Tattoo Collection Part: 3

Welcome back! If you guys have stuck by me and read the last two parts of my Tattoo Collection I wanted to say THANK YOU! It's been a lot and I am happy that some of you have an interest and are enjoying it. I have been enjoying sharing each and every single one of my tattoos.

(I don't know if I'll ever get my elbow filled in I always get asked about it, haha but I have a great idea for it so I'm still debating.)

Part 3 is going to be all about my "sleeve". I can't really remember in what exact order some of them came in so that is why I wanted to dedicate this post solely to my arm. After I finished with my left thigh I began on my sleeve but did take small breaks to get other small pieces done as well. Sadly I don't have original photos for a lot of the tattoos since I didn't want to take photos of my arm until it was completely done. I will show bits and pieces of what I got so I may be a little scattered and all over the place during this post. I also didn't include my Matryoshka since I already spoke about her on part 2.

I remember I really began on my sleeve in July of 2013. I began with adding three-piece such as the big rose that is on my shoulder along with three butterflies that's scattered through my arm. (I started with outlines a lot on my sleeve before I got them colored in.) I knew that I really wanted my arm to be very colorful, fresh and floral. I wanted something kind of like a garden and gardens are filled with butterflies flying around. I like butterflies and I remember when I was a kid I was always outside in my parent's backyard in the Spring/Summertime playing with my sister and constantly seeing butterflies everywhere. I used to love to catch them and just study the way they look and then let them go. My mom always told us that butterflies are a sign of good luck but I'm not too sure how accurate that really is.

One day while browsing through Instagram I had come across a photo that a girl I followed sketched of a gorgeous rose and inside that rose was an eye. I instantly admired that picture reminded me of the all-seeing eye which is probably what she referred to. I saved that photo and a few months later showed my tattoo artist (Jason) the photo. I thought it would have been a wonderful addition to my sleeve because I love roses. I had him change things up a bit, and of course, I messaged the girl for permission to use her art as a reference for my tattoo and she was so sweet about it and approved. Once I finally got it colored months later it looked beautiful and finally complete. I like how this rose has an eye inside of it. I like to look at it and remind myself to always keep my eyes open with my surroundings. It's a constant reminder that has helped me out a lot in some cases. The pain tolerance wasn't bad at all. The only one that I would complain about is the butterfly that is closets to my bicep/elbow fold. That area is so sensitive for me and I always manage to bruise really badly from tattoos.

While my tattoos (All-seeing eye rose and butterflies.) were still outlined I had Jason add tons of cherry blossoms throughout my entire arm. This one felt never-ending haha especially once I had it colored. I even got them colored in before I got the rose and butterflies colored.

(This is such a difficult spot to get a good photo of these two pieces! Grr)

I was becoming really into makeup and beauty and I'm also into traditional tattoos and artwork. I found a lot of makeup and perfume prints on Etsy and instantly wanted to add a few makeup pieces to my sleeve. I originally wanted to add way more to my arm but I'm glad I kept it to a minimal. Originally I wanted to get a traditional makeup brush with a matching hairbrush, lipstick and perfume bottle, kind of like a set. In the end, I got a lipstick with a matching perfume bottle. I sent a few reference photos to Jason so he can see what I was talking about and I'm happy with the end piece. I really like how they both match as if they were apart of a set that was my goal. This area wasn't painful for me the only part that sucked was having to lay on my stomach for so long while I was getting it done haha. I get really uncomfortable laying on my stomach in general so imagine staying that way for a hour or more for a tattoo.

(Another difficult spot to get a good photo.)

Eventually I had Jason add a matching scissor in the back of my arm/bicep area. I really like this piece and it this one has a great meaning. Scissors; An instrument used for cutting, and that is exactly why I got this piece. I am really quick to cut things and even people out of my life that are bad, negative, constantly bringing me down and I don't care who you may be. I'd like to think of myself generally as a very happy person so I don't have any tolerance for anything or anyone that will interfere with that. I like to think that I am finally being strong enough to stand up for myself since in the past I would have kept my mouth shut. This piece stung a ton! I'm pretty sure it was because it is the very inner back part of my arm and also so close to my bicep. As I mentioned above this is a very sensitive area for me.

