happy halloween

Before:

and after:

Hope you're all having a wonderful Samhain. Today's update didn't happen, but that's only because I have more goodies that I am working on for one massive shop update on Friday (as opposed to one little one today and one little one later). Here's a sneak peek at some of the softies that will be up at the shop on Friday afternoon (about 2PM or so). Hope you like 'em! In the meanwhile, hope you all have a great night.

run little squirrel, run!

Oh no, little squirrel! There's a zombie squirrel on your tail! And it's hungry for braaaaaaaiiins....

I had been meaning to make this little squirrel for months now, and I am so happy that I finally got around to it. Since the day my friend Beba gave me a piece of fabulous wool flannel, I have been dreaming of this little guy.

ya to the hoo!

Thanks to the wonderful folks at whip up for including my bat in their most recent post about softies.

what makes it worth it

Thanks to everyone who responded to yesterday's post. I hope that I didn't come across as negative or whiny. Going by the responses I received, I don't think I came across as either. And I hope I didn't worry anyone. You folks hit the nail on the head; it seems that I am at a crossroads. I definitely plan to continue doing this softie-thang, but there will be changes here and there. I have been toying (no pun intended) with the idea of self-publishing patterns for way too long. It's time to do or die, or more specifically, to just do it. Also, I think after the holidays, I am no longer making critters. I will still be making softies, but I want to play with new patterns and designs. The critters have kinda run their course for me. I like 'em well enough, but I don't want to limit myself to them, or to the mini-manti for that matter. The idea of producing tons of these is definitely appealing, but the actual physical effort it takes to do so is not so great. Also, it takes my time and focus away from developing new designs. I'm just pumping out the same things over and over again. I feel that if I don't go with the momentum that builds up around an idea (as with the bats, for example), then the idea will never come to fruition and those specific softies will never get made because they will keep getting bumped back by the critters, which take time to make despite the fact that I make them in an assembly line fashion. I have nothing against the whole assembly line production thing, but what do you do when you have more items in production than you have work space (and you can't afford new work space)? It gets a bit overwhelming when every flat surface in your space has critter parts in various stages of completion on it. Not that I'm complaining. I'm just clarifying why I am so daunted by the task at hand.

And yes, right now, I am drawn to other things. I have so many designs that I would love to work on, and hopefully, I will have a ton of new stuff, fresh for December. You have to enjoy what you do and do what you love, be it writing, teaching, sewing, or practicing law. As for making art or crafting, it shouldn't be a struggle, but all creative sorts do experience slumps here and there. Getting out of those slumps can be a struggle. That is not to say that one should be the angst-ridden artist always struggling. I wasted too much time in college being that way. (Although, it is a bit of a struggle to find your voice and your style when your teachers are all telling you to be unique and be like everyone else simultaneously, but I digress.) It's about figuring out what your next step should be and making that step, staying motivated, and really believing that what you do is worth it in the long run.

I had a productive day today, so I feel a million times better, like something inside me has shifted. I can see the big picture now, and I am approaching the work before me in a more organized and (dare I say it since the word always makes me want to projectile vomit a little as every manager in the country likes to flip it around) pro-active manner. Hence, I am getting things done. I finished several softies today, but the one I am most ga-ga over is the one in the photo above - this little flippity-floppity lanky bunny complete with fingerguns and an outtie that I made as a commission piece. His ears are super-floppy, and his eyes are machine-sewn felt that was then hand-embroidered, keeping it safe for the wee ones. In fact the only thing that was hand-sewn on this is the little pouf tail. Between now and the holidays, I will be making a bunch of these guys with the felt eyes for the younger softie fans. I know the plastic safety eyes are a concern for some, so I want to offer an alternative. And there will be lots of softie-making between now and the holidays. Stay tuned for a shop update this Wednesday.

listening to black sabbath, they're like track 3 on we sold our soul for rock 'n' roll, but i'm all about the same number track on volume 4

