...then I try and I made it

While world leaders are doodling around in Copenhagen, trying to come to an agreement about who should do what and how much they should pay to reduce human impact on the globe, some people are out here getting things done. Check out William Kamkwamba on top of his windmill in his Malawian village! Long story short, he had to drop out of school at 14 because his family could no longer afford the fees, so like any good citizen of the world he took charge of his own education at the local library. Without knowing English very well, he spent time poring over books with diagrams in his area of special interest: science. After seeing a diagram for a windmill and reading how it can produce electricity and pump water, he knew he'd hit the jackpot. He began salvaging materials from a junkyard and casually shrugging off naysayers until his structure was complete, working, and people formerly accusing him of insanity were lining up to charge their mobile phones!

William, high five.

As this is obviously an excellent story about an awesome person, William was invited to give a TED talk, worked with author Bryan Mealer to tell his story, and has his own blog. He is now 19, I believe, and studies in South Africa.

William Kamkwamba's Blog
William's TED Profile

photo from William's Flickr page

The way things look...

from an increasingly narrow perspective.

How to Write a Decent Essay:

A not entirely comprehensive yet terribly informative guide
by Caitlin

First, consider your topic. I tend to free write first to dump all of the other garbage out of my brain and onto paper to allow myself a decent chance at distillation. Try to stay on topic, but more importantly, write. Just let the pen loop and twirl and scraggle across the paper until you’re exhausted. Now take a break.



Come back to what you’ve written a little later and give it a once over. What is your subconscious telling you? Generally, you will be able to determine your key points during this reading. If you are lucky and/or advanced, your thesis statement will become apparent too. If not, list your most important ideas concisely and look for the common thread. Start organizing.



To arrange your musings in a clear, logical manner easily digested by other human beings, create an outline. The hardest parts for me are a clever introduction and a solid conclusion, so I save those as a potential flesh suit waiting as an undetermined form in imagination land. As soon as the bones are there, you’ll know what type of trappings to design. Now that you’re not freaking out about an ingenious way to start your paper, organize everything else. Start with your thesis and block off a paragraph or two for each supporting statement necessary to illustrate it. As you mentally cut and paste bits of your brain dump into a coherent structure, you will also find it easy to clarify those bits. More pertinent supporting statements might even form! Don’t worry if you wonder “what am I actually trying to say here?” or “Is my thesis even true?” No big deal! You can modify your thesis statement at any time.



When your outline is more or less complete, you are relatively invincible. Now it’s time to write again! Pound it out on the computer. Necessary changes in sequence will reveal themselves as you support your points. Beware! Two hands working together as you type are a different connection to your brain than one hand with a pen, but don’t be afraid. Surprises might occur. They might be awesome! As soon as you have a satisfactory rough draft, make few notes about intros and conclusions, than print that biznass. You better get that thing proofread, yo! I suggest doing it yourself first, revising, and afterward enlisting the help of another.



Discuss your rough draft with an intelligent human being you trust to have good diction and sentence structure. Also keep in mind that this person should not be overly judgmental or a jerk. Why would you know anyone like that anyway? Whatever. Is your essay logical? Do they understand the point you are trying to make? Can they help you clarify or rearrange anything for a better fit? Did you vary your sentence structure and choose your words wisely? If you misspelled anything or made grammatical errors, now is the time to find out.



After your thorough proofread, you are ready to clean up your essay bones and let your genius shine. Get witty wit it. Use puns, shock factors, or anecdotes. Make your introduction and conclusion the stem and the dot of the exclamation point that should follow your thesis statement. Print that biz-nasty one more time and look it up and down. Repeat buddy proofread if desired. Golden? 

Turn that bad boy/girl in. And make sure your name is on it.

Wang-doodle!

Ho-ho-hoodie dresses coming...(sorry, this one's already sold!)

Ra Ra Riot, my new favorite band*

n

*decision based entirely on publicity photos by Doron Gild

Dear Gus van Sant,

While I was out exploring a couple Sundays ago, I found the perfect set for the next movie you haven't written yet about an parentally unsuperivsed emotionally wrenching teenage event in the dreary, drippy Northwest and its consequences for your characters. This is the place for the pivotal scene. Or maybe you have already been here, and that's why you make the movies you do. Should you like to know more, please email me at thequietcollector@gmail.com.

