Ceremonial Drums: The Beauty Of Native Art

Anyone who has had the opportunity to witness the Tarahumara Indians during holy week or Semana Santa as it is called, has seen the beauty and been touched by the sound of their ceremonial drums. Used as a call to the people during Semana Santa, you can hear the deep resonating sounds of these drums for miles around.

The beauty of these drums is that they are made by hand. Rawhide is first stretched over a piece of rounded yellow pine and then decorated by the owner with paint made of iron oxide. Because these drums are made by hand, each one has unique characteristics and beauty unlike any other.

Owning a ceremonial drum lets you be a part of Native Indian culture and traditions and bring them to life in your home. Whether put on display in your home or office, or to be used as an instrument in drumming groups or ceremonies, you will love owning an authentic Tarahumara ceremonial drums.

Using Southwest Table Runners For Color And Design

There are many easy ways to include southwest style in your home decor without spending a lot of money.  Using a southwest table runner in your decor adds color and design to a room while giving it a warm and inviting feel.  Decorating a rustic, southwestern, western or ranch style home isn’t about buying high priced items that you often find in retail stores, but about using accessories such as southwest table runners to enhance the beauty of key elements. 

Perhaps you have a rustic log dining table or are using a large Native American drum as a coffee table.  The best way to make these items stand out and draw attention to them is the “dress” them up.  Choosing a vibrantly colored southwest table runner to place on the top of the table does just that.  And, because there are so many colors and design patterns to choose from, you won’t have trouble finding the perfect accessorty to match your decorating style.  Southwest decorating on a budget is easy to do when you incoporate simple accessories that enhance design and style.

Antler Lamps – Adding Natural Beauty To Your Rustic Decor

For those who love to bring the great outdoors inside, antler lamps make the perfect lamp for rustic decorating.  Often times antlers are used in rustic, western, and southwestern style homes, and in dens or offices where you would like to create a masculine or outdoors look.  The great thing about using antler lamps in your decor is that they combine well with other rustic accessories such as log furniture, rawhide lamp shades, and Native American drum tables. 

There are many ways you can use antler lamps in your decorating to enhance the look of your rustic or western style home.   Whether you are only planning on dressing up a room of you home or are taking on the bigger task of decorating an entire cabin, antler lamps can create the authentic rustic or natural style you are looking for.

Southwestern Rugs – Getting The Creases Out

Southwestern rugs made with wool are stored flat before you receive them.  Have you noticed the creases when you have southwest style wool rugs shipped to you?  The rugs a re truly fabulous but they have creases caused by folding.

Southwestern rugs have become very popular and seem to be gaining even greater acclaim all the time.  Southwest decor is such a comfortable decorating style that many people like to use it in all parts of the US and the world for that matter.  Hand woven wool rugs are rich in both color and texture.  It is no wonder that people love the rustic look so much.  They add life to a room like nothing else and are a must for cabins and rustic furniture.

Woven rugs come from the weavers folded so they are usually left that way to avoid new creases during packing for shipping to you.  The rug weavers fold them to save space for transportation and storage. What you need to do when you receive a southwest or western rug is to revers the folding process.

1.  To straighten them, you fold them the opposite direction and leave them to relax for a while.  That gets the fibers loosened up and ready for the next step.

2.  Now you need to lay the rug flat on a carpeted floor.  Remember, we are talking about natural fiber hand woven wool rugs, so the yarn will move.  Use your fingers to flatten the creases and spread the fibers away from the creases and try to work from the center of the rug to the sides.  This basically re-blocks the rug.  You don’t have to use much pressure and it only takes a few minutes.

3.  Let the rug sit there for a while.  The carpet will help hold it in its new position as the yarn relaxes.  If you plan to move it to a different place on the floor.  It will not be completely flat immediately but it will look a lot better and over time it will relax even more.  Visit Mission Del Rey Online.

Someday when you dry clean your wool rugs that will help them to flatten more also.  Wool rugs  are very durable so the creases are a little stubborn at first but the rugs will last a very long time.   Now, with the creases flattened, enjoy your new southwestern rugs.

