an obvious thing that any mother wants for thier child.

Turtles are also very strong. Since we've given our daughter a strong name [Alexandria translates to "defender of men", meaning my daughter kicks ass], why not symbolize her with an animal that enforces that inner strength that I see in her?

It will forever be my favorite piece of art on my body, though I like my second tattoo; an "OM" symbol in the form of a raven.

But that's for another tattoo story. =]
 

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thank you stephanie for sharing your amazing tattoo story!  hopefully you'll share your new ones here too ♥

hope you all are having a fabulous day! XO, lindsay

a tattoo story - a feature with aiukli because life is beautiful

Hi! My name is Mallori from aiukli - because life is beautiful, and I'm very excited to share with you the "stories" behind my two tattoos!

Tattoos have always kind of been commonplace in my household. I remember seeing my great-grandpa with tattoos on his shoulder, and both of my aunts with tattoos on their backs and thighs. Then my mother got one of a rose when I was a little bit older, and I became obsessed with the idea of getting one. I was allowed to get one, but I had to be old enough to get one on my own before I could do it (age 18). I think my mom thought that by 18 I wouldn't want it anymore, or she hoped that I would pick a design that I would always love.

My first tattoo doesn't have much of a meaning behind it. All throughout my freshman year in college, I decided that I wanted to get a tattoo as soon as the school year was up. I looked up thousands of ideas for countless hours, all without any sense of direction as to what I wanted. Then one day, I opened up the school newspaper to the horoscope section and there was my tattoo staring me in the face. [this is picture titled "tattoo 1"] It was a simple black and white design of a crescent moon with three large stars and a bunch of small stars around it. I have loved the suns, moons, and stars design since I was in middle school, and I don't know why I didn't think of something along those lines before. People ask me what it means, and I say, "It actually doesn't mean anything, I just really like the design; but if you'd like my fake reason for it, I'll give it to you. It's my family. My mom is the crescent moon, and you'll notice that all three of the stars are touching the crescent moon, meaning she is still a part of each of us but we are still individual stars." So if you want a "reason," there you have it. It is colored purple and yellow, purple shows my favorite color and the combination of purple and yellow is important to me in two ways: it was the team colors for a summer league softball team I was on growing up, and they are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. My tattoo is almost 4 years old, and it needs to be touched up to color the places in the yellow first missed. It is located on my right hip.

My second tattoo is the most meaningful. I took three semesters of the Native American language, Choctaw. In taking those courses, I decided that no matter what, I wanted a tattoo of something in Choctaw because it is my heritage. I painstakingly looked at sewing designs on dresses, read Choctaw legends, and tried to come up with something that I thought would fit me. I finally decided that I just simply wanted the word "aiukli" (pronounced eye-yuke-lee) to be my motto for every day life. Aiukli means beautiful. It reminds me daily to look for the beauty in even the smallest things. It reminds me that I am a beautiful young woman, and that I need to portray that into the world. It reminds me to see the beauty in other people, no matter how much I get upset or irritated. And it reminds me to remember the beauty that I've come from--having an amazing and supportive family who backs me 100%. I chose black for this because I wanted the tattoo to be simple. I chose the foot for my location because it is something I see every day, even if it's just as I go to bed. I wanted the word to face the world so others would ask about it and then I could explain it to them. :)

I also have to be slightly discreet with my tattoos, just because of the profession I am looking into. I have to maintain a professional image, so any future tattoo must also be able to be covered by clothing. So far, I know of definitely 3 more designs and locations, but the exact date of when these will be added is up in the air :)

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thank you mallori for sharing your wonderful tattoo story!  make sure you stop over at her little corner of the blogging world and say hello :) XO, lindsay

a tattoo story - a feature with recording the journey.

Hello Scenic Glory readers! My name is Victoria and I blog over at Recording the Journey.

Here is my Tattoo Story!

My husband Beau has had tattoos since before I met him 5 years ago. His first tattoo? Done by himself with a gun he also made by himself. Oh yes. He was one of those boys. His first professional one? On his butt. It's a barcode with his social on it. Yes, my husband is ridiculous. He has quite a few more tattoos now that are quite a bit more thought through. =)

Believe it or not, it took me forever to actually even think about getting a tattoo! Even as an art history major pursuing a career in photography, I don't find myself attached to specific images. Weird, right? But then finally, a few months before our wedding last May, I thought of one. A bow for Beau.

Mine's the one on the super pale foot! haha This is at my wedding.

I scheduled my appointment for a week before the wedding with intentions to hide it from Beau until the day of. But then, the day before my appointment, Beau and I got into a little tiff. Probably stress from wedding planning and finals. Meh. Whatever. I don't even remember what it was about. The point is, after we resolved our argument, I told him that I was getting a tattoo. Imagine his surprise after four years of adamantly saying I wasn't getting a tattoo and randomly springing it on him! and then saying it was for him... even as I was getting tattooed he was still in shock! It was so fun and I'm so glad that he was there to hold my hand. {btw, foot tattoos hurt soooo bad!}

I don't regret getting this bow to represent my fantastic husband at all! I didn't even know what design I wanted exactly and Kevin over at A Mind's Eye in Boise did such a great job drawing up this tattoo for me!

