African Art Blog

Beautiful Aged African Art Pieces Just Added To Our Store!

2012-01-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

1/30/2012 - Here at Acacia Wood Carvings, we are very excited about some new additions to our African art store. We have always provided customers with very affordable African art that is also beautiful and authentic. These pieces are perfect for decorating your home with multiple pieces while still being budget friendly, but we have always been in search of what we like to call "WOW" pieces. These are items that are one-of-a-kind and truly magnificent.

We have just added a large selection of these "WOW" pieces to our store and we think our customers will be as impressed as we were when we first saw them. These items are museum quality art that will be the centerpiece of any collection.

From very rare African masks, to beautiful and unique aged statuary, to superb African weaponry, there is something for everyone. We now offer all types of African art from all over Africa. Please visit our store to see these products for yourself. African Art For Sale.

Christmas Decorating Ideas For The Holidays

2010-11-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few unique ideas for the upcoming Christmas holiday season. We love the holidays at Acacia Wood Carvings and hope that you are inspired by some of these ideas.

Home decorating is great any time of the year but it seems to be exceptionally popular during the Christmas holiday. When November rolls around, people are making plans to decorate and are searching for unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday. Since this season only comes once a year, people tend to go all out, filling their homes with festive ornaments and decorations.

There are many home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday but finding unique ways to jazz up your home may not quite so easy. This might be where your imagination steps in. You may have visions of what you’d like but turning that vision into reality may seem inconceivable. When it comes to unique home decorating, nothing is too difficult to accomplish. With the right materials and help, you can work on your unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday.

Fortunately professional home decorators and home décor businesses understand the need for help in home decorating. Because if this need, they publish magazines and set up websites featuring decorating tips, including unique home decorating tips for the Christmas holiday. Actually these home décor specialists usually publish material according to the season. A special publication is often printed for the Christmas holiday. If searching the Internet, you’ll find many sources for unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday. It’s easy to run out to a department store and pick up whatever is in style this year but many people would rather have their own unique decorations at Christmas time.

When home decorating for the Christmas holiday, people generally stick to the traditional red and green theme. This is unfortunate since there is a wide range of colors that could be used at Christmas time to enhance your home. Trendy decorating magazines will likely suggest you use any color you like to create those unique decorations. Often you’ll see purple, blue and yellow used in Christmas presentations in store windows. Unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday is all about individuality. Using your ideas and your imagination, you can create something totally individual, unlike any other decorations. If your creation is a hit, it may not be unique the next Christmas holiday.

Unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday should include traditional things such as pine cones, poinsettias, holly berries and cranberries. These items make great additions to Christmas arrangements, trees, table settings, wreaths and anything to do with home decorating for the Christmas holiday. Unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday, no matter what materials are used, will certainly be a reason for conversation when guests come to visit. When on the topic of home decorating for Christmas, perhaps your guests may be able to share a few unique ideas with you. It might be wise to jot down any suggestions and ideas for Christmas decorating. Since you’re unlikely to use these ideas until the next Christmas holiday, these great tips and suggestions just may be forgotten and once again you’ll be searching for unique home decorating ideas for the Christmas holiday.

Home Decorating For Thanksgiving

2010-11-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Well, its that time of year again. The holidays are just around the corner and we wanted to give a few ideas for Thanksgiving when it comes to home decorating.

Thanksgiving is a time of year in which families from all across the nation gather together and enjoy the presence of each other and give thanks for the fact that we live in this great country and have the means with which to celebrate in this manner. It is a great time that is representative of the hand of friendship that was extended to us in the past and the season of harvest.

Thanksgiving takes place during the autumn season, which makes it an ideal time to decorate in the splendid colors of fall. These colors are not the bright colors that represent spring and summer or the sparking colors that epitomize Christmas but the colors of nature once she has seasoned and matured a bit. The colors are nothing short of spectacular and provide an excellent palate upon which you can decorate your home.

The leaves and foliage of fall make excellent arrangements and garlands. If you want to hold onto the look for years to come and incorporate them into your regular fall decorating rather than simply enjoying them for one Thanksgiving holiday there are plenty of excellent and life-like silk leaf garlands that will make excellent additions to your home decorating contributions. The better quality you find in these the more likely they are to stand up to years of service and storage. The same holds true with any imitation items you purchase. Better quality typically indicates a much longer shelf life.

Fall fruits and vegetables also make excellent decorations when it comes to giving thanks and home decorating. In fact, the food from the harvest and the friendship of the Indians was the very reason for the first Thanksgiving why on earth shouldn't it be included in your celebration of thanks?

Wreathes in fall colors are another excellent idea for decorating your home for Thanksgiving. It makes all who enter feel welcome and it is appropriate for the season. There is no such thing in this day and age as an all season wreath though there are many that can be adjusted to meet the needs of each season with simple steps. A grapevine wreath is a good start and can easily have seasonal things tied or attached to it in order to experience greater longevity.

Pilgrims also make an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving decorations. They were after all the original celebrants of this tradition that has become a holiday for this great nation. You can have your children help select or even make the pilgrims that you will be adding to your decorations as well as a handprint turkey or two. Not all home decorations need to be expensive or elegant. Sometimes the simplest decorations drawn by the hands of a child are the ones that make the most memorable impressions on friends and family alike.

Cornucopias are another great centerpiece and decoration for the Thanksgiving holiday. Not everyone has a large enough dinner table to accommodate one of these but they also work well on a buffet, a hall table, and almost any other location your heart can desire and you can manage to fit it in.

If all else fails however, the food for Thanksgiving is all the decorations that some at your table will need. Do not forget the meaning of this season a time to give thanks for all the blessings in your life and enjoy the food and the decorations but more importantly enjoy the friends and the family.

Share Your Home Decorating Ideas With Others

2010-10-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Almost all of our best home decorating ideas has come from being inspired by someone elses ideas. It is very important to share your creative ideas and inspiration when it comes to home decorating. Especially if you are confused or dont know what to do, looking to others can be a great way to figure it out.

Great home decorating ideas are meant to be shared. When discovering a new home decorating technique, why not share it with a friend or family member? There is always someone in a circle of friends who is making changes to their home décor. There are so many wonderful fabrics, colors and accessories on the market today. It is difficult to resist the opportunity to decorate your home. A stroll through a building supply store or department store automatically produces home decorating ideas. People who like change are likely to take these home decorating ideas and turn them into reality.

When visiting a friend’s home for coffee, it is a common practice to check out their space. If it’s a home you visit often, no doubt you’ll notice changes right away. Those changes will probable turn into a conversation about home decorating. If something in the décor really catches your eye, no doubt you will question the friend regarding where they bought it or what gave them the idea? If you are interested in making similar changes at your home, no doubt the friend will share their home decorating ideas with you.

You’re hosting a dinner party for a group of people from work. Making sure to pull out all the stops you spend hours decorating the house. The changes you make or things you add may not seem out of the ordinary to you but, a guest may think it is magnificent. Dinner conversation will probably turn into sharing home decorating ideas. The men in the group may not be too thrilled but the women - they’ll be in the element.

Sharing home decorating ideas might simply mean suggesting a neutral color for a room instead of a bold color. Offering advice to a friend regarding window treatments might be considered sharing home decorating ideas. There are many ideas and suggestions a person can pass on about home decorating. If you have good home decorating ideas, why not share them with a friend who seems to need help in that area. Your ideas may be just what the friend’s space requires. Who knows, sharing your home decorating ideas may even make your friendship stronger.

There are many opportunities to share home decorating ideas. Group gatherings are a great chance to talk about home decorating. When shopping at a department store or a paint shop, perhaps an employee who is knowledgeable about home decorating will voluntarily share their ideas with you. Family magazines are a good source for home decorating ideas. Usually these magazines provide a photo with all relative information regarding the home decorating. There are books published which are filled with home decorating ideas. These books can usually be found at a local bookstore or you may want to check with online bookstores as well. The Internet is a great resource when seeking home decorating ideas. There are some sites which are developed by professional home decorators to advertise their skills and promote business. There are also sites, accessible by anyone, which shares home decorating ideas. Finding great ideas for decorating your home is not a problem. However, if you discover techniques and tips which you think would benefit someone else, you really ought to share them.

