I just got my last tattoo at the woman owned Damask Tattoo in Queen Anne http://damasktattoo.com/. The artist was Suzanna Fisher and she did an awesome job. The space is very comfortable and definitely woman friendly.

I had my grandmother's rings (+80 years old) resized at Ben Bridge. Both rings had a 20s-style design on the band portion, which had worn off from wear. I was having them made larger, so my concern was that they be able to reproduce the design on the new section and the lower part that had worn away. They did an excellent job - you would be hard pressed to identify the original versus new portions without a loup.

Service was great, and I would definitely trust them with other jewelry, if I had any other fancy jewelry for them to fix. There's a reason they've been around forever.

Leafblowers suck - noise and -often- air pollution, plus the idiocy of pushing leaves around from place to when WIND does such a good job of that itself--

no, just Stupidity should be outlawed. leafblowers should be used for cool shit like on mythbusters when they made hovercrafts out of them

I don't think it matters, because hemp bracelets are such a specific style item anyway.

That is to say, there are people in Seattle who would see ONE hemp bracelet and think, "Oh, that girl's a hipster-stoner." For this group (probably a large majority), there's really no difference between one or nine. I will say that they're not exactly the hallmark of "adult" style, so if it comes to a serious job interview, you might want to leave them all at home.

But other than that, who cares? To my mind, the gap isn't the difference between one and many, but between none and any.

I'd say it depends on the shirt. I've learned most of my sewing skills by taking things apart and examining them but some things are trickier than they appear. It may be a great project to take on if you are looking for an in depth sewing lesson!

As a bigger person, most aprons still tend to fit...the only concern is long enough strings to wrap all the way around and tie in the back. I'd suggest shopping in person, rather than online. Try the apron on yourself and see if you can wrap the strings all the way around to the front and still tie them. If you can, then your larger friend should probably be able to tie them in the back. While the apron fabric may not cover my entire front, it covers most of it, and as long as I can tie it, I consider it to "fit" me.

But as stated below, some of the shops do specifically carry larger aprons, as well. Good luck, and sounds like a nice gift.

If you're still concerned about it (and we all carry our weight/size differently), you could always purchase from a physical store and ask for a gift receipt. That way, your friend has the option to return/exchange the apron, if it's not a size with which they feel comfortable.

I have:
2 pairs of New Balance 587 running shoes. One pair for home, one old crappy pair for work
2 pairs of black merrell world legends- one at home, one at work.
1 pair of brown merrell world legends
1 pair of black merrell old kickabout loafers
2 pair Ranger fireman wellies- one for home and one for work
1 pair of Ranger boot foot fireman hip waders
2 pair of felt bottom wading boots
1 pair Keen goretex mountain trainer sneaker boot type things
1 pair Keen Norfolk sandles
1 pair Van like sneakers in fuzzy leopard pring
1 pair Fabiano Scarpa hiking boots
1 pair Fabiano Trionic hiking boots
2 pair of Red Wing Logger boots- the big black shit kicking kind
3 pairs of flip flops
1 pair Nike cleats
1 pair Converse chuck taylor maroon low tops
1 pair Converse chuck taylor black high tops
1 pair Florsheim black dress shoes

Tim Gunn is known for being caring and supportive. Maybe you need some encouragement or tlc, and in your dream it happened to be portrayed by Tim.

I really like the Earth shoes I have, but I've also really not liked a few of them that I tried on - it seems that the ones with Birkenstock-like footbeds didn't work for my feet at all. Walking with the negative heel feels really weird at first, but I find them really comfortable for walking. I think it depends on your feet and gait; if you have narrow feet they might not work for you at all. I do not find them comfortable for standing in one place a lot so if you stand a lot at work I wouldn't recommend them.

I ordered some online from one of the free return shipping places and walked around in them in my apartment quite a bit before deciding whether to keep them or not. I think I wound up returning half of the pairs I ordered, but I intentionally ordered more than I knew I would wind up keeping so I could make sure they would work for me.

My favorites are the Jolie sandals - they seem the least "earth shoe like" of the ones I wound up keeping, and they're great for walking in warm weather. They're also really versatile and match dressy or casual outfits.

I also have the Exer-Trek sandal-sneakers and Glide sneakers, but they're not the sleekest athletic shoes - I wear a 6 1/2, and I feel like with the width of these I look like I have paddles for feet. They also seem a lot wider than the Jolie sandals in the same size, so I have to wear socks with the Exer-treks or I'll get blisters, Again, really comfortable for walking; not running shoes at all.

And I've got a couple pairs of discontinued Mary Janes I got on sale that look similar to the Solar - I find I don't love these as much as the others because they feel so stiff on my feet, but I probably need to break them in more. I knew someone who sold shoes at Nordstrom's and she said to always get hard soled shoes - they're better for your feet, apparently. I'm just more used to sneakers.

I'm not sure where a good place to shop for Earth shoes is locally - they had a few at Woolly Mammoth, but I always feel like I get shitty service there. (I should say that both times I've been there I was wearing old, not-stylish clothes, and I have internalized class issues.) When I save up enough to get another pair of shoes, I'm going to try Market Street Shoes - but I might look for the Eccos that were recommended in your other question. They look so cute!

