here's what ive been up too...

  Hi friends! Its been a while! Hope all is well. I've been a busy beaver, drawing, tattooing and playing with friends. Life has been good and is overshadowing the tough stuff in life which is always good. Thank you for all your kind and thoughful comments, its so wondering and uplefting to read them! I am feeling more and more confident each time i tattoo and getting less and less intimidated and im always learning new things (what works for me and what doesnt) I am buying supplies and building my little tattoo station for when i start excepting clients, its all soo exciting!

Here are a three tattoos that i have done on tom. The skull still isnt finished, the books and the arc around it need to be filled in. It was a long day tattooing and tom was done so we called it quits. As an apprenctice, while im tattooing, i still need to do my duties and talk to people when they come in, answer the phone, blah blah blah, so tattoing can take longer then it should sometimes but thats cool. Im just grateful i have the best person to tattoo! He is so supportive and wants me to succeed just as much as i do so its nice that he is so flexible and understanding when i need to stop and take care of clients when they come in.

These two i did last friday. I did just the outline and added kelly-anne's name. Tom loves his sister so much,mit was so sweet. Plus it was my first time doing script and i thought i did a great job! I think i will put the tooth on my thigh and will probably tattoo that myself soon! Ouch! Hehe the teapot came out so great. Tom wasnt sure if he wanted it colored it but i convinced him and will do that at the same time as the tooth, yay

For those of you who dont follow me on instagram, tom is always posting action shots of me tattooing, here are few :) its so much fun, i love tattooing!

Oh and in other news, it was kelly-anne's birthdat a bit ago and i made her tooth pillows, one for each ofmthe family! Arent they cute!!! Love them!!

Xo,

Cb

Memorial: a tattoo!

  Howdy folks! Its been a while. I got sick last week and powered thru it with three days in bed! It felt good to rest and take care of myself but being sick always makes me bit sad and helpless. So many people are sick and said the same thing. I am so glad it is over! I was sad i didnt get to tattoo last week but Tom is letting me tattoo him twice, one on Thursday the next on Friday. Im totally so stoked!

Im excited to share a custom tattoo design for my friend. Its a memorial tattoo for her dad who passed away 25 years ago. He was a pilot so she wanted something that represented that and was feminine. I added his birthflowers, larkspurs and his initials. She is getting it on her back and i believe soon it will be offcially inked on her! I cant wait to see it and I feel so honored to be a part of something so special.

Xo,

cb

Fresh ink

 

Happy sunday! Oh boy, another hard week, but mostly personal which I wish not to talk about here. Mostly, being an adult is hard so getting a tattoo on friday came at a perfect time! My buddy at the shop did it and I designed it a while ago and have been itching to get it done. I am sooo in love with it. I can't wait to tattoo my floral designs on mu first customer! I tattooed tom last thursday and it went really well, just added some more scallops on his ankle and as soon as those heal i will fill them in. I think this week will be a shaded skull! Im pretty stoked as this will be my first try on shading!!! Yippeee!! I love everything about tattooing as scary as it may be! Sorry, I haven't been around to see what everyone is up to, its been pretty hectic over here but I am gonna make some time this week to make my rounds! Hope everyo e is doing well!

xoxoxoxox,

cb

Update!

  well, howdy my fellow internet friends! Its been a while and took a break longer then I thought but I needed it. Last week was kinda tough for me and I just didnt have the energy to post. I've been drawing again non stop and tattooed tom again Friday. Had a great day off and hung out with my bunnies, Kelly Anne and Miss Xanadue Julie. We had a great slumber party, I wish Kelly Anne lived closer so we could hang out all the time. i love my ladies :) 

Here are some drawings I have been up too. A cute little 70's owl and then later I added a moth that I tattooed on Tom. 

Our ritual Friday tattoo session went super great. I am feeling sooo much better, feeling super confident and I can see that I am getting better. I have a ways to go until I can take clients but this has been the best one yet. I loved tattooing it and I am beyond thrilled at how it came out! But is aint easy. Anyone who says learning to tattoo is easy, is lying. Its tough stuff. Really, it is. You have to be able to have thick skin, be able to pick yourself up and get back on your feet and keep going. I am so happy with this adventure im going on. Its tough but like they say "what is doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. 

Not sure if I will update later this week. I am wrapping up a drawing for a friend and then starting another one for another friend too. Ill share as soon as I can! Have a great week!!