Yours Sincerely,

Caitlin

In the shop this evening...

I'm off to see the world, field trip #2

I heart Oregon. I love the dismal, dreary days of late fall/early winter. The grey seething ocean, rugged rocky cliffs and damp, dark evergreens somehow do it for me.

I might have mentioned this to one or two other human beings, but I've been taking field trips lately. Going exploring. Today took me westward over the hills and far away to Vernonia, Mist, and Clatskanie. I've been itching to get to Astoria for some reason, but settled for this highway 26-47-30 loop today. It was magical, desolate and...misty. It seemed every twist and turn revealed another dramatic fog bedecked valley or romantically decrepit farmhouse. Also a beast of an old furry cow chewing its cud. I was lucky to encounter only light rain and realized this winding way is best traveled in fair weather. I'm glad I did it in the glorious periwinkle half-light before things get shady and slidy all up in there.

New dress!

Yay! And it has a sassier white denim tulip skirted twin..in the shop soon.

All Hallows Eve

So I was all dressed up in my Godzilla suit enjoying cupcakes and cookies and then this weird zombie smeared with blood grabbed my wrist and dragged me to all of these other fun parties with Luis Vuitton purse totting bondage otter birthday cakes and female Hulk Hogans and snuggies...

Brother Bear Part II: Into the Wild

I know, you were rabidly awaiting the results of that dismembered bear! Well, in accordance with my brother's initial wish "I want to get in this thing. Can we make this my Halloween costume?" We made it happen. It took us a little longer than I'm sure he anticipated, but we were set to go by late afternoon and he drove off fully bear suited and sweaty to his first holiday engagement. My favorite part was definitely the stuffed stomach and butt. Or maybe the giant head. Or maybe just...the whole thing. Hahaha.

And speaking of animal playthings...

I seem to have a certain weakness for pupppets and cute animated creatures. I'm exactly sure why, but they entertain me to no end. Anthropomorphizing is one of my favorite pastimes. My mom apparently shares this joy, which I discovered when we visited a puppet theater to amuse ourselves during a vacation in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I translated when necessary, but we both seemed to enjoy this activity equally regardless of German understanding level. Come to think of it, my brother is also amused by animals doing strange human-like things...so maybe it's hereditary.

Anyway, I had to watch this several times to catch all the lovely details and you should too. It was made by Hine Mizushima and was third runner up in a contest to make a short animated video promoting Etsy and handmade goods. I LOVE HIS LITTLE SQUID FEET! Hahahaha. Really, it makes me giggle. Look at the way he's rolling the fluff!

Shield your eyes, children.

As Halloween rapidly approaches, you can imagine who friends and foes alike are turning to for their zany custom ideas and alterations. Sexy gladiator princess dress needs to be sexier? Jean-Luc Picard uniform a little baggy in the armpits? Sure. I'll fix it.

So, my brother calls me up and says "Hey, I just found a giant stuffed bear at the second hand and I want to wear it for my Halloween costume. Can you help me?" Uhhhh, sure. Here's how far along we are at this current point in time...

BANG!

Hahaha! SO CUTE! I couldn't help but share this with you, this girl has a few very special Halloween dresses in her shop...look, it even has the screw like an actual gun! Love it. I'm not sure if this one's available anymore, but check her shop to see what she comes up with next...

Nicole Lindner

Sometimes I just wonder...

who decides that I get to sit around in my free time watching internet TV in my bed while other humans are standing in line for rice in refugee camps, or flying business class to Singapore, or walking their dog? It's tempting to just say "you decide that, Caitlin" and that's true. But that's not the whole story. It's just...sometimes I wonder about the strange circumstances we are born into and all the other curious things that are simultaneously occurring around the globe. For example, how did I get the "growing up in suburban Portland liking computer games, fantasy novels and playing foursquare card?" And not the "tending sheep in Mongolia riding horses around the Steppe and living in Yurts card?" I don't know, there are many things you can control about your life. The ones you don't, like out of whose womb you burst and where, simultaneously baffle and fascinate me. I mean, no one has any control over being CREATED. Someone else decides that for you. That you will exist. Isn't that...weird?

Nothing much is new except...