How To Decorate Your Bathroom On A Budget

2010-05-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

In today's tough economy, most of us are looking for ways to save and just because money may be tight does not mean that you cant' do any decorating in your home. This article will give you a few great ideas for decorating your bathroom on a budget. We hope that you are enjoying our article series and we wish you the best of luck with your home decorating.

When it comes to home decorating there are few rooms that have quite the impact of a bathroom or kitchen when being decorated. There is something wonderful about taking a tired old bathroom and making it seem bright and shiny once again. Most people, however, cringe at the thought of a bathroom remodel fearing the absolute worst when it comes to their financial situation once all is said and done. The good news is that small steps can lead to big changes in rooms as small as bathrooms. These small steps do not have to have large prices in order to be highly effective.

My suggestion with a bathroom is to assess where the worst blemishes and eyesores may be. Painting the walls can be a good place to start but you should first decide whether you are planning to remove any cabinetry. This is one room where it is best to save the painting for later in the project rather than the beginning. The vanity in many bathrooms takes up a good deal of real estate. Gone are the days when chunky cabinets were the popular choice for bathrooms. Now people want the bathrooms to have the appearance of a wide-open space. This means that cabinets and vanities are becoming smaller rather than larger.

Most homeowners find that the removal of bulky cabinetry in the bathroom often leads to some degree of patching required for the drywall and noticeable gaps in flooring. These will need to be addressed fairly quickly, which means that now is a good time to select color options for the walls and flooring. Smaller bathrooms do well with lighter colors on the walls in order to give them a larger appearance. Use towels and decorations to bring in darker accents but keep the walls light and bright. Also choose paint that can withstand the high humidity of bathrooms.

Flooring in a bathroom also needs to be able to withstand high heat and humidity as this room is rather abusive to floors and walls. For this reason, hardwood is not the floor of choice for most bathrooms. Ceramic tile is an excellent choice and not terribly expensive. There are also some laminates that are designed to respond well to a high humidity environment such as will be found in a bathroom. Choose flooring that will accent the walls and the overall sense of décor you are hoping to achieve when decorating your home and bathroom, as this is not something you are going to want to change often.

The toilet in a bathroom is fairly simple to purchase but I recommend leaving it be unless it absolutely needs to be changed. This is not a simple procedure for the novice and experts are expensive. In this case "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is an excellent motto to live by. The same holds true with the shower. If, however, you simply cannot live with your shower (or bathtub) as is, you may want to try hiring professionals to come in and resurface your tub. This is much less expensive than purchasing a brand-new tub and will have yours looking bright, shiny, and as good as new. Again you can avoid the high cost of a plumber despite the fact that you are paying for professionals to resurface.

To top things off, you will be amazed at the difference that new knobs, fixtures, and hardware can make in a bathroom. Add a couple of lamps for subtle lighting and some decorative touches of your own and you have a brand new bathroom without spending a king's ransom in order to do so. The shower curtain and 'guest' towels should be your largest splurges in your bathroom, as they will tie the room all together. You shower curtains and towels will blend the colors and designs in order to create the overall atmosphere you should be hoping to achieve in your bathroom. And all of this can be accomplished one step at a time no matter how sparse your budget may be.

Home Decorating On A Budget

2010-05-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

In today's tough economy, there are many things in life that get pushed to the back burner. Good news is that home decorating does not need to break the bank. This article talks about a few tips and tricks to decorate your home on a budget.

Home decorating is not something that requires a vast fortune in order to do. Nor is it something that must be accomplished all at once. The ideal manner to decorate a home is one step at a time, one room at a time. This makes the process much less stressful, more enjoyable, and imminently more affordable. Some great ideas are to start small then work your way up.

Paint is one of the least expensive things you can do to a room that will have the most immediate and profound impact on the overall look and feel of the room in question. By selecting the paint colors and painting the walls before anything else is done everything else can be done in order to match the colors you have placed on the walls. More importantly, paint is something that the average person is capable of doing on their own rather than being forced to hire experts in order to get it done. Any home improvement project that you can do yourself will save more money than you can imagine along the way.

Once you've managed changing your walls, you may wish to change your window treatments. Roman shades are an excellent choice as they are rather simple to make (which would leave you only the cost of the fabric and supplies) but they are not the only option. I would recommend some sort of curtains as a form of window treatment as they are much more personal than the typical mini blinds found in so many homes today. Curtains or Roman shades can be purchased to match the colors on your walls and should not be a terribly expensive investment.

Flooring has in the past often been out of reach of those seeking to casually improve the look of a room. New technology and materials have made new flooring a valid option even for those who are on seriously limited home decorating budgets. Laminates are a good option for those who love the look of hardwood but cannot afford the expense of materials and/or labor for these floors in their homes. Laminates can often be installed by even those with limited skills and make a very noticeable change in the look and feel of a room. Peel and stick tile is another option for those whose budgets will not accommodate laminate flooring. Check out the options and the prices at your local home improvement store. You just might be amazed at what you can afford.

Rather than purchasing new furniture to make an impressive impact on the look of your living area, try furniture covers. These can often be purchased in shades that will match your new décor and are much less expensive than new furniture leaving money for the little touches that matter so much in the overall look of the room. Besides, when friends and family walk in and see the changes they will be shocked and amazed. They may even be convinced that you do in fact have new furniture.

Mirrors are excellent tools to use when decorating a home. More importantly, they are rather inexpensive for the most part. Mirrors also lend the appearance of a much more wide-open space than having no mirrors would accomplish. If you have a fire place, strategically located mirrors can spread the warmth and coziness (if not the heat) of a fire throughout the room making the room as a whole seem like a much more enjoyable place to escape the winter "blahs".

Artwork, candles, vases, and floral arrangements can be purchased one piece at a time in order to give the room a more polished look. Once you've decorated one room in your home with these budget tips in mind you can move on to other rooms in your home and incorporate the same ideals as you go. Remember that decorating your home doesn't have to cost a fortune but it will require some patience and planning on your part. With this in mind, there should be nothing to stop you from heading out today and getting to work on your new home decorating plans.

Decorating Log Home Interiors

2010-05-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

I know that decorating the interior of a log home may be a far cry from African Decor, but we are fascinated with all types of home decor and we like to have an open mind when it comes to decorating. This is why you will see many different types of ideas on our blog, including those that may be extremely different than African Art. We are happy to have articles on our site that promote Interior Decorating as a whole so that each style can be appreciated individually.

Log home decorating is perhaps on of the more fun decorating projects. Using a cottage theme, log home decorating provides you an opportunity to draw from nature and implement some of your favourite objects. If you are a person who spends a lot of time at your cottage or log home, no doubt you’ve started a collection of treasures to display. Family photos and handmade ornaments are popular accessories for log home decorating. Any object reflecting family memories are great for a log home or cottage.

A log cabin is a home away from home. It is intended to be warm and cozy for all those who visit. Choosing earthly colors for paint and fabric would help create this atmosphere in log home decorating. This environment is meant to be welcoming and cheerful. Adding some vibrant colors and patterns in cushions and slip-covers will certainly brighten the space and enhance your log home decorating.

Usually people try to find used furniture for their log home or cottage. You many have some unwanted furniture at home such as a chair, a table or a couch. Instead of discarding them, why not take them to your log home. Flea markets and garage sales are great places to find amazing furniture to use in your log home decorating project. Remember, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Old wooden pieces of furniture are perfect for log cabin decorating. You may want to leave them in their original state or to give them a newer look, you may want to paint them or if it’s a chair, perhaps make nice slip-covers in a bright floral pattern.

