Archive for the ‘Interior Design’ Category

Mar
21

Country Decorating: Is Americana the Way to Go?

Posted by: 24hourwealth  |  Posted in: Interior Design  |  Posted on: 03-21-2008

Many home decorators around the world use a country theme for at least one room in their home. Whether they desire a country kitchen or cozy country family room, there is a wide array of options for today’s country decorator. Most country decor doesn’t have to cost a small fortune.

One very popular type of country decor is Americana. Americana decor consists of varying shades of red, white and blue. The Americana theme can be dressed up with decorative plates, stars, stripes, boxes and sentiments such as “Love, Faith, Hope,” just to name a few. Garland is a great wall or tabletop display for nearly every country theme and star garland is ideal for the Americana theme. Many people like to make use of quilts as wall hangings, table cloths or throws.

Muted colors add a very warm feel to almost any decorating theme. Country blues, pale greens, mauves and taupe are excellent color choices for your country theme. longboard skateboard . Using barn stars, baskets and candles can add a very lovely touch to the country themed room. Barn stars come in a variety of colors and in materials from rough or painted wood to rusted or painted metals. Of course other decor will help determine what type of barn star you go with.

You can never go wrong with baskets. Baskets can be tucked neatly in a corner as a magazine holder or used as centerpieces for elegantly decorated country tables. Most baskets can be filled with fruit, dried or fresh flowers, or simply displayed empty. You also can use small baskets as crayon or candle holders. If you have small children, a basket is a beautiful way to store their craft supplies.

Candles, garland and potpourri are very beautiful when displayed properly. Large candles can be wrapped in garland and used as decoration for any surface. Wooden wall shelves with candles and garland are a favorite wall accent for many country decorators. Smaller candles can be placed in a variety of country-style candle holders. If you do not have country-style candle holders and you are on a budget, simply use an inexpensive garland to achieve a more country look.

Wooden bowls or baskets filled with potpourri and small candles add elegance to almost any country room.

Using folk art or handmade pieces can add appeal to your country room. Cheap TVs . If you do not craft your own country items, you can usually find great deals at yard sales or flea markets. If you find a handmade piece you love but it doesn’t match your decorating plans, paint it. Paint is a very inexpensive and easy way to make sure your favorite items are usable in your newly decorated room.

Redesign items you already own to fit your country theme. Everyone has those favorite items they just can’t do without. Take your favorite clock, for example. You love it, it has to stay, but it doesn’t match the new theme for the room.

It’s very easy to make your favorite clock fit your new decor. Doing something as simple as changing the hands on your existing clock can give it a whole new look and feel. Just get some new hands from your local craft store. Adding a touch of paint to make it match your new decor is just as easy.

If your country decorating project is your kitchen, you can’t go wrong displaying your spice rack, pot holders and dish towels. You can use your dish towels as doilies on kitchen counters or eat-in kitchen tables.

Decorative dish towels are also great as wraps for your silverware. If you have a dish towel with the perfect pattern to be a wall hanging, buy an inexpensive frame for it and make it your own unique wall hanging. Wooden spice racks, bowls, candle holders and baskets are always a welcomed addition to the beautiful country kitchen.

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Mar
20

Using Ceremonial Drums For Unique Mountain Interior Design

Posted by: JACKIE  |  Posted in: Interior Design  |  Posted on: 03-20-2008

Because I love southwest decorating, I recently added ceremonial drums as part of the rustic, southwest decor in my new home. I was so impressed with the beautiful, southwestern feel that the Native American drums brought to my home, that I started learning about the history and the influential role they play in Indigenous cultures. If you are like me, you have probably seen how meaningful ceremonial drums are to the Native culture but do not know their importance in tribal ceremonies or how exactly they are used. Each tribe is unique in how they use ceremonial drums but one similarity between each tribe is that the Native drums are very symbolic and part of the main focus of the ceremony. Throughout my studies, I have come to find that learning about these drums truly grants you a great appreciation of the American Indian culture and their customs.

