The Wide Appeal Of Equestrian Home Decor

Equestrian home decor gives horse lovers a chance to show their love and appreciation for their four-legged friends. There are all kinds of home furnishings, accessories, and accents that feature a horse of some sort. It might be a table lamp with a horse sculpture on the base, a comforter that depicts horses running across a meadow, or a piece of wall art with a horse theme.

There are many reasons for the wide appeal of equestrian home decor. First, many people simply admire the form and beauty of the animal. Also, a horse might be reminiscent of time spent on a grandparent's farm or a summer camp where you learned to ride.

You might have seen examples of equestrian home decor in all sorts of homes, but the horse-themed decor that we're most fond of is found in homes with one of the casual styles of home decorating, such as western, rustic, southwestern, or country. Some people might be surprised to know that an increasingly large percentage of horse-themed decor is in homes of people that do not own horses.

Take a moment to think about your favorite horses from books, movies, or television. A few that come to mind for us are Trigger (the horse of Roy Rogers), Silver and Scout (the horses of the Lone Ranger and his sidekick Tonto), Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, and the mischievous Mr. Ed. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, many children in grade school had a lunch box that featured one of these horses.

Okay, let's take a little trip down memory lane. How many of us had a rocking horse when we were kids? How about a blanket with cowboys and/or cowgirls and horses? Anything else with a horse on it? Yes, there's a chance that you had some sort of equestrian home decor back then and did not even realize it.

There are horse-themed figurines, statuettes, and pottery dating back centuries from different cultures that created the pieces to honor the horse. The pieces that still exist are often a real treasure for a collector.

Whether you want to decorate an entire room with equestrian home decor or just add a few pieces here and there, you can find a wide variety of items to accent your home, such as a horse-themed fireplace screen, wall art, bedding, rugs, throw pillows, and so much more.

Adding equestrian home decor in your bedroom can be accomplished with a few simple horse-themed items such as a well-placed picture or two, a comfy floor rug, and a lamp and/or lampshade. Let's not forget the bedding and comforter. With their large surface area, they can show one or more horses in a pastoral setting or running free across a hillside.

Equestrian home decor is great for kids' rooms as well. Here, you can brighten a child's room with images of colts and fillies playing in a field. The kids will love a wooden rocking horse.
Children's bedding has many designs with horses to choose from.
You can also take the room decor one step further with an age-appropriate lamp that has horses depicted on the base or the shade. The finishing touch would be a decorative, yet playful horse design on a wall border.

Whatever your reason for being attracted to equestrian home decor, you can be assured that you will have plenty of decorative items to choose from.

The Wide Appeal Of Equestrian Home Decor

Equestrian home decor gives horse lovers a chance to show their love and appreciation for their four-legged friends. There are all kinds of home furnishings, accessories, and accents that feature a horse of some sort. It might be a table lamp with a horse sculpture on the base, a comforter that depicts horses running across a meadow, or a piece of wall art with a horse theme.

There are many reasons for the wide appeal of equestrian home decor. First, many people simply admire the form and beauty of the animal. Also, a horse might be reminiscent of time spent on a grandparent's farm or a summer camp where you learned to ride.

You might have seen examples of equestrian home decor in all sorts of homes, but the horse-themed decor that we're most fond of is found in homes with one of the casual styles of home decorating, such as western, rustic, southwestern, or country. Some people might be surprised to know that an increasingly large percentage of horse-themed decor is in homes of people that do not own horses.

Take a moment to think about your favorite horses from books, movies, or television. A few that come to mind for us are Trigger (the horse of Roy Rogers), Silver and Scout (the horses of the Lone Ranger and his sidekick Tonto), Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, and the mischievous Mr. Ed. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, many children in grade school had a lunch box that featured one of these horses.

Okay, let's take a little trip down memory lane. How many of us had a rocking horse when we were kids? How about a blanket with cowboys and/or cowgirls and horses? Anything else with a horse on it? Yes, there's a chance that you had some sort of equestrian home decor back then and did not even realize it.

There are horse-themed figurines, statuettes, and pottery dating back centuries from different cultures that created the pieces to honor the horse. The pieces that still exist are often a real treasure for a collector.

Whether you want to decorate an entire room with equestrian home decor or just add a few pieces here and there, you can find a wide variety of items to accent your home, such as a horse-themed fireplace screen, wall art, bedding, rugs, throw pillows, and so much more.

Adding equestrian home decor in your bedroom can be accomplished with a few simple horse-themed items such as a well-placed picture or two, a comfy floor rug, and a lamp and/or lampshade. Let's not forget the bedding and comforter. With their large surface area, they can show one or more horses in a pastoral setting or running free across a hillside.

