Tattoo Story Tuesday

I did a very short reading for my tattoo artist.
What can I say? I was nervous, it was my first tattoo and he asked me what I do for a living. When I told him I was a government worker, I could feel his malaise.
I am so uncool.
So, I told him that I also work as a psychic. He became slightly more animated, though sceptical. He jovially announced that he had a kook in his chair, then quietly inquired as to whether I saw anything about him.
Let me just say that I don't think I've ever been so glad to have been accurate.
I love my tattoo! This isn't something I did on a whim, and I'm glad. I've been thinking about it and planning it for years. I got "the faerie that was kissed by the pixies" by Brian Froud. A few years ago, when I was still doing a lot of tarot readings, I found the Faerie's Oracle and was instantly in love. I loved the deck and felt such connection to it, even though I already knew that I didn't need to use cards any more. My deck has since disappeared (I'm sure they were stolen; I took very good care of them...) but my love for Froud's artwork lives on. I've been an unknowing fan since I was very little, when I repeatedly watched The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth with my sister. Both movies were built around Froud' creatures. I've got a small collection of his books and even a little figurine. He makes me remember to look at the world like I did when I was a kid - when the forest held a billion secrets and I would do anything to be in it.
My faerie represents love. I've always loved her...I brought her card to my first visit to the tattoo parlour two years ago and they enlarged it, saying we'd need to go bigger to get all the detail in. I was a bit taken aback by the size (and price!) and ultimately put it off until I was pregnant and then couldn't get her. When I went back last week, not only ready, but anxious to finally get it done, dude took one look at the enlarged picture I had kept on my fridge for two years and said it would have to be 30% bigger.
Oh my.
Of course, my deck was gone, but I'd brought in my "Good Faeries, Bad Faeries" book and they made a new picture. I brought it home and cut her out of the copy, taping her to my back and making Jim take pictures.
Though it would be expensive, no doubt painful, and bigger than I'd hoped, I found myself going back the next day. I found that I simply couldn't NOT do it.
And I'm so glad.
It truly didn't hurt until the last 20 minutes, when I was all swollen and bleeding. And my dear friends and tattoo experts came by to keep me company and see the final product. One of them asked my artist how long he was booked up for, and he reported he was booked solid until October. He looked at me, shaking his head, saying he didn't know quite how they fit me in that day.
It was that little reading, and the readings I'll do for his sister and girlfriend. Fate.
Funny how things sort of all tie together, isn't it?
Makes me smile.

Here she is again, healing: