The Temporary Tattoo Project

YOU’RE INVITED: Charity Auction, Mad Men Style

So guess what. I’m climbing Kilimanjaro this summer. I’m doing it as a part of Flying Kite’s Adventure Challenge program, a ridiculously cool initiative that takes you to the far corners of the world to trek, run, bike and fly your way to the most epic Facebook profile picture. The goal of the trip is the raise a mere $4K for Flying Kites in exchange for a life changer of an adventure—so of course my response to that was IN IT TO WIN IT.

As most of you know, I’m an ad girl. And unlike other industries where they actually have marketable skills outside of their job, I decided my best bet was to set up lunches and otherwise with the coolest people I knew to be raffled off all for donations to all of our favorite charity. The event is in a week and a half and should be epically fun.

Here’s the spiel, hope you can make it:

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doomo arigato, mr roboto

So our tipping point was 50 and I’m not sure if you’ve been following my obsessive fb posts, but we almost tripled that number. Our final count (give or take a few pendings) is 135!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to redeem by following the link on your purchased GROUPON and picking a tattoo for us to send you. Sad news, my Ronald Regan stamps are all gone, but I just bought the limited edition Civil War set. (Yes, I waited in the long line and made the post man find the most epic set of stamps for me.) I would be the next person to redeem/buy tattoo on our website if I were you…

Seriously, thank you all so much. For your support, your kind words, your energy to keep this going. This has been a wild ride indeed. More to come xx

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TTTP Live! (+8 away!!)

This Sunday 4/29, 10am-6pm Dekalb Market (138 Willoughby x Flatbush)

COME VISIT ME!!!! For your viewing pleasure, I’m going to post a photo montage of yours truly at these things. Alone, wearing 3 different shirts that look exactly the same every time. Point of my story, I’m flying solo at this market and would love to see your face. I’ll even give you every possible form of transportation to get to me: B Q R to Dekalb Avenue, A C G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, 2 3 to Hoyt Street. See YOU there.

Next Saturday 5/5, 9pm Greenpointers Cinco De Mayo Launch Party (Greenpoint Heights 278 Nassau Avenue)

Greenscreen photobooth and tacos (and tattoos of the temporary assortment). I’m going to leave it at that.

Groupon-stravaganza

We are EIGHT away from reaching $1K for Flying Kites! Help a brother out.

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We tipped on GROUPON Gives!!

F*&% yes!!!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank YOU.

We’ve reached our tipping point, which means over 50 of you contributed to our project within the first day of it being out there—we are in awe and so deeply grateful. You guys are rockstars. Sincerest thank yous, really. Your money could not be going towards a better cause.

And for those of you who aren’t my mom and bought enough tattoos to create a temporary tattoo sleeve on Groupon, GOOD NEWS you can still get in on this action. We’ve tipped! That means that now, everyone who donates is guaranteed to get a tattoo in the mail. And who doesn’t want that. (Notice there was a period there, not a question mark.)

xxx to all of you, l+r

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We’re going to be on GROUPON Gives!!! (And we’re hooking it up…)

I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret…

TTTP is the featured charity on Groupon Gives for the New York area this coming week. 12:00am Monday (TONIGHT!!) to 11:59pm Sunday to be exact. We need to get at least 50 people to donate $10 each to reach our tipping point of $500 for Flying Kites. Sooo, what does that mean? We reach $490, our charity gets zilch. We reach anywhere from $500 to ONE MILLION DOLLARS and it all goes to everyone’s favorite charity.

So that wasn’t really the secret. Are you ready for this jelly?

Everyone who donates $10 will receive a complimentary tattoo as a thank you for being such an effing STAR. What does that mean? Numero uno, FREE SHIPPING! And numero dos, we are offering up ANY of our tattoos to be shipped to you (and 2 of our kites if you’re feeling social). I don’t know how savvy you are on our price list, but that means a big DISCOUNT on two of our more expensive tattoos. We won’t name names, but I might just take a look at our website and seek them out: http://www.thetemporarytattooproject.org/shop.html

Where, you might ask, will you be able to get in on this action??? Right. Here. But not until 12:00am tonight. So put it in your little iCals and Blackberries, I will be reminding you about it, oh about every hour on the hour this week.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/grs-the-temporary-tattoo-project-supporting-flying-kites

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Dekalb Market Spring Weekender + Etsy Shop

We will be at Dekalb Market’s Spring Weekender to celebrate the inaugural market in 2012! There will be a market wide Easter egg hunt…there will also be booze. Booze+tattoos+Easter eggs. Done and done.

