Elizabeth and I have been joking around for the past couple years saying that if we ever got to 50,000 readers and could actually buy a meal underwritten by StyleBlueprint revenue, we might need to get a tattoo. Well, our readership is crazy high according to our Google stats, and we did pay for our Virago meal with our StyleBlueprint Amex card…so we did it. We picked Nashville’s favorite tattoo parlor: Black 13 Tattoo. We called photographer Ashley Hylbert to memorialize the occasion to share with all of you today.
Elizabeth and me (Liza) at Black 13 Tattoo
We first met Doy Gardner, owner of Black 13 Tattoo, at the Tennessean’s Best of Music City Awards. We actually walked in to the awards banquet with him and joked that maybe we’d get a tattoo. Ever the business man, Doy promptly handed us a card. (We didn’t even know that tattoo parlors had business cards.) Right then and there, we understood that Black 13 Tattoo was a true gallery where the artists took pride in their work. We decided to break free of the bubble – we decided to get inked.
Here is Marty “Riet” McEwen, our tattoo artist. Doy Gardner, the owner of Black 13 Tattoo, is seen in the background.
So, back to the tattoo and what we got. We were going to get our StyleBlueprint logo inked on our upper right shoulders. But, at the 11th hour, while at Claire’s, we happened upon some “Best Friends” bracelets that gave us the idea to tattoo two words that, when put together, had significance.
Here I am about to freak out at Black 13 Tattoo. Unexpectedly, and right in front of the camera, I really started to come apart at the seams.
Am I really about to do this?
Elizabeth was simply one, cool ice cube. Nothing was ruffling her feathers.
Elizabeth happily signing her life away….
Really, it was so interesting in hindsight the way both of us reacted to being in at Black 13 Tattoo ready to do it – ready to get this permanent piece of art on our body. I think of myself as pretty “put together” – usually – but I really started to lose it, and Elizabeth, sweet business partner, was just happy as a lark the entire time:
At this point, I was really thinking this was her happy juice and my poison.
Since Elizabeth was in such good spirits and Marty and Doy thought I might actually pass out, we made her go first. (I have super low blood pressure and the 90/50 had them a little concerned.) Here’s Elizabeth about to go under the needle. OH, forgot to say, we switched from the upper right shoulder. I mean, if you are going to get a tattoo knowing that the big 4-0 beckons in the not too distant future, or in Elizabeth’s case the big 5-0 in the not too distance past, there really is only one tattoo to get: the Tramp Stamp. Yep, we inked our lower backs.
If Barbie can do it, StyleBlueprint can do it
Look – she’s STILL smiling
Yes, that’s a real needle putting real ink into Elizabeth’s skin
Then it was my turn. Since at this point I had already vomited once, it took some coaxing from Marty to convince me that I would be OK.
Marty asking me if I really want to do this, and then convincing me that I will be just fine.
Elizabeth had to hold me down.
Big cry baby, Liza. But, I did it
Did it hurt? Hell yes it hurt. Would I do it again? Maybe. We both highly recommend Black 13 Tattoo. It is clean, cool, professional and above all, they are nice. So, here is the final picture. We hope you approve:
Can you read it? It says APRIL FOOLS!
Have a great day and, in all seriousness, thanks to Doy and Marty and Nashville’s best tattoo parlor: Black 13 Tattoo. And, huge thanks to Ashley for the pictures.
Happy April Fool’s from all of us: Doy, owner of Black 13 Tattoo, Liza, Elizabeth and Marty
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