This tattoo is very personal to me. The phoenix describes the struggles I have gone through in my life and trying to rise above them. It took 2 years for me to compile everything that I wanted in the tattoo. This is just the outline and I am currently getting color done. It will take quite a few months to finish since it is so large.

-Caitlin

Tattoo artist: Wayne
Tattoo Studio: Body Tech

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I am half middle eastern. I lived in Saudi Arabia for two years, and as I’ve become older I have really learned to love and embrace my culture. This tattoo, which is my name in Arabic, is simply for me to remember my heritage.

-Sarah

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Jessica’s Ivy Tattoo

I was starting a new life. I decided to pack up and move to Korea. It was a new beginning, a time to grow. I wanted something that would remind me of my personal growth.

I researched symbolisms of strength. Found the Ivy. It’s a very strong plant that grows very quickly. It doesn’t need any sunlight, and fights it’s way through anything to get were it needs to go.

- Jessica

Tattoo Artist: Barry Buteau
Tattoo Studio: Planet Ink, Ontario, Canada

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Here’s the story behind my heart tattoo. My mom raised me and my brother essentially alone. It was hard, but she did a great job. I love her to pieces, she’s my best friend.

Two years ago, my mom had open heart surgery. One of the valves in her heart was very leaky, and it caused her a ton of problems. She ended up being in the hospital for 2 straight weeks, recovering. She would’ve been out sooner, but she stopped breathing one day, and had to have a pacemaker put in.

The day she stopped breathing, was the first day I wasn’t going to go see her in the hospital, I called her room on my way to work, and someone picked up, said her name twice, and hung up on me. It had just happened. The entire experience was really hard on me, seeing my mom like that. She pulled through, and while I’ve always wanted one, I knew from then that I would get a tattoo in her honor.

So the heart has a bandage because it’s repaired. And it’s inside a rose because while it may be a slightly damaged heart, it’s encased in something very beautiful. (I asked my mom last year in preparation for this what her favorite flower was, and she told me roses. So last year for her birthday, I sent her roses to throw her off my trail. And it’s purple because if it was red there’d be too much red, and purple is my favorite color. Haha.)

Placement because it’s close to my own heart, it’s somewhere easily hidden/no one will see it unless I want them to.

Design and ink done by Mike Ski.

Tutu for funsies

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Courtney’s Ivy Tattoo

Courtney, my best friend of 20 years and I recently got matching tattoos. Our friendship is definitely significant enough for and worth of a couple of tattoos. Our parents went to college together and we’ve lived 2 houses away from each other our whole lives so there’s no stopping us now.

There are various meanings for ivy leaves but a few significant ones we found that made us choose it were “long and lasting friendship” and “reliable friend.” We each have the other’s first initial incorporated into the design.

Courtney came up with the original design and the final design was put together by the tattoo artist.

- Katie

Tattoos by “Johnny Truant” AKA Kenny of 4 in the Morning Studios – East Northport, NY