Equestrian home decor is great for kids' rooms as well. Here, you can brighten a child's room with images of colts and fillies playing in a field. The kids will love a wooden rocking horse. Children's bedding has many designs with horses to choose from. You can also take the room decor one step further with an age-appropriate lamp that has horses depicted on the base or the shade. The finishing touch would be a decorative, yet playful horse design on a wall border.

Whatever your reason for being attracted to equestrian home decor, you can be assured that you will have plenty of decorative items to choose from.

From China to Porcelain

Porcelain, is today, so widely available and is such an every day commodity, that we could very easily overlook just how different it was. Â The West was introduced to oriental porcelain as early as the mid 15th century, when precious examples appeared in Lisbon, Portugal being the first to acquire trading rights from Imperial China. Prior to this, porcelain, both Chinese and Japanese, was seen in Europe as a mystical substance, with almost, magical properties, from a place that very few knew of, let alone, had been to. Most information was still based on the visit made by Marco Polo in 1275. One anecdotal story we have involves the last will and testament left by Queen Elizabeth the 1st, who died in 1603. Listed among the Queens personal effects was a little Chinese porcelain tea bowl, no doubt produced during the Ming dynasty, probably around 1550. This precious object, was not only considered as rare and valuable, but having magical, if not, life saving properties! It was commonly believed that this mysterious little bowl from the “Middle Kingdom” would turn black, should it come into contact with poison! This story had arrived in England from the Italian Medici court, where poison was a very real threat to the ruling family! The secret mystery of porcelain production remained a secret until 1704 when it was rediscovered in the Electoral state of Saxony (now northern Germany) under the patronage of Augustus, elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Augustus was a fanatical collector of Japanese porcelain in particular and would go to extreme lengths to acquire pieces for his collection; with much of his outstanding collection can still be seen today. From these early 18th century beginnings, porcelain from China and Japan began to arrive in Europe. The appeal of the market was immediate, and Oriental porcelain became the rage. It is worth recalling that we still call porcelain “China”, because, that’s where it came from! Ceramics, per se, are top of the list in being a surviving visual gauge of social change throughout history. From mans prehistoric history, it is usually, shards, or, broken pieces of low fired pottery which remain to give us a revealing insight into the lives of men and women as far back as it is possible to go. Since the Saxon development of porcelain over 300 years ago, innumerable changes have taken place throughout society,Âparticularly in standards of living.ÂIt is now, of course, possible for everyone to buy porcelain for everyday use, from very expensive to very inexpensive. One of the leading qualities of antique porcelain at our time of history is the ability to reconnect with our past through our antique acquisitions, which not only enrich our interiors, but further enrich our lives. The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique table lamp lighting with an on-line range of over 100 unique, antique and vintage table lamps on view. Lamps are shipped ready wired for the U.S, the U.K and Australia. For more information you are invited to visit their web site at -: www.antiquelampshop.com © The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009

Maurice Robertson, principal of The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co , has had a lifetime's association with antique porcelain and pottery,with his commercial experience spaning a period of 40 years,including as a valuer to the Australian Government's Incentive to the Arts Scheme. His long experience with antique ceramics and glass also includes dealing with leading museums and numerous international private collections. He has extended his ceramics expertise into the quality table lamps seen on the company's site, he is well known to local and international interior designers who have included many of his table lamps in their projects and has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister.

Explore Handicrafts of Rajasthan India

Rajasthan is a land of great heritage in terms of arts and crafts. The handicrafts of Rajasthan are world wide famous for their exquisite flavor. The exclusive range of Rajasthani handicrafts is admired by all. The astounding handicrafts are a must see and buy on your Rajasthan tour. At the backdrop of serene desert, is the heritage of Rajasthani handicrafts. The treasure trove of Rajasthan handicrafts is worth appreciating. Some of the beautiful handicrafts of Rajasthan include:

Jewelery

Rajasthanis are fond of adorning themselves with jewelery pieces. You will find almost every Rajasthani man and woman flaunting heavy jewelry and mostly made of silver. Each region of Rajasthan has its own style of jewelry. The tribal women also love wearing ornaments and their ornaments are very pretty. From bala to bajuband, gajra, jod, gokhru, rakhri, you will find almost every jewelry on the body of Rajasthanis. Even Rajasthani men are fond of jewelry. They love piercing their ears and so wear rings on the ears.

Paintings

Rajasthanis are dexterous in making beautiful paintings. Since ages the tradition of making paintings has been prevalent in the state. The mighty forts and palaces of Rajasthan were given a tender appearance by lovely paintings on walls, on cloths or in the form of murals. The miniature paintings of Rajasthan are very famous for their exclusivity. The varied themes and different color scheme make the paintings an affair of colors with beauty.