Besides the mementos you brought from home, there are many accessories you can use in log cabin decorating. Trying to keep with a cottage theme, you might look for baskets made from natural materials that you can hang from the ceiling or place on a table, wooden bowls, galvanized tin pots and buckets, old jars or jugs, there are countless objects you could use to accessorize in log home decorating. Trying to create a feeling of warmth and cosiness, you could have handmade quilts in your log cabin. Handmade items make wonderful additions to log home decorating.

When choosing flooring for a log home or cottage, natural wood such as birch, cedar or pine, are great choices. You can leave your wood floor in its natural form, allowing it to age and remain authentic looking. You can also pick from many beautiful wood stains to use on your floor which will protect it and also compliment it. Area rugs are nice in log home decorating. Area rugs make a space cozy especially when laid on a wood floor.

Log home decorating allows you to be in touch with nature and all the wonderful materials it has to share. The very structure of the building is made of logs which came from the forest. The scent of the logs alone, add to the natural feeling in a log cabin. Log home decorating is a project that may never be completed. You’ll always find something special that can only be appreciated in your log cabin or cottage.

A Few Tips About Home Decorating

2010-05-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to decorate a home, from African Art to Art Deco, there are just so many options. There are a few things that you should always keep in mind and below we have listed a few more tips to help you in your home decorating adventures.

When people think about making changes to their home, either one or two rooms or the entire space, most often they imagine color. Generally people choose colors they are fond of or those which correspond with pieces of furniture. When searching for ideas for decorating a home, one idea which is perhaps overlooked is decorating with the two basic colors – black and white.

Black and white, used in decorating, creates drama and pizzazz. It is said that every room can benefit by using a touch of black. Black is a color which anchors and grounds a room. Adding sophistication, black is definitely a color that demands attention. Ideas for decorating a home using black may include accessories such as light fixtures, trim or furniture. Black serves to add definition to focal points of a room. Black is just one color that stands out or makes a statement.

Using black and white when decorating a home, provides a clean, fresh, elegant atmosphere. This combination can be added to any room in a home making it a sophisticated space. Black and white are often used in contemporary home decorating and often used to accent other colors in French Country design. It may be hard to visualize but there are many ideas for decorating a home using only these two basic colors.

The floor is a great place to start in decorating a space. Black and white vinyl tiles laid alternately makes a beautiful checkerboard pattern and looks clean and elegant. Black marble used on the floor, accented by wide white baseboards, another beautiful idea for decorating a home. White ceramic tiles with a black border or simply paint the floor black or white and use stencils of the opposite color for decoration. These are great ideas for decorating a home.

White walls, is there anything more perfect? Painting the walls white or even an off-white, would make a perfect background for accessories such as artwork framed in black. That you can imagine. Elegant black window treatments or black shutter against a clean, crisp white wall would definitely create an aura of sophistication. Perhaps a glass-top table with black iron trim and black chairs, these are terrific ideas for decorating a home using black and white.

A bedroom decorated using black and white would be lovely. An iron bed-frame in black or white, covered with a striped black and white comforter. For the pillow shames, you could use either all black or all white and could add throw cushions in the opposite color. A nice leather black or white chair in the corner would be certainly accent the room. Then the white walls with an elegant piece of artwork, framed in black hanging on it, this would surely add to the contemporary feel. Black furniture against the crisp white walls would look neat and tidy. Jazz up the room with accessories such as pewter or silver candlesticks, jugs or vases. If you think the room needs a little color to complete the look, perhaps a throw or cushion in a bold color like red or gold, for the chair in the corner of the room would be enough to accent the room.

Ideas for decorating a home, they are numerous. Finding one that suits you and those that live in your home is important. It’s nice to do something radical and off-the-wall but remember you must be able to live with it for awhile.

Decorating The Home Office

2010-04-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Every room in a house requires a face-lift or organizing once in awhile. Many people have home offices which require decorating. If this is your dilemma, you have help since there are many ideas for home office decorating. Planning a home office project doesn’t have to be expensive which is great because perhaps you can afford a professional decorator to transform your home office. Creativity goes a long way when you are home office decorating.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a separate room for their home office. The main thing to remember in home office decorating is to do your best with what you’ve got. You may have to set up your home office in a closet, a corner of your living room, on a stair landing or in a spare room. Wherever your home office may be in your home, there are ways to decorate it, making it a comfortable and enjoyable place to work.

Once you’ve decided on a space for your home office, you’ll need a plan. Doing the home office decorating yourself will save time and money. Painting is something you can definitely do. When choosing colors for your home office, a fresh lively color or a calming color would be the best choices. These tones will set the mood for your work space. To jazz it up a little, you might want to use stencilling around your desk or perhaps wallpaper one wall to enhance the space you have.

When looking for ideas for home office decorating, why not look around your home. No doubt there are pieces of furniture that aren’t being used. Perhaps there’s a comfortable chair you can take for your home office. If space is a big issue, you might want to build a desk. Building a desk for your home office decorating project can be as simple as laying a piece of board on top of a filing cabinet or a smaller table. Home office decorating doesn’t mean you have to rush out to an office furnishing store and max out your credit card. You can decorate a home office using items you already have or if you’d like something different, why not visit a few charity shops or garage sales. You are guaranteed to find something useful that will cost you very little.

If you’ll be spending a fair amount of time in your home office space, it is important to include details that will inspire you such as artwork or music. Lighting is also essential in a workspace. If you are decorating a small area, lamps may be best for lighting. Plants are also nice in a home office. Choosing a favorite plant to put in your workspace would surely be inspiring. Photos of family and happy memories are nice to have in your home office. If space is an issue, you may want to choose one wall to hang your artwork and photos. Another wall can be used for shelving, to store your office supplies, books and necessities for your work. It would be great if you could leave at least one wall fairly clear, too much is often distracting. There are many great ideas for home office decorating. If you seem to be a standstill with your project, make use of some of the great resources available such as home office decorating magazines and catalogs, television decorating programs and the Internet. Each of these suggestions will provide many useful ideas for home office decorating.

We hope that you are enjoying our continued article series on home decorating from different points of view. We love African decor, but we are also passionate about many other styles of interior decorating and we hope that you can get some great ideas for your project at home.

Summer Home Decorating Ideas

2010-04-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Summer is just around the corner and as we do our spring cleaning, it may be time to change some of our decor. This article focuses on some ideas for summer home decorating. We hope that you enjoy...

Summer is the perfect time of year to wear your true patriotic colors. This is the time of year to enjoy watermelon, fried chicken, corn on the cob, and apple pie. It is the time of year when days are long, nights are hot, and watching fireflies light up the night sky is one of the many joys that should not be forgot. Summer home decorating styles should keep all of these things in mind and so much more.

Sunflowers are an excellent place to begin when it comes to summer decorating. They make an excellent statement and immediately (for many) bring to mind sunshine and summertime. The bright yellow of these flowers is a great accent for almost any room in the home and they are quite common in the silk form, as they have experienced some degree of popularity in recent years. This means you can enjoy the beauty of these sunflowers summer after summer if that is your wish.

Baskets are also a great thing to collect for summertime decorating. You can place some of the beautiful sunflowers in baskets throughout the house for added effect. Baskets can also be used to tame the clutter, hide the bills, and hold the utensils in the kitchen. These are quite versatile and usable in almost every room in the house. Some even use baskets in the bathroom in order to hold hand towels and/or wash clothes. Baskets also transition well into other seasons if you elect to change the liners or add seasonally appropriate ribbons to the exterior of the baskets.

If you are handy with the paint brush some excellent summer decorating ideas include painting old wooden tables and chairs white and sponging on either apples or watermelons according to your fancy. A small round table with a couple of chairs can make an excellent (and often inexpensive) addition to a sunroom or breakfast nook. Of course you could also stencil on some sunflowers, sunshine, or stick figures playing ball. Whatever strikes your fancy would be a great addition to this clever home decorating idea.

