Tag Archives: inspiration

Hello Sailor! Cutes For Your Cupboards! [UK Tattooed Bride Blog]

Good evening! It is my pleasure to introduce to you Becky Ryan Art & Illustration. Becky’s work has a gorgeous retro twist, oozing with vintage glamour. Recently I saw images of her latest venture – Becky’s illustrations on cups and saucers. I want to purchase a set for myself! These are especially my favourite as they are full of nauticalness!

“Hi! I’m Becky Ryan, a freelance artist/illustrator from Liverpool, England, now based in a small town in Derbyshire.

 I’ve been working freelance for the past few months since relocating and having to give up my job at Tate Liverpool. I worked (for a very short time!) as a waitress, but didn’t enjoy it at all, so decided to try and really go for it with my art, and now it’s my only source of income, the dream being to eventually earn enough to make a living from.
I specialise in portraits but also dabble in logo design and I am available for commission!

“I’m inspired by bits of everything really, but at the minute vintage style and the burlesque scene are heavy influences. My personal interests are comedy – romcoms, music, animals,  old photographs, and handwritten letters. I feel that I’m quite a sentimental person, and that comes across in my drawings, which have been described as delicate and feminine.

Recently I’ve done a lot of work for burlesque performers and took part in my first ever gallery exhibition this year in London as part of a group show called ‘A Brush With Burlesque’ in which I exhibited 8 portraits of performers such as Anna Fur Laxis and Missy Malone.

“Also this year, I started my own range of hand-painted crockery featuring my own designs. The range is called ‘Hello Sailor!’ as it is inspired by vintage style sailor tattoos along with cheeky vintage imagery such as winking sailor girls, and stockings and heels. The range includes cup and saucer sets, plates, bowls, mugs, salt and pepper sets and more.

“Aside from the crockery, I’ve also now got tote bags and t-shirts available with my ‘Hello Sailor!’ logo artwork on them, and I’m currently trying to find stockists.  The range has gone down well with followers of my Facebook and so I’m trying my hardest to get somewhere with it as I feel it has potential…

“I’m not married myself, but I love seeing photos from weddings online, particularly  if they have quirky/unique/creative elements.
I’d love to have the opportunity of being involved with a wedding on an artistic level, be it creating custom illustrations for invitations, wedding portraits for the bride and groom, or even sorting some personalised hand-painted crockery for them as a keepsake.

If you like the look of my work, do please check out my website and get in touch if you feel I could be involved with your special day.”

Below is another illustration from Becky that she recently did – I love it. And also some recent pictures of a wedding that she helped out at which she’s interested in pursuing should there be any brides on a budget in the Derbyshire or Merseyside that area interested in getting images with a bit of a vintage twist.

Do leave Becky some love – I adore her work. You can view Becky’s other stuff on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Divine Without The Dollar. Wednesday 11th July [UK Tattooed Bride Blog]

Hello there! Welcome to another edition to Divine Without The Dollar on Marry Me Ink. Bringing elegant fashion designs and products from ModCloth all at a reasonable price for your wedding day! 
You’ve seen the  selections for the Vintage Vixen and for those who want to go Nicely Natural. This week I’ve been hunting for a brighter colour for the tattooed bride – RED!
Yes! This week it’s all about looking Cute in Crimson! Feast your eyes on the selection below!

Below is a list of items and prices of the featured items which you can search for on the ModCloth website. If there are any specific styles and/or colours you’d like to see – leave a little comment on this post and I’ll get hunting!

1. Tier To My Heart Dress: $244.99
2. So Cute It’s A Crimson Flat: $37.99
3. Follow Suit Heel in Crimson: $61.99
4. Ruby Mine Heel: $54.99
5. Gold Habits Clutch: $59.99
6. Fashion Luncheon Bag: $54.99
7. Bow It Alone Hairclip: $15.99
8. Just A Country Gala Headband: $13.99
9. Etiquette Class Earrings: $9.99
10. Hall Of Gems Earrings: $27.99
11. A Love  Wire Necklace: $12.99
12. J’aime Gems Necklace: $11.99
13. Crownin’ Around Ring: $16.99 

Red Gets Wed III – Guest Post [Tattooed Bride Blog]

Here it is! Another wonderful edition to Red Gets Wed! (Here for Part I and Part II)

Red has been a gorgeous edition to Marry Me Ink this first year, it’s been great having her whilst the blog grows and gains glorious readers. Seriously, I cannot wait for her wedding this year. I’m counting down the weeks and days with her! 

“If tattoos are the body’s way of flowering, then I’m officially in bloom! You may remember back in February I filled you in on my most recent quest for inkiness, in the form of a glorious wedding-inspired design dedicated to my betrothed…

Wellllll *cue awesome drum roll, Travis Barker stylee*….BEHOLD, my marvellous magnum opus….

Pretty magnificent, isn’t it? Kev at Lucky Cat Tattoo Parlour did a stellar job during my second stint in the chair to finish off this bad boy. And, despite my pain-induced ramblings (I whittered a serious amount of sh*te that day…) I even got a free half hour thrown in by the kind Captain just to get the job done to perfection.

His mission? To try and incorporate as best as possible an existing tattoo from my teenage years – the ten (slightly pointless, but I was going through a phase) pink and black stars in the middle – and to add some ‘pretty colour’. Yep, that’s all he got from me, and he STILL managed to produce a tattoo that went so far beyond my expectations, I’m still a little in shock.