Vague enough for ya? Nevermind, I just couldn't think of a title for today's post because, well, I'm not feeling very inspired. Maybe I'm just lazy. Perhaps I should have taken that wee break right after the Open Studio. Maybe I should have gone to Seattle for Plush You! and hung out a few days. (By the way, I didn't go because I messed up the date on the ticket. Huge resounding DOH! over here. I now have credits to use up so maybe there will be a trip to San Fran next month.) I'm feeling kinda burnt out. Maybe it's the change of season. I don't know. Things are weird nowadays. I would say I am experiencing a case of creative constipation, but that's not it at all. The ideas are flowing freely, and I am filling up pages and pages with them. It's not that I don't have time to work out those ideas. I have plenty of that. Granted, I am not managing my time as well as I could/should/must. I said before that I am not inspired, but I am. Everything I look at gives me an idea for a project, be it quilting, toy-making, or even painting again. So what's happened that has caused production around these parts to come to jerky halt? Everything was running so smoothly. I felt on top of my game, but now I'm sludging through puddles of self-doubt and procrastinating like there's no tomorrow. I swear, every time I look at the 24 critters that are cut and sewn (and only need to be stuffed, seamed, and detailed), I cringe. Feeling daunted? Hell yeah. The very thought of stuffing that many critter parts makes my brain melt. Someone suggested today that I do a few each day to make it easier on myself. I seriously hadn't even thought of that because I've been so eager to get it all done (yet so unwilling to actually do it). I am having a hard time wrapping my head around how people do a limited run of 400 pieces by hand. Do they make them by hand or are they done in a production line/factory with embroidery machines (as well as sewing machines)? Sorry to be so ignorant about this, but I really don't know what they mean. Please tell me that one person doesn't actually cut, embroider & machine-sew then manually stuff, seam, and detail 400 pieces by themselves. Please tell me this is a group effort or mainly factory produced. If not, then I am seriously screwed because I can't even fathom doing 400 pieces here in one go (or something like that). I am not a machine, and doing stuff at that volume would take all the fun out of it for me. Seriously. I like doing the more intricate, hand-detailed softies, but I know that it is unrealistic to think that I could produce them in such volume. I recall something that Stephanie of little birds once said, and really, I cannot say it more succinctly than she has. I don't want to grow disillusioned or bored with this thing that I am trying to do here. I need to redefine what I want to do or maybe just reinvent certain aspects of it. Is this the beginning of a great adventure, or is this just something I am doing for now? Maybe I am over-thinking things. I think I know what I want this to become; I just have to stay focused and not do what I am doing now - floundering.

In other news, Matt has started taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes, which sound like a lot of fun, and I am very curious about checking out a class or two myself. It sounds like a great form of self-defense. As it is, he's been teaching me some of the moves he's learned, and we've been play-sparring. We're like Inspector Clouseau and Cato over here. The only thing that is really deterring me from joining him at one of the classes is that it entails a lot of grappling, and the class is all dudes. So I'd be grappling... with some dude.... The feminist in me is dying a little over the fact that I just can't get past that fact and go for it. *sigh*

Anyway, what can I say now? I'll be more focused this week. After all, Bazaar Bizarre is coming up in a month, and I have a ton of commissions to get done, not to mention some more orders that I need to finish.

the self-promotion - it is shameless

Two of my mini-manti are available for sale at Schmancy, if anyone is interested. You can find their contact info here. These are two of the guys I submitted for Plush You!

tomorrow....

Hi there! Just wanted to let you folks know that I am planning to update the shop tomorrow, and our little friend Zombie-Squirrel will be available for sale then. Hopefully, there will be a couple of bats available then, too. Please drop by and have a look. Also, if you would like to be notified of shop updates as soon as they happen, I would be happy to add you to my email list. Drop me a note at sotosofties[at]gmail[dot]com.

now i'm feeling zombified

Oh no! A zombie-squirrel is on the loose, and it's hungry for brains! Brains like this one:

You know, I am a little lukewarm about this project upon completion. When I was first sketching it out, I was so excited. Now that it's done, I feel like it's missing something. Should I up the gore or go hyper with the cute? This kinda walks the line (between good and evil) and as such I feel like it needs to commit to one side or the other or perhaps embrace both qualities a little more eagerly in order for it to pack that punch. Or whatever. It is kinda creepy-cute, which I am all about these days. I have a couple of other things up my sleeve that I am trying to get done in time for Halloween that I am pretty psyched about.

