I got my first and, so far, only tattoo seven years ago in the living room of Kristie's apartment. I watched crime shows and gritted my teeth while her roommate's shady boyfriend practiced his new occupation on the back of my left arm. He freehanded a black swallow that's in midflight above my elbow (you can see it here). I was happy with it at the time -- I mean, it was free -- but now I think it could use some updating. I think I'd also like a little cluster of rosa rugosa above my other elbow -- the beach roses that grow with wild abandon on Cape Cod.
Kristie has four tattoos, and is always developing plans for the next one. We decided to try out our new ink ideas this weekend in a way that's much cheaper and pain-free...
I laid out some images we liked in Photoshop and printed them on temporary tattoo paper. Make sure the images are reversed before you print them!
The quality of the temporary tattoos seemed higher (and they lasted longer) if they were smaller. Kristie tried out a compass on her forearm, and an outline of her home state of Virginia above her elbow. I've been on the fence about a color tattoo, but I tried out the rosa rugosa -- and loved it. Now all we need to do is save up and commit for real!
*Use temporary tattoo paper for drink koozies and pumpkins! Affiliate links are used in this post.