If you'd like a little sizzle to your summer theme try going for a Moroccan nights theme in your home. Mosaics candle holders and wall sconces coupled with a few large pillows in rich fabrics can greatly enhance this atmosphere without breaking the piggy bank in the process. Candles and indirect lighting further enhance the mood as well as incense burning in the background.

Others prefer to lend their home decorating skills for summertime to the exteriors of their homes. This is often accomplished by creating an outdoor living area. Even most mass retailers are getting in on the profits that can be had by creating an elegant exterior living area for most families. Gone are the days when plastic chairs were adequate for the demands of consumers. Today's outdoor living area is filled with elegant and element friendly furnishings that appeal to many different design styles and tastes.

In addition to the many wonderful furnishing options for exterior living areas many families are choosing to incorporate outdoor fireplaces in order to make the living area livable during other times of year than summer as well as outdoor cooling systems that help families keep their cool while enjoying the great outdoors during summer time. By creating an atmosphere outside your home where you can enjoy the summer you are making the most of the space that is available to you and bringing a good bit of the cooking outside which often helps keep energy costs down as well.

Summertime is a great time for home decorating for those who are inclined to let their imaginations run wild. This is one time of year when most people can remember what it felt like to be a kid out of school and relish the memories. Capitalize on those fond memories and incorporate them into your décor for an amazing appeal.

Using Baskets With Your Home Decor

2010-04-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

At Acacia Wood Carvings, we enjoy all types of home decorating styles. We specialize in African home decor, but we want to provide ideas for all types of home decorating. This article focuses on using baskets as a decorating accent.

There are very few things you can add to your home décor that will have quite the versatility of baskets. Baskets are not only decorative touches, they also blend well with almost any décor and in most cases are quite willing to suit dual purposes as both decoration and much needed storage.

Below you will find some clever ways to use baskets. Enjoy!

1) Mail sorter. Try hanging a row of baskets near your entryway. As you are walking into your home while sorting the mail slip the appropriate piece of mail into the corresponding basket. Have one basket for each family member and drop the junk mail into the wastebasket you've placed just below the row of baskets on your wall. This way everyone has easy access to his or her mail and junk mail is handled as well.
2) Kitchen organizer. There are many jobs in the kitchen that baskets pull off beautifully. One such job is that of napkin holder. There are actually baskets by a famous brand that are the absolute perfect size for holding napkins for the dinner table. Additionally taller baskets make excellent holders for kitchen utensils that need to be within easy reach of the stove. There are even small baskets that make excellent holders for small jars of frequently used seasonings such as salt and pepper. Keep your eyes open the next time you're in the kitchen and consider all the great ways baskets could help out.
3) Knitting supplies. Larger baskets are excellent tools for taming the beast that can easily become your supply of knitting tools and notions. Limit your collection to one large basket and eliminate the things that will not fit. This keeps you on top of your knitting supplies while keeping them out of site and protected from dirty baby paws.
4) Umbrella holder. This is an excellent use for a basket if you have one of the proper size. Place it on the floor next to your coat rack or closet or in your entryway and you will always have ready access to your umbrellas when bad weather comes your way.
5) Magazine holder. This is one very common use for baskets but one that should very well be mentioned.
6) Toy box. This is perhaps a favorite among parents who are fortunate enough to have an extra empty basket at any given time. Anytime unexpected company shows up this is an excellent tool for quickly gathering all stray toys and getting them out of sight.
7) Office supplies. There are many baskets that make excellent organizers and holders for office supplies. From pen and pencil holders to those that are ideal for paper clips, sticky notes, and liquid paper there are many baskets that are almost ideal for a home office.
8) Laundry hamper. This is yet another great use for a basket. They are able to breathe by the very nature of their design so that if for some reason a wet wash clothe or damp towel gets thrown in it doesn't necessarily spell ruin for the whole batch of laundry.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the virtues of baskets but a good place to start the next time you are having an internal debate about whether or not to invest the money in a good quality basket for your home decorating needs.

Home Interior Decorating Ideas

2010-04-06T12:55:00.001-07:00

Home interior decorating is a perfect opportunity for you to express yourself. Home interior decorating allows you to showcase your interests; interests in furniture, art and even different cultures. Every decorating style is different, with some being elaborate while others are plain. However, there is a home interior decorating style to suit your personality as well as your budget.

Budget is usually at the top of the list when making plans for home interior decorating. It is easy to look at a picture and want to recreate it in your space. Sometimes the details in home decorating pictures are quite expensive which may introduce obstacles for you. There’s no need to be disheartened however, there are always alternate ideas to help you achieve your ideal space. Resources such as magazines, books, television programs and Internet websites are very helpful with suggestions and ideas for home interior decorating. Using these resources you’re bound to find alternatives to any problems you may have with home interior decorating.

If you are an individual who loves color and authentic home interior decorating, there are several designs to choose from. Primitive home interior decorating is interesting because it concentrates on old and handmade items. This is a wonderful opportunity to display collectables and handed down treasures. This style suggests using accessories and furniture which appear extremely old, worn, stained or antique. If you are a person who likes antiques, primitive interior decorating might be right for you. When choosing a paint color for this design, dark and warm shades are recommended. Deep grey or red brick would work well in this space.

Another home interior decorating design that you may find interesting is whimsical decorating. This design allows you to go wild with your imagination. Using any and all of your favourite colors, you space should be decorated thoroughly with various patterns and colors. This home interior decorating design is all about color. The important detail to remember however is, if you choose bold vibrant colors, stay within that hue of color. If you decide to use pastel colors, stick with colors in the pastel palette.

If you have difficulty moving from the past into modern home interior decorating, traditional design may be for you. This home interior decorating style combines the modern look with the elegant look of the past. Space is important in the traditional design. To help create a spacious atmosphere, neutral colors such as neutral, beige or mushroom is recommended for the walls. To add a punch of color to this traditional design, darker colors such as burgundy, mauve, blues and greens are suggested for the upholstery, fabric, rugs, etc. When choosing accessories for this home interior decorating design, china and crystal objects will compliment this style. You might also like to add some artwork to your space. Paintings with wood frames go great with this traditional theme.

There are just three of the many designs for home interior decorating. There are many and there is one, just for you. Browsing sources about home interior decorating designs will give you a better idea of their characteristics regarding color, furnishings, flooring and accessories. With your individual tastes and interests at the forefront, you ought to be able to find a style that works for you. Home interior decorating can turn your home into an oasis of pure enjoyment.

Decorating Your Home's Interior

2010-03-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Although we focus on African home decor, we are fans of interior decorating in general, which is why you will find many different types of styles and information on our blog. Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy this article on Interior decorating.

Is it time again to consider decorating the interior of your home? Are you enthused about this possibility or are you frustrated? Does the thought decorating the interior or your home make you want to skip town or does it make you anxious and excited? There are certainly mixed feelings when it comes to decorating the interior of homes. Not everyone is creative or skilled. They might assume they are incapable of interior decorating. Some people simply do not like this sort of project. Then there are those individuals who can’t wait to roll up their sleeves and get into the paint and plaster. There is plenty of help available for every single individual, no matter what their feelings are regarding decorating the interior of their home.

If you absolutely hate the idea of decorating the interior of your home, a professional interior decorator might be the best solution for you. They will work with you to help you choose a decorating design including colors, flooring, furnishings and accessories. They will put the plan in motion but you’ll probably need to hire a painter or someone to install your flooring. This is a great option if you can afford it but many people do not have the funds to pay a professional interior decorator, a painter and a flooring installer.