...fall is here and it's cold. And exquisitely beautiful. I just can't believe it. Some earlier works coming your way in the shop soon. Watch out for deals :)

She's Your Present

Okay it's official. I love this girl. I have to admit, I'm not a cutesy ribbons and bows and kitties type of person, but every once in a while she comes up with something that either makes me giggle or secretly covet (one was a baby blue dress with a Collie portrait heart applique, another was a frothy little peach dress tucked away somewhere in my favorites). Plus, she sticks to her pastel crop top ruffled eighties guns. So I check back every now and then. And today, here's what I got. Pumpkin playsuit. YES!

www.imyourpresent.etsy.com

Caitlin's Infalliable Formula for Success in a New City

#1. Move there for no good reason beyond "it feels right"*

#2. Find a cozy room to inhabit considering you will be spending the majority of your time there at first. TIP: Your roommates might be the only other human beings you see or talk to on a regular basis for a month or more. Choose wisely.

#3. Catch up on any and all DVD compilations of television series' or movies you've always wanted to watch. To really get the most out of this, pair viewing with bed-appropriate snacks such as Erdnussflips and a jar of Nutella in Berlin or single serving nacho plate with sour cream dip in Portland.**

#4. Wander aimlessly during the daytime wearing killer outfits and acting purposeful. A good time to ride public transportation and/or scout establishments you will possibly frequent when you make a friend.

#5. Apply relentlessly for internships and jobs. Pressure someone into hiring you.***

#6. Wait patiently until dormant social anxiety seasons your personality with that fine ambiguity between "fascinatingly quirky" and "mentally ill."

#7. HIT THE BARS!****Or do modular Hitleresque dance moves at appropriate dance venues with conviction until someone joins you.

#8. Slog away at job/internship/second job/freelance project gaining confidence and skills until indescribably attractive male inevitably shows up stubbornly insisting on cooking for you and stewarding your emotional development in a positive direction. All of a sudden breakfast is being made for you and sweatpants adorn your lower half...

#9: Repeat step #3 with possible snack compromise to accommodate extraordinarily attractive male.

*no more than two weeks notice is necessary
**substitute Tillamook Ice Cream (any non-fruit variety) with toppings for sugar moods
***most commonly spoken language of country fluency (or near fluency) highly recommended
****more successful in some cities than in others

Sure, sure, but it's not like I'm going to give up.

My humble apologies dear readers (or shall I refer to you henceforth as viewers?) Certainly this post will differentiate. My computer has been rather ill as of late, and I finally sucked it up and made an online appointment with the Genius Bar. Following three hours of surgery, my MacBook Pro emerged with a severe case of amnesia. Everything on my hard drive, BYE BYE! But you know what my attitude was about that? Let me sum it up for you by replaying the conversation between myself and a friendly Apple store employee:

"Welp, we might have to try wiping it clean. Is there anything you need on there?"
".................nope."

Anyway, a peripheral result of this ordeal was that I realized I can no longer rely on my good looks and uncanny intuition regarding bedsheet redesign to entertain you. So I started writing.

The beautiful blushing newlyweds...

With glowing alabaster skin in the afternoon sun. Yup, that's the dress! (Photo courtesy of Steep Street) This lady is swathed in double digit yardage of onion dyed silk georgette (Shola and I spent many hours and onions determining just the right shade!) and a green silk taffeta bodice akin to armor. It's funny because towards the end of the design/construction process when my all-nighters began, I almost had separation anxiety related to the dress! During the last few days before the wedding I was scared to leave it downstairs on my sewing table. Although I'm not sure what could have happened to it down there, I found myself lingering...staring...what if....NO! Go to bed! The dress will be fine! I guess after 50+ hours you start to worry that something will go wrong and a flaming comet will come crashing through the ceiling aimed directly at this unsuspecting obessively detailed silk concoction, ending in obliteration.

Hannah on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. We were thrilled beyond belief that she was such an easygoing bride open to many an non-traditional idea (and in fact instigated many of them!) It took a while to find the right colors, considering she loves them ALL. But as we sampled fabric after fabric, the dark olive/pale yellow combo stepped bravely to the forefront. With her punchy dahlias, lime moss and multicolored gems she looked phenomenal, especially with silver suited, purple shirted Alex at her side.

Thanks again to Shola for spending your precious free time bravely wading through the murky waters with me (despite having a "regular 40 hour a week" job), taking it one decision at a time from "it could be anything!" all the way to "olive silk taffeta extra constructed high waisted strapless bodice with green topstiching and pale yellow onion dyed silk georgette flowing two layered skirt with short train and godet." HAHAHA! We did it.

