Blog posts of '2015' 'June'

Ladybugs (also known as ''lady beetles'' by some scientists or ''ladybirds'' by some regions) are small winged insects. They come in the colors yellow, orange or red with small black spots on their wing covers. They are usefully insects in that they perform pest control for gardens by feeding on aphids, mites and other pests. Some people even consider seeing them or having one land on one's body to be a sign of good luck. It is also believed that killing them brings bad luck.

In parts of Northern Europe, tradition says that one's wish granted if a ladybug lands on oneself (this tradition lives on in North America, where children capture a ladybug, make a wish, and then "blow it away" back home to make the wish come true). In Italy, it is said by some that if a ladybug flies into one's bedroom, it is considered good luck. In central Europe, a ladybug crawling across a girl's hand is thought to mean she will get married within the year. If a ladybug lands on the hand of a recently married woman, the number of dots on its back is the number of children she will have.

In some cultures they are referred to as lucky bugs In Russia, a popular children's rhyme exists with a call to fly to the sky and bring back bread; similarly, in Denmark a ladybug, called a ''Mary's hen'', is asked by children to fly to 'our lord in heaven and ask for fairer weather in the morning'. In Greece, ladybugs are called ''paschalitsa'', because they are found abundantly in Easter time, along with ''paschalia'', the common Lilac plant, which flowers at the same time. 

Ladybug tattoos represent good luck and fortune for the wearer. They are a favorite insect of children and farmers. Ladybug tattoos will most often depict the red variety and be found in nature themed tattoos.

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One of the best things about Irish tattoos is that you sure do not have to be Irish to get one. Everyone wants the luck of the Irish, and if you want to really get that luck into “and under” your skin, then the best way to do it is to get your very own Irish tattoo. Irish tattoos, like any other tattoo, require some careful thought and consideration. You can get a variety of tattoo styles, tattoo colors and tattoo designs when it comes to Irish tattoos. You might even want to combine several images to make your own unique tattoo design, or get several Irish tattoos to make sure that Irish luck really soaks in. 

Irish tattoo art is often confused with Celtic tattoo art. While Celtic art and Celtic heritage includes Irish art and Irish heritage, Celts can also be Welsh or Scottish and, if you go back far enough, druids. However, because Celtic knot tattoos and Celtic art do play a major role in Irish tattoos and Irish art, people often enjoy getting Celtic knot tattoos and then customizing them with Irish tattoo designs, such as shamrocks or four leaf clover. 

There are many traditional Irish tattoo designs. Below we have just discussed a few. The most important thing to remember when you are getting an Irish tattoo design is that you need to make sure it is something that you will enjoy forever. Try out different types of tattoos and tattoo designs as well as various locations to make sure that your Irish tattoo is your luckiest and most perfect tattoo yet. 

Popular Irish Tattoos and Irish tattoo designs:

Irish clover tattoos: Irish clover tattoos have three leaves. Often, people use the clover tattoo, also called a shamrock tattoo, to create a Celtic knot tattoo design that is clearly a clover or a shamrock but also incorporates Celtic knot tattoo designs. These simultaneously evoke the light-hearted idea of lucky Irishmen while also reminding viewers about the tattoo owner's ties to his or her family and history as well as the world around them via the Celtic knot tattoo design and imagery.  Clover tattoos are often designed to show clover flowers as well as clover leaves to get a little more heritage into the design and also make it more colorful. 

The shamrock is three-leafed old white clover (even though it's actually green) and the symbol of Ireland. The shamrock is an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity. It was St. Patrick who began comparing the shamrock and the Holy Trinity and thus the shamrock is associated with him too. It also appears on the city of Montreal, Canada's flag, representing the Irish population as one of the four major ethic groups that made up the population when the flag was designed. A four-leaf clover is a shamrock with an extra leaf, considered to be lucky especially if found accidentally. Legend also says that if a lady hangs a four-leaf clover on her door, the next man to come through will become her husband. The fact is that generally every one in 10,000 clovers has four leaves. Each leaf of a four-leaf clover represents a different ideal: the first is for hope; the second is for faith; the third is for love and the fourth is for luck. Shamrocks can actually have many leaves. The record currently stands at eighteen. Botanists are still uncertain on whether extra leaves are caused by genetic mutations or through the environment that the shamrock is grown in. Therefore, it is not possible to cultivate four-leaf clovers but there are companies that clone and sell them. Shamrock and four-leaf clover tattoos are very popular with those with Irish ethic roots. They are both seen as symbols of good luck as well. Four-leaf clover tattoos sometimes incorporate other lucky talismans such as rabbit's feat, horseshoes and dice.

Four leaf clover tattoos: While Irish shamrock tattoos definitely say lucky, nothing says it more clearly than a mutant shamrock with an extra leaf. These little four-leafed fellows are extremely rare and considered to be very lucky. Many people like to get four leaf clover tattoos because it makes them feel as if they are carrying luck with them on their bodies instead of just hoping to run into it by chance. 

