Thursday, October 11, 2007

Three artisans team up at Black Ink Tattoo

Black Ink Tattoo in Okinawa City has expanded its services, bringing a jewelry and accessories artist and a nails specialist into its BC Street store.

The tattoo artistry of Mr Yoshi has been adorning bodies for years, and Black Ink Tattoo celebrated its first anniversary in April. He has created hundreds of original designs for customers, and offers dozens of more standard tattoos, too.

Tattoo works are available in black and gray, or color, including special tribal designs. For the discerning customer wanting something totally unique, Yoshi will create a special one-of-a kind design.

Studio Lazy Flow’s name belies its products, largely in the jewelry and hemp accessories realm. Art and clay jewelry, silver jewelry, and dozens of hemp items are handcrafted. Prices start at ¥700 on necklaces and pendants, bracelets and rings, earrings and key holders.

Worn Zippo lighters get a new life at Studio Lazy Flow, complete with custom designs. The studio also produces a variety of handmade tote bags and custom sewn room shoes and slippers.

Vortex Nail, owned by an award-winning specialist, creates not only beautiful nails, but henna tattoos, as well. Miss Mieko Lee has captured first place in the Cosmoprof North America Nail Competition, first place in the Strut Your Stuff Beauty Technician competition, first place in the Chicago Midwest Beauty Show Nail Pro Competition, third place in the Nailimpics in Las Vegas competition, and more.

Henna tattoos are her personal specialty, using all natural henna, lemon, sugar and essential oils. Although a manicurist, Lee can also design henna tattoos. Designs are created in minutes, at a cost of about $20. Small tattoos cost cheaper. She says henna tattoos can last about two weeks, depending on individual body conditions and where on the body the tattoo is placed.

Vortex Nail is running a special campaign through October, offering free three nail seal designs with a manicure or pedicure.

Black Ink Tattoo is open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled at (098) 894-2275. Vortex Nail is open Monday ~ Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are available at (080) 6715-1290



http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=8036

Tattoos Enter Our Popular Culture

The would-be proprietors of Hold Fast Tattoo Parlour approached the City Council in July, asking to open a shop at 1728 Sheridan Road, but was unanimously turned down for a special-use permit, despite investor David Dobreff's promises to use pristine sterilization techniques, obey state laws and run a low-key, appointment-only business.

Mayor Leon Rockingham and other council members argued that a tattoo shop was not the "image" they wanted for Sheridan Road north of Martin Luther King Drive, the city's downtown now in the process of revitalization.

The Chicago law firm O'Halloran, Kosoff, Geitner & Cook is representing the city and has drafted a motion to dismiss that will be heard in U.S. District Court in Chicago today, according to city attorney Chuck Smith.

Smith added that it was a positive sign that the attorney for the plaintiff had called to inquire if there was another site within the city where a tattoo parlor would be allowed -- one is located on Route 137 west of Route 41.

"They may look at other locations and perhaps we can get this suit dismissed," Smith told the council.

Earlier this year, a Libertyville tattoo shop opened a second studio in downtown Antioch after filing suit against the village, which had amended its zoning ordinance requiring that such a business be located at least 500 feet from any church, public school, playground or athletic field.



http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/597909,5_1_WA

Flower Tattoos - The Many Meanings

With a larger acceptance of women getting tattooed, flower tattoos have risen in popularity. The wonderful thing about these tattoos is there are so many different types and colors of flowers, all with different meanings. Generically, the flowers can mean a few different things, while specific flowers like the lotus and rose can mean more specific things.

A flower tattoo in general connects back to nature, and brings up images of life, such as birth, procreation and vitality. This is because we see the duration of life when we look at a flower. We see a flower emerge from the earth, and then grow day by day. We see a flower bloom, and later dry up and wilt away.

To have a tattoo picturing a flower reminds us of that whole process of life. Additionally, different colors of flowers on a tattoo symbolize different things as well. Seeing a white flower tattoo brings up the idea of purity, while the color of red on a flower can mean the blood of Christ or burning passion.