P.S. I'd do it again :)

Check out more glorious coverage of the whole event on these fantastic blogs:

Rock N' Roll Bride
Once Wed
Steep Street

This guy knows what I'm talking about.

Dear Far Away Friends,

Yesterday I had a day when I missed you. All of you. I think it had something to do with preparing my lessons about Germany for this morning's junior high classes. But I thought about nice memories and time spent with each of you and how sometimes sad it is that I live here now and you're in California, North Carolina, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Amsterdam, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Spain and who knows where else.

I guess Hannah's wedding had me thinking about this subject as well. Celebrating a major life event for someone with friends and family from far off places got me contemplating who I would invite to such a thing were it my celebration and where they'd have to travel from. So what I am saying is, invite me to your weddings dummies. Haha. (I can make the dress too...Hannah's turned out pretty dope. Although, I must admit I failed miserably in the photography department. I was just too burnt out by the time the actual event rolled around and wanted to concentrate on simply enjoying myself and celebrating the newlyweds. That's why a wedding photographer is hired, right? Anyway, I promise there will be more photos soon. For now you'll have to deal with the dress I made for myself to wear.)

XOXO

HasBeen Hooey

Looking for something to do tonight? Stop by! See if you can pick out my slender, gory scribbles! Drink beer! Buy T-shirts! Woo!

Sneak preview

Betcha all wonder what I've been doing eh? Eh? Eh? (I continue, assuming your answer is yes...) Teaching German to children? Nope, not yet. Traipsing around in the "good" weather? Not a chance. Pulling one pallid basement all-nighter after the other to give birth to a vampire goddess of the woods wedding dress for a six foot blushing bride? YES. Okay, so the all-nighters are actually just the icing on the cake...Shola and I have been planning this doozy for months. After weeks of fabric store visits (I feel like the ladies at Mill End are now friends, they recognize me, I give them progress updates and we talk silk georgette and taffeta), days of decision making, and hours of draping, onion dying, gathering and topstitching it's finally real! Here's a little teaser in Kelty's gorgeous graphic world...more photos coming after Hannah actually ties the knot in full regalia this weekend :)

Super secret surprise summer sale!

Wheee! September 1st 2009 between the hours of 9am and 9pm PST, prices in my Etsy shop will be reduced by 20%! Yippee! One day only, get em while the gettin's good...

Werkin, werkin...

After three solid weeks of teaching summer camps for kids, I was pretty stoked to have the following Monday off. HAHAHAHA children! Teach yourselves things today! (Although you guys can see some things they learned during Eco-Fashion Camp week on HasBeen Design's Blog and Jewels and Gems) But then it set in that....I have the next two weeks off. I will certainly need this time to follow Hannah's wedding dress along at an exponentially quicker pace (it's taking shape, yay!) There are also some things I need to prepare for, such as teaching German to middle schoolers, but other than that, the time is MINE! Muahahaha. It does feel a bit strange though to go from working full time with a fairly normal schedule (French full time: 35 hours a week) to having...two weeks off. Back to the basement for me! (Which means more dresses for you...) YARR.

P.S. Don't let my expression confuse you. I'm not sad. I'm just trying to concentrate on dressmaking and future plans instead of Edward Cullen and Bill Compton.

I love my bruuuuutherrrr

As a belated birthday gift for our grandma, my mother decided upon adult portraits of my brother and I to cherish for posterity. After perusing Kelty's blog and admiring all of her lovely photos, she was sold and we set up a shoot. Easy enough right? All we had to do was show up. My mom simply requested that we don't make any "goofy faces." We all know it's not that difficult to make me laugh. It's just that my brother has plenty of time to practice. He's been present for twenty three years of my existence and we dedicated much of our childhood time together to silly business (remember playing eskimo/coat monster and tucking Kirby under the afghan to aggravate him?) as well as unintentionally cultivating a rather complicated yet strikingly similar web of "extrapolation humor" trajectories.

Turns out, "goofy faces" are much tougher to avoid than one might imagine. We tried our best to get some classy portraits in, but it's hard when he goes to grab a shirt from the car and comes back with a giant red scratch on his forehead; "Is there a scrape on my head?" "Uh, yes, what happened?" "A tree branch hit me." Or, Kelty tries to take playful shots of us running down a hill, so he leaps into the air to grip a handful of willow branches expecting to swing gracefully to a stop (we did this as children also) and RIPS an entire cluster of tree into the meadow. It started off nicely enough...