Also, can I tell you how much Matt and I laughed about the little squirrel scalp because it looks like a bad toupee. In fact, it reminds me of this dear old gentleman who used to work with my dad and also lived in our neighborhood. To this day, I have no idea what his name is, and I don't think my father knows either. We just know him as "Amigo" because every time he sees my dad, he comes to a dead halt, extends his hand and yells out at the top of his lungs, "Amigo!!! How are you Soto?!" My dad, who is introverted to a fault and hates having attention focused on him, would always shyly respond, "Good; how are you, Amigo?" and keep on walking, only to mutter to me as soon as we were out of earshot, "Man, that guy is crazy. Why he gotta be shouting out to me in the middle of the street? Always calling my name out like that..." What can I say? My dad embarrasses easily. It's kinda cute, too, because Amigo always refers to my sister and me as "Soto's daughters," and will say to me when I greet him, "Soto's daughter! Como estas? How is Soto doing?" Anyway, the reason I am recalling Amigo now is because for years, Amigo was notorious for having the worst toupee in the history of false hair. As if it weren't bad enough that his toupee literally looked like a rough, mangled patch of carpeting, he never put it on right, so it was always jauntily cocked to the side like a beret, exposing about an inch or two of scalp between the edge of the beret/toupee and the hairline. When his hair started to gray, instead of getting a gray toupee to match his hair, he went out and got a blonde toupee, which looked... surreal. Today, as I am looking at this little zombie squirrel's torn scalp/hair patch, I cannot help but remember Amigo (not that Amigo's brains were ever exposed, thankfully) and laugh a little and hope that he is doing well, wherever he is now. Because we heart Amigo big time for being who he is.

Enough reminiscing for now. More photos of the zombie squirrel can be found here, here, and here.

people i heart - lisa congdon

The planets must have aligned and the stars must have been in some sort of crazy harmony last week because this, my favorite piece out of all of the amazing works by Lisa Congdon for the Tenderhearted show, was available at her etsy shop. After I recovered from the initial wave of disbelief, I immediately snatched it up. If you recall, I fell in love with this piece the moment Lisa posted it on her Flickr stream. I happened to finally be in a position where I could purchase it. Such serendipity! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am about this! And I can't believe how fast it got here. Lisa rocks!

eye-candy friday - footloose and guano-free

Soon, our creepy-cute little companions will be up on etsy, wreaking havoc in their batty way. Soon, my friends, soon....

have i gone batty?

Perhaps I have....

Quick post just to let you know that I am going to update the shop tomorrow, Friday, October 19, by 3PM or so - I can't really give an exact time, but that's the time I am setting as my goal. If you are on the mailing list, I will notify you as soon as everything is up. You can get on the list by emailing me at sotosofties [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject header "mailing list" (or just "list" or whatever variation of it makes you happy). These guys will be included in the update, so please drop by and check 'em out. Good night folks! See you mañana.

woodchucks-a-go-go

This happy little troop of woodchucks will be off to Quiet Hours Toys tomorrow, where they will sing songs around a campfire as they toast marshmallows and make S'mores. Oh, and they will also be available for sale. :)

Thanks for all your encouraging comments about Freddy. I am planning a shop update for the end of the week, maybe Thursday or Friday. I'm not sure yet, as clearly the update is contingent on how much I get done in the next couple of days. Although Freddy is not for sale, I am planning on including a few bats and maybe a critter or two. Also, as soon as I get my hands on some more brown felt, I am making more bats, so there will be more of these little guys between now and Halloween. Have I mentioned how much I love Halloween? It's my second favorite holiday (Valentine's Day being tops on my list). I am feeling particularly inspired this year; I hope to spend the rest of my week working on new designs just for Halloween.

bats in the belfry - alternatively titled "bat scratch fever"

Uh oh! It looks like we have an uninvited guest hanging around the basement:

Oh hey! It's just Freddy! Freddy is my entry to this year's Holiday Softie Awards. I wasn't sure about whether or not I wanted to participate in this round, but then the idea for Freddy struck me. What can I say? It was too good to pass up. I may make a few more bats and put them up in the shop, but that won't be until next week. I'll keep you all posted. In the meanwhile, hope you are all having a lovely weekend! See you tomorrow with more finished softies.