Being tattooed with a rose symbolizes love, or more specifically a pure love. As a matter of fact, around the 16th century, a rose was tattooed on people condemned to death, so they would be recognized immediately if they ever escaped the gallows. However, nowadays the rose is tattooed as a symbol of love and passion. Much of the tattoo symbolism of this flower has to do with the rose being a flower that is given during romantic occasions. This is why a rose is often tattooed on someone to show their love for a certain person. It’s probably not a coincidence that the rose tattoo is the most popular of all tattoos picturing flowers, and even more so, since men are getting tattooed with roses as well.

Just as a rose tattoo symbolizes love and purity in the west, a tattoo with a lotus flower symbolizes the same things in the east. A tattoo with the lotus flower, though, brings with it a little more meaning. This tattoo also symbolizes beauty, goodness, fortune, enlightenment, and peace.

Continuing along this line, an acacia tattoo symbolizes chaste love and friendship. Some Irish get tattooed with a flower called Bells of Ireland. This flower usually means good luck, but the name may call the bells of freedom to ring upon Ireland.

If you consider yourself a perfect lover, you might want to have a tulip tattooed on your arm to symbolize fame and passionate love. However, if you are a shy and timid person, the violet tattoo is perfect for you.

Iris stand for faith wisdom and virtue. And magnolias symbolize a person's love for nature and gives a sense of nobility.

Getting tattooed with a flower can have these different meanings along with being quite beautiful and elegant. The flower can be as small and dainty or as large and bold as your want. Whichever flower you choose, be it a rose, a lotus, a violet or any other your tattoo can say exactly what you want it to.



http://www.etattoozone.com/info/Tattoos/Flower-Tattoos---The-Man

Tattoo Removal With TCA Chemical Peels

Approximately 25%-35% of tattooed people desire to have their tattoos removed within 5 years. Tattoo pigmentation goes deep and requires a series of treatments to remove. Most green ink contains titanium dioxide, which is very difficult to remove with laser treatments, but easier with chemical peels. Removal of red or black tattoos usually takes four or five laser treatments, at $150 to $500 each. Green tattoos can still be visible after up to 20 laser treatments, costing you time and $$$$. Ankle tattoos are among the toughest to remove with laser because the skin is so thin in that area. Skin bleaching creams do not give significant results on tattoos and take forever to be effective on most types of discoloration.

Chemical peels are the choice of many, due to the lower cost per treatment and the convenience of new at-home chemical peel kits. Tattoos and semi-permanent makeup gradually lighten with each chemical peel treatment depending on the type of peel solution used.

WHAT IS A CHEMICAL PEEL?

A chemical peel is the application of an acid to the skin to achieve a controlled burn in order to remove the top layers of skin. Chemical peels are often used to remove fine lines, small scars, discolorations such as tattoos, semi-permanent makeup, freckles or liver spots, sun damaged skin, and spots of precancerous keratosis which are removable at the top layers of skin (the epidermis). Peels may be applied to the entire face or to isolated areas, such as the upper lip. Peels can be applied to most areas of the body, using caution on thinner skin areas such as around the eyes. Various peel solutions are used by physicians to remove warts, moles, and calluses. The type and concentration of acid controls the depth of the burn used to achieve light, medium, and deep peels.

PEEL CLASSIFICATIONS

Chemical peels come in 3 basic categories - Light, Medium and Deep. TCA falls into the medium category (depending on %) and is the most desired type since it gives quicker results over the lighter alpha hydroxy acids but is not as traumatic as the heavier phenol peels. 25% TCA is considered a medium strength of TCA and works well on superficial skin imperfections.

