Mike's Tattoos

I can't think of a good intro to this blog post. But I wanted to share my husband's gorgeous tattoos and yeah, intro over?

Mike is not the type to make spur of the moment decisions. I can't remember what got him interested in getting tattoos, but he literally thought it over for years. In pure Mike fashion, he planned, researched, hemmed, hawed and then, years later, pulled the trigger. He knew he wanted to start getting tattoos, but wasn't sure what to actually get. He loves so many things: Disney, our dogs, soccer, the outdoors, travel, food, drinks, cars, etc. So after thinking about it for ages, he decided to get a sleeve of fruits and veggies.

Food has become really important to Mike in the last couple of years. It all started with my mom buying him a nice knife when we still lived in Ridgecrest. He started helping me chop when I would cook. Then, he eventually just scooted my ass completely out of the kitchen and became obsessed with cooking and baking. It's a very handy and delicious thing to have your husband obsessed with, trust me. Because he is a natural born researcher and reader and because he tends to be OCD, when he becomes obsessed with something, he also becomes amazing at it. He spends his days scouring blogs, reading cookbooks, and learning all he can about culinary. My coworkers would fawn over a pie he'd make them and tell me how lucky I am that he's such a great baker. He is, but also they didn't understand that he didn't just make that pie. He read at least 20 different recipes, studied techniques, and combined them all with his knowledge to make that pie. It's a lot of work.

So food seemed appropriate for his tattoo sleeve and he went with fruits and veggies because they are beautiful to look at and because they are something he enjoys cooking. He settled on the water color look and found a great artist named Skyler at Certified Tattoo Studio.

He started with beets:

Then he got asked about a million times, "Why beets?" Mike chose beets because he LOVES them, but also because it's funny that he loves them now. Before we became super into food, Mike would always tease my sister about how much she likes beets. She always ate really healthy, so he would tease her about her food habits and that beets tasted like dirt. Then, once he started getting more into food and eating well, he realized he freakin' loves beets. For a while there,  he literally ate beets with every meal. You can buy these little packs of cooked, marinated beets and he would have one as a side with every dinner. Yes, his poop is often pink.

The beet tattoo is still my favorite. Skyler does a drawing that you approve, but then so much of that tattoo is done freehand. My favorite is the little loops around the stem and on the bottom.

Next, he got a pepper:

Mike chose a pepper because of how much he loves spicy food. He used to not like spice at all, not even jalapenos and then one day, he just had an affinity for it. Now he likes things the spicier the better, even to the detriment of his poor stomach.

The pepper tattoo, I think, is a little too large, but the details are so pretty. The orange is really vibrant in person and I think the stem is the coolest part. He also freehand added the geometric border, which is a cool touch.

Next, he got an avocado:

The reason for the avocado is simple: if it's "Californian" it has an avocado on it.

The details on the avocado are some of our faves: that crosshatching on the peel, the cute little leaf, and the circles around the pit.

Last (for now), he got a lemon:

The lemon is for me! I love lemons and even eat them like oranges (which is horrible for your teeth, don't do that). The lemon is super cute and small and I love the loops coming off the bottom.

This tattoo also has a hidden  mickey for Mike's love of Disney. Can you find it?

Overall, I think his tattoos are unique and gorgeous. Skyler has been great to work with and really understands what Mike wants. Mike is a great customer because he doesn't care that Skyler is going to add things without saying, which would honestly make me insane. Hence, my lack of commitment to tattoos...

Mike has a couple more things planned for the top of his arm and maybe some filler and then he's done! His next appointment is in July and I can't wait for this one.