138 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

10am-6pm

TTTP is now on etsy!

Aaaaaaand. It’s Spring people! *ahem, temporary tattoo season. I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Shania to remember us by:

Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I’m a lady
Men’s shirts-short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin’ it in style
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction
Color my hair-do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel, way i feel
Man! I feel like a woman!

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Calling all volunteers!!!

We need volunteers to come help us sell our kick ass tattoos at a hipster flea in Brooklyn on Saturday April 7th and Sunday April 8th from 10am-6pm. Interested??

Can you say best volunteering gig EVER. Email us at: thetemporarytattooproject@gmail.com

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Meet the Artists: Stephanie Tamez and Virginia Elwood

Way, way overdue. We wanted to do a special Valentine’s Day edition for the cutest couple we’ve ever met, but alas we overshoot on Valentine’s Day expectations once again.

 So I was in California on a business trip this past week with Emily McCombs, managing editor of xoJane, not to mention one of the coolest ladies around. She’s pouring her orange juice, we haven’t officially met, I’m staring down the blank space where I’ve been told the breakfast sandwiches are going to be placed and I find myself fixated on her calf. On it was the very same vintage teal typewriter tattoo that I pulled from Virginia’s portfolio to create her bio page for the website. Can you say kismet? “VIRGINIA ELWOOD!!!!!” I basically scream at her at 9 in the morning. (Yeah, and that is why Lauren does the PR and I do not…) Point being, it jump-started my geriatric memory, reminding me that I had a post to write.

On that note: Stephanie and Virginia invited us into their home in the cutest nook of Brooklyn on a Tuesday in July. They have one of those perfectly curated, impossibly cool apartments of the creative-type that awakens your latent Freudian insecurities, reminding you that your apartment still looks like a dorm room and the only art you have on your wall is that stick figure sketch your friend drew of your imaginary boyfriend while trashed. A-nyway… Rita, Stephanie and Virginia’s pint size dog hams it up for the camera as we film Stephanie for our video. Virginia is next in front of the bookcase. Cooing words of adoration and congratulations bounce back and forth between the two of them—I never want to leave this bubble of happiness. They catch us eyeing the backroom and give us a tour of their studio. Nautical scenes explode out from sketches on the table; paints upon paints upon every art supply you could ever wish for line the room. Two huge amounts of raw talent just percolating under one, exquisitely designed roof. I will not rehash the new Freudian insecurities that begin to percolate.

Stephanie’s humble demeanor and warm energy are not things you would expect from such a coveted artist as herself. The adjective ‘versatile’ could not even do her workjustice, I spent hours just pouring through her portfolio trying to select the best representation of her style—every last piece is so seamless and flawless, I just couldn’t choose. Stephanie was paired with Martha, a quiet, endearing little girl with so much heart. Coincidentally enough, Stephanie’s first tattoo was of a horse that she was so glad to revisit for Martha—as Martha’s super power would be to have a secret magic horse to ride on.

Working for several years as a graphic designer before embarking on her tattoo career, Tamez’s approach to tattooing is highly influenced by meticulous precision and an awareness of every piece in context of the larger picture. Tamez’s breadth of work covers everything from traditional Japanese to black and gray to detailed etching inspired tattoos. She has been living and tattooing in New York since 2001 and currently works out of Williamsburg’s very own, Saved Tattoo.

Virginia’s bold designs reflect the work of an artist that has such a keen sense of playful lightness. I find myself mesmerized by her images, I see her so clearly though every tattoo that she does. And when she created our kite, our 3”x3” knock-it-out-of-the-park tattoo, we along with every person who has ever come into contact with the project were head over heels for it. There is such a strength in her simplicity and vision that we are ever so grateful she lent her talents to us for this project.

Beginning her tattoo career in 2001, Elwood has based her craft largely on American folk art influences with some black and gray realism thrown in. Shifting focus from finer line tattooing to much bolder, traditionally inspired pieces, Elwood constantly endeavors to evolve her technique and her art. Elwood was recently featured on The Gypsy Gentlemen, a traveling documentary series profiling the world’s greatest tattooers. Elwood tattoos at New York Adorned in Manhattan’s East Village.

 Big, big thanks to the two of them. We are eternally grateful.

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