I hope you enjoyed my story! Can't wait to hear everyone else's!!

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thank you for sharing your beautiful tattoo story victoria!  head on over to her corner of the blogging world and tell her hello!  if you would like to share your tattoo story just email me your pictures and story to scenicglory{at}gmail{dot}com

a tattoo story - a feature with proud 2 b purple

the lovely jen of proud 2 b purple recently sent me her tattoo story and i am excited to share it with you all today!

My latest tattoo! I got it in November for my Birthday in remembrance of my daughter Blu'. Its the largest tattoo I have to date, and will probably always be my largest. It covers most of my upper back. It did hurt but I've got other tats so I knew what to expect. It took between a half hour to an hour to do. Loved the artist I had. He's very talented, if and when I get another one I will be going back to him. I love this tattoo for all reasons imaginable. The only thing I don't like is I can't see it all the time. When I lose some weight I'm going to have to get a halter top to show it off!

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thank you jen for sharing your story!  if you have a tattoo story that you would like me to feature here on scenic glory, just shoot me an email with your personal tattoo story and pictures!  hope you all are having a lovely day ♥

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xo, 

a tattoo story - a feature with perfect peace

Without going into too much detail, for about 5 years, I struggled with self injury, depression, and thoughts of suicide. When I would get mad or upset, I'd hurt myself in order to not feel the emotional pain. However, November of 2010 marked the one year point that I had not done anything to hurt myself. I was proud of myself for staying strong, and even though I still dealt with it (And still do!) I was able to love myself enough to keep myself safe. I wanted to get a tattoo to show my strength and pride in myself as a person. 

As I searched for ideas of what to get, the word "peace" lay heavy on my heart. A dove represents peace in the Lord and is one of the most beautiful creatures. When I made the decision to get a dove, I also wanted a Bible scripture to relate it to. I remember sitting on my bed and thinking about what to search for in order to find the right scripture. The words "perfect peace" (because what else is perfect, if not the peace that comes from Jesus Christ?) came to my head. I didn't think I'd find anything, but figured I'd give it a try anyway. Only one Bible verse came up, and when I read it, I got chills. The verse is Isaiah 26:3 and it says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You." How perfect! Because of the trust I have in God, He was able to give me peace and comfort in places in my life that I had no idea were able to be healed. Through His love and mercy, my sins are forgiven and forgotten.

Now to back up a bit, a little less than a year before my decision to get a tattoo, my good friend Adam died while he was on a business trip in China. I don't want to go too much into his story, because it is a bit controversial, but Adam was an amazing man. He lived for the Lord in every part of his life. When he died, it was one of the hardest things I've had to go through. It was hard to be okay with the fact that Adam was gone after only 20 years of life, but I knew that he was in Heaven. It was hard seeing so many people sad for Adam's death, but it made me realize how precious life really is. Shortly after Adam's death I made the decision to stop the self injury. 

As a reminder to myself and in honor of Adam, I got my tattoo on November 12, 2010. I couldn't be happier. I love my tattoo and I love what is means to me and what it shows I've gone through. It's hard to share my story, but I know how important it is. Things are easier to go through when you're not alone in them, and this gives me a way to be there for people. Every tattoo has a story, and this is mine!

A more detailed version of my story is on my blog and you can view that here [http://yourperfectpeace.blogspot.com/p/dove-story.html]

thank you melissa for sharing your tattoo story...it is so amazing and inspiring!  stop on over at melissa's little corner and tell her what you think...you'll love her happy place!!

if you have a tattoo story that you would like to share, i would love to feature you.  just send your story and pictures to scenicglory{at}gmail{dot}com!

XO, lindsay

a tattoo story - a new scenic glory feature

hello lovelies!  i am beyond excited about this new feature that i am bringing to scenic glory...i call it a tattoo story.  i have always been an admirer of people's tattoos and the stories behind them and so now i ask you to share your tattoo story with all of us.

i do not have a set of questions...i want you to tell your tattoo story the way you want to. whether you have 1 tattoo or 10...it does not matter!

if you are interested in being featured please email me at scenicglory{at}gmail{dot}com with subject tattoo story please include the following:

- pictures pictures pictures - we want to see those gorgeous tattoos
- your story - remember this is your story to tell...there are no rules
- your blog or website address if you have one so i can link to your site!

once i receive your information i will let you know your feature date.  i will be posting a tattoo story at different times of the week so be sure to check back often for new stories :)  also, i will be posting a button soon for you to add to your blog if you would like :)

if you are interested in reading my tattoo story, you can check it out here!

coming soon to scenic glory - a tattoo story