If you are an adventurous person, decorating the interior of your home could be seen as just one more exciting encounter. You’ll have no problems finding information about decorating the interior of your home. There are many magazines published every month which provide information and instructions for decorating the interior of your home. There are books, do-it-yourself books that give specific step-by-step details for decorating the interior of your home. The Internet is a great resource base for interior decorating information. Hundreds of sites are filled with useful details to help you plan your decorating and help you through the process. The television is also a good source regarding decorating the interior of your home. There are several reality television programs that can instruct you and give you ideas for your home decorating project.

When you decide to decorate the interior of your home, you must first decide which room or rooms you will be changing. Choosing a theme will help you make decisions regarding color, furnishings, fabric and accessories. There are many themes to choose from including African, Victorian, Cottage, Modern, English Country, French Country, Traditional, Medieval, Moroccan, Art Deco, Southwestern, etc. Once you decide on a theme, you can then pick materials based around this interior home design. Using the various resources available for decorating the interior of your home, you ought to be capable of picking a color palette that will enhance your room, choose fabric that will add warmth, select furnishings which are comfortable and accessories which will accent and compliment your space. With the many resources available to you, many of them offering free home decorating ideas, you should be able to make decorating the interior of your home an exciting adventure with little or no stress and frustration.

Home Decorating For Spring Time

2010-03-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

With Spring just around the corner, many of us are beginning to tackle those spring cleaning duties. You may also be interested in changing some of the decor in your house with a new Spring time feel. This article will give you some ideas on just how to do that...

Spring is a time of renewal. It is the time of year when people across the country begin shaking off the final dregs of winter, opening their windows, and hanging clothes on the lines to dry. It is the time of year that many people associate with cleaning but very few associate with home decorating. Sadly enough there are very few times of year when it is more appropriate to decorate your home. Face it, for most of us, this is the only time of year that we are actually happy about cleaning.

During the summer months we clean because the kids (young and old alike) are constantly tracking dirt, mud, grass, and goodness knows what else into the house. Cleaning in these days is a chore and yet we still manage to bring out the patriotic colors and celebrate America in style. Goodness knows how with all the extra cleaning that is going on and the nearly double amounts of lemonade and iced tea being consumed daily. Still we manage to decorate and take great joy in doing so as if some right of passage has been achieved by our home decorating efforts.

During the Thanksgiving and Winter months we clean house because we have no choice. Friends and family will be coming over and they expect our homes to be well decorated and clean. This I must tell you is quite the accomplishment with the rush of the holidays afoot and yet somehow we manage to muster up some Christmas cheer when others are around while playing Mr. Scrooge when it comes to running the mop and the broom around our rooms.

Spring is the one time of year in which our cleaning efforts are nothing short of inspired. Yet it is also the spring that often eludes us when it comes to inspiration for decoration. Perhaps we are too tired from all of our cleaning efforts to seek the inspiration to decorate. If this is the case with you, then my hope is that some of the ideas mentioned below will help bring some serious decoration inspiration your way.

1) Flowers. Spring is the time of flowers. They are all around us. Use fresh cut flowers and candles to create beautiful arrangement and centerpieces throughout your home.
2) Candles. While briefly mentioned above they deserve their own spot among the top five to say the least. Candles can be soothing, relaxing, invigorating, inspiring, beautiful, elegant, and simply smell good. Candles are great no matter what time of the year it is however, if you select candles in bright spring colors and fragrances you might be amazed at exactly how uplifting these candles can be.
3) Towels. Yes I said towels. In your kitchen and your bathrooms you need bright, bold colors that signify spring, birth, and renewal. These little touches can make a huge difference in not only your attitude about cleaning and decorating but also your attitude about cooking.
4) Fragrance. While most people do not realize that the fragrances we use in our homes is a type of decoration. It makes our noses happy to some degree but also the potpourri and candles are often decorations in and of themselves. Put out bowls filled with brightly colored and lightly scented fragrance balls, dried fruit, and other delights. Gourmet potpourri can be found in all kinds of gift and fragrance shops and is a rather inexpensive way to add a fragrant touch to your home decorating as well as the fragrance of your home.
5) Fruit. Have bowls placed throughout your home filled with fresh fragrant fruit. Not only does this add yet another layer of fragrance to your home but it is also visually appealing and edible. There are three checks in the 'pro' column for this simple decorative step and I have yet to find one in the 'con' column unless you consider the fact that it must be eaten before it gets too ripe.

For those needing springtime home decorating ideas and inspiration I hope this has helped. If you haven't found some outstanding suggestions above I at least hope that you will have been inspired to find your own fabulous finds for spring decorating.

New Wholesale African Products

2010-03-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Today at Acacia Wood Carvings, we released a press release, which announced a company that sells the very best wholesale African Art at true wholesale prices.

Finding great suppliers for your African business, can be an extremely frustrating and costly experience because most companies are not true wholesalers. Most companies that claim to be wholesalers are actually just middlemen, which means that they have higher prices and their products are not usually sourced directly with Africa.

I am sharing with you a company that I have personally done business with for nearly 4 years, and I can tell you that they have the very best Wholesale African Products anywhere. Their customer service is the very best, and you will not find better prices anywhere online.

Please click on one of the links above to read the full press release, as well as to discover this company that I so highly recommend for genuine wholesale African products.

Acacia Wood Carvings Staff

Home Decorating With An Asain Theme

2010-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you for reading our articles on home decorating. We are excited to explore other types of home decor besides African decor and i hope this information will be helpful to you...

There are very few themes for decorating a home that capture the imagination quite like an Asian inspired theme. There are many reasons for this one of which is the rich colors, fabrics, and textures that are the hallmark of these themes. There is a simplistic elegance about Asian décor that is almost impossible to imitate in other methods. It is simply put, stunning to walk into a room or a home that has been decorated in an Asian inspired motif.

This is not one of the lesser styles of décor when it comes to price. This elegance comes at a rather high price for the average consumer. However, the sparseness of this home decorating style make it possible when other styles with this sort of price tag would not be possible. One of the most important things to remember when attempting to bring an Asian style of décor into your home is the heavy reliance upon color and texture.

Dining rooms are particularly stunning when decorated in an Asian style. In this situation not only can the implements added to the room serve to improve and enhance the décor but also the placemats on the table can serve as an important tool in establishing the theme of this supremely elegant room. Chopsticks and dishes, particularly tea servings are other great enhancements to an Asian dining room. This is a room that many families will enjoy dining in.

It is recommended that because of the expense involved in many Asian themed home decorating styles that only one or two rooms in the home should be created based upon an Asian theme. This will keep the costs down as well as making those rooms focal points within the home rather than having the splendor lost among the excess.

If you are having a rough time narrowing down the two rooms, the bathroom also makes an excellent room in which to incorporate an Asian inspired theme. This is a room in which people go to relax and wash away the worries and stress of their days. For this reason, it makes perfect sense that some of the more tranquil and relaxing design accents of an Asian décor would be appropriate. Candles, figurines, calligraphy (waterproof of course), and Asian artwork make excellent touches for a bathroom, as do the more tranquil colors of some Asian inspired rooms. Fountains can be added to the room for an added taste of relaxation. Be sure that there is plenty of storage space as clean lines and an uncluttered surface are also important for the overall peaceful affect you should be hoping to achieve.

If either the dining room or bath or unappealing to your home decorating desires for an Asian theme you may want to take the theme into your bedroom. There are very few more romantic themes to incorporate into a bedroom than an Asian theme. You can use fabrics to create a very romantic atmosphere, rice paper window coverings to protect those inside from prying eyes, and candles throughout the room to finish off the creation. Furnishings in this room should be sparse and uncluttered. And Asian screens can be used in order to 'section off' the room or hide the piles of laundry or cluttered areas that you wish not to be detract from the overall romance of the room. Fans make a lovely decoration for the walls in a bedroom as does Oriental art or framed calligraphy in the words of love. Use wall sconces and indirect lighting rather than harsh, glaring overhead lights.

