Think Before You Ink

Adam Oakes was probably your typical teenager. Meaning he got into trouble a lot. Our mother told him every time he got into trouble that one day she was going to tattoo "Think Before you Act" on his body. He assumed she was joking until his sixteenth birthday rolled around. He asked if her if he could get a tattoo and she said "of course." But the only thing he could get was exactly what she had said all these years. Thus Adam has those words in Japanese tattooed on his back.

Wings and Roses

Lindsay Lingle has quite a few tattoos she is very proud of. The quote on her chest is something short but to the point. It is a quote that reads "All God's Angels Come to us Disguised." She got this one because she just has a different view on what "Angels" really are. She believes that someone doesn't need wings and a halo to save you.

The roses on her arm are meant to symbolize balance. There are three of them that kind of make up a triangle. The tattoo continues down her arm and actually makes up the shape of an angel's wing to try and tie the tattoos together. Lindsay definitely believes that we should focus on the people in this life instead of just waiting for the next. 

My Neighbor Lauren

Studio Ghibli is one of the most prominent animation studios in all of Japan. They are famous for movies such as Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and many many more. Their movies rank as some of the highest grossing anime films of all time in Japan. They have brought a lot of joy to a lot of peoples, especially Lauren Merle. Lauren would say she has healthy obsession with these films because of the artwork. This studio has created some of the most unique and visually stimulating characters off all time. This appeals to someone like her because she recognizes the importance of creativity. Imagination is one of her greatest traits and something she would not trade for the world.

Not only is she an admirer, but Lauren is also a very talented artist herself. Her main technique is oil pastel. Some of her favorite things to draw are family portraits of her, her husband, and their numerous pets. Whenever she lacks inspiration she looks to two artists. One is Bob Ross, oil painter and host of the show, The Joy of Painting. Bob Ross was most well known for painting trees and landscapes. The other is Hayao Miyazaki, the co founder of Studio Ghibli. Who of course was most well known for creating these amazing characters. Her tattoo is a mixture of these two artist's styles. It's a very ambitious landscape with some trees very reminiscent of Bob Ross, riddled with plenty of Studio Ghibli's characters. While working on her own art she now always has the opportunity to look right down at her own arm for inspiration.

A Jedi and a Wizard

Bennett Corley and his wife, Nicole, have been married for almost 4 years. They thought it was about time that they got matching tattoos. Instead of just getting each other's names they decided to get something that required a little more creative thinking. The two of them worked very hard to think of something that represented both of their interests. Bennett is a huge Star Wars fan and Nicole is a huge Harry Potter fan. Thus they came up with this lightsaber/wand duel.

Fuck Luck

To Gracy Wrangler, the name of the game was getting a tattoo she could really relate too. She got this because rabbit's, specifically their feet, are a symbol of luck in a lot of cultures. Her own words were "Fuck luck! Make your own luck!" Some people who have hard times in life do nothing but blame the universe and say that they are just too unlucky. Other people realize that you decide the outcome of your life no matter what, or "make your own luck." That is the kind of person Gracy is.

The Legend of Mansour

Mansour Kazemi lived in Iran for the first 8 years of his life. His parents moved him and his brother to the United States after that to give them a better life. Mansour picked up English in a fair amount of time, but he found that the language barrier he faced was nothing compared to the cultural barrier. Seeing how the other kids his age acted and hung out with each other was kind of intimidating. They all had common interests, all related to something seen on TV or bought from Toys R Us. He didn't share any of these interests or ever really understood what new fad they were even talking about. At least not until he played his first video game. That video game was the famous "Legend of Zelda." Mansour quickly became addicted, as most kids do to a video game at some point or another. He attributes that video game as one of the most influential parts of his childhood, which may seem like an exaggeration, but helping him cross a cultural barrier to fit in better with his peers is not something to ever take lightly. That is why he got the Zelda logo tattooed on his arm.

The logo part of the tattoo came first. The sword was a design drawn up by his girlfriend at the time and given to a tattoo artist that specialized in pop-culture tattoos. Mansour feinted both times. Something about his body chemistry causes Mansour to pass out when he's getting tattooed. So because of that he has never gotten another one. He feels that if he only gets one tattoo in his life then he chose the right one.

Miranda's Peace + Miranda's Love = Miranda's Happiness

Miranda got this tattoo to represent her extended family. Miranda and her sister were the first children in her mom's group of friends. They were showered with so much love and attention that her mom's friends were no different than actual aunts and uncles to them. It made it all the more painful when their "uncle" Dave passed away from brain cancer. After they lost him, Miranda's family started a yearly auction to raise money for different cancer foundations. One thing they did was design bumper stickers that had symbols for peace + love = happiness. Once Miranda turned 18 she knew she wanted something to represent and honor her "extended" family and those symbols felt like the perfect thing.

 

You Can Call Me Evan!

Evan Laudel loved his grandfather very much. His favorite memory of him was riding in the car with him when the song You Can Call Me Al, by Paul Simon, would come on. His grandpa would just completely break out dancing to it. Evan thought this would be the best tribute to him.

See the Shop! See the Work!

