There are several elements to this tattoo that all work together to reflect my personal style and my love of the show. Although Gilmore Girls is far from being a show that would condone the world of tattoos, it didn’t stop me from being inspired by the mother / daughter combo of Lorelai and Rory. The show has been a favourite of mine since it first aired on T.V. and over the years I have watched it countless times, my perspective evolving each binge session as I navigate through my own life journey, but the story lines I loved then, I still love to this day.
The COFFEE MUG represents their love of coffee in copious quantities which also reflects my own insane consumption of this cherished hot liquid many moons ago. During my university days and post breast feeding saw me drink coffee out of the largest mugs I could find, some days it was even a soup mug and at times, even they weren’t big enough. In hindsight, it would have been easier to have it hooked up intravenously, less dirty dishes and all that.
The STACK of BOOKS represents Rory’s love of books and all things literary world, somewhat like my own passions, except I’ve never wanted to be a journalist. I’ve always been a book worm though!! As a teen I often had the torch under the covers so I could keep reading long into the night. Back before I had to ‘adult’ I would happily curl up in my favourite blue couch to read and snooze my way from sunup to sundown. Then, along came children and the craziness of adjusting to a new way of life. There were some days as a single working mum of two young boys, that I couldn’t even fathom picking up a book, let alone reading it. But now, is my time again, I always have a book in the car, you just never know when you are going to need one. I can’t get enough of them and devour them in rapid succession. FYI – I’ve read all of Lauren Graham’s books and own two of the series cookbooks, plus trying to work my way through the Classics as Rory had.
The UMBRELLA and the attached quote In Omnia Paratus meaning ‘Ready for Anything’ represents Rory’s intrigue into the secret world of The Life and Death Brigade. Her curiosity finds Rory tangled within this club through romance and new friendships and being pushed outside of her comfort zone on many occasions. Being ‘ready for anything’ is notion that I strive for daily, and although I am not perfect, I do pride myself on getting back up each time, stronger and more resilient.
The PUMPKINS reflects how shows such as Gilmore Girls and The Good Witch celebrate small town events, with big town gusto and heart. Especially Halloween. YES, I’m Australian, NO, I’m NOT American, but they come together for these events and connect on a level that I don’t feel I’ve experienced in bigger towns. I’ve mentioned my love of Halloween in my previous post about my Day of the Dead lady.
The AUTUMN LEAVES reflects my favourite season of all time and in Stars Hollow, it’s no exception. The burnt orange colours and falling leaves are divine prior to their snowy winters.
The outline and colour were completed in two separate sessions due to logistics. I had dropped the boys off on the plane to go and visit their father, which meant I had some time to myself, what better way to spend it than with my tattooist. This outline was my last to be completed at the local South Coast Ink studio, as not long after she left and set up her own personal studio LaLoba.
On this occasion we were the only ones in there which left us plenty of time to chat. However, today, it was a little more guarded and not as forthcoming. Which is cool, everyone has their days. But it just didn’t feel like her. The tattoo, perfect none the less, didn’t stop me from contacting her later in the day through a quick message, sending my thoughts and hoping that she was okay. And I hit the nail on the head. I’d accurately picked that something was amiss. Naturally, I won’t be sharing any further details here, but this is purely to high light that when you are Intune with others, speak up, if you think someone is struggling, the simple questions of ‘hey, are you okay?’ can help brighten someone’s day.
It felt like forever before I could get the colour completed. Logistics, again. It allowed me to sit with the outline for some time and a chance to ponder the colours. And the colours that we chose were perfect for me and incorporated my favourites as well as created a mood. This was my first tattoo at her home studio, find her on Facebook at LaLoba.
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