Strengths and Applications

Light - AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) including Glycolic, Salicylic and Lactic Acids
Medium - TCA (Trichloroacetic Acid) and Jessners solution
Deep - Phenol, which requires application by a physician

WHERE TO BUY AT-HOME PEEL KITS

Until recently, you had to visit a skin care specialist (dermatologist, esthetician, or cosmetic surgeon) to get a “TCA Peel“ (chemical peel treatment using trichloroacetic acid). The specialist would have you come in for consultation, advise you on how the peel is done, and give you a mild alpha hydroxy acid lotion (AHA) to apply for one to two weeks prior to the peel treatment. The AHA lotion or gel conditions the skin and begins the exfoliation process. On your next visit your specialist would apply the TCA solution and remind you of the post treatment care … avoiding sun exposure and keeping the treated skin protected with an antibacterial ointment, then he’d send you on your way.

Well now you can purchase at-home TCA Peel Kits designed to give you everything you need to apply a peel treatment yourself in the privacy of your home, saving you the expense of office visits and money. Yavonae Skin Care offers TCA Peel Kits that include everything you’ll need from TCA peel solution, cotton pads, and alpha hydroxy acid prep lotions to ointment, sunblock, fans, and concealers. These kits come with complete instructions including how to apply a patch test to determine your skin’s reaction to the peel solution and what strength to use. Unlike deep peels, medium peels may be performed safely on people with darker skin tones TCA is a great alternative when milder peels stop producing desired benefits.

Yvonne Merritt, owner of Yavonae Skin Care, is a licensed esthetician who specializes in chemical peel treatments for achieving flawless complexions. She has written several articles on skin issues and offers an affordable line of professional exfoliation products through her online store at http://www.tcapeels.com



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yvonne_Merritt

Researching Your Tattoo

When you go into a licensed parlor you will often find that they have tattoo books available for you to take a look at with many different tattoo designs. There are millions of people around the world who wish they'd chosen a slightly different tattoo design, gone slightly bigger, or placed it further to the left etc. In addition, they will be able to browse through an image book or folder that will show a number of different tattoo choices, which will enable them to better decide which is right for them.

Check out different tattoo artists and parlors before making your decision. If you are like me you have looked at literally thousands of tattoo pictures and tattoo designs from a variety of different tattooists from around the world. You can click on the different tattoo images and HP will show you what it will look like on an Ipod.

Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit has several different tattoo images including an Angel. Tattoo Me is the best place to start your tattoo design search because we are offering thousands of different tattoos divided into categories that make searching for a design really easy just follow a link back to my site. The next stage is to look at as many different tattoo styles as possible.

Read Tattoo Books and Tattoo Magazines There are many different tattoo publications in the book store or library, go buy or burrow a few and look through the materials. Try not mix different tattoo styles such as Japanese and Tribal styles. The most obvious place to go for tattoo idea help is different tattoo parlors.

Be sure to spend time researching your tattoo and go through many different tattoos to find what you really want. There are many galleries and pictures that you can search through to get an idea of the different tattoo designs that people search for. Try not mix different tattoo styles such as Japanese and Tribal styles.

If you are having a hard time deciding what kind of tattoo you would like, it's best to check out different tattoo parlors and web sites. Styles of the different tattoos will vary also depending on the type of body art. Styles of the different tattoos will vary also depending on they type of tattoo.

Soli Katir http://www.solikatir.com/tatto.html



Tattoo Placement - Where Not to Get Your Tattoo!

A big question on tattoo's is often times not the design, but tattoo placement, or where to get your tattoo. Here are some important reasons why the following areas are bad places to get your tattoo.

Bad places:

1. The middle of your lower back. Especially for women, this has turned into a major trend and now even has it's own slang term for a lower back female tattoo: "tramp stamp". Many women have jumped on the bandwagon and decided to get their tattoo in that area just because everyone else has.

2. The neck. This is a risky place to get a tattoo and one should be very confident in their decision to get a neck tattoo. The main problem with the neck tattoo is the same thing with the lower back tattoo: It is now becoming "a trend" to get a neck tattoo. I was recently in a restaurant where almost 70% percent of the young people all had neck tattoo's. The waitress had a band aid to cover up her own neck tattoo while she was working. Too much of a trend is brewing with the neck tattoo, and unlike the lower back you won't be able to cover it up as easy when the trend setting regret sets it.

