Western-style crafts center around a mixture of Native American, Mexican and modern-American culture. The combination makes for beautiful jewelry, trinkets and wall hangings that can be used to decorate your home. To begin using Western craft style in your projects, learn about a few classic Western craft techniques.
Types
Create Western-style bookmarks, dream catchers or small purses with leather fringe. Take some inspiration from the cultures of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Even everyday items like coasters, curtains and place mats can be created with a Western theme. For a simple Western craft, hand paint a clay flowerpot in Western colors like blue, orange, red and green. Grow a cactus in the pot--as cactus is very Western. Create jewelry with metal, coral and turquoise. Place them together in a pattern on a strand of nylon string to create earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
Ideas
Purchase unfinished pottery, such as mugs, bowls and vases at a local craft or pottery shop. Use paints or glaze to decorate the pottery in Western-style patterns, images of cacti or other Western iconic images.
Create a Western wall hanging by stringing together an old spur, saddle hardware, a small dream catcher and some feathers. The result will be a hanging collage of Western memorabilia.
Use an epoxy resin kit to cast a few arrowheads into a coaster mold. Use the coaster on your coffee table to add some detail to your western decor. Create an entire set using other Western items such as cut-outs of cacti, feathers, coyotes and even small, jewelry-sized dream catchers.
Add some Western flair to your walls by purchasing unfinished wooden or tin signs. Use a type of paint and primer that is appropriate to the material to hand-paint or stencil a Western design onto the signs, and hang them throughout your home. Create "Welcome" signs or comical quotes about living in the West.
Materials
Use materials that are common in Western crafting. If your craft project involves beading, choose deep reds and turquoise blues for an instant Western look. Use several beads close together in a beading project rather than a simple strand. The result will be a decidedly Native American design. Choose leather strips for wrapping around wire or wooden frames, such as when you are making a dream catcher. Use small bridle or saddle hardware to add to your leather strap when working on decorative fringe or even purses or tote bags.
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