people i heart - amy earles

Look at what arrived in the mail today! It's an original gouache painting by Amy Earles titled, "Awesome Halloween." I love it. I have been a fan of Amy's work for some time now, having first come across her amazing paper dolls on Flickr. Her work is playful and dark simultaneously, reminiscent of Edward Gorey's work in that manner, and that is a quality that I totally love. How excited was I when I saw this piece up in her etsy shop? Not as excited as when I opened it up yesterday when it arrived; I ran up the stairs in absolute unbridled glee to show Matt this excellent little painting. I can't wait to get it framed. I actually have the perfect frame for it - a simple little black frame with a red rub that was a cast-off from my old job (a frame that was the wrong size for the client, and upon its return to the shop, the boss let me have it when I asked him for it since it was too simple and small to use for a fancy mirror and the size too peculiar to sell as a standard frame). Anyway, if you are not familiar with Amy's work, definitely go check out her blog and her shop. She makes such beautiful things. Below are some goodies she enclosed with her painting:

reminders

These guys here want to remind you folks that tonight is the opening of Plush You! So if you're in the Seattle area (or can tele-transport yourself there), definitely check it out. It promises to be a fun night. It opens at 5 PM, and you can start off at Schmancy, 1932 Second Ave, Seattle, WA, and work your way to the other three shops partaking in the event. (My guys will be at Schmancy.)

These three woodchucks will be shipped off to Quiet Hours Toys as soon as their fourth friend joins them. I would like to take a moment to thank Carey once again for including my guys in her shop and for the fabulous write-up on the Quiet Hours Toys blog. Thanks Carey!

Hope you're all having a happy Friday. Here's to a wonderful weekend!

eye-candy friday - grow, dahlia, grow!

what's making the day less gray

Hooray! I am no longer sitting on a stump:

And I have a nice little reupholstery project to look forward to as I plan to swathe this in the Amy Butler fabric as soon as I get the chance. Also, the bedroom is looking better than it has in a long time:

I am having fun seaming up the woodchuck legs, an immensely satisfying process for some reason:

And all three of these socks now have partners underway:

I was thinking that perhaps in keeping with the spirit of Socktoberfest, I may have a little contest/game in which people guess which pair I have completed (once I have actually completed a pair), and I give away a skein of some schmancypants sock yarn or another as a prize. Hmmmmmmm.... Perhaps....

The boo-hiss of the day, however, goes to this. WTF, peoples???? Why? Why Bret again? I am so done with this show; I am just totally over it. I really don't care who stays to "rock (his) world." I admit I was looking forward to a new season because a) they were casting in Williamsburg, which means there is a chance (however slim) that someone I know may end up on it, which would be hysterical, and b) I seriously thought they were going to to go with a new guy, specifically Nikki Sixx, who would have made the show a million times more interesting because, well, he's Nikki Sixx. Alas, they chose to go with Bret... again... ew. EW! I'm done with it.

I am now off to the post office to send off yesterday's orders, listening to the Stone Roses and loving the misty afternoon. I may actually have something finished to share tomorrow. :)

See you all tomorrow!

soooooooooooooooo...

The garden variety partiers are up in my shop now. And so are these two mini-manti:

I just wanted to go over a few things:

1) Over the next few weeks, as I make stuff for the Boston Bazaar Bizarre, I will be making stuff for the shop and updating it on a more regular basis. New softies (and maybe some other items) will be going up on a weekly basis. I am aiming for a weekly update, but the truth is I would like to do more. Right now, let's take it one step at a time and say it will be weekly.

2) As such, I am not going to be able to do commission work at this time. I understand that this is something that some folks are interested in, and I am sorry. Since I will be working hard at updating the shop, there will be a plethora of softies to choose from, and I really hope that you find something that is to your liking. This may just be a temporary thing anyway, until I feel caught up. If you have ordered a commission from me in the last couple of weeks, thank you and fear not. I am working on your order and will have it ready for you soon.

3) Plush You! is coming up in just a couple of days. Yay! There are going to tons of talented toy/softy-makers showcased in the three (yes, three) spaces where the exhibition will take place. If you're in Seattle, please go check it out. I was going to go myself, but I dropped the ball on securing my travel arrangements in time. (DOH!) However, Gongy and two of my mini-manti will be there representin' yo!

4) One of my projects this week is working on a pattern. If you have volunteered to test sew, I will be in touch with you about it early next week. More on this later.