And then he starts making faces like this:

Which makes me start doing this:

Which leads to this:

Yay! We're adults. Happy birthday Grandma!

But...I always get like, weird teddy bears when I do the search...

Several people I've been talking to about Etsy lately have commented on the fact that they have a difficult time finding the gems. One even mentioned that she's always looking for blogs that suggest favorite Etsy finds to their readers. Considering I spend copious amounts of time browsing the goodies, checking out the competition, marvelling at the creativity and leaping from favorites to treasuries to blog articles and back, it finally dawned on me that it's time to share the wealth. Boom! I'm not sure how I'm going to organize it, but now included in my blogging content will be Etsy finds from yours truly!

#1: BlueSkyBags
I just ran into this brand new shop today! I remember making a janky plastic satchel crocheted from plastic bags that I grocery shopped with in Germany but...this girl's got it down. Cute little purse shapes with funky buttons and color schemes, it's great. Click on the picture to check it out.

I woke up this morning and I was a new human being.

I had a terrible nightmare about political unrest and my brother. I opened my eyes anticipating violence and experienced only a peaceful, sunny morning with two and a half hours to spare before work. My meat suit felt fresh and flexible, my grey matter was molten and magnificent and OHHH THE DRESSES! I promise you, they're coming to the shop soon. I prrrrrooooomissssse!

Languidly lolling in LA

For most of my trip to California, my little conscience voice nagged me. "I could totally live here, San Francisco is way more poppin than Portland. I miss the vegetation in Northern California. My friends here are ultra rad..." and so on and so forth. I was even feeling completely awesome on my overnight Greyhound bus ride from San Jose to L.A. (12:40 AM to 7:10 AM, woot!). Smiling gently, I partook in one person sleep yoga serenly shifting from side to side, feet on the footrest, feet off the footrest, right foot in the aisle, left knee bent, switch! Left leg straight, right knee bent....all the while the trundling southward together with every possible specimen of American society in the inky blue night. Then I arrived in Los Angeles. I began sweating the moment I exited the bus. After only a few hours of 100+ heat in the smoggy SoCal metropolis, my little conscience voice spoke once more. "GET ME THE CRAP OUT OF THIS TOWN!"

Don't get me wrong, our weekend was rockin. Lorrainne was an amazing hostess and our days were filled with Korean Spa, vintage dress and beach bliss. But actually desiring a return to Portland was a good note to end on.

Confused and Amused in Santa Cruz

Dear Everyone,

WWOOFing is great. The farm is rather formal, but if I aspire to live in a room like that turret one day I must toil on. I have quite a bit to learn about double turning soil, nitrogen, and shepherdessing. Although at first glance they look a bit old-fashioned or stuck up, these guys are my friends. They know a lot about life and really let loose after a couple of elderberry cordials, so don't judge.

Fondly,

Caitlin

Lost in San Francisco...

...dodging piles of trash. This show is now on the road yo! Traveling with me is my recently completed retro onesie. A while ago I acquired a large quantity of Laura Ashley fabric from a wonderful friend (thanks Carin!) and this is my first garment utilizing it. It's also the first time I've made this pattern I created using a vintage romper from my collection as a guide...needs a few tweaks but was otherwise a success!

After celebrating Grandpa's 80th birthday in Ashland, my aunt and uncle were so kind as to tote me southward in their hybrid SUV. They deposited me gently in Berkeley, CA where I glided swiftly over the bay on BART to the glowing pastel concrete maze of San Francisco. Well, it wasn't exactly glowing when I arrived. Night had fallen, so my friend and hostess Ali graciously swooped me up at her station. I had been just been joking that given her neighborhood, the night would probably end in burritos, tequila shots and homeless weirdies. I wasn't too far off. Enchiladas, IPA's and a man bleeding in the street with the police screeching to the scene were the actual events (although reverse that order if its chronological accuracy you're after). Either way, things were kicked off to a jolly good San Francisco start.

