Letters Of Love: Ink

Another amazing video my guy, Samuel created for us. 

For quite a long time, Sam and I had been throwing around the idea of one day getting matching tattoos that said, "i love him" and "i love her." Neither one of us had ever gotten a tattoo before, so it was kind of a big decision. We thought about it for a couple of years and finally decided we really wanted to do it. The style had to be unique, simple and romantic. Being a girl who has a secret passion for certain styles of tattoo art, I knew what I liked and what I didn't like. I was super attracted to script tattoos that weren't your standard font, but handwritten and a tad messy. I constantly was writing our idea out on paper, on our arms and our wrists with sharpie or ink pens, trying to narrow down placement and size. I was thinking maybe my own handwriting might work? But, I'm pretty critical of anything I sketch or create and knew I wouldn't want to look down at my arm and see my  own penmanship permanently inked there. Once it's there, it's there baby. I'd find something about my handwriting that I'd want to change. When I settled into this realization, the hunt began. 

I've admired the work of  wedding calligrapher Mara, from Neither Snow for a couple of years. She's been featured on all the big wedding blogs. She is seriously just so AMAZING and inspiring.  So, when I found out that she occasionally designs tattoos for clients, I got really excited. Her style was exactly what I had in my mind. It is light and breezy and very unique. I can be on any blog and know when I see Mara's work. Her style makes me feel like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice who just finished a quickly written love letter or something.  I presented the idea to Sam and he agreed that her style was perfect for us. I contacted Mara and set up a tattoo appointment around the time of our anniversary! Which was the fall of last year. 

We couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out! My left arm now has "i love him" imprinted on it and Sam's has "i love her." We were originally going to have them much smaller but realized the calligraphy wouldn't be as dramatic on a tiny scale. So, Sam decided at the tattoo parlor that we should go big or go home. ha.

My heart is so happy when I look down at my arm. I get little flutters of romantic artsy-ness. We did this because we're crazy and in love. It's one of my favorite things that we've ever done together and will always be a sweet memory of our friendship and the heart romance I share with this guy named Samuel. ;) 

To see a ton more of Mara's calligraphy go to her website, CLICK HERE! 

You know, a couple of weeks after we got these, we found out we were pregnant with baby Windland, who we lost in November. There were moments when I would be grasping for goodness in the middle of confusion. The simple nothing of a tattoo with the words, "i love him" permanently scribbled on my arm would in a small way remind me of love. The love that Sam and I have, even in hard times. I'm always amazed at how things effect my heart in moments when I don't expect them to. Who would have thought a tattoo of all things could do something like that?