Mission Del Rey Blog

The colors of the Old West make it easy to choose southwest decor for your home. Whether you want the soft tones of the desert and pueblo at dawn, the vibrant hues of a sunset over the mesa, or the healing colors associated with the kiva, you will certainly find exactly what you need when you use this decorating style. Decorating with a southwest decor theme is about using both color and natural quality. Only elements of the earth and great outdoors seem to be appropriate here, so choosing …

Native American drums such as those made by the Tarahumara Indians have a wonderful variation of tone across the surface of the drum head. These drums are made by hand with natural rawhide rather than modern materials. The characteristics of the sound they create are quite unique, and are often at the center of powwows or personal drumming groups. People who play Indian drums vary the tone of the drum in two or three ways. This is done mainly by the strength of the strike with the drum …

Native Indians love to produce painted hides depicting traditional events of life itself. Tribesmen and women paint different elements according to their particular environments. Women traditionally create abstract designs, and men create pictures that really describe the tough lifestyle that they endure. The raw materials used to create painted hides are provided by many different animals including elk, deer and buffalo.  Rawhide is often selected for utilitarian purposes, while …

Painting drums with Indian art is a fascinating activity. As you can see from our website we offer a variety of painted drums that reflect many different images from Native American life and nature. We are often asked how to paint a drum by those in Native American circles. While selecting a personal drum that is painted is easiest for most people, it can also be very fulfilling to customize a drum yourself. Get creative and express yourself, letting your drum painting please you. To a …

Colored rawhide lamp shades make perfect replacement lamp shades for southwestern table lamps, vintage lamp shades or western floor lamps. Each rustic lamp shade is made by hand with old world style craftsmanship, and comes in many sizes. Real rawhide shades are made of genuine stretched animal skin. Because heat can crack natural rawhide, regular conditioning and use of compact florescent bulbs is necessary to extend the life of the shade. Rawhide lamp shades perfectly accent sou …