Because great tattoos just don’t happen to me. I had six mediocre etchings before I found my tattopia in Lucky Cat, and it got me thinking – if I knew then, what I know now, would I have had them done differently? I don’t ‘regret’ any one of my tattoos as they are all the most personal souvenirs from certain times in my slightly kooky life, but as I mature (ahem) it’s easier to reflect on better ways to approach adding to my ever-growing collection. 

Soooo, I’ve come up with my top 10 tat tips (can you tell I have a thing for alliteration?) which will be my personal reminder for future, and hopefully help you over that fence if you’re still on it….

  1. Research! Whittle away hours online, blissfully devouring everything the world wide web has to offer. My favourite free sites include The Tattoo Page, my latest obsession, Pinterest, Marry Me Ink (of course!) and Rock n Roll Bride, which regularly features gorgeously inked brides that never fail to inspire me.
  2. Try not to get too carried away with a fleeting trend. Just because you totally and utterly adore that new emo band now, and they have such a cool logo, doesn’t mean you’ll still love em’ in a decade. Think very, very carefully about your choice of design, and whether you truly want that image/those words to always be a part of your life. Forever’s a long time after all!
  3. In addition to talent, pick a tattoo parlour that values the three C’s – cleanliness, creativity and customer care. Basic stuff, but super important in practice.
  4. Book a consultation. It may cost, but ask yourself what you value more – £10 today or a lifetime of regret everytime you look in the mirror? (deep, but true)
  5. It’s often tricky, as the client, to articulate the masterpiece you’ve concocted in your head. If you, like me, possess the drawing skills of Edward Scissorhands, then you need to bring your ideas to life with visual aids – print-outs from t’internet, pictures from magazines, a collage, instagram photos, calligraphy/fonts you like. It’s worth taking the time to build up your collection before your consultation, and it’ll serve a double purpose to reinforce exactly what you’re looking for. My own tatspiration Pinterest Board always helps focus my mind onto what it is I really want in a tattoo.
  6. For the same reason as above make sure you feel 100% comfortable with, and trust, the tattoo artist you choose. You don’t want to put your precious skin in the hands of someone you’re unsure of, and you really don’t want to be spending hours on end with a complete bell-end!
  7. If you’re going for a larger piece and don’t have wads of cash to splash make the process work for you by booking appointments around pay day. This was a god-send when I got mine.
  8. Make sure you aren’t jetting off anywhere exotic for at least a month after getting your tat finished. To preserve your little piece of art in all its glory it’s always safer to keep it out of direct sunshine for fade-avoidance.
  9. I’m no expert in after-care as a self-confessed lazy lump (sometimes I only brush my teeth once a day because I just can’t be bothered) but my very decorated friend Caz swears by a three day ritual of washing with warm water, gently drying, applying bepanthan cream and covering in cling film, repeating three times a day (her tattoos sure do look gorgeous even after years of having them!).
  10. Add to your wardrobe with a few key pieces that flash your tat in all its glory, and enjoy! :)”
WOWW! Thanks Red for your handy tips!
Isn’t she the best?
Go on.. Leave her some love!

Accessories Ahoy! Wednesday 3rd July: Must Destroy Jewellery [UK Tattooed Bride & Wedding Blog]

It my absolute pleasure to introduce to you MustDestroyJewellery to Marry Me Ink today as part of the regular Accessories Ahoy! feature.  

I’m Clare, I live in Essex with my husband and I have run MustDestroyJewellery for the past 5 years. I do this largely in my spare time, alongside my day job at a local nursery. I started MustDestroyJewellery after growing frustrated at not being able to find the kind of jewellery and accessories that I liked – and when I did find them, they cost a small fortune. 

I began making bits for myself and would often get asked where I got them from, I then decided to set up a Facebook page and then a website. We currently have over 3800 fans on Facebook and are going strong. I mainly sell online but I do venture out to fairs and events. I regularly hold a stall at my local roller derby teams bouts and I will be at the Kustom Kulture Blast Off in Peterborough at the start of September for the second year running.

Not many of my own tattoos have much in the way of symbolic meaning, I love the idea of Dia De Los Muertos so that inspired the have sleeve on my left arm, I have a bit of a fascination with skulls in general. I had my magpies done just after my nan passed away. I always remember her telling me that rhyme on Saturday’s when we’d go and visit her. Even though not all of my tattoos have a deep meaning, I can remember where I was – in my life not location – when having them done, so they serve as more of a personal reminder rather than a tale to tell.  

All forms of art inspires me, I love the work of Vince Ray and Sailor Jerry. My customers are a great inspiration – some of the custom work I’m asked to do is amazing. 

My work is largely aimed at tattooed folk or at least people who appreciate the art work and style. I have plenty of customers who don’t have tattoos but love the designs. Hosting my stall at the events I go to is probably one of the few times I don’t feel judged because I’m heavily tattooed and a woman. Sadly, even though tattooing is pretty mainstream these days, I do still feel there can be a stigma in being a tattooed lady. I often get the “But will you look like when you’re older” question and I had “What will you look like when you get married?” not so long ago – I’ve been married 6 years this August so that’s really not an issue! My only regret is that I wasn’t as heavily tattooed back then.

It’s hard to recommend a style as each person has their own individual taste. I would however strongly advise them to do what they want. It’s their day that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Choose something you feel comfortable wearing (you’re going to be in it for a while!) and that compliments all the things you love. 

I personally love the vintage style but can never seem to pull it off, nice simple dresses look amazing and can be dressed up with accessories.

I do love Clare’s trinkets. My personal favourites are the swallows and the “All The Fun At The Fair” range shown above. 
Do leave some love for Clare and MustDestroyJewellery in the comment box and also by checking out all the other lovely item on their website and on their Facebook