I drove all over St. Louis and St. Charles getting pictures of the best tattoo shops in the area. The pictures of the shops were taken by yours truly and the pictures of the tattoos were taken from the shop's Facebook pages. Click on the picture to be taken to those pages!

Eastern Missouri Tattoo Hotspots

I visited and took pictures of almost twenty tattoo shops in St. Louis and St. Charles county over the past few days to try and get as many pics as I could for this blog! I hope you enjoy!

Cousin Paul's Tattoo Co.

Laura Bonfanti has been tattooing for 20 years. She opened up Cousin Paul’s about six months ago. She and her co-workers, Greg and Jeremy, used to work at TRX Tattoos until Laura decided it was time to strike out on her own. Her dream was almost dashed just as soon as it began, however, as her grand opening was delayed over two months because of the neighborhood’s zoning committee. She had done everything right to their standards and was ready to go but was illegally blocked by people not ready for her special kind of awesome. The neighborhood thought a tattoo parlor did not meet their level of propriety. Even in this day in age some people still look down on tattoos, and I will never know why. The trio eventually got the shop open and now give their customers some of the most kick ass tattoos you’d ever see!

            The name Cousin Paul’s is something very close to Laura’s heart. She got the Paul part after her grandfather. Even though he was a military man (he actually fought in World War II) he did not have any tattoos. Was not a fan of them at all actually, but he was a fan of his granddaughter. He loved and supported Laura all the way in her career as a tattoo artist. Which transitions well into the other half of the name—Cousins. To her that term is just synonymous with the word family, and family is the most important thing. Family is why we get out of bed in the morning and go to work. So why not name your business after the reason you’re doing it? That’s what Laura believes. We could all learn a thing or two from her.

            Cousin Paul’s is located on 4530 Hampton Ave. St. Louis, MO 63109. You can get a hold of them at (314) 875-9075. Ask for Laura, Greg, or Jeremy.

Motorcycles in Heaven

Jeffrey Alan Chandler was my cousin and an all around amazing guy. He got his first tattoo when he was just a teenager and he did not stop until his body was completely covered. His two favorite things in the world were tattoos and motorcycles. One day Jeff was in a horrible motorcycle accident. Unfortunately the accident took away his leg. It did not, however, take his spirit. His prosthetic leg was actually a Harley Davidson design. He made jokes about being a foot shorter. That was just Jeff. Nothing seemed to break him.

Jeff had lots of kids that he loved very much. His two oldest were twins; Zach and Lexi. Zach and Lexi had a younger half sister, not related to Jeff in any way. On weekends when Jeff would pick up the twins he would see little Tori just left behind. Jeff started bringing Tori with them on weekends and he never looked back. Tori became his daughter and there was nothing more to it.

Jeff passed away a little over a year ago. He spent a week in a coma and passed once he was taken off life support. He was a very important man in my life and I miss him very much. Jeff was the kind of guy that didn't only love someone because they were related but because they deserved to be loved. That is just the person he was. I am of course not the only one who misses him. Tori misses her father more than you could possibly imagine and she got one of his tattoos to honor him.

The Big Apple and the Big Ben

Ben Dollschnieder got this tattoo for a few reasons. He was spending a week in Baltimore with his brother, Nathan, and Nathan's roommate, an aspiring tattoo artist. The trio met up with some more family members in NYC and spent an entire week getting to know the city that never sleeps.

Music has been such a large part of Ben's life since he was a kid. He's played numerous instruments and been a part of even more bands. This quote by Bob Marley reminds him of the sanctuary that music brings him.

He also never wanted to forget the trip with his family so Nathan's roommate gave him a nice little reminder. Getting the tattoo may have made him pass out in the bathroom where he chipped his tooth on the sink. But he still think's it was worth it.

Sherri's Wings

Sherri Rocklage went almost forty years without getting a tattoo. It wasn't until her divorce that she finally decided to do something she'd always wanted to. Get a tattoo. She was kind of afraid to get something too big and in a place people could see because of her job at the time. Thus she decided to get something tiny. She now believes that tattoos have lost their rebellious nature and are becoming commonplace enough so she has plans to add on to it to honor her late cousin, Jeff.

Austin-house 5

For Austin Oakes, Slaughterhouse 5 was one of the first books he read just for fun. The one phrase featured in his tattoo, "So it goes," is said multiple times in the book. The quote reflects the general them of the book, that life is transient and fast, and what happens in the past will stay in the past. Tragedies we experience are just another chapter in our lives. It's something that resonated with him a lot when he first read it, and even more so when he went back to the book years later.

The King of Chicago

Justin Hefner was born and raised in the city of Chicago. He grew up watching the Bears, the Bulls, and, most importantly, the Cubs. Baseball was something he loved growing up because of the way it bonded him and his Dad. Even after his family moved to St. Louis he still remained the biggest Cubs fan you'd ever meet. Back in 2011, when the Cardinals made it to the World Series, Justin was so convinced that they didn't stand a chance against the Texas Rangers. He was so cocky about it him and I made a bet at the start of the series. The terms were that if the Cardinals lost I would get a Cubs tattoo; however, if they won, then Justin would have to get a Cardinals tattoo. And of course everyone knows his this story ended....