I think that's it for now. I'm sure I'll remember a couple more things I wanted to add as I am drifting off to sleep tonight. C'est la vie! Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely evening!

space - i believe in

I love checking out other people's workspaces. I find it so inspiring to see how other people work, create, live, make the beautiful things they do. Here are some of my favorites from Flickr:

1. in daytime, 2. A Place to Sew, 3. studio, 4. bulletin board 1, 5. temporary craft corner, 6. Where the crafting happens

Each space is unique to the individual and clearly reflects that person's vision/aesthetic/style. Notice, I make no mention of whether or not their spaces reflect their psyche because if a work space were to directly reflect one's mental state, then mine would scream, "CrazycrazyCRAZY!!!!" This is what my worktable looked like last week:

Since I stepped away from it for the weekend, it really doesn't look much different today except for the fact that the garden partiers are now finished and neatly placed on a shelf, and in their former spot on the table, there are woodchucks and critters and mini-manti swimming amidst scraps of fabric and spools of thread and bobbins. It is insanity. My primary goal tomorrow is to straighten this mess out because I can't tell if I am coming or going anymore. My secondary goal is to post the finished pieces on my etsy shop and to send the woodchucks on their very merry way to Quiet Hours Toys. For now, hope you all had a great weekend and are enjoying your Monday evenings.

eye-candy friday - the rosie-come-lately edition

Meet Rosie:

Rosie is always, shall we say, "tardy to the party." Here we see Rosie as she joins her friends, Sheila and Seymour:

Rosie: Hey guys! Sorry, I'm late! Alright, let's get this photo shoot going.

Sheila: Rosie, the shoot was yesterday. You missed it by a day.

Rosie: No it wasn't. I have it marked on my calendar. See? It says October 4th.

Seymour: Which was yesterday.

***silence***

Rosie: Oh... word?

That Rosie! Rosie and friends will be available at the shop on Tuesday when I do a (hopefully) major update. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. - I forget who turned me on to the phrase "tardy to the party," but whoever you are - THANK YOU! I so adore that silly expression. I'm never late anymore; I'm always "tardy to the party."

and now back to our show....

You know what's much better than self-righteous rants about copyrights and community?

Seymour and Sheila, two new garden variety partiers, helping each other out as they climb atop one of the rhododendron bushes, enjoying the last of the warm summery days of the season. I heart these guys.

we interrupt our regularly scheduled softie session for a public service announcement

You know, I wasn't going to post on here today because I really have nothing to show but mounds of softies that are in various stages of construction. I have eighteen critters that I'm in the process of stuffing, four woodchucks that I am detailing, two mini-manti that I just might have finished tomorrow, three garden partiers that are this close to completion (I just have to attach the legs), and a frigging partridge in a pear tree. So being that I have no finished pieces to share today (and no finished socks) and that I am a little sad because someone in my family is going through a heart-breaking ordeal (and I can do nothing to make it better for them), I figured I would miss a day or two of blogging and get back to you lovely folks when I had something exciting (or at least amusing) to show you.

Well, here I am, because there is something that I need to get off my chest. Now please bear in mind that this is clearly not directed at everyone, just the select few who engage in the following behavior. Consider this a public service announcement: DO NOT COPY OTHER PEOPLE'S DESIGNS AND PASS THEM OFF AS YOUR OWN. IT IS BAD AND WRONG TO PROFIT OFF OF SOMEONE ELSE'S DESIGNS. Besides the fact that it is copyright infringement, you are seriously doing yourself and your fellow crafters a huge disservice when you take someone else's design and sell it as your own invention. It is also all sorts of messed up to be dishonest, but if you can live with yourself like that, then who am I to judge. I prefer to be honest; I prefer to be original. I prefer to do my own thing, even if it doesn't sell or get written up in tastemaker blogs or magazines. Normally, when I see someone blatantly rip off another person's designs, I get a little peeved. It bothers me, but being as there is nothing I can do about it, I let it go. Besides, sometimes it's not so black and white. Sometimes, two artists are exploring the same theme in their individual ways. Sometimes, two people just happen to think of the same thing at the same time, which is especially more likely to happen when their tastes are so similar to begin with. There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with having a technique or stylistic element in common - it happens. But what I saw today just sent me through the roof because the person in question copied almost every single thing about this other person's work, down to the very fabric they used. I just couldn't believe it. I have seen this person around, and I have seen them copying stuff. No problem, if they are just using these designs to learn about sewing, design, or construction. But they are not. They are selling their work and passing off this other person's designs as their own.