I can relate to that.Lately I've been told several times how "photogenic" I am. This is a sign. My own forays into exactly what you're talking about are showing me that minor changes create big impact (esp. in REI colored Seattle). For me that means dressing up jeans (that fit) w- leather boots I was ignoring and a cool faux reptile jacket rather than my north face pull-overs. Make-up risks (I was a totally fun/interesting dresser too years ago)are mostly mascara & lipstick, adding bronzer in the summer. More than dressy jeans/jewelry and minimal makeup make me feel naked too, and even now, since I'm not in the rhythm of doing it everyday, people definitely comment. but it's in a "wow, you're really photogenic" tone that let's me know it's a happy surprise, same with the perennial,"wow, where are you going?" - right? "To the grocery store", you reply with a big smile.

Take a couple of steps at a time and the big thing is ONLY wear things you absolutely love. If you feel ambivalent about the clothing or accessory, don't mess with it. I have a love-hate rule for my closet and living by it has been totally liberating. I have to declare love or hate; "like" doesn't cut it. Not even "like it a lot". Love or Hate. Wearing things you love will give you confidence to wear them like a second skin and that is the definition of style :-)

Can't help you with the Whoa part though...even small changes are likely to elicit reactions from others so let that be cool with you and as long as you know you are wearing something that flatters you and causes you to feel good lookin' than you can know that the 'whoa' is a compliment. Except when it's not but that's another questionland question about what to do when others want you to stay the same way you've always been...

You might resent this, but you could try some henna to try some modification of the appearance of the fish tatoo.

The first idea that popped into my mind was the "EVOLVE" logo... the fish with feet and the word "evolve" inside the fish.

Second, was to add a whale or a string of fish all swiming about to eat the next smaller fish ("There's always a bigger fish." -star wars movie)

Third, was to add a fishhook, worm and line to change the motife...and maybe a lazy farmboy tending the pole above on the bank.

Just 3 ideas off the top of my head. Good luck!
(A picture or uploaded image of the tatoo might help)

They have a fabulous selection of vintage frames at Eyes on Fremont. Also, you can find any pair of glasses (sunglasses or otherwise) and they will put your prescription in them, so you could find some funky shades at Red Light or similar and bring them in.

It depends almost entirely on the skill of the artist and the quality of the equipment he/she is using (needle size and so forth). The ink color shouldn't matter, as long as its decent quality ink. A good artist will know how to make it stand out even if it's small and not black.

As tattoos age, they will fade a little, but the lines shouldn't blur much, if at all. You can always get them touched up if they do start to fade. Sunlight also fades tattoos, but I think it's particularly harsh on newer, rather than older tattoos (not positive about that one though).

When you get a tattoo, they don't just sit you down, ask what you want, and start inking. They'll draw it on paper first and ask your opinion and when you get it to the point that you really like it, they'll stencil it on you and then start inking. They can give you advice on the best places to put it on your body too.

Definitely find a good artist. Even for something so small and simple, a bad artist can fuck it up. It's on there for life (technically), so don't be stingy or cheap, although a tiny outline of birds isn't gonna cost much anyway. And be sure to tip your artist too.

I don't actually even have any tattoos; however, my brother is a tattoo artist and he's talked and written a lot about it so all the stuff I wrote here is basically what I learned from him.

Apparently, I may be the default tattoo expert around here.

To my thinking, the fellow that pioneered the "realistic" tattoo style was fellow named Shotsie Gorman out of Wayne, NJ. I think he still inks in Napa. I know of one guy here in Seattle that is a Shotsie disciple of sorts and his name is Joel Kennedy. He works out of "Under the Needle" in Seattle.

One word of warning about "realism" tattos: Of all tattoo styles, this one can go horribly awry both in execution and longevity regardless of who the inker is. VERY few tattooists do it well and even if you get the perfect image done there is no guarentee it will hold up over time. And with relaism tattoos there is no wiggle room. As your skin ages it will affect the design. More stylized tattoos have much more wiggle room.

Frankly, I do not like hyper-realism in tattooing. Partially for the above reasons but I also find them less aesthetically pleasing in general. Traditional tattoo styles developed for a reason and that reason is that they look better for longer. Too much detail and your wind up with indecipherable mush. Too heavy a hand and the lines bleed into each other. etc.

Having said that, go to three guys. I like:
Tracy at Anchor in Ballard. He is not into the realism thing but is a straight shooter with an exceptional artistic eye for inking.
Joel at Under the Needle. Chris at alki is young fellow whose work i like a lot.

Dave Lum is probably the most famous tattooists in the northwest that I know of and he is out of salem. If you have the scratch, check him out.

It seems like the most important thing would be finding a reputable tattoo artist whose style you like. Personally I recommend Dave at Gem Studios in Kirkland (he did a white bracelet for me, as well as a large, full-color back piece) or someone at Pierced Hearts in the University District. Again, though, finding the right artist is the key.