Mommy Has a Tattoo! Happy Mother's Day Giveaway!!!

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day here on Tattoosday than by talking about a great book for kids who have tattooed moms?

Check out: Mommy Has A Tattoo by Phil Padwe!

I had the pleasure of meeting Phil last year and have been long overdue in talking about this great book for kids.

It's a simple story that helps kids get understand that people with tattoos are not "scary" and that even moms have ink. For 21st century toddlers, this book is a sweet tale of acceptance and understanding that can help address the differences (and similarities) between people.

You can read more about the book and author on the Mommy has a Tattoo website here.

And although it may be too late to get this as a mother's day gift this year, the book makes a great baby shower present for your tattooed moms-to-be!

Phil was kind enough to donate a couple of copies of Mommy Has a Tattoo for Tattoosday readers, and a couple of copies of his Tattoo Coloring Book #2, as well.

You know the drill! Comment below, or on the Tattoosday Facebook page, or send an email to TattoosdayContests@gmail.com, if you want to be entered to win a copy of one of these cool books. Enter by Thursday, May 16, to win!

You can also visit the Mommy Has a Tattoo Facebook page here.

Thanks to Phil Padwe for creating such great books, and for helping moms and dads everywhere make tattoo acceptance and understanding a little bit easier for kids.

Happy Mother's Day, all!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Thomas Fucaloro

Today's tattooed poet is Thomas Fucaloro.

I met Thomas last summer after spotting him at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor's Island.

This is the tattoo on his leg:

For those of you who don't know, this is an illustration from Harold and the Purple Crayon, a children's book by Crockett Johnson.

This was one of my favorite books as a kid, so really wanted to find out what this tattoo was all about.

Thomas told me "I don't remember who gave me the tattoo, but I know they were affiliated with Jonathan Shaw and tattoos and cappuccino in the city, but this was 15 years ago."

He sent along the following, which was "the poem that inspired the tattoo or vice versa":

Thomas and the Purple Crayon

So there was no moon in the sky
so he drew one and then a house
with some windows, a door, a kitchen, a table
and then a mother and a father.

The first time I told my parents I have a cocaine problem
they looked at me odd
like I just told them I want to run for the presidency
or
be an Olympic javelin thrower
or
become a poet.

Thomas draws disappointment on their faces.

Something is about to change in Thomas and I don’t even know it.

I hope the need for coke becomes the need for my parents.

The drawing of the house still, stands.
This time Thomas adds shutters to the windows
so nobody can see in or out.

Thomas erases forks, knives and other sharp objects for
protection. He draws a hot air balloon in case he needs to escape.

The 4th time I told my parents I have a cocaine problem
they looked at me sorrowingly, morningly set sunset vibrant
just for a second, gone. Ultimatums fly like high-heeled shoes thrown
at my head, rightfully so. Thomas draws band-aids. Don’t worry
he draws a hot air balloon in case he needs to escape.

I’ve started writing poems where my father is the course through my veins
my mother a circulatory system of never ending branches reaching,
pulsating through arteries bloody blossoming through those little veins
in your eyeballs holding a stare of hope. Thomas draws his eyelids shut.

The 7th time I told my parents I have a cocaine problem
they looked expected. Expected like the sun.
Expected like one day I would have to put my crayons away.
Expected like no hot water in my building.

Thomas draws mountains of regret,
throws them off the George Washington Bridge
if only to draw anew.

I’ve started drawing these poems
where Thomas is writing about telling my parents about the first few times
I had a cocaine problem but they keep coming out like this poem.

Some people call me a drug poet.

My parents are taking the place of drugs in all my poems.

I think

this is a good thing.

I

draw

a smile.

~ ~ ~

Thomas Fucaloro is a New York City poet who has a book out by Three Rooms Press called Inheriting Craziness and is founding editor of great weather for MEDIA. He likes rainbows.

Thanks to Thomas for his contribution to Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Lex and The Little Prince

I met Lex in Penn Station a couple months back and started talking to her about her tattoos. She has five and offered up this piece, which was her first:

“It’s from The Little Prince [by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]," Lex explained, "I read it when I was a kid, it’s one of my favorite books. It means a lot to me.”

She had this done on her left arm in Seattle, by a visiting artist whose name she could not recall, at Deep Roots Tattoo.

Thanks to Lex for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Lauren and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Tattoo

Today's tattoo is perfect for a Monday.

Last month in Penn Station, I met Lauren, who had a familiar-looking face on her upper right arm:

I couldn't quite put my finger on why I recognized the art, until she clarified for me that it was based on an illustration from a wonderful children's book by Judith Viorst called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

 

The phrase in the banner, "Some days are like that," is a line from the story.

When I asked Lauren why she got this tattoo, she elaborated:

"I have a very good friend who has If You're Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow on his arm and I was like, 'Ah, children's book! Great idea!' So I went to my mom and said, 'What was my favorite children's book?' and she's like, 'Well, Alexander or The Lupine Lady [from Miss Rumphius].' And I thought 'I don't want pastel colors. I want black and grey and I liked the artwork much better.' So I went with this."

This was Lauren's first tattoo and it was inked by Christian Beckman at Saints and Sinners in Baltimore. He modified Alexander's shirt, adding the skull, but it's still certifiably Alexander.

Thanks to Lauren for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.