How do we ensure that this doesn't happen to you or to me? The thing about the crafting community, and the community on Flickr, is that there is a certain sense of trust. You trust that what you put out there is not going to be misappropriated. We expect that everyone will treat us the way that we treat them. We expect that everyone will play by the same rules or at the very least, play nice. Not so, sadly. This is why although I would love to publish a pattern, I am at the same time reluctant to do so. This is a crappy way to behave towards your fellow crafters. This is a crappy way to behave towards anybody. As I said earlier, if someone can live with their dishonesty, great for them, but I just can't abide that. Enough said.

I know that there are a lot of wonderful crafters out there who are honest, decent people doing what they love and sharing, who are not guilty of what I am pissing about on here. Obviously, this is not about you, and I hope that this outcry here does not alienate me from you guys. I just couldn't not say anything about this anymore. Anyway, let's continue to build this community together.

I'm going to have a cookie now, and I am going to shut the ______ up and relax. The cookies pictured above are Florentines from The Danish Bakery, and I picked up a few at the Farmer's Market yesterday. They are sooooooo goooooood. I'm going to curl up with a cookie, get my knit on, and watch some mind-numbing TV. ANTM is on tonight, and I just can't wait to learn this week's Tyraisms.

By the way, I am NOT mentioning names so please don't email me about this. I will not return any emails on this subject. I am not ranting about this for the sake of being catty or gossipy or evil. I am not trying to "out" anyone or start a poo-storm. I am just upset that the spaces we trust and the people we share so openly with are maybe not as trustworthy or special as we once thought. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am disgusted right now.

happy socktoberfest one and all!

It's that time of year again. Socktoberfest is here! And just when my fingers have started itching to get stitching - the timing couldn't be any better here. (I always crave knitting in the fall. During the summer, I just can't get motivated to pick a project and see it through.) My goal this Socktoberfest is simple - I just want to finish one pair of socks. I seem to have total sock ADD at the moment. Or perhaps it's fear of commitment. Whatever it is, I have 5 pairs of socks on the needles, and I want at least one finished pair by the end of the month. Let me introduce you to the menagerie of half-finished socks and lonely socks awaiting their partners:

Embossed Leaves in Koigu

I *love* these! I am really gunning to get these finished because I love everything about them - the pattern is super-easy, and I don't think I need to even tell you how much I adore Koigu.

Totally Modified (and Shortened) Gentlemen's Half Hose in Koigu

I was looking for a way to use up one skein of the multi-colored Koigu and one skein of this coral solid, so I butchered a Nancy Bush pattern to suit my own evil purposes.

Straight-up Boring (But Stripey) Socks in Regia

Nothing to say about these really other than the fact that I am stuck at the heel because I always have a hard time with short-row heels.

Pomatomus in Tess Designer Yarns

I have no excuse for coming to a dead-halt at the heel of this sock. The pattern does knit up very quickly, so perhaps this will be the one I will revisit and complete.

Karma Kameleon Pomatomus in Koigu
I think the thing that turned me off to this sock was the weird-ass pooling the happened, which is doubly strange because I have never ever had such an experience with Koigu. Still, I kinda dig the reptilian thing going on - perhaps we can make this work? Hmmmmmm, the only way to find out is to jump right in and do it. These have been in a state of semi-completion the longest. If I had any sense of shame, I would hang my head in total mortification, but since I have none, yeah, I will freely admit, I started them last fall and kinda forgot about them. Dang my messed up memory.

***EDIT - D'OH! I can't believe I forgot to include these in the original post, but here they are now.***

Twin Rib Socks in Socks That Rock
I love this pattern (that I lifted from a Barbara Walker treasury of patterns book), I love this yarn, I love this colorway. Why have I not finished these already when there is so much I love about them? Laziness? Distraction?

So which of these will be lucky socks will become one complete pair? Tune in and find out.

Speaking of tuning in to find out, Heather lost. Hmmm, guess getting Bret's name tattooed on her neck doesn't seem like such a great idea now. As someone brilliantly suggested on Jezebel, she can always alter it and turn it into "regret," which is kinda what getting someone's name tattooed on your body causes in the end.