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Using Southwest Pillow Covers And Western Pillows For Authentic Rustic Design

One of the easiest ways to add great western or southwestern style to a rustic home is by including simple accessories like southwest pillow covers and western pillows to your decor.  The vibrant colors and Native American style patterns of southwestern pillow covers enhance the look of Native style decorating.  Fringed leather pillows are great for adding western style and look wonderful when used with log furniture or cowboy decor.  Adding the beauty and colorful designs of the southwest to your home decor is not difficult to do.  A few southwest pillow covers and western pillows go a long way in creating that perfect look of southwestern design and style.

Rawhide Chandelier Lamp Shades Enhance Rustic Decorating

When looking to create beautiful rustic style in your home, there are many different elements you might add to achieve this look.  Rawhide or leather chandelier lamp shades used on rustic style lamps and chandeliers are a great way to create a warm and inviting atmosphere while keeping with your rustic theme.  The beauty of chandelier lamp shades is that there are many options to choose from.  Authentic light or dark rawhide shades can be used for a more traditional look, while the many colors of dyed pigskin shades give you the freedom to customize great rustic style with your color scheme.   Are you looking for an easy way to dress up a rustic lamp?  Try chandelier lamp shades in traditional rawhide or dyed pigskin to give your home character and personality!

How Indian Baskets Add Great Style To Your Home

Many Native Tribes around the world are famous for their beautiful handcrafts and works of art.  Indian baskets are among these beautiful handcrafts and are a very popular choice for collectors, tourists and those who just love Native handcrafts.  Intricate weaving patterns and beautifully designed baskets with geometric patterns are what make these baskets so amazing.

Using Indian baskets in your home decorating is a great way to add southwest style to a rustic home or interior. Large baskets can be used as a place for books and magazines, or as a place to put extra towels in a bathroom. Smaller baskets are wonderful for storing jewelry, keys, coins, or any other small items you need a place for.  If you are looking for easy decorating ideas for your southwestern style home, try using Indian baskets to enhance great rustic style.

How To Find Zapotec Rugs At Great Prices

Zapotec rugs are a great way to add Native decorating style to your southwestern home. These hand-crafted rugs are known around the world for their traditional craftsmanship, vibrant colors, and unique patterns. Indian rugs are a wonderful decorating accessory for use in ranch style homes and cabins, southwestern homes, or anywhere you would like to enhance color and elegance. They look very nice when used with southwestern decor, and also make fantastic Native style wall hangings for complementary color on your walls. Like the Navajo rug of North America, Zapotec rugs make it simple to achieve wonderful Native design style in any room of your home.

Understanding the background of Zapotec rug weaving gives you a full appreciation of the hard work of weaving rugs. The Zapotec Indians, a people with a long history and no known records of migration, believed themselves to be born of their natural environment. They were mainly farmers until after the Spanish conquest during the 1500s, when they were presented with new methods of weaving by the Spanish. Along with the weaving loom, the Spanish transported the first sheep from Europe and taught the Zapotec how to weave. The area of Teotitlan Del Valle in Oaxaca is where the world-famous rug weaving originated and still continues today.

The vibrant colors and patterns are the first thing you will notice about Zapotec weavings. Though some rug weavers have started to use artificial dyes, many still use the traditional and natural elements from the region to dye their wool. If you happen to pass by the workshop of an Oaxacan rug artist throughout the day, you might see them dying wool in big pots of beautiful colored dye, over an open fire. Some of the things used to dye the wool include plants, seeds and fruit. Perhaps one of the most interesting dyes they use is derived from an insect called the cochineal. Once the insect is dried, it is then pulverized to make a beautiful red dye.

Often the whole family is included in the business of rug weaving, with each person having a part in the production of an exquisite rug. The wool must first be cleaned and washed, dyed, and then spun into yarn before weaving begins. You will find it very fascinating that each rug has its own design and is an exquisite masterpiece of the artist. The fact that no two rugs are the same is one of the reasons that make these rugs very popular. Zapotec rugs are ideal for Native American art collectors that like unique pieces, or for those who enjoy Indigenous arts and crafts and rustic home decor.

