I’m A Mom With Tattoos – Nikki From Nikki and Nicholas

Welcome back to another installment in our new series – I’m A Mom With Tattoos.  In case you have missed the last couple, don’t forget to check them out here.

Another long weekend guys!  Plus school holiday for the kiddies.  Some of you may be crying at the thought of more time at home with kids but I am quite excited.  What’s even better is that we have very limited plans, so lots of chilling at home enjoying each others company and maybe even getting around to cutting our unruly grass.

Today we get to meet another one of my favourite South African bloggers whom I actually got to meet at an event a little while back – I didn’t know it was possible but she is even lovelier in real life!

Your name and blog deets: Nikki Smal and I blog over at Nikki and Nicholas

Your age: 27

Your Occupation: Graphic Designer / Marketer

A Mom’s favourite thing to do is talk about their children – tell us about your family: We have a gorgeous 8 month old son, Jordan. Gosh he is the love of our lives and we can’t imagine life without him. I have always wanted children and have always wanted to have them relatively young. We are so blessed to have such a healthy, happy boy. We also have a gorgeous bulldog Banjoe who is just as part of the family.

If you work, tell us a bit more about your working environment – are you regularly in contact with new “clients/public”: I am a freelance graphic designer and blogger so I work mostly from home. I am in contact with suppliers regularly but I am a creative person providing a creative service. I think people tend to understand tattoos on a ‘creative’ person a little bit more. 

Tell us a bit about your tattoo’s, what they are, why you have them, where they are located:

I have a diamond behind my ear for fun, a big red rose on my left foot because they were my moms favorite flowers, a half sleeve with swallows, clouds, stars and a part of scripture from the bible and I have two big hot air balloons on my side between my back and tummy. They are all so special to me but the one in particular (half sleeve) is in memory of my mom who died of cancer when I was 9 years old. The scripture on the piece says ‘Arise and shine, your light has come’. Every single bit of that piece has an intricate meaning to me, down to every little star. My tattoos are incredibly sentimental and each piece reminds me of a certain part of my life that I would like to remember.

How old were you when you got your first tattoo: I was 22 when I got my first tattoo, it was my half sleeve. Go big or go home, right?

Which tattoo is your favourite and why? My favorite tattoo is my half sleeve because of its sentimental meaning. It is also in a very traditional style which I absolutely love.

Do you plan on getting more? I do plan on getting more, I want a traditional nautical piece for my son, Jordan.

How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Friends love them and family deals with them. I wouldn’t say my family are OVER the moon about them but they have now realized that having tattoos doesn’t change the person I am so they accept them completely.

What is the general reaction that “the Public” have towards your tattoos?  Have you run into any negativity or adversity because of them? My husband and I have a lot of tattoos – my hubby is covered. We often get stares and glances in the shopping malls. I was changing Jordan in a restaurant toilet once and I heard a lady say to her friend as they entered the bathroom “gosh, did you see those tattoos, a bit over the top hey?” They were obviously talking about my hubby, Nic. They were VERY embarrassed to come around the corner and see me there. As they should be. I had a good chuckle to myself.

Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed? Make sure you have it custom designed. DO NOT choose something out of a flip file or off a wall at the tattoo shop. Make sure that whatever you get has meaning and purpose. Consider your career and make sure you go to a reputable tattoo parlor.

 

Remember to get in touch if you want to feature 🙂  (cindyalfino (at) gmail.com)