I’m a bit late on posting this but I’m finally able to catch up on some overdue writing. Meet my second tattoo! (Because who gets one and isn’t already thinking about the second?) This was done by the awesome Kelsey Young from Fu Dog Tattoos. She was the artist I originally wanted for my birthday tattoo but she was booked up for a year so I took the first appointment she had (July) and then got my first tattoo by the also great Riley from Pirate Palace.

The themes for this tattoo came from seeing the Viking exhibit at the Royal BC Museum a few years ago – this was an amazing exhibit, one of my favorites ever! One of the displays had a group of keys. Some believe that viking women carried keys on chains around their necks as symbols of their role as keepers of the household and an indication of their high status. I loved the keys! So, the tattoo started as a viking key. Then, when doing some viking research for a writing project, I came across the symbol of a viking compass, or Vegvisir. These were intended to help those who held the compass through rough weather. I asked Kelsey if she could put the compass inside the head of the key.

Next, still doing research for a writing project, I found “One for Sorrow” – a nursery rhyme from the 1700s that I couldn’t get out of my head. Or, the first two lines I couldn’t get out of my head.

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird,
You must not miss.

What started as a smaller tattoo was now getting bigger after I asked Kelsey if she could put in two black birds holding up the compass. She, of course, had no problem.

Then I asked her to add some tiny details – runes for joy, strength and prosperity in the ribbon holding up the key.

Kelsey is an old soul in a funky and upbeat person. She’s very cool and I like her a lot. She also recommended Riley for my first tattoo when she couldn’t do it. She also mainly does black and white tattoos which I prefer.

The end result is one I am totally in love with, even though I can actually only see a small bit of it myself. I think this perfectly compliments my first tattoo as well.