MY art!? ...on a tattooooo?!

It all started with a birthday party. Not just ANY birthday party... a milestone birthday of a very sweet friend of mine named Susan. We met years ago when her and her hubby, Dave, came and stayed at our guest house and her fellow wrote this amazing article on MulberryLand Guest House.

You know when you meet people and they just feel like people you have known forever and love just as much? These.are.those.people.

Fast forward from that meeting to this birthday party. The Morrison's always throw the best parties! The food is always amazing, the drinks are generously flowing and the people there are always the most interesting. And they, of course, are the host and hostess with the most-est.

I wanted to do something special for Susan because her and Dave have always been huge supporters and cheerleaders for my art. They have purchased prints and muLlies and well it was time they had an original. They are big time cat people like me... and they absolutely ADORE (rightly so) their sweet little furkid, Reggie. Sooo I set off to the studio.

I did tell Dave I wanted to paint something for Susan and had asked is they had any nicknames and such for their sweet Reggie. Prince Reggie Beans was one of them. I loved it and ran with it. Here is what emerged from the studio....

May 30th, 2015 was Susan's birthday and off we went, painting in hand.

I have to say, I am always super nervous doing paintings specifically for other people.

Hello inner critic! - And don't even get me started on people portraits.

Anyway, my nerves were silly... she loved it! YAAAAAAY!

April 27th, 2016 we met up with Dave & Susan as well as Tonia and some new friends for dinner and to see a show that Tonia's hubby was in. As we were waiting for dinner Susan had a question to ask me. Anyone else get kind of nervous when a friend has a question they want to ask you, or is it just me? ;)

She wanted to know if it would be okay to get the Prince Reggie Beans art I made for her, tattooed on her arm!

Oh.my.gosh. SERIOUSLY?!

My eyes were welling up.

I felt verklempt.

(Yes that *is* a word... it means "choked with emotion". Use it 3 times and it's yours forever.)

I have never had anyone (well...that I know of) tattoo my original artwork on their body before. What a special request!

To me, that is the BIGGEST COMPLIMENT EVER!

I mean, that's pretty darn permanent people!

I was stunned, and giddy and grateful... and of course i said YES. I was touched she even asked.

December 7th, 2016 was tattoo day.

This was also move day for Tonia (see cute BFF in the above photo to the right of me).

We were in Nanaimo that day helping Tonia move her clinic (she is an amazing Naturopathic doc with a gorgeous new office - go here!) and we were hoping to time it just right to see the finishing touches of the tattoo happen with Susan in the chair. Just as we were in the car heading over we got a phone call that she was DONE! EeEeeeep.

We met at the tattoo place anyways since we were minutes away and got to see it freshly inked.

Here is a cute photo Dave took of the in progress tattooing...