Xo,

cb

drawing, painting, tattooing

 so far 2013 has been pretty sweet. one thing i have been doing a lot lately is drawing. when i have free time, i am drawing now. i love it. what i wantto try doing is for every drawing i do that is my style do a drawing that is a bit more of the style of my tattoo shop. they do mostly black and grey work and realistic which isnt really my thing but i want to learn as much as i can from them while im there. 

i have been having a great time with my own style. i did my first flash board of moth flowers. i was inspired by a flash board i found while pursuing tumblr of a bunch of weird moths/butterflies so i started sketching uo my own. i had so much fun with it and really love them. i am working on some more at the moment and will share soon.

i also tattooed tom on friday. its a work in progress, we are adding two more rows of scalps and then shading it in. it was a hard day but i came out of it on top and i learned soooooooo much from that session which is really really good. it was a tough spot to do because its a weird angle to tatttoo at. i thought getting the stencil was gonna be the worst part but it ended up being the easiest part! i was so proud of myself for getting it on the 2nd try. the first was almost good but the back didnt line up but with an awesome trick of using a rubberband to make sure it was straight, i got it just right :) i will be doing another tattoo on friday or thursday which im totally excited about. it is getting less nerve racking each time i pick up the machine, i couldnt be more proud of myself. it looks super easy but man, tattooing is tough stuff and i am so grateful to be able to be doing it!

xo,cb

nye night

awww the new year! hope everyone had an awesome time ringing inthe new year. nye was great, we drank pink champage,  ate  yummy food, had an adult sleep over and made funny faces, good times. it was, as far as i could remember, my first time out on the town on nye. it wasnt as crazy as i thought it was going to be, it was perfect. we had so much fun.

the next morning we got up and shared the most important meal of the day, breakfast. we started the year off right, then tom and i ended the night right by snuggling in bed. good times.

xo,cb

happy new year!!!!!!

  happy new year's eve! i hope you all have a great time ringing in the new year whatever your plans may be! i am spending it with loved ones, kelly-anne and xanadu julie, i am sooo excited!! i am having a hard time doing my 2012 recap post as not having a proper computer makes it kinda hard but i am still trying! 

i have been thinking a lot about resolutions, well mainly because its hard not to this time of year, everybody is sharing them. i am not sure how i feel about them. all i know is i want to keep being happy and keep going on the track i'm on. 2012 was a great but wierd year for me. it had its ups and downs but when i look back at it, it was the tipping point that finally lead me to where i have been the most happy in years. yea, money is tight and i work two jobs but i am on my way to becoming a tattoo artist and ford me there is nothing better then being able to fullfill this lifelong dream. i am going to try my hardest, keep my chin up and like they say, fake it till you make it! hehe. 2013 looks bright with some money tucked away for a long bike camping adventure, days of surfing, the day i can quit my other job and just be able to do what i love. i hope your 2013 is just as bright and if not brighter. remeber, life is what you make it so take every advantage to make it spectular! see you in 2013!!!!!!!

Xo,c

its never too late

hiya folks and a late merry christmas to everyone! hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed their time with loved ones. we had an excellent time and even got to spend a bit more time with family and took the day off wednesday. it was nice not having to rush back going to work.

i cant believe that the year is almost over! it seems with each passing year time flies more quickly. this year has been pretty crazy but so many awesome things have happened. i would really like to do a review post and i am gonna get started on that asap. its so nice to look back at all the awesome things we have done. a few things i am excited for 2013 is tattooing more, having a wonderful friend from new zealand come to visit and to enjoy our awesome new camping pads we got for christmas! camping is going to be so luxurious now! can it be summer already? pretty please??? i leave you now with our silly christmas morning family pictures, enjoy!
xo, cb

the goings ons

Well, we survived, yay!!!! So glad we did, there was still so much i wanted to do! So im blogging from my ipod ands its kinda funky but here are the things i have been up to!

Got tattooed, again! always in a constant state of healing :( but i am so close to being done!

Went and did ifly, the best experience i have had in a long time! I want to go again!!! Any takers?

I have been drawing like mad! Here are some doodles from my sketch book. I will be painting these as soon as i can.

So since blogging is getting more difficult i am finding instagram and twitter to be sooo more my speed at the moment. You can find me at @citybirdsnest.

Have a great weekend!!
Xo,cb

crafty crafty

happy monday folks! it's been hectic here with christmas stuff and i've been crafting when i can and playing with my fimo clay. i've been really into pins lately and even made a clip of eyes and some foxes. i have a few others to share but once christmas is over because they are presents. are you making handmade gifts this year?

xo, cb

outfits and details of instagram

happy wednesday! this week has been flyin' by, yay! and tomorrow i should be getting tattooed on my thigh which means maybe 2 more sessions and then i can reveal my largest and first colored piece. im so excited :)

here are a few details of what i have been wearing the past week!

a new striped sweater with the cutest little polar bear. topped it off with a little lace faux collar and a thrifted green velvet jacket :)

i wore this on a date night with my sister-in-law to go see the last twilight movie, it was bitter sweet. the skirt i love, got it thrifting a bit a go and the shirt i got at a local surf shop. i call it my creepy surfer dude shirt :)

i stopped at the thrift store the other day and found a super cute disty polka dress and a pair of boots i haven wanting! i love when magical things await you at the thrift store :) plus my sad little wallet loves it even more :)

i always love a good band tee and one of my all time favorite bands is led zeppelin <3 p="p">

i love stripes but really really need to stop buying them. i haven't been able to pull off the stripe top, stripe skirt look either.

