Tattoo Too
It’s that time again, when I commemorate pushing a baby out of my hoo-hah by permanently scarring my skin in ways that will shock and appall at least 75% of my family! Wooo!!
Only this time I have NO idea what I’m going to get in Caroline’s honor. With Baby Evan, had a concept I loved and some styles in mind before I turned to the internet for suggestions. This time I’m adrift in a sea of maybe possibly good ideas but more likely terrible ugly ideas.
Idea #1 – Caroline is a December baby, and her middle name is Noelle because she was due December 26th (and born December 19th). So maybe something wintery/Christmasy? But I don’t really want Santa Claus or red and green or a big giant candy cane, so it needs to be SUBTLY Christmasy. Bells? Flowers? Snowflakes?
Idea #2 -Some sort of “Sweet Caroline” reference. We sing that song a lot around here, but what kind of tattoo does it inspire? Musical notes? Song lyrics? A portrait of Neil Diamond? (NO) The Red Sox B? (DOUBLE NO)
Idea #3 and the one that might be stretching it the most – One of the reasons I love the name Caroline is because I went to school/got married in South Carolina (hence the palmetto tattoo I already have). When I was a kid, we used to play “Nothing Could Be Finer Than To Be In Carolina” on my grandma’s player piano and dance around the basement. The lyrics mention morning glories, which would match my two other flower tattoos pretty well and could be beautiful – but there are a LOT of not pretty morning glory tattoos online plus it’s REALLY stretching for the connection.
I DON’T KNOW. I may be more casual about tattoos than someone getting there very first one, but I am still aware that they are PERMANENT and I SHOULD NOT get something inked on my body that I don’t truly love.
I also don’t know where I’m going to put whatever I come up with. I’m long past the have-to-be-able-to-hide-them stage of tattoos, but Little Evan’s is pretty small and I don’t was anyone to think I love Caroline more because her tribute is my whole arm. Not that I’m REALLY going to do my whole arm, Mom, so you can stop hyperventilating now.
So, to sum up, HALP.
p.s. I’ve been pinning stuff on my tattoo inspiration board, but I don’t want to be the person who gets an exact copy of someone else’s tattoo so they’re only good as vague ideas. Especially because they’re mostly bird tattoos and I cannot find any way to make a cool bird tattoo fit for Caroline. BUMMER.
Tags: advice, Caroline, family, little evan, tattoos
I think maybe you should lean abstract on this one. I mean sure for the last one you had the E and the 3 and they made a butterfly, but nothing about baby evan screamed butterfly. What about incorporating the initial: a blackbird perched on a C, a C made of flowers or wrapped in morning glories. Or the birth flower. ::off to google:: Narcissus. Meh.
What else… birthday in roman numerals, art deco holly, a winter branch might be really pretty and could wrap around your wrist. Or a bare tree with a C or holly at the base. Oh! Or a vine/bunch/whatever of mistletoe.
OK. I’m done. For now.
I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo for my husband that’s NOT his name. I think I finally settled on a few bars of a Frank Zappa song. So I guess what I’m suggesting is the notes of the melody to Sweet Caroline.
I also second the idea of doing something with her initial. I bet your tattoo artist could come up with something gorgeous.
Have you ever seen a Sweet Caroline Hibiscus? Do a google image search – they’re beautiful bush flowers (that look a little morning glory-ish, now that I think about it) with swirly, ruffled petals in bring pink. Like this : http://www.blossomswap.com/wiki/hibiscus
Or there’s the Clematis Caroline — white and purple-ish with strong, star-like petals. Like this: http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1×6043381/clematis_caroline_flower
I had a roommate named Caroline who was a horticulture major — she grew them in a pot and they were beautiful.
I kind of love the clemantis! I also planted a sweet potato vine this year called Sweet Caroline – it’s a dark dark purple and would be great in black and white, sort of twining around my arm.
Deep breaths…deep breaths…
How do you feel about Noelle in Chinese letters? Or maybe just her initials in Chinese? I like a lot of the ideas other commenters have left already too. It will be fun to hear what you decide on.
I am just about as NOT CHINESE as a person can possibly be, so I try to steer clear of those tattoos, as beautiful as they are. Also, I have a slightly irrational fear of a tattoo artist with a bad sense of humor changing it so the characters say “Sleeps with goats” or something, since I would NEVER KNOW.
I think I might be inclined toward “Sweet Caroline” written in a very pretty cursive (your own, if you like yours). Maybe with a small flower. Or a holly leaf? Without the berries it would be a much more subtle Christmas reference.