An Asian theme can be one of the most beautiful in the realm of home decorating if you are truly willing to invest the time and money it takes to do this theme properly. It can also be one of the most gaudy if you choose cheap and tacky decorations rather than quality accessories. If you choose to incorporate this theme into your home I hope you will keep that in mind while you are shopping.

Choosing The Right Fabric For Your Home Decor

2010-03-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

At Acacia Wood Carvings, we are interested in all things that have to do with Home Decorating. In the coming weeks we will be posting many ideas for home decorating, even if they have nothing to do with african art. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

An important aspect of home decorating is choosing home decorating fabric. When picking a theme such as Victorian, Modern, African or Oriental, the choice of fabric makes a difference to the overall theme. There are many kinds of home decorating fabric. If you are looking for fabric that compliments a particular theme, perhaps doing a little research regarding the theme would be helpful. This sort of information can be found in home decorating magazines, books and also the Internet on home decorating websites.

If you decide to use a Victorian theme for your decorating project, whether you do one room or the entire house, it is essential to remember that Victorian decorating is quite elaborate and tend to be very feminine. Choosing home decorating fabric for a Victorian theme, you should strive to pick those which resemble those used during the Victorian period. Home decorating fabric for bedding and curtains should be made from heavy materials. Choices such as velvet and brocade are popular for Victorian home decorating fabric. To accessorize the fabric, ribbons and bows, face and beads can be used as trim.

Choosing a modern theme would suggest the use home decorating fabric which is bold and vibrant. Modern home decorating is usually based on an open concept with big spacious rooms. The large space is intended to draw your attention to the various details in the room which would include home decorating fabric. These bold and vibrant fabrics, used in curtains, slip covers or throw pillows, will certainly stand out in a modern, spacious room with light to cool colors used on the walls. In this situation, the home decorating fabric would definitely be noticed and appreciated.

Oriental home decorating seems to be popular nowadays. Its unique design with accessories such as Chinese dragons, elephants, fans and screens, make a room interesting and a great topic of conversation. Home decorating fabric or an oriental theme usually includes coral, red, ivory and jade colors. The most popular fabric used in oriental home decorating is silk. Using silk in colors like coral or red would definitely stand out and compliment the rich dark wood furniture recommended for oriental decorating.

Home decorating fabric is sort of like icing on the cake. You add great pieces of furniture to a space with walls painted in beautiful colors. Then to accent the furniture or a window, you choose home decorating fabric. A window, because it provides access to the outside, is always a focal point in any room. Using fabrics made from materials suited to the theme, your window treatments would definitely draw attention to the window.

If you are wondering where to find home decorating fabric, there are several places to shop. You may want to buy slip covers, cushions or curtains that are already made. Department stores have a great selection. There are also stores that specialize in home décor. These would certainly provide a selection of home decorating fabric. If you are a crafty individual, you may choose to make your own decorative items for your home. Again, department stores usually stock a big variety of fabric. There are fabric stores in most areas as well. If undecided regarding what you should use or would like to use in home decorating fabric, the Internet will surely be able to provide links taking you to all the right places.

Black History Month

2010-03-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

We have now come to an end to our Black History Month article tribute. We hope that you have enjoyed these articles that have celebrated great African Americans as well as important events in our nations history. Thank you for reading and enjoy...

From 1955 to 1965 there was a war right in the middle of America. No, it wasn’t a war like World War II or the Revolutionary War. It was a war for the heart and soul of this country to determine once and for all if America was really going to be a land of equal opportunity for all.   It is a war that eventually took on the name of “The Civil Rights Movement.”

We must make no mistake, this was not just a shouting match. Some of the events that we even remember today became quite brutal and deadly. Those who fought in this war on both sides were deadly serious about the causes they represented and willing to fight and even die to see their cause succeed. The war waged for years and steady progress was made but not without tremendous sacrifice by the leaders of the movement who were committed to a giving a new meaning to the phrase “set my people free.”

In all of black history, there may be no more significant a time since the Civil War when the rights of African Americans were so deeply fought and won. The tensions in the country had been building. When the Supreme Court mandated desegregation in the schools in the historic case Brown versus the Board of Education, the stage was set. But it was on December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama to a white man that the movement finally took shape and became a titanic struggle for the rights of African Americans in America. That first battle brought to the front line one of the most important figures to fight for Civil Rights of that era, the Reverend Martin Luther King.

This tremendous struggle for freedom was never easy and was often marked with violence. Over the next ten years some of the most important milestone in black history took place including…

*    1957 – President Eisenhower had to send federal troops to Arkansas to secure admission to Central High School by nine black students.

*    1960 – The sit-in at Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro North Carolina set the stage for nonviolent protest that was used with great success for the rest of the struggle. Nonviolent protest and civil disobedience became a staple of the civil rights movement because of the influence of Martin Luther King.

*    1963 – The historic March on Washington in which over 200,000 people gathered to hear Dr. Kings famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

*    1964 – President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill that was the most significant event of his presidency and one he believed deeply in, the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

*    1965 – The assignation of Malcolm X and the Watts race rights.

*    1965 – President Johnson takes another bold step to accelerate the civil rights movement implementing Affirmative Action when he issues Executive Order 11246.

This short list is just a few of the highlights of this troubled time in which the rights of all citizens of American, black and white and of all colors were being redefined both on the streets, in the courts and in the different branches of government. In the years to come there would be great steps forward. One by one, every area of American life would see breakthroughs by African Americans in the areas of sports, entertainment, education and politics. There were many proud moments and there were moments of tremendous shame and heinous acts committed by both white and black people. But through all that struggle, the society continued to grow and adapt to the will of the people as has always been the tradition in American culture.

The struggle is far from over. Discrimination and hate speech continue to be a problem to this day. And while it is easy to reflect on those days of struggle with regret, we can also look at them with pride. We can be proud of the great leaders who demonstrated tremendous courage and wisdom to lead this nation to a better way of life. And we can be proud of America because it is here where such a struggle can result in equality and freedom for all citizens, not just a few.

Black History Month & The Dred Scott Decision

2010-03-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Not every significant event in the timeline of black history is a victory. In fact, many of the huge setbacks for African Americans in this country were the result of some very bad events that hurt the cause of civil liberties for Blacks for a long time. Such is the case in the infamous Dred Scott Decision.

It is important to get the context of why the Dred Scott case is so significant and to understand the facts of the case so we can be truly informed citizens. Dred Scott was a slave during that dark time in our history when slavery was legal. But the difference was that his owner took Dred Scott with him in a move to Wisconsin which was a free state where Scott lived in that legal status for many years. The movement on behalf of Dred’s owner was because of military orders.

None of this was itself unusual until the master was again relocated to Missouri, a slave state and then the master passed away. The result was that Dred Scott’s legal status was in question because he had spent so many years so recently as a resident of a free state. Abolitionists and others opposing slavery rallied to Dred Scott’s defense and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

It was at the Supreme Court level that the decision was handed down that inflamed the divide between North and South in this country. The court decided that because of Scott’s slave status, he was never and could never be a citizen of the United States and therefore had no standing in the eyes of the law. Hence he was trapped in his slave status despite his most recent residency.

This was a huge slap in the face to every free state in the union because it essentially nullified their status as a free state entirely. The court went on to make some truly astounding rulings related to the Dred Scott Case dictating that that Congress had no authority to keep slavery from coming about in new territories or states coming into the union and even declaring The Missouri Compromise which set in place the border between North and South to be unconstitutional.

This case set off such a wave of social and political repercussions that it could be considered to be a powder keg that set off the Civil War leading to the defeat of the south and the fall of slavery in America forever. Abraham Lincoln vehemently opposed the Dred Scott decision and spoke passionately against it only deepening the divide and the inevitability of war in America.