Metal Crafts

The tradition of metal crafts is ages old in Rajasthan. The people of Rajasthan are adept in rendering a lifelike shape to a metal piece. If you go to the state, you will find some of the best metal craft specimen that will be enameled in silver. You will have decorative items, wall hangings, jewelery boxes, show pieces, swords and shields and many more items in metal that can adorn your home.

Blue Pottery

Blue Pottery is typical to Jaipur in Rajasthan apart form Delhi. The art that traveled all way long from Persia obtained much patronage under Maharaja Ram Singh ji who first introduced it to the state. Blue pottery is a made from ground quartz stone. It employs a special color scheme where there is abundance of blue, green and white hues. The designs of the blue pottery are also unique where you can see floral, hand made motifs, images of animals. Buy flower vase, ashtray, tiles, lamp shades, household accessories of blue pottery.

Leather Ware

In the state of Rajasthan, you will find beautiful and durable pair of jootis, mojaris. The leather craft of the state is much popular. The embroidered jootis are a hot cake in the state. The chic handbags, designer wares are much famous.

Textiles

The textiles of Rajasthan are much famous among the fashion freaks. The bandhini prints have been amalgamated with the contemporary fashion styles. And today what the fashion enthusiasts have is the elegant form of bandhini prints textiles. Buy sarees, odhnis, turbans, bedsheets, cushion covers, etc in beautiful tie and dye. In addition to bandhini, batik print textiles are also famous in Rajasthan.

Carpets and Durries

Carpets and durries are a favorite among the locals and travelers to Rajasthan. The woven carpets are found in each home of the state to adorn the flooring. Visit Jaipur, Bikaner and tonk and there you have carpets in Persian style. The conventional geometric designs on the durries are found in Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Woodcraft

The wooden artifacts of Rajasthan are another popular handicraft of the state. The exclusive range of furniture items is much popular. The modern day items of wooden crafts are stools, beds, chairs, tables, marble top table. You will also find exciting range of decorative articles.

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Tiffany Desk Lighting For Today's Decor

The stained glass work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio became popular around 1902 when Tiffany Studios formed. Tiffany wanted to work with glass impregnated with minerals, thus spreading the element of color evenly through the glass instead of having a layer of paint sitting on the surface of the glass, as most glass artists up to that time had done. Many of Tiffany's works employed curvilinear and organic elements, bringing the word splendor to mind. Individual pieces of the cut glass were edge wrapped in copper foil before their assembly. Tiffany Studios created jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows, and lamps.

The original Tiffany Studios stopped production in 1932. However, to this day there are artisans engaged in the making of stained glass pieces in the same manner as Tiffany Studios. Some of these artisans make replicas of Tiffany designs. Others do variations inspired by Tiffany. The Meyda Tiffany Company, based in Yorkville, NY is currently the leader in Tiffany style production in the USA. Their work includes pieces inspired by a variety of well known designers such as and including Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Tiffany windows and lamps are the most popular items currently made by the artisans of today. Because lamps are needed in every home and office setting, they are perhaps the most sought after Tiffany inspired items on today's market. Tiffany inspired lamps come in a variety of styles and shapes. Many are round, having curved shades. Others are square or oblong. In considering lamps appropriate for usage on the desk, the square and oblong shaped lamps seem most at home. These lamps are made with a variety of different bases-the gooseneck, single and double bridge arm, and the single, central base.

When choosing Tiffany inspired desk lighting, it is important to consider both design and function. It is possible to use the smaller sized compact fluorescent bulbs in most of these lamps, thus bringing their energy efficiency up to today's standards. Most of these lamps are fixed, or nonadjustable. This does make it nice to have the work area as clear and open as possible, so that the desk lamp placement may be adjusted as necessary. Organization and lack of clutter increase the design impact of the Tiffany desk lamps as well as their function. These lamps are not shrinking violets. They are detailed and colorful. They like being the dominant design element in their immediate area. To fully enjoy their intricacies, the surrounding area needs to be relatively quiet or calm.

While not for everyone, Tiffany desk lamps can be the perfect choice for your work area. Their color and design bring an element of the artful to an area where work predominates. It can be incredibly refreshing to glance up into glowing beauty while working at a desk or computer. And when not sitting at the desk, the Tiffany desk lamp continues to function as a piece of art work in the setting, pleasant to look at whether illuminated or not.

Connie Roselander has worked in the arts for many years.

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The Top 8 Ways to Create Southwest Decor

Usually, people that want to use Southwest decor think big. While the walls need to be the correct texture and color, authentic Native American and western style art is needed, and the right rugs and blankets should be incorporated into the room, sometimes, small additions are what make the biggest impact. We wanted to show you eight methods for achieving the southwest look and feel using small items that pack a punch.

Without a doubt, the spirit of the old west is something calming and unique offering a rich history. If you are wanting to change your family home, vacation property or cabin, the details make the difference.

