Melanie's Phoenix Helps Her Rise Above

I met Melanie in Penn Station and had to stop her to ask about this colorful phoenix on her back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu8UDAGTkUQKTP-NpaEG6Za0Ss3aaWQMBrohCX0-OQtNNEes5Jn-_uuwpiZXuVxN4S5dE2fqlOWuLWkyiUhgRNbww1sH7Mxat0OU6YjnRGYNQDEacbYzjYo6acLj7k_0cfEzb8wHQ/s1600/Melanie+Phoenix+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu8UDAGTkUQKTP-NpaEG6Za0Ss3aaWQMBrohCX0-OQtNNEes5Jn-_uuwpiZXuVxN4S5dE2fqlOWuLWkyiUhgRNbww1sH7Mxat0OU6YjnRGYNQDEacbYzjYo6acLj7k_0cfEzb8wHQ/s400/Melanie+Phoenix+wm.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br />She originally had just the Yin and Yang tattoo, but expanded the work to include the legendary bird rising through the ashes. To Melanie, this represents being "better and stronger" after picking up the pieces from life's challenges, overcoming difficulties and rising above everything.<br /><br />The tattoo was inked by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/houseof1000tattoosnj">Rick Schreck</a> at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Middlesex-NJ/HOUSE-OF-1000-TATTOOS/60057472825">House of 1000 Tattoos</a> in Middlesex, New Jersey.<br /><br />Thanks to Melanie for sharing her cool phoenix tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Melanie's Phoenix Helps Her Rise Above

I met Melanie in Penn Station and had to stop her to ask about this colorful phoenix on her back: She originally had just the Yin and Yang t...

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Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Honu Thursday

One of the most popular symbols in modern Polynesian tattoo is the green sea turtle, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_turtle">honu</a>, as it is known in Hawaiian.<br /><br />I saw a lot of honu tattoos while I was in Hawai'i, but I didn't snap any photos of them until my last day on Oahu, when I was wrapping up my trip with a last minute stop at <a href="http://www.pearlridgeonline.com/">Pearlridge</a>. More specifically, I was at the Pearlridge Longs Drug Store, a great place to stock up on chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and other tasty local snacks that are hard to find on the mainland.<br /><br />While wandering the aisles, I spotted not one, but two honu-adorned locals, who were kind enough to share their tattoos with me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbGkfmMeuv7djzO-S-Os8cLNqnvxcpo0s_-chqSPE3UpwLOzvdnCCy9TS3FZCgAWZlZbBkq5ruykHvmtWvr5clxRotwaSwm89eWZSIuw5FVg812KSVgLTyL2mMcKKBU18ss_faeBr/s1600/4+honu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbGkfmMeuv7djzO-S-Os8cLNqnvxcpo0s_-chqSPE3UpwLOzvdnCCy9TS3FZCgAWZlZbBkq5ruykHvmtWvr5clxRotwaSwm89eWZSIuw5FVg812KSVgLTyL2mMcKKBU18ss_faeBr/s640/4+honu.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><br />First was Ash, who didn't say much about the four honu on his left leg, other than the fact that he has "always loved turtles," and that his brother was the artist who did the tattoos.<br /><br />Next was Chantel, who has this lovely tattoo on her upper back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSpzMXE5MIsJHUXpt_Nxq5Ry60Gqjz2o7gdXIVb-j8OfAGWqNkZqC4Q4mrZ4hRijOk6OmJ0eIBv2DZYoOri9ehLKBiVqkw7AS2RTsRZHZN_t6kdb95kdLp87YtWnFWD9hyeocr2Rn/s1600/Honu+sticker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSpzMXE5MIsJHUXpt_Nxq5Ry60Gqjz2o7gdXIVb-j8OfAGWqNkZqC4Q4mrZ4hRijOk6OmJ0eIBv2DZYoOri9ehLKBiVqkw7AS2RTsRZHZN_t6kdb95kdLp87YtWnFWD9hyeocr2Rn/s400/Honu+sticker.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />This not only has the honu element, but also has a floral aspect, along with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang">Yin and Yang</a> design.<br /><br />When I asked her where the design came from, she laughed and said she had seen it on a sticker plastered to the back of a car. She liked it so much, she got some paper, traced it, and brought it into a shop called <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Big.Fat.Tatts.808-843-2644">Big Fat Tatts</a>, where the artist sketched it and cleaned up the lines.<br /><br />Thanks both to Ash and Chantel, for finally getting me my photos of honu tattoos, just a few hours before returning to New York.

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Honu Thursday

One of the most popular symbols in modern Polynesian tattoo is the green sea turtle, or honu , as it is known in Hawaiian. I saw a lot of ho...

Read more »