Boy- I did not realize just how right on the money I was until I started asking around (I do some crafts stuff myself, we are our own little sub-culture group) and found out plenty of folks who love to do crafts are not only into tattoos, but like the one above, love to create tattoo designs that reflect their passions. That really should have been a no-brainer for me; I see tattoo patterns that reflect a passion for a certain band and definitely for comic book characters. Why not a tattoo that shouts out your love of a craft like sewing?

Luckily the kind of folks that love this stuff are not shy and tend to share their tattoo designs across the web, oft en on the very blogs where they talk about the craft they have such a passion about. So I started collecting them wherever and whenever I would see them, just for fun. You would be amazed at the variety of tattoo designs I found, and how complex some of them are.

In the end I decided that there were far more then I could possibly post here. Ya, I know I can get kinda obsessive when I get an idea, so I ended up with almost a hundred. It kinda becomes the thrill of the hunt after a while, to see if I can find another tattoo about sewing or crafts that is not like the others. Here are a few of my faves to share with you guys.

It is an app for the iPad that lets you work with a wide variety of basic concepts and then actually helps you nail that tattoo design with a short amount of work. I can really see this going over big in the hip tattoo parlors in places like Santa Monica, San Francisco or New York, but this is really great for just about anywhere.

To get a better idea of how it works, the folks who created the app have posted a very cool little video on YouTube. To be honest I never gave a thought to using it for a henna tattoo, but the girl on the video is using it for that and it makes total sense to me. An iPad would work so much better instead of those tattoo pattern sheets that always get blown in the wind at the henna houses I have been to on the beach. Check this one out!

If you have an iPad, and love getting tattoos, why on earth would you not want this app? I can even see it for someone taking the train home from work, bored, and just seeing what kinds of cool tattoo designs they can come up with. It is an electronic version of sketching your tattoo design on every available piece of paper you can find when thinking about them between new tattoos. The electronic age has come to the tattoo parlor!

Well, I guess I am not the only one to be thinking about this. A recent poll showed that with 15 percent of the baby boomer generation having a tattoo as well as six percent of those over 66, we can safely say that the somewhat creepy thought of old skin and tattoos may just be here to stay.

The interesting thing about this poll is that the baby boomer generation (48-66) is still going into that parlor to get a new tattoo. What I have been hearing around the web is that by and large when they do go in for some new tattoo designs the boomers are opting for smaller tattoos in discreet locations.

That may be wise, since those big tattoos across the chest are going to be pretty ugly when the time comes to deal with neck crepe and flabby under arms. Don’t laugh chickie (I heard that!) it comes to all of us, except for those who decide to invest in plastic surgery instead of a house. But even then, you can’t be doing any nip and tuck where you have a tattoo.

So if you are heading into that studio for your next tattoo, you might want to give some thought to just what kind of tattoo that will be in 20 or 30 years. Sure, we have laser for taking ones off, but if you get some big gorgeous tattoo spread across your shoulders today, how much time and money do you think it will take to get that sucker removed when you are 70? Can your social security check cover it? Because I am pretty sure MediCare doesn’t!

Our bodies are made up of nerve endings, and so one of the reasons that some places are more uncomfortable than others is because we have more nerve endings there. Another reason that we have certain body parts that are more painful for getting a tattoo is because the skin is so close to the bone. When you get a tattoo in a place like this, the vibration of the tattoo gun against the bone can be really painful. So let’s take a look at the top ten places you may want to really think about whether you want a tattoo on that body part or not. Because if you do – man it is gonna hurt!

Tattoos Close to the Bone

Ankle Tattoos – These can really hurt for actually two reasons. One is that there are plenty of bones pretty close to the surface, so that ink gun on bone problem will come up here. The other problem is that this is a hard place to find a smooth even surface so the shape of the area may make for some harder to reach, and therefore possibly painful, tattooing.

Hip Tattoos – You don’t see a lot of these, but those hip bones are pretty close to the surface so a tattoo here can be pretty painful. Sometimes it pays to move a hip tattoo a little over to an area that has more cushion!

Lower Back Tattoos – Yes, these are really popular right now but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt! If you can keep it floating just above the tail bone, it won’t be quite as bad. Still, a tramp stamp on the lower back can look pretty cool with a summer crop top, so it isn’t surprising that plenty of women love ‘em!

Rib Cage Tattoos – These are the ones that can really hurt because the ribs are right there and they are pretty delicate compared to a hip or ankle bone. Care should be taken with any tattoo that is on the rib cage and be prepared to endure more pain than usual. Of course, if you have plenty of padding in this area, it may not be a problem!