The lessons of the Dred Scott Case are many. For one thing it showed that even our revered Supreme Court which we count on for ultimate wisdom in all things ethical and legal, can be flawed in their judgment. No Supreme Court justice today would deny that these decisions were deeply flawed and failed to recognize the ultimate immorality of slavery or the fundamental denial of human rights to slaves that was guaranteed by our constitution.

But looking at the Dred Scott case in context, one wonders if it took such a dramatically upsetting ruling to put the wheels in motion to finally bring change to this country. There is no question that the Civil War was a bloody and horrible part of our national past. But the outcome of ending slavery forever was a fundamental need for this free society to continue to grow. Dred Scott had its place in that drama and in a strange way, we can be grateful it happened because of the outcome. It is very sad to see that it takes something so awful to make good come. But that was true in pre-Civil War days and, sadly, it is still true today.

Thank you for reading this article, and I hope that it was what you were looking for. At Acacia Wood Carvings, we will be posting 1 more article to celebrate black history month. Have a nice day.

Black History Month & The 15th Amendment

2010-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

As we wind down our black history month article series, we hope that you have had a chance to read some of them. We have just a few more to go and we really appreciate you taking the time to visit our blog. This article focuses on the 15th amendment and its impact on our country.

When the Civil War came to an end, it was important to take the big accomplishments and transition them into the law of the land before any ground was lost as reconstruction returned the nation to one country rather than two warring parties. The upheaval of society that the abolition of slavery represented and the massive surge forward for black history was so important that it was important to make it permanent with amendments to the constitution so the gains made during that bloody battle would not be lost again.

The work that needed to be done to change a nation from one of slavery to one of equality started with three important amendments to the constitution. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery forever and the fourteenth amendment reversed the negative effects of the Dred Scott decision providing equal protection under the law for all citizens of this country regardless of race, color or creed.

But the fifteenth amendment went further than just establishing the basic human rights of the African American community. It made a change so fundamental to how America works that its ramifications were sweeping and far reaching down to this day. The text of the amendment is direct and elegant…

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

This was a tremendous leap forward for the black community when this amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870 because it finally meant that the African American population in this country could stand up and be counted and start making a mark on politics and with it how decisions are made in this country. It was a proud moment when the very first black man to cast a vote came the very next day when Thomas Mundy Peterson voted in a school board election in the town of Perth Amboy, New Jersey

But like so many other great advances in black history, earning the right to vote didn’t automatically make it easy to vote. There was staunch resistance to actually allowing blacks to go to the polling booth in many communities across the country. The Klu Klux Klan engaged in intimidation tactics to try to keep African Americans home from the polls. In Louisiana, the mob attempts to stop the institutions of a legally elected and integrated local governments had to be broken up by federal troops sent in by Ulysses S. Grant.

Probably the most serious threat to the actual workability of the fifteenth amendment was the introduction of the poll tax and other registration tricks that were used such as literacy tests and voter qualification tests clearly designed to deny the right to vote to African Americans. This practice became such a problem that it instigated the passage of the twenty fourth amendment which outlawed poll taxes which were only designed to usurp the rights of African Americans to vote.

But these desperate attempts could not stop the march of justice and democracy to assure that voting rights were available to all Americans. Before long blacks were occupying positions of influence and decision making in state legislatures and even at the federal level. It’s been a long struggle but even in the last few decades we have seen positions of high honor and influence held by qualified African Americans such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. And if Barrack Obama wins the democratic nomination, that will be yet another break through for a proud man and a proud people.

Black History Month & Harriet Tubman

2010-03-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

As Black History Month comes to a close, we are happy to announce that we will go on celebrating African American heritage as we still have a few more articles that we would like to publish on our blog. We hope that you are enjoying all these articles, and the ones that we have yet to publish.

Sometimes when we think of legionary outlaws who gave their life efforts to help a downtrodden and oppressed people, figures like Robin Hood or some other dashing male hero springs to mind. In black history, we have just such a character but this champion of her people did not ride the forests with merry men. Harriet Tubman, a humble and diminutive black woman truly qualifies as such a profoundly legendary figure that her exploits would rival Robin Hood’s or any other hero of cultural legend. Small wonder she was often referred to as “Moses of her People.”

Harriett Tubman was born in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland to a slave family of the estate of Anthony Thompson. During her slave years, she endured many hardships and harsh treatment which left her with scars and even as susceptibility to epileptic seizures that resulted from a head injury. It was common for slaves to change hands and that was part of Harriet’s life as well. Finally in 1849, she ran away to freedom but she by far did not run away from her people.

Over the next few years Harriet Tubman became a true warrior for the salvation of her people who were locked in slavery. Harriet didn’t just find a safe place and count her blessings for making it to freedom. She saw the need for the Underground Railroad in the salvation of hundreds more like her and it became her life’s mission to maintain the regional stations of that railroad for as long as it took to give liberty to all who had the courage to flee slavery via that resource.

Harriet Tubman showed the kind of courage, resourcefulness and intellect that a field general for any army would be proud to boast. All totaled Tubmen lead thirteen separate missions to bring African Americans to freedom along the Underground Railroad. That means that she personally lead over seventy slaves to freedom and had a direct influence on the freeing of at least that many more. And by keeping the Underground Railroad operational and out of the reach of slave hunters and authorities who sought to shut it down, she indirectly was influential in the salvation of hundreds, perhaps thousands more. Who can say how many prosperous and influential black families in this country today owe the lives of their ancestors and the success they have achieved since those dark days to the brave work of Harriet Tubman.

When Civil War came, Harriet didn’t retire satisfied that she had done her work for her people. She continued to work tirelessly for abolitionist movements and to do her part for the war effort. She became one of the first ever female spies for the North during the war and her military abilities were so well developed that she actually was put in a position of leadership to command the raid on Combahee Ferry in 1863.

After the Civil War was over, Harriet Tubman continued her work on behalf of abolitionist movements and for women’s rights until she retired to write her memoirs. Her contribution during this crucial time in black history was so revered that the US Postal Service honored her with a stamp in 1978.

There have been many heroes and heroines in the long uphill struggle for liberation, freedom and equality for African Americans in this country. During this brutal time when Harriet Tubman stood in the gap for her people, the plight of black Americans was as much life and death as any other time in history. Small wonder her name is revered as one of the icons of the fight for freedom prior to the Civil War. And small wonder she was referred to as Moses to Her People and will be remembered in that way for generations to come.

Black History Month & The Harlem Renaissance

2010-02-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here at Acacia Wood Carvings, we are winding down our article series on Black History month as we celebrate great African American leaders, as well as important events in America's history. We have a few more days to go, so please stay tuned and we hope you are enjoying the series.

The quest for equality and freedom for African Americans has been fought on many fronts. But there is no question that in the area of the arts, the contribution of black America has been so profound that it has greatly eased racial tensions and changed the image of black culture profoundly in the eyes of all Americans. Many have criticized the world of such black performers as Richard Prior, Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy but these artists along with artists in literature, painting, poetry, music and all the arts have brought an acceptance of black culture that has furthered the appreciation of African Americans by all people more than anything else ever could do.

In the history of black culture, the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s was a time when African American culture truly was showcased for the country, indeed the world and people started to realize the rich legacy that was available to all peoples in black culture. The Harlem Renaissance was more than just a greater exposure to black dance, music, comedy or theater even though the chance for all peoples to appreciate the talents of black artists was certainly worthwhile in its own right.

But the Harlem Renaissance also refers to the cultural and social movements of the time in which black pride was beginning to cause big changes in the way African Americans thought about themselves and eventually how all Americans thought of black Americans as well. A lot of factors led to the explosion of black culture during that time frame especially in New York City. The city had been a Mecca for artists of every culture for a long time as it still is today. And during this time frame there was a migration of the African American population to the north and to the urban industrial areas particularly to take advantage of the economic opportunities there.