(Not sure why in the picture it doesn't look straight but it really is in person.)

I got this piece when my arm was still in outlines from my cherry blossoms and butterflies. I consider this to be part of my sleeve since it goes into it. In Roman Numerals I got September 24, 1986 which is Rudy's birthday. If you didn't know Rudy and I share the same birthday, he was born two years before me another reason why I believe we are soulmates. I like roman numerals and I'm very happy with how this came out even as simple as it is it means a lot to me since it has to do with Rudy. He also got my birthday on his arm, so its one of a few matching tattoos we've gotten together. I know many of you may be thinking didn't I learn from the first time. Honestly it's completely different with Rudy, I know he is the one. I don't know how to explain but I also don't want to get in too much detail about our relationship. From the moment I met him I knew he was the man I was going to marry I had even said that in my head. Back to the topic, I really love the placement I chose for this and it was painless!

On the back of my arm right in the middle, I got a heart with scallops going around it. Inside it says 'Be Kind'. I think this is just a nice reminder to always be kind to people regardless. I like to be the bigger person in most cases so wether it calls for me being kind to someone that isn't doing the same back or completely removing myself from the situation (which I do a lot). When I first got this done I just got the outline because I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to get it shaded in or not and if so what color to shade it. Eventually, in 2015 I got it colored in purple. Since my sleeve is filled with color and this was the only piece not colored it only made sense. This spot stung a lot and was very uncomfortable since I had to lay on my stomach for it.

I've always wanted to get some kind of Alice in Wonderland tattoo. If any of you know me you must know she is my absolute favorite. I was never too sure on what to get of her or where. A friend of mine that also gets work done by Jason one day got a gorgeous Snow White piece and I was so obsessed with it!! I thought why not have Jason do the exact same thing on me but of Alice. She came out just as beautiful as my friends Snow White! I didn't have much space left on my arm besides my bicep and I didn't want her there since she wouldn't be seen too much so I got her right behind my shoulder. While I got Alice done I also got a hand full of bread butterflies throughout my arm. They are so cute and I think go really well with all the cherry blossoms. Every time I am at Disneyland and Alice sees my tattoo she gets so excited it melts my heart.

(I had to flip photo around a couple times.)

I had been wanting to add some more flowers to my arm, it wasn't floral enough. I was looking around for ideas and kept thinking maybe I should add some flowers from Alice in Wonderland. I decided I wanted to add the Red Rose. I had originally scheduled two appointment with Jason for this piece and both times they got cancelled so I finally went to someone else to get her done. This guy did a really great job on the rose and I ended up finally filling in my bicep (This was unplanned!). It was a little painful but I used a gel from the company Hush (not my first time using this.) just in case because I wasn't too sure exactly where I wanted to put her but I did know I wanted her somewhat close to my bicep. Hush Gel is a anesthetic gel that numbs your skin so you won't feel any pain during a tattoo or piercing. It works wonders and highly recommend it!! I always use this stuff on sensitive areas. This guys (Tony) also did another tattoo that same day that I will get into in a future post.

A couple months later I went to Disneyland and showed Alice my rose tattoo and loved it. She mentioned to me that I should get the rosebud, she said that one is her favorite because she thinks Alice is pretty. Right there I knew I wanted to get that next and so I did! I went back home and had Jason add the little rosebud right by my red rose and she is such a cutie. Then on my next trip to Disneyland I showed Alice (I always see the same Alice so this one already knows who I am.) I had pointed out how when she saw the red rose she mentioned I should get the rose but and she remembered and absolutely loved it. It's always the cutest to see her reactions every time she sees me. She'll even grab me to go show the Mad Hatter all tattoos, she always remembers them. Then the Mad Hatter always asks me where is he on my arm... Uh oh haha.

This is probably the longest part of my tattoo collection series. I still have a few small blank pieces to my arm and I don't know if it'll always stay that way or if I will eventually fill it up. Only time will tell and as of right now I don't have any plans... Yet ;)

Xo
Juliana