Tattoos That Hit a Nerve

Back of the Neck Tattoos- Maybe gangs get tattoos here to show how tough they are! This is an area that has tons of nerve endings to protect our necks from damage where the spine enters the skull. Not much you can do to cut down on the pain, so make sure you really want it there!

Wrist Tattoos– Yes it looks pretty to have a little butterfly here but the skin is very delicate and sensitive here. Heck that is the reason a kiss here can give a shiver of pleasure, it is supposed to be sensitive! But it also means that getting a tattoo here is gonna hurt!

Foot and Toe Tattoos- You would think that the foot would be one tough place when it comes to pain, but there are lots of very tiny bones in a foot or a toe, so more bones to be near the surface and lots of nerve endings to protect them from damage. So if you really want that tattoo on your foot or toe, be prepared!

Face Tattoos- There is a good reason many place won’t tattoo on your face – it really hurts! It also is so up front that you have to want this more than most tattoos. But the face is made up of a network of really fine nerves and there is really nowhere on the face a tattoo won’t hurt far more than on an arm or leg.

Neck Tattoos- This is more about the side of the neck, but anywhere on the neck is not only painful but can be dangerous. This is because there are some very important main arteries and veins here, and they are close to the surface on the neck. So a tattoo gun could accidentally go somewhere that is very dangerous for you. Make sure your tattoo artist has done this area before if you are getting a neck tattoo.

As you can see, all of these tattoos are areas that people do get tattooed but it can be really painful. I am not saying don’t do it – just be aware of what you are walking into here. But there are some really great tattoos that have been done in all these areas, so for many it is just a case of “No Pain – No Gain”!

Of course, if you have 214 great tattoo designs, it can take a bit of time to cover them over.So it is off to the makeup gal for 14 hours of covering up. The explanations of why she has the tattoos are priceless, and there was just enough wink-wink, nudge-nudge quality to the various tattoos that you just know instantly who she is referring to!

All in all – a fine bit of acting. Along with some of the best gentle teasing to the tattoo crow I have seen in a long while. Our hats are off to a gal with lots of class; and a great sense of humor. You have to see this one to believe it.

Well, glow in the dark tattoos are actually two very different kinds of tattoos, depending on what the main material is that they are made from, besides the ink. They can be a phosphorus-based ink that is basically invisible during the day, making them the perfect type of tattoo for professionals who don’t want their tattoos to show up during the day. But at night, they glow with their own fiery light. The other kind of glow in the dark tattoo is a UV tattoo, called this because of the Ultraviolt light that is needed to see the tattoo. Although these are both true glow in the dark tattoos, there are differences between the two that are important to know if you are considering getting one.

Glow in the Dark Phosphorus Tattoos

An ordinary tattoo is usually a metal-based pigment suspended in either a vegetable or plastic medium. This is what gives them their distinctive look, and the colors in tattoos are achieved the same way. However, for a glow in the dark tattoo that is completely invisible during the day and only shows up at night, a different medium is used. For a tattoo that will simply glow without the help of black lights, phosphorus is added. The addition of the phosphorus ink can be either for the entire tattoo, or it can be added as a special effect in a current regular tattoo.

But the thing that anyone getting a glow in the dark phosphorus tattoo needs to stay aware of is that phosphorus is a known carcinogen and has some safety concerns attached to it. There is no known phosphorus solution that the FDA has yet approved as safe. Because the side effects of phosphorus when it comes in contact with skin are severe blistering, severe pain and rashes, some tattoo parlors will not even consider working with them.

UV Glow in the Dark Tattoos

The other alternative if you want a glow in the dark tattoo is to use UV inks, some of which are even approved for use by the FDA as safe to use. These tattoos will only show up when exposed to UV light or what is commonly called “black light”, making them perfect for clubbing. Because a wide range of items glow under UV light, including club soda, vitamins A and B and even white cloth, it is easier to find a safe material to make these inks. In fact, there are glow in the dark UV tattoos with colors such as blue and red as well as the usual glowing white.

So you see, when you ask just what are glow in the dark tattoos, the answer is a little more complicated then you would think. The basic idea is pretty cool, that you have a tattoo that is completely invisible until night. Most of the glow in the dark tattoos I have seen take advantage of the “spooky” nature of them and have a goth skeleton theme to them. You have to admit – having a glowing skeleton on your arm that only shows up at night or when you are under a black light can be pretty awesome looking!