As you begin studying about ceremonial drums, you will find it very interesting that the Indigenous people think of the ceremonial drum to be sacred. They are usually used in powwows, Shamanic ceremonies and honor ceremonies to come in contact with the Spirits and to connect with their creator. It is believed that each drum contains a spirit and that the drum beat signifies the heart beat of Mother Nature. Since the drum is thought to connect the people with the spirit world and lead the a healer in helping his people, you will see that they are commonly used by the healers or Shaman to enter the mind state, known as the Shamanic journey, needed to communicate with the Spirits.

Also, as you study the importance of ceremonial drums in modern culture, you will find that Native Indian drums have a significant role in the preservation of native tribes such as the Tarahumara. winrar safe download . Making and selling these rustic style drums gives them the opportunity to earn a living, by selling and trading their cultural hand crafts, and helps them extend the knowledge and traditions of their culture to those who purchase them. The drum making knowledge, passed on from generation to generation in these tribes, teaches the drum makers how to make durable and long-lasting ceremonial drums with elements from the Earth and the environment around them such as pine wood and natural rawhide.

Today, Native Indian drums are not only used in Indian ceremonies such as Indian drumming groups and as Native American musical instruments, but they are also gaining popularity as pieces of decorative art, instruments used in school music classes and even as canvases for Native American art projects and Indian paintings. Some types of ceremonial drums are also used as southwest style furniture and western decor, such as the larger powwow drums and pedestal drums that are used as rustic, decorative tables. Today, it is very easy to find these unique Native American ceremonial drums online and in stores that sell southwestern, western and rustic decor. However you choose to use your ceremonial drum, whether for drumming purposes or in home decorating, you will no doubt be drawn to the simplistic charm and western style of ceremonial drums.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and author offering free information online about how to use ceremonial drums for drumming circles and for chic southwestern home decorating. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

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Mar
20

How To Use Painted Drums For Southwest Home Decorating

Posted by: JACKIE  |  Posted in: Interior Design  |  Posted on: 03-20-2008

If you are searching for an inexpensive, rustic decorating idea, try using the beautifully, hand-painted drums made by Native Americans Indians. I was recently looking for an easy and inexpensive way to redecorate my home and give it a rustic, western flare, and started purchasing beautiful American Indian accessories for rustic home decor. I ended up buying two beautiful painted drums that added the perfect rustic look in my home and gave it the rustic feel that I was searching for. The thing I like most about these painted drums is how they portray a true reflection of Indigenous life and work through the paintings.

Perhaps you are like me and truly admire the authentic creativity of Native American art. As you research the origin of these paintings you will be amazed at how the artistic spirit of the American Indians is portrayed in the painted drum. The beautiful hand painted drum heads serve as story book for the expressions and motives of Native life and culture. Because the American Indian drum artists find their inspiration through the work of their ancestors, owning one of these Native drums gives you the unique privilege of being part of many generations of Native American artists. Each new line of Native drum painters creates their work, mingled with the past, to bring forth a truly unique handcrafted piece.

As you learn about the history of painted drums, you will see that animal drums have always been the predominant Native American musical instruments of choice and have a special meaning to these Native people. The medium, with which they choose to paint, is different among drum painters and is a matter of personal preference. Some Indian artists still use hand ground natural dyes, though paint has also become an acceptable medium as traditional drums give way to modern expressions of culture and creativity.

Just like the differences in mediums used to paint the drums, you will also see that drumming traditions differ between the different tribes. Some tribes use large drums while gathered in a circle around it, while the drums of other tribes are unique and personally decorated by the drummer. Now days it is very rare to find true ceremonial drums, but the Native hand drums of the Tarahumara Indians are among the most authentic Native drums created for playing in drumming circles or for southwest home decorating.

Drum painting is truly a beautiful art and an important part of the rich heritage of the Indigenous people and culture. The painted drum has come to identify both the drummer and the tribe, as well as preserve the Indian culture through drawings of nature and legend. If you are drawn to the true values of the American Indians, you will certainly enjoy giving rustic style to your home decor. Chiropractor Philadelphia . You can easily find these Native drums online or in stores that sell Indian and western home decor, and bring Native American culture to life in your home with the beautiful art of painted drums.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and author offering free information online about how to use painted drums for drumming circles and for chic southwestern home decorating. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

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