In whatever way you choose to use your Zapotec rug, whether as an elegant floor rug, or as a southwestern wall hanging or tapestry, you will definitely admire the beauty and craftsmanship of these Indian rugs. With such a variety to choose from, you will no doubt find the perfect one to match your decor. Although you might find Zapotec rugs or similar style southwestern rugs in stores that sell home decor, you will probably find lower prices online. Dress up your southwest or rustic style decor, with the beauty and quality that is distinctive of Zapotec rugs.

Choosing American Indian Jewelry For Quality Craftsmanship

American Indian jewelry is a wonderful example of Indigenous culture and tradition. This exquisite style of jewelry is usually hand-made, giving it a unique quality unlike other types of jewelry. Now days, Indian cultures often support themselves by selling their exquisite jewelry and art as a means of survival. Purchasing Native jewelry gives you the opportunity to help them support their culture and continue living their customs.

Like all Indigenous art work, each piece of jewelry is created from a Tribe of intriguing historical legend and unique traditions. For example, Native jewelry created by the Tigua Indians, a Puebloan tribe, is truly special because of the fact that around the 1930’s, their Tribe was assumed by some to be extinct. It wasn’t until they came together and began to assert themselves as a people, laying claim to the land that had been taken from them, that they were finally identified in the 1960s by President Lyndon Johnson as a tribal nation. Not only was the Tigua Tribe formally acknowledged by this law, but it also made Ysleta Del Sur, their new land in El Paso, Texas, into a reservation where they continue with Native traditions and practices.

Like many Indian Tribes, the Tigua Indians make jewelry and other works of art for a living. Their jewelry is similar to the jewelry made by the Navajo Tribe of the southwestern part of the United States, and is known for its great design and intricate detail. By incorporating beautiful pieces of turquoise, shell, glass beads and precious stones, along with beautiful pieces of sterling silver, they create interesting works of art that symbolize the best of American Indian tradition and hand made Native jewelry. Purchasing a piece of Tigua jewelry provides you a true admiration of their talent and a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Tigua Tribe. Traditional craftsmanship is what makes this jewelry incomparable, and a must have for jewelry lovers and collectors.

When buying American Indian jewelry, it is important to shop wisely and not be deceived by cheap imitations. Purchasing original pieces, hand made by Native Indians, will ensure the quality of your jewelry, and give you the assurance of knowing that your jewelry is the real thing. As you shop for American Indian jewelry, you will find that it can be very expensive, as is most jewelry made by hand. Fortunately, with a little work, you can locate great pieces at discounted prices if you know where to look. Shopping online is one of the greatest ways to come across great deals as well as a wide selection of jewelry available.

Genuine Native American jewelry is a great gift for jewelry lovers and for those who are fascinated by Native culture. From a wide variety of beautiful classic pieces like necklaces and bracelets, you won’t have trouble finding just the right gift for those on your list. No matter who you are buying for, remember that buying authentic Native jewelry is not only an investment in fine jewelry, but also a way to help the American Indian people. You will appreciate being involved in keeping their traditions alive while wearing elegant pieces of American Indian jewelry.

Choose Southwestern Lamps For Lighting Rustic Homes

There is probably no better way to make a home feel warm and welcoming than with the way you light your interior.  Even the nicest homes can look cold and uninviting without the proper lighting fixtures and lamps.  This is especially true of rustic style homes.  Because rustic homes are often decorated using rough wooden furniture like log tables, chairs and beds, it is very important to have the right style of lamps and lampshades.  Southwestern lamps with rawhide lamp shades are the best type of lamps to use with rustic decor.  Not only will the lamps blend into their environment and complement the decor, the warm glow created by the rawhide lamp shades will capture the look you are trying to create.  When choosing lamp styles for your rustic home, remember that southwestern lamps with rawhide lamp shades are the perfect choice!