Gaga

How awesome is this? I just received a lengthy email from my girl Mariel, who is Peace Corpsing it up in the Dominican Republic. Naturally, this photo went straight to my heart. It's a costume to celebrate Carnival/Easter week the Haitian/Dominican way: dressing up in colorful handmade costumes and cracking whips while asking people for money. Oh, and playing traditional Gaga music with long trumpets (I guess it's called Rara in Haiti but has been imported to the DR where they call it Gaga). This caused me to wonder a bit, because I remember Fasching (also Easter week celebration) in Germany where people dressed up in intricate, raggedy-looking costumes (but with carefuly constructed, hand-painted masks), paraded about and children cracked whips. I also recall paraders tossing little bottles of liquor out to the crowd, at which point drunken adults would shove small children groping for candy aside to retrieve them. Anyway, my question is: what do fabulous monster costumes and whips have to do with celebrating Easter/Spring? At this point, it makes just about as much sense as a magical bunny hiding foil-covered chocolate eggs for children to find in the morning.

P.S. If you want to be a superfly low budget philanthropist, you can assist Mariel in her good deeds. Here is an excerpt from her email and some things she could use:

*Inflatable beach balll
*Hard rubber gym ball
*Kids books and young adult books in Spanish (check out my amazon wishlist… but feel free to buy from your local bookstore…hint, hint)
*Small “prizes” (dollar bin items, toothbrushes, small toothpastes, think stocking
stuffers, coloring books)
*Educational games (that can easily be bilingual)
*Sports equipment of all kinds
*Miscellaneous arts and crafts supplies (tie-dye kits, kids crafts book, paints, oragami paper, tissue paper, popsicle sticks, magazines, food coloring, thread for braclets, beads, etc.)
*Netting for soccer goals
*Legos
*Classroom decorations (in spanish)
*Puzzles
*Math blocks (ones, tens, hundreds)
*Be creative!!! If you send it, I will use it!!!

Or if it's easier to donate funds, a great opportunity is to support Camp Glow, a girls camp held in July, that I am helping plan, edit the manual, and taking 3 girls from my community to attend. For more information and to donate, check out: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-303

And a million and one thanks to those who have already donated. You guys are the best!! Proper Thank Yous will follow the camp.

**If you are sending a package and it is small, please try to put it in a padded envelope. If it is larger than that, it is fine to send it in a box but send it through the post office…NOT FEDEX or UPS. Keep in mind that a package may take up to a month to get here, but so far, they have all arrived (as far as I know). The address is:

Mariel Beasley, PCV
Cuerpo de Paz

451 Bolivar, Gazcue

Apartado Postal 1412

Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

While we're on the subject...

As Shola and I begin making bits of progress on Hannah's wedding dress, (against the the ever present background stream of Kelty's engagement photos on Steep Street) has got me thinking about well, weddings. This one just called out to me from Etsy. It seems far too perfect and precious, but now imagine it with a few tattoos and some bondage heels! Oh man, it makes me drool a little bit. Any rockabilly brides out there with dark hair and Bettie Page bangs that want me to design their wedding for them? More photos to salivate over at TimelessVixenVintage...

My roommate's a nurse!

With wicked fresh ultra number one laser vision! Well, almost. She still has to take a gigantic test, but she graduated from nursing school (with honors, boom!) and this her reward from me.

Katie: "Aww, you guys didn't have to get me anything!"
Caitlin: "Um...I didn't."

Birthday leftovers in my mouth (thanks Hannah!)

Quotable quotes of weekend sensibility and perversion

"I'm only getting the 220 option, am I doing something weirdie with a beardie?"

"I would like three one tacos, please"

"Yeah some of those garlic cloves can be very a lot." "What?" "They vary a lot"

"I accidentally spilled a bottle of vodka in my face hole, so...if I seem to be not quite with it, I'm not."

"Are you ladies gay-friendly?"

"HISSSSSSSSSS"

"And they were like, 'We should have a girls spa day and do botox!'"

THE HUMAN NOGGIN

Deedle deet deet deet.

Cute custom order on the clean kitchen floor...

Are you watching?

You're the one in the skinny pants and I'm the one in the dress.

Here's to the tatted ladies...

Men with tattoos can be rather sexy depending on the situation, but in my opinion, women of the fifties and sixties in their feminine frocks pretty much rule the skin and ink world. Especially when they are also the artists, i.e. Cindy Ray in her Australian studio during the 1960's (directly above). (Images from 1000 Tattoos, edited by Henk Schiffmacher)