John Kulikoff- guest artist for June!

This is a special month! Tomorrow June 1st was the first day the doors opened at Valkyrie and tattooed the first person ever! 

John Kulikoff was the first other artist besides me to start tattooing at Valkyrie. Therefor he holds a special place in my heart. 
He will be our featured guest artist for the month of June, scheduling appointments Thurs- Sun. So please the call the shop or come  in on the days he is there to take advantage of this opportunity! He will be settling in his new shop in LA in July. 

 I couldn't be more delighted. Opening the shop 6 years ago and having John be the special guest- really is coming full circle!
All examples of tattoos are below is just some of John's amazing work!
707-794-9390
Thurs- sunday

JESSIE~

My gals...

This month is a very special month at Valkyrie. It is almost bitter sweet. As this is the 6th year anniversary for Valkyrie and coincidentally this is also Jessie's completion of her apprenticeship. And on the same date~ the 15th!...We are so proud of Jessie. When she first came in she wanted to tattoo and we all knew that but she originally was not 'taken on as a apprentice'. She was my assistant that turned apprentice, two weeks after she landed a job at the shop- because I found out that I was pregnant! It was so serendipitous for me suddenly having two new women in my life- the one growing within me and the young girl wanting to tattoo.  She quickly held her own and steadily proved herself, and again really really fast! It was so obvious to us that she deserved to learn this craft of tattooing and we all were ready to teach her and share with her everything we knew...I think we were all amazed and impressed at how quickly she would learn. 

It became obvious that this beautiful chick was gonna make things happen for herself in tattooing...

That is all we could hope for her at the shop and she has made us all so proud of her. I think we are all so stoked that Jessie fulfilled her training so diligently. She works so hard and puts in long hours. Drawing and cleaning and tattooing- everything! It takes so much effort and to consult with clients and draw from scratch what they want. It requires so much energy and will power, strength, determination, stubbornness and insanity! This line of work is NOT for everyone. At all! Most people don't make it. A lot of people say they want to tattoo- well, the truth is- tattooing eats most people alive. It is extremely challenging!

The functional family that tattoos!

Us having our way with Harry's legs at Tattoos and Blues.

By Jessie

By Jessie

By Jessie

 Jessie has came a very long way and has been so successful~ she will be traveling out into the world and tattooing at various tattoo shops, guest spotting in different states around the US. There is no stopping her now and will continue to dominate wherever she is!

By Jessie

By Jessie

Jessies' hands at work

By Jessie

The sacred torch by Jen

My dedication to Jessie ~ the torch that is always lit to light your way thru your path as you continue to tattoo in this world, tattooed on you eternally. YOU are the one to carry on the legacy. Always hold it sacred and honor where you have came from. I am always here whenever you need~ Blessed be my sister in tattooing. ~Valkyrie (Jen, Mama, The fearless Leader)

Mothers Day giveaway II~2014

Last year I started doing a Mothers Day tattoo give-away. Being a new Mom myself, I  quickly realized how being a Mother,  time slips away so fast. The to-do list never ends and most likely anything fun or 'extra',  for yourself is certainly is not a priority. So, I put the word out that I wanted to choose a deserving Mama of a new tattoo~ awaited the emails, read them and searched for the one that really stood out to me.
This year was cool because I got a message from the daughter of the Mom nominating her, which I thought was really special...
Deborah was a Mom of 5 children and 16 grand kids! One of her children, her beloved,  son Carlos was a special guy. He was full of life,  had a fun loving personality, silly sense of humor and loved his family. He was looked up to, immensely by his younger sister and adored by all.
On a fateful day in January he had a unexpected accident which took his life. Unfortunately in his wake he left a sweet daughter that is 5 and a huge family that misses him dearly.

I really felt for this Mama. I can only imagine what it would feel like to lose a child. I don't even want to imagine. Carlos was 30 years old when he died~ much too young. He had so much in front of him...
Deborah wanted to get Carlos' birth flower and a ladybug with it. At the funeral a ladybug landed on her and she felt it was Carlos' spirit. Now she finds ladybugs all around her and her family is also experiencing lady bugs here and there. Her family believes ladybugs represent his presence around them...What better way than to honor Carlos by memorializing him, tattooed forever on Mama, close to her heart. May Carlos rest in peace and may Deborah find the strength to carry on after the loss of her son...

Deborah with her daughters...