1. Candles - Most homes today have candles located in several rooms. Scented candles provide an inviting fragrance and also create a homey and romantic atmosphere with the soft glow. Candles for Southwest decor come in virtually hundreds of options. For instance, adding a grouping of tiered candles using two or more popular rustic colors. Another choice that many people make is to stack candles with caramel colors that feature Indian beads dangling from jute rope. The color compliments the southwest flavor and choosing a fragrance such as spiced wood or jasmine would support the earthy design.

2. Clocks - For southwest family room decor, add something special like a western style clock. Three examples include an arrowhead-shaped clock with a picture of a beautiful Native American woman in the center, one with a wolf and eagle, or a clock that features wild horses.

3. Pottery - Every Indian tribe leaves their own unique signature of patterns and colors when it comes to pottery. Adding a hand painted piece of pottery or a natural vase to the Southwest decor would enhance the room's appearance.

4. Dreamcatcher - A dreamcatcher has always been a traditional part of Native American culture, when hung on the wall, it promotes peace and good dreams. Made from high quality wool, feathers, fur, and Indian beads, this handmade piece of art is gorgeous and makes a perfect focal point.

5. Lamps - You can choose from elaborate chandeliers and pendants or simple floor, and table lamps and fixtures in various designs. Some lamps are made from hand-forged wrought iron and enhanced with a stretched rawhide or pigskin shade with beautifully hand painted images or you could choose a fixture that is actually shaped like a wolf head, cow's skull, Indian drum, etc.

6. Figurines - Of course, rooms with a Southwest decor often have figurines on display. Most are made from iron or wood, showing either western or Native relics such as a canoe, eagle, horse, Kokopelli, Kachina doll, Indian chief, drum, etc.

7. Mission Art Work - The Mission style is also associated with Southwest decor, made from wrought iron or wood, and available in several designs. Some people will use large metal Mission style cross on the wall, place candles on wood rustic designed candleholders, use a Mission style fireplace screen, or display a lantern with colorful glass inserts.

8. Antlers - The rustic style of the southwest also includes antlers. With this, you would have the option of installing an actual antler chandelier or choose a small candleholder or sculpture, beautifully made from real antlers.

Get "The Rustic Southwest Decorating Guide" a popular free download with room by room tips and ideas to help you get the look you want. You can also get discount coupons and special offers on southwest decor from Mission Del Rey. http://www.missiondelrey.com

Contemporary Baby Bedding - Modern and Trendy Nursery Bedding

Can you believe it? Yes, the term contemporary baby bedding is real, and modern nursery bedding for your most precious asset is made and designed by manufacturers with your child's comfort and health in mind while creating the nursery into a fashionable and trendy baby pad!

When shopping for crib bedding, you will find many top brand names available at your local malls and over the internet that will meet your standards in bed sets for infants. One that comes to mind is Pottery Barn Kids, a top of the line brand specializing in bedding for children of all ages, from nursery bedding to dorm room bedding. Pottery Barn Kids offers a combination of classic elegance blended with fantastic modern colors, and most importantly, made from all natural fabrics.

You'll find that the construction of contemporary baby bedding can be, for the most part, asymmetrical in design with assorted colors creating a nursery room that is modern, attractive, and at the same time, functional and safe.

Modern nursery bedding for baby girls come packed with lovely modern colors such as soft greens, chocolate browns and sweet pinks, mixed together beautifully to form a captivating ultra-modern nursery room. For baby boy, the nursery can be adorned with light teal blue, taupe, white with chocolate brown highlights creating a room that is full of life and sunshine. If you are blessed with more than one child, you can combine both themes in one room merging the unique designs and colors into a retro design that will surely create a perfect nursery.

The very minimum contemporary baby bedding sets include a bed quilt, dust ruffle, a wrap-around bumper and a fitted sheet - baby bedding that will endure throughout your child's growing years, if chosen correctly.

However, there are many great online shops that offer nursery bedding collections with a myriad of accessories, including pillows, diaper stacker, toy bags, lampshades, spindle lamps and tab valances that absolutely complete a gorgeous ensemble. Popular motifs and styles make up modern baby bedding that exude a wonderfully soft, cuddly and comforting feel that both you and your baby will appreciate for many years.

Whether you want the type of nursery that appears bright and very active, or one that is serene and pastel-like, modern baby bedding offers it all. Your best decision should always be based on the decor you're aiming for, and one that suits you and your family's life-style and personality.

Whatever your choice, you'll find that contemporary baby bedding is made for baby's comfort and well being, and at the same time, offering parents the option of a trendy decor and retro motif - a fashion statement that will catch your eye and fit your budget, as well.

For Contemporary Baby Bedding at incredible discounts, buy bed sets online at ContemporaryBedding-Deals.com. Huge savings on luxury bedding by famous name brands - all types, styles and motifs for children of all ages - and grownups too!