With the migration of the African American population came the rich black music that had continued to grow and evolve ever since the Civil War. But because of the concentration of cultures in New York and the willingness to experiment, to blend and to discover new cultures that was the norm in that melting pot city, white America too began to discover the jazz, blues, spirituals and gospel music that began to evolve and integrate into many secular musical styles of the time.

The era was in every way a renaissance just as much as the great cultural renaissance in Europe had been many years before it. In every genre, black culture exploded onto the national consciousness. Many outstanding, stand-out names that became household names for literature and the arts came into their own during the Harlem Renaissance including Langston Hughes, Booker T. Washington, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton.

There is no question that the cultural explosion that occurred during that brief time frame created a tidal wave of change that is still being felt today. The blending of blues, gospel and spirituals, when it began to see experimentation by the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard spawned and even bigger cultural event known as rock and roll music that changed the world forever. And to this day many of the mannerisms, the approach to style and speech that came to be known as “being cool” was in reality an attempt, especially by youth, to emulate black culture. And by imitation cultures began to merge and blend to where they could never live separately again. And that blending and enjoyment of black culture has done much to help integrate society and make social change and acceptance of each other’s cultures by black and white a possibility today.

Black History Month & Josh Gibson

2010-02-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest black athletes of all time may also be one of the least well known. Josh Gibson was a negro league baseball legend that most people consider the greatest negro league baseball player of all time. In fact, some people consider him the black Babe Ruth for his legendary power. Still others that saw him play, like to say that Babe Ruth was the white Josh Gibson. That's how good he really was.

Josh Gibson is still the only man to ever hit a ball completely out of Yankee stadium, and he actually hit over 800 homeruns in his career, which would make him the homerun king if he played at a later time when segregation was not so thick in America.

Josh Gibson died during his late thirties at such a young age, but his impact on the world of sports is legendary to the likes of Babe Ruth. Josh Gibson really was a precursor to Jackie Robinson, but if it werent for great players like Josh Gibson, Jackie Robinson may not have been able to break into major league baseball at all.

Black History Month & The Rainbow Coalition

2010-02-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

The struggle for freedom and equality for African Americans is one that is passed down from generation to generation and from one era of black leadership to the next. Throughout history, the African American leadership has had many outstanding men and women who made their mark and made a difference for black people in America. And that tradition continues to this day with modern black leadership such as Barrack Obama, The Reverend Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson.

Jessie Jackson has organized his efforts to continue the struggle for civil rights in one of the most innovative organizations in history that came to be known as the Rainbow Coalition. This organization represented the dreams and goals of the Reverend Jackson, to be sure. But it also represents the shared efforts of black Americans across the country in modern times to keep the dream of Martin Luther King alive and moving forward.

In fact, the Rainbow Coalition was the outcome of a series of efforts and movements that began with a relationship between Reverend Jackson and Dr. King. It was Martin Luther King that asked Jessie Jackson to head up a movement called Operation Breadbasket, a project to seek the economic improvement of black communities across the country, particularly in the inner city. Operation Breadbasket eventually evolved into a powerful civil rights organization known as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

As these movements started to make a real difference in the lives of African Americans in America, another step was the development of Operation PUSH which stood for People United to Save Humanity. This influential organization has become the cornerstone for promoting civil rights and social justice for African Americans in the last twenty years.

It was from these different initiatives and the success they were realizing that the Rainbow Coalition was birthed to seek economic opportunity in the business community and to encourage Fortune 500 companies to hire minorities and to expand their involvement in the nurture and the development of black community for the good of all peoples.

The naming of the movement “The Rainbow Coalition” is pivotal to the vision Reverend Jackson had for the civil rights movement. He did not see it as just black people working for the betterment of the black community. Instead, inspired by Martin Luther King’s dream of equality and brotherhood of all races, the coalition would truly be a partnership of all minorities, the white community and other equal rights movements to seek equal opportunity for all of America’s citizens.

The important stance that The Rainbow Coalition brought to the consciousness of the black community and to America was the concept that civil rights was not just a black issue. It emphasized that all of America cannot move foreword when a part of the population is left behind to flounder in poverty and without the benefits of a good education and job opportunities. The result is that the black pride that was built by key figures of black history such as Mohammed Ali, Spike Lee and even more radical elements such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers could now be used to promote true equality in the society. In doing so, Jackson and other contemporary black leaders taught that the African American community not only could be but must insist on being fully black and fully American in their status in American culture.

Finally, the Rainbow Coalition emphasized that civil rights is not just a political issue. The emphasis was on all aspects of American life including economic equality, social opportunity and even equal representation in the media and entertainment arts. To be truly represented as an important part of American culture, black Americans must have equal opportunities in all venues.

This is the message for its time that Reverend Jackson and the Rainbow coalition has brought and continues to bring to the national stage. And it’s an important message that takes the good that was done in past civil rights movements in this country and brings up to date with a new century.

We hope that you are enjoying our article series that celebrates African American Heritage Month. We are committed to providing great information for the purpose of bringing awareness to anyone that may read these articles. Our goal is not to be scholars on each topic, but to remember the great Black leaders and the important events in black history.

Black History Month & Jesse Owens

2010-02-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Jesse Owens is most well known for being an Olympic champion, but to do it in the face of nazi Germany and Hitler himself, makes his feat even that much more amazing.

There have been many truly memorable moments in black history where the blatant wrongness of racial discrimination has been dramatically put on display. The 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Germany may be one of the most dramatic because of what the madman wanted to happen and what really happened.

Hitler was pleased to host the Olympics because he felt it was a chance to put on display one of his core philosophical concepts which was the superiority of the Aryan race. Or to put it more bluntly, Hitler wanted to show the superiority of the white man on the Olympic fields. Looking back on his arrogance, and knowing what we do today, you wonder how he could have been so deeply wrong about something. But if he had never questioned that theory, he should have given it serious review after the Berlin Olympics.

Once again, it was a man whose name in black history has become one of great pride that turned the day for justice and equality. That man was Jessie Owens who came to those Olympics not to make a racial statement or start a movement but to do his best and show his pride as a black man, as an American and as an athlete. And that pride shown through as he won four gold metals and turned Hitler’s hopes for an Aryan romp over the black man to dust.

Hitler’s response was infantile and nauseating storming out of the stadium as Owens won event after event and then refusing to shake Jessie’s hand when the time to award the metals came. But there is another side to this story that sheds another light on where we were in black history at that time. And that was the experience Jesse Owens had in Germany from the other athletes and from the German citizens who were warm and welcoming to him and treated him as the athletic hero he was as a result of his great accomplishments.

History tells us that during the long jump competition, Jesse’s German competitor Lutz Long gave him advice and was friendly throughout the competition. As he continued to put on display his remarkable athletic ability, the German citizens, some 110,000 strong cheered him enthusiastically and eagerly asked him for his autograph when he was on the streets after the competition. In fact, Owens enjoyed equality that is common among athletes as he traveled with his fellow white athletes, ate with them and stayed in the same living accommodations with them, something that would have been out of the question in America at the time.

There are many lessons we can gather from Jesse’s experience beyond that obvious that Hitler’s ideas of Aryan supremacy were deeply wrong and offensive to all mankind, not just to the victims of discrimination. We see that even in a society that has become characterized as racist, such as Germany in the 1930’s, the people, the common everyday folk of Germany had no room in their hearts for such racism that was being pushed upon them by their leadership. This can be a source of inspiration and hope for all of us and an encouragement not to prejudge a people who we might even perceive as being racists because many times the good people, the common everyday people will have nothing to do with such evil.

And we can celebrate this great victory in a very difficult circumstance in which it wasn’t speeches that proved that race or color or creed don’t make a man superior. Instead it is the talent, the integrity and the hard work of each individual that shows the quality that is from within. Jesse Owens demonstrated that even to the likes of Adolph Hitler. And we have that opportunity to demonstrate that same principle every day in our daily lives.

Thank you for reading our article series on Black History month. We still have some great articles that we will be posting over the next week.