Irish flag tattoos: The Irish flag is simply three vertical stripes of green, white and orange. These stripes are all the same size, and the green stripe represents Gaelic traditions while the orange indicates the supporters of William of Orange, who assumed the rule of Ireland in 1689. The white stripe in the middle indicates that neither faction limits the other, but instead can live in peace. 

Harp tattoos: Harp tattoos are a traditional symbol of Ireland. In fact, the harp was a major symbol present on many Irish flags until the early 1900s. Harp tattoos often portray the harp as gold and somehow enchanted. 

Claddagh tattoos: This classic symbol of multi-tiered love has been used to indicate deep affection and friendship as well as romantic love for centuries. The Claddagh is a heart, symbolizing love, surrounded by two hands for friendship and topped by a crown for loyalty. This is a very popular romantic tattoo and many people also use this design for wedding rings. 

Gaelic tattoos: If it sounds good in English, then why not write it in Gaelic permanently on your body? Gaelic is a beautiful, musical tongue and the Irish have many funny and tongue-in-cheek sayings as well as many truisms.

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Koi (more specifically, ''nishikigoi'') are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp. The word ''"koi"'' comes from Japanese, simply means ''"carp."'' It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. The common carp is widely believed to have originated from the Caspian Sea with natural habitat surrounding the North, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Sea basins. The common carp, as a food fish with the ability to survive and adapt to many different climates and waterways, was bartered and spread to many different areas, including North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. 

Koi breeding originated in 18th century Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp were more brightly colored the other ones, capture them, and raise them. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. At that point, interest in koi exploded throughout Japan. The hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers. 

Koi can live for decades. One famous scarlet koi, named "Hanako" was owned by several individuals and was reportedly 226 years old upon her death. Her age was determined by removing one of her scales and examining it extensively in 1966. She is the longest-lived koi fish ever recorded.

In Japan and China, the koi has long been a symbol of masculinity and strength. Legends tell of it leaping up the falls at Dragon Gate on the Yellow River in China. In the process, it transformed into a dragon, proof of its successful struggle against the long odds. If caught, the koi is said to await the cutting knife without a quiver, in the manner of the Samurai warrior facing the sword. In Buddhism, the koi represents fearlessness and courage on its journey through the ocean, a reminder of human suffering through our own life's journey.

In Japan, the koi would appear on a young man's forearm or leg. As he continued his life's journey, he might eventually earn a dragon for his final back piece, echoing the legend of the leaping koi transforming into a dragon at Dragon Gate. Coloring, whiskers, scaling and special marks represent a range of qualities a young man might wish for in his life. For personal greatness and national pride, a white koi with a single red spot on the head would be the chosen design.

Half Sleeve Koi Tattoo Designs

Black & Gray Koi Tattoo Designs

Colorful Koi Tattoo Designs

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Ivy (also known as ''Hedera'') encompasses about fifteen species of climbing or creeping evergreen woody plants. When exposed to the right kinds of surfaces, ivies are able to climb at least 75 to 90 feet. The flowers, fruit and seeds of ivy are very important food sources to birds but usually poisonous to humans. Interesting fact: the plant commonly called ''poison ivy'' is not really ivy at all.

Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry (known to the Greeks as Dionysius), wore the crown of the evergreen Ivy as the symbol of immortality. The ancient Egyptian's sun god, Osiris, was represented as carrying a rod entwined with Ivy at all times. In old Ireland, the Celts regarded the Ivy as a symbol of determination, death, and spiritual growth. When portrayed with its spiral growth around a tree it represented rebirth, joy and exhilaration. The power of the Ivy to cling and bind and even kill the mighty oak impressed the ancient Druids. In respect of Ivy's strength, they and other Pagan cultures used it in sacred rituals. As an evergreen plant, it became a symbol of everlasting life, and Irish poets traditionally wore crowns of ivy.

Christian artists have used ivy as a symbol of the Resurrection. It represented the ascension of the spirit to the Divine. Earlier, the Christian church rejected both the Ivy and Vine as pagan symbols. They were being used in the Roman Saturnalia celebrations of winter, during which the god's staff was made of Holly and his sacred bird was said to nest in Ivy. Centuries later, the Holly and the Ivy became inseparable as Christmas plants, their Pagan connections forgotten.

In times past, lovers took the Ivy to be the symbol of their fidelity. Brides carried it in their wedding bouquets, while women wore it for fertility and good luck. Perhaps this came from ivy's reputation for multiplying in the toughest conditions, growing even in near dark. In Victorian times, the Ivy was a symbol of wedded love and friendship in matrimony.

Because of their shape and form, vines of all kinds have been popular with tattoo artist for their ability to be draped, twisted and coiled on the human body. Ivy tattoos can be flourishing on another tattoo or a whole tattoo in itself. It is often intertwined with other floral designs.

Ivy & Vine Tattoo Designs

Ivy & Vine Flower Tattoo Designs

Ivy & Vine Butterfly Tattoo Designs

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