have a great rest of the week!

xo,

cb

bits and bobs

man, the weekends over so quickly, how did that happen? boooo....not much has been happening over here. im still doing what im doing. however, friday was slow at the tattoo shop so i added some more tattoos to my right hand. i love symmetry and was going to do my left hand but tom convinced me not to and to do other designs on my left hand...smart man. one of the many reasons i keep him around ;)

i have been keeping up on my flash. i did a few lady heads but man, hair is hard. im getting it but i need to practice a few more times before i move onto my own designs. either way, im having a great time.

speaking of my own flash, i did my own version of a traditional kitty.  i love it! both tom and i want to get it tattooed soon :) i have started signing my artwork too, which i haven really done in a while, it felt good to do that especially on something that is my own work :)

hope your having a great start to your week 

xo,

Cb

she believed she could....

hey wonderful people!
i was pleasantly surprised this weekend to receive an email from one of my clients...remember this tattoo design?

my original drawing

the finished piece done by sam at mermaids tattoo 

well, she finally got it and i love how it turned out! i love when clients send me pictures!! sam, my tattoo artist, actually did it and she did a wonderful job! i know she had wanted color and i typically charge extra for that so i just did the line drawing. for clients, i like just doing the line work because it allows the tattoo artist to make it their own. it is also fun to see what they add to my designs. i can't wait though to do my very first design on my first paying client, oh what an amazing day that will be!

reading this quote really hits home for me and it sheds a new light for me...it makes me so happy...if i could tell anyone a bit of advice, its to follow your dreams and believe in yourself 100%.

have a great day!
xo,
cb

leaps and bounds

  howdy folks! first and for most, how was everyones weekend? i am not gonna beat around the bush, mine, fantastic....here is why.....

i got my tattoo machine last week, i've named him bob and we have become very intimate very fast. he is amazing, even more so then i thought. when i got to the shop wedensday i felt like a kid at christmas, i tore that box up like it was nothing and reveled in bob's beauty. so far he is steady, reliable and all around bad ass. i am in love! 

the reason for our quick intimacy is...well, i tattooed human skin for the first time! not gonna lie, was nervous, real nervous but thankfully tom was my victim for my first tattoo. my buddy and mentor, erik was there to help guide me and cheer me on. it was awsome having him there. the first line i made was scarey, it felt so much different then the melon or pig skin, obviously, its real human skin, but in a way it was soo much easier and felt better then practicing. 

tom and i had been discussing what he wanted to get and an eye was his idea. the lower leg is a great place to start because the skin is tightier making it easier for learning. tom and i have a design for his legs in the works so the eyeball is just the begining, im soooobeyond stoked. they are not perfect but for my first time, i couldnt be happier with the result. what i learned that day far exceeded the final product.

at first i was just going to do one eye but it felt so good after the first one that i wanted to do another and tom was totally down. i cant even really describe how i felt other than, i know more then ever, this is it for me. pushing myself and getting this far has really shown me that i want this more then ever. i knew that deep down i was gonna do a good job, as unhumble as that sounds, but i didnt know that the feeling after the first one was gonna be, I WANT MORE, MORE! it felt almost natural albeit the first line was scarey as hell but after a few lines it wasnt human skin anymore, just another canvas for my artwork. writing this is even making me tear up because for the first time in my life, i feel i am finally achieving what i have always wanted for myself, to be an artist. i still have such a long way to go and more confidence to build but i know i am heading down the right path. life right now is pretty sweet and i can't thank tom enough for helping take such a tremendous leap into a pretty awesome furture!

xo,cb

outfits of instagram

  i can i say that i love instagram (@citybirdsnest) at first i was'nt sure about it but since life has been so crazy it has been so much fun to be able to keep up with my friends and also a fun way to show off my crafts, outfits and my tattoo world. i have been missing outfit posts a lot and instagram makes it so easy! here are a few outfits of my instagram!

it got really cold right after thanksgiving, it finally feels like winter. i have been loving adding pins to my outfits, such a fun new accessory that i don't normally do, i meani wear pins on my jackets and coats but never on my actual outfits, doesthat make  sense?

im obssessed with yellow and mint. i got a pair of mint tights and it really has opened up a whole new world for me. i love dressing so bright during winter, helps with S.A.D., hehehe

i loved this outfit so much! i hadn't worn this dress in so long, i have a hard time pairing it with cardigans because of the neckline but a white quater sleeve shirt did the trick and made it perfect for winter. 

another yellow and mint combo but paired with brown. i love my custom mountain dress made from a pillow case, it makes me so happy :)

i wore this to the tattoo shop, if you haven't noticed already i love yellow! hahah, wear it alot i guess. can i tell you how much i love these socks? they are the shit, after the end of the day these tights were toast so i bought 2 more because i love them much! 

if your on instagram, lets be friends @citybirdsnest!

xo,cb