They have the ASSMARK!

Friday the 13th thank you from us to you!

It’s easy in today’s world to become jaded and cynical. Easy to stop believing in the inherent goodness of people in general, all we need do is watch the news or read the paper every day to have those beliefs reinforced. Easy to forget what it is like to see with the eyes of a child, when the world and the people in it were beautiful, amazing, and awe inspiring.

This past Friday the 13^th during our Tattoo-A-Thon fund raiser for Little Baby Ana, we were reminded over and over again, by each and every single person who walked through our door of the inherent goodness that we all possess and it was absolutely awe inspiring.

Over two hundred people graced us with their presence. The Mayor of Somerville, Brian G. Gallagher, accompanied by Rick St. Pierre, owner of Verve Restaurant & Bistro, even paid us a visit. The Mayor chatted with not just Tommy & Kate (the proud parents of Baby Ana) and Leah (owner of Artisanal Tattoo), but with those in the reception area and even those waiting so patiently outside. I would venture a guess that both men left there with a renewed belief in exactly what we can accomplish when we band together and exactly how much goodness there truly is in the world.

Even the Somerville Police Department paid us a visit, their sole purpose for being here to simply donate to the fund for Baby Ana.

I spoke with each and every person here on Friday the 13^th that was getting tattooed. Much to my amazement everyone I spoke to was here, not just to get tattooed but for the simple reason they wanted to contribute to the fund raiser for Little Baby Ana.

To all of you who waited so patiently. From the first three who were already waiting when I came in to start setting up at 9:30 am to the last five who made the cutoff at 7 pm and waited a good six hours to get tattooed. To the local Business owners and the residents of Somerville & those of you who stopped in to just donate, we thank you.

Thank you for being so patient and understanding. Thank you for being so generous and caring. Thank you for making this an incredibly successful fund raiser beyond what we envisioned.

Give yourselves a round of applause and a few pats on the back. It would be our honor and privilege to have you grace our doorstep again. Whether it would be to simply say hello or have a piece done by one of our incredible artists.

So…

Thank you from Leah, Kristin, Lou & Ryan (our four phenomenal tattoo artists – who now have a hand that might quite permanently be shaped to look like it’s holding a tattoo machine!).

Thank you from our meet and greeters, Rob (who might be a little hoarse from having to speak louder than normal) and Michele (ß-me - who if my feet were tires would have had to buy a new pair the next day because the treads were worn out).

Thank you from Tommy and Kate (two amazing people and proud parents).

And finally Thank You from Little Baby Ana who will grow up knowing that there is and always will be people in this world who are inherently good and can inspire even the most jaded and cynical among us to believe again.

The Staff of Artisanal Tattoo

Friday the 13th Sneek Peek

So...  really not supposed to be doing this, but so many of you have been calling and asking if we have a sheet ready, so I decided to take the initiative and post a few of the designs we have. (Don’t throw me under the bus with my boss!!!!)

These are just a few of the designs we are offering for this wonderful fund raiser for little baby Ana… These fall in the $50 donation range. For more info on the fund raiser, check out our prior blog or our Facebook site, hope to see you all on Friday!

Michele

Sometimes tattoos really make you smile...

Friday The 13th Tattoo-A-Thon Benefit!

This upcoming Friday The 13th will be a very special BENEFIT day. One of our old employees, friend, family member, Miss Kate Kohn, had a baby 3 months ago. Unfortunately little Baby Ana was born with some difficulties and complications (I will post the bio below.)

So we are going to make the next Friday The 13th tattoo-a-thon a special benefit, with ALL proceeds going to help Kate, Tommy, and baby Ana with the numerous medical expenses they are currently dealing with.

We will have a flash sheet of the normal "13" tattoos for $13(+ automatic $7 tip for the artist - but feel free to donate more!)... and we will also have a couple other sheets for a little more, with these designs suggested by Kate and Tommy. These will be tattoos that reflect Ana as well as Kate and Tommy... Snoopy designs, Hello Kitties, Hot Rod designs, punk rock/Metal logos and designs, and skateboard/BMX designs. All these designs will be a little bit bigger than the traditional Friday The 13th designs, and carry a $50 fee. Still very cheap for a quick tattoo.. and again, proceeding an AMAZING benefit.

Please spread the word for us. And if you don't want to get a tattoo, and you just want to help out a great friend of the shop... please stop by and donate however much you can spare. Kate has been a life long Somerville resident, and her family has deep roots in our community. This is a great opportunity to help someone special.