3. The groin area. The problem I have with the groin area for tattoo placement is the distraction during sexual intimacy. Once revealed it takes away from the "heat of the moment". Another disadvantage is only being able to look at your tattoo in private. Sometimes you want to just catch a glimpse of your art, and when placed on or around the groin area it requires you pulling off your pants and staring at your crotch.

Of course if you are confident within yourself, are dead set on either a lower back, a neck, or groin, for tattoo placement, and can rise above the slang terms and such, then by all means that's where you should have your tattoo placed, despite the negatives listed above.

Chess McDoogle has discovered an incredible collection of tattoo designs in which to choose from. He reveals the resource at http://www.tattoo-book.info

Here you can find out how to find a tattoo design which you can use for free, see http://www.tattoo-book.info and thanks for reading.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chess_McDoogle

The Latest Styles in Tattoos

If you are considering having your body adorned with a tattoo then now more than ever the choices available to you couldn’t be more varied. It seems that there really are no rules when it comes to tattoos but trends do seem to come and go. The (Tramp Stamp) which appeared on the lower backs of females over the past ten years or so has appeared to have played out its run in popularity and is now being replaced by more traditional anchors, ships and sparrows on shoulders and arms.

The tribal thing has had a good run and it seems that people really do like to have a tattoo that wraps around something on their body and an arm seems to work best. Barbed wire is an excellent alternative if you aren’t into the more complex tribal designs though. Jail house tattoos are something that many people are discovering and learning to appreciate and one form of jail house tattoo that is a particular favorite is the short written message.

Rather then getting involved with trying to impart some message by way of artwork, the written message cuts directly to the point and can be readily understood at a glance. Words and phrases such as (MOM) (BORN TO LOSE) or even the name of your home town in large letters spread across your stomach are one of the many options that are available to someone considering getting a tattoo now.

Another popular jail house tattoo is the gun and there are a number of variations to choose from and a personal favorite is the double barreled shotgun with a fist wrapped tightly around the handle pointed directly out at the person looking at the tattoo. What ever you decide to get it is highly advised that you don’t tattoo your face as a recent survey determined that 99% of the people who did this turned out to regret it and the 1% that didn’t are in mental institutions.

Written by Justin Khalid. Find the latest information on a Tattoo Idea as well as Tattoo Removala


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Khalid

Smell The Scent Of Flower Tattoos

The women of today have no qualms about going under the knife for vanity’s sake. They are not scared of knives. Neither are they with needles. Tattooing is increasingly getting popular among women as more and more female celebrities flaunt their body accessories in the form of tattoos. What makes it so popular?

Tattooing is a form of self-expression. In this era, women have their say on just about anything and they have the freedom to do what they like. Unlike before when tattoos on women were looked down upon by society, it is now something women can be proud of. Tattoos mean strength, power, beauty and sensuality. And these are the things that women want.

Women generally favor more colorful, fun, and intricate tattoo designs such as butterflies, fairies, and flower tattoos which is probably the most sellable among women especially the younger ones. These tattoo designs bring out the beauty and sensuality in them. But there are men who also wear flower tattoos and this commonly symbolizes someone close to their hearts and may even be accompanied with a name or initials of that woman.

Flower tattoos come in all forms, colors and sizes. The size would depend on the person wearing the tattoo. Whether she want it to be small, cute and inconspicuous and sexy, or big and obvious to prove a point or make a statement, is totally up to her because tattoos also spell freedom.