I’ve been really loving beautiful text tattoos, so “Sweet Caroline” in something flowy and romantic might be a winner.
I went and checked out your tat for Little E. I like how you went slightly abstract, but it was still clear enough to know it was E 3 (which, BTW, is super awesome). I think you should try and do something along those lines. Something simple, abstract … honestly, I don’t know. I’ve been trying for almost 2 years to come up with an idea for my tat for Aric, but NOTHING is perfect enough to represent him. I’m so not the person to ask.
Which then begs the question as to why I even commented. Hmmm…
Ok, lets try and make this comment be worth something: what about nationalities? Have you looked to see what her name is in whatever language is your nationality? Or perhaps seen what the name Caroline is derived from to see if there’s something you can draw out of that?
I like the bracelet-looking word tattoo on your inspiration board! I definitely want to get another tattoo someday (all I have is the pre-req tramp stamp from college) but I change my mind everyday about where I would want it. I can’t even start to think about what yet.
Nothin’ could be finer than to be in Carolina IN THE MOR-NING!
A rising sun, maybe?
Ditto the abstract comments – what about a black line drawing of a morning glory flower – almost like a profile or sketched outline? You could put it on your other wrist and make reference to the way you did a mirror-image-E thing by leaving space for more kids or a symbol for yourself
caroline IS a harder name & have no clue how to help you with that one…maybe get her intials too & do it in some kind of design that reflects her birthdate? unless i missed that you didn’t want to do the same thing you did with Little Evan, that’s my suggestion! :)
Poinsettia? A candle maybe? That’s vaguely Christmasy. And I say do the B but I am also crazy like that Technically I still owe a getting Boston B tattoo to my friends from a drunk bar pledge in the fall of 2004. Someday…..
I saw your tattoo board and wondering if you were looking at getting another one. This is a crazy idea. what a B&W vine of abstract (same style as the butterfly) morning glories that goes around your wrist but not completely… like a C. I think that would be beautiful and not OMGosh LOOK I HAD A BABY! The butterfly is on your wrist? It could start and end on either side of the butterfly.
You are so lucky to have genius friends like this. This is an effing brilliant idea.
I concur. A wrist cuff WOULD be like a big C. Fantastic.
What a sweet thing to do for your babies. I was just talking to Naaman about this the other night. I would like to get their birth dates put somewhere that only I can see. Just because of the full-time job and stuff. And also because I put a tattoo on my belly that can be seen when wearing a bikini. And it was a stupid stupid idea when I was 18. And the placement is all wrong and it’s now completely faded and from far away I’m sure it looks like a big mole :/
But my childrens’ birthdates? They will always stay the same. They will always be my children. So it seems like the right choice for me. My husband doesn’t want me to get another tattoo. But I am leaning toward it anyway (take that, husband!).
Do numbers interest you at all?
On the numbers idea… I also love Angelina Joile’s latitude, longitude tats for all her children’s (and brad’s) birth places.
I like the abstract idea. I always thought your E3 was brilliant. I want a tat for my son, but have no idea what to do. It was further complicated by a friend that said her mother has a tat on her thigh of a tree with her and her brothers names and b-date. She is now 30 and is okay with the tat now, but was embarrassed by and hated her mother’s tattoo through her teens and early 20s. This scared me a little – what if Knox was embarrassed by my tattoo? My own mother has a tat on her boob of a huge heart and all four of us kids’ names around it – I’m not embarrassed by nor does it bother me, but I do think it is kind of trashy. I’m afraid of choosing something trashy.
I like the idea of the morning glories, maybe on a small vine shaped like a C?
I have the same bracelet tattoo pinned. I am looking to doing that one with my boy’s name. I like it because it looks like when I wear hear ties around my wrist.
I like the “Sweet Caroline” idea! Maybe you could do a cool, graphic diamond like this: http://crazytattoos.org/diamond-tattoo-ideas.html
to connect it to Neil Diamond without getting a full portrait of Neil Diamond?
I stopped by to recommend a pin I saw… : http://pinterest.com/pin/95481718/
Seriously blew my mind. Husband says it won’t “last” but I’m a super pale Irish girl who’s NOT ALLOWED in the sun. So really, how could it fade?
Anyhow, I really like some of the other ideas in your comments, so good luck!
[…] I am still obsessing over what tattoo I should get for Caroline. My Pinterest board is filling up with birds and lace but I still haven’t figured out how to […]