Here is the Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/253532101414274/
So we are going to make the next Friday The 13th tattoo-a-thon a special benefit, with ALL proceeds going to help Kate, Tommy, and baby Ana with the numerous medical expenses they are currently dealing with.
We will have a flash sheet of the normal "13" tattoos for $13(+ automatic $7 tip for the artist - but feel free to donate more!)... and we will also have a couple other sheets for a little more, with these designs suggested by Kate and Tommy. These will be tattoos that reflect Ana as well as Kate and Tommy... Snoopy designs, Hello Kitties, Hot Rod designs, punk rock/Metal logos and designs, and skateboard/BMX designs. All these designs will be a little bit bigger than the traditional Friday The 13th designs, and carry a $50 fee. Still very cheap for a quick tattoo.. and again, proceeding an AMAZING benefit.
Please spread the word for us. And if you don't want to get a tattoo, and you just want to help out a great friend of the shop... please stop by and donate however much you can spare. Kate has been a life long Somerville resident, and her family has deep roots in our community. This is a great opportunity to help someone special.
Here is the Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/253532101414274/
So we are going to make the next Friday The 13th tattoo-a-thon a special benefit, with ALL proceeds going to help Kate, Tommy, and baby Ana with the numerous medical expenses they are currently dealing with.
We will have a flash sheet of the normal "13" tattoos for $13(+ automatic $7 tip for the artist - but feel free to donate more!)... and we will also have a couple other sheets for a little more, with these designs suggested by Kate and Tommy. These will be tattoos that reflect Ana as well as Kate and Tommy... Snoopy designs, Hello Kitties, Hot Rod designs, punk rock/Metal logos and designs, and skateboard/BMX designs. All these designs will be a little bit bigger than the traditional Friday The 13th designs, and carry a $50 fee. Still very cheap for a quick tattoo.. and again, proceeding an AMAZING benefit.
Please spread the word for us. And if you don't want to get a tattoo, and you just want to help out a great friend of the shop... please stop by and donate however much you can spare. Kate has been a life long Somerville resident, and her family has deep roots in our community. This is a great opportunity to help someone special. 

Here is the Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/253532101414274/ 

We have a donation page here: http://www.active.com/donate/anacru

All donations can be made through H.A.R.K. here is their website: http://www.harkinc.org/

Thank you all so much in advance for helping out... 

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Here is a brief bio on her situation :
Ana Cru was born March 13, 2012 with not a breath of life in her lungs, and an ostensibly bleak outlook for her future in the eyes of countless medical professionals. Immediately following her birth, she was instantly intubated and after briefly meeting her mother for the first time, was hastily transported over to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with her father and respiratory specialists in tow. Upon her arrival at the NICU, she was thrust into the gauntlet of diagnostic tests, while her family stood idly by, apprehensively entertaining random Doctor's sophisticated prognosis. After an interminable week of acute emotional distress; her parents finally received the diagnosis of “Dandy Walker Syndrome/ Variant” The reason for calling it a “variant” is because “Dandy Walker” comes in a multitude of forms ranging in acuteness. The most basic definition of Dandy Walker Syndrome is a malformation of the posterior part of the brain known as the cerebellum – Ana Cru's cerebellum is severely underdeveloped and has caused her to be in a hypotonic state since birth – Hypotonic is essentially having low muscle tone and little to no motor skills. The combination of the two has left her unable to eat orally, and as a result has needed G-Tube surgery so that she can eat during convalescence. The single most daunting aspect of her diagnosis is not knowing what the future holds for her because every case has varying outcomes; which in some ways gives us hope. However, a rebellious spirit lies deep inside Ana Cru which has defiantly battled and won against countless prognosis thus far, and continues her fight everyday in her hospital bed, where her mother is firmly implanted at her side as she receives the physical, occupational, and speech therapy she requires to live the rapturous, fulfilling life she so deserves. 

For those who would like to help Ana and her family, please like our Facebook page; there you will find information on donating, and other fundraisers that are upcoming. Ana's family is accepting donations of any amount, as well as baby supplies, breast feeding/pumping supplies, and vegetarian food of any kind. Food can be prepared or groceries all will be accepted. Ana's mother lives in the hospital with her baby, and they do not supply food to the parents, making it somewhat difficult to eat.

https://www.facebook.com/JoinAnaCru