Any flower design that you think of can be made into a tattoo. The rose is undeniably one of the most popular flower tattoos to date. But any flower that you want can be recreated into a tattoo by a talented tattoo artist. Different flowers have different symbolisms. Here are a list of common flower tattoos and their meanings:

Baby’s breath: Innocence, everlasting love
Bells of Ireland: Good luck
Carnation: Luck, health, affection, true love, woman
Chrysanthemum: Truth, cheerfulness, optimism, peace
Daffodil: Respect, new beginnings, happiness
Daisy: Innocence, purity, loyalty
Dandelion: Faithfulness, wishes come true
Forget-Me-Not: Remembrance, hope, true love
Freesia: Innocence
Gladiolus: Beauty, infatuation, strength
Hibiscus: Delicate beauty
Hyacinth: Playfulness, carefree
Iris: Wisdom, friendship, faith, valor
Jasmine: Sensuality, elegance, wealth
Lavender: Devotion
Lilac: Confidence
Lily: Wealth, innocence, modesty
Magnolia: Dignity, beauty, love of nature
Orchid: Rare beauty, refinement, long life, many children
Primrose: Youthfulness, love
Rosemary: Remembrance, hope, purity
Sunflower: Adoration, loyalty, luck
Tulip: Fame, beauty, love, charity
Violet: Faithfulness, innocence, modesty, calm
Weeping willow: Remembrance, affection, friendship

The color of the flower used in the tattoo could also determine its meaning. A rose, for instance, means femininity, eternal love and beauty; but a dark crimson or black rose could mean death or deep sorrow. You can research for the different meanings of different flower tattoos before you get one for yourself unless it has a personal meaning to you.

A tattoo is a personal thing; whether you want flower tattoos or any design you want or the meaning you want to convey is determined solely by the person who will wear them, you. If you want to express something though a tattoo, go ahead. If you want to get one as an accessory or to raise your sexiness level up one notch, no one’s stopping you. It is your prerogative. Nothing beats the smell of freedom.

Does flower tattoos fascinate you? Wait till you see more tattoo designs that can be combined with a flower motif such as fairy tattoos and dragonfly tattoos. Visit body-jewelry-useek.com and find out more about cool tattoo ideas that would blow your mind.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Nahshon

Tattoos For Women

As tattoos for women, especially in the back area, become more and more popular, is it true that women who have lower back tattoos, cannot have an epidural to assist with delivery of their babies, and what are the dangers associate with back tattoos if any?

Once again this subject has hit the news, and just as in the past, has panicked many women who have a back tattoo and are pregnant.

There is actually very little information available since so few studies have been done. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) are currently conducting some studies about the inks used in tattoos.

According to Mayo Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist Roger Harms, M.D., most pregnant women who have lower back tattoos, can receive epidural,s. except if the tattoo is fresh and covers a large area, in other words, the skin is still healing.There have been very few studies on tattoos for women in the back area in fact there have been very few studies about tattoos in general and there is little conclusive evidence showing an increased risk of infection.

There are only three vertebrae where an epidural can be administered. They are L1, L2, and L3. This is also the area where back tattoos are positioned. Most anesthesiologists will give an epidural block to a pregnant woman with a lower back tattoo, and where possible will choose an area without a tattoo to inject the needle.

Does that mean that some doctors will still refuse to administer an epidural, sadly yes, if they believe that the practice may be detrimental or dangerous to the woman, then they can and will refuse to give an epidural, despite information to the contrary. Many medical practitioners will err on the cautious side rather than risk the health of the woman with the back tattoo.

If you have a back tattoo then it is a good idea to discuss your options with your doctor before the birth of your baby, and if you are planning on getting a tattoo to celebrate the new arrival, why not consider waiting until after the birth, again, discuss it with your doctor.

Pub Med, the Mayo Clinic and BME concluded that there is no proof to substantiate the dangers of tattoos and epidural,s

If having a tattoo is something you really want to do but are worried about the risks to you and your baby then why not try henna, henna has been used by women in the middle east, especially Egypt for thousand and thousands of years, and is believed to bring good luck during pregnancy,and can last up to four weeks. If you do decide to go in this direction, be aware that you do not use black henna. Black henna is a very dangerous substance and should never be used, ever, so stay with the safe and gorgeous colored orange and brown hennas.

Liz Canney writes on various topics but has been fascinated with the history and design of tattoos for many years and has just started a blog on the subject. http://womenandtattoos.blogspot.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Liz_Canney