Native American Museums Everyone Should Visit

Someday, I WILL visit the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. I've traveled to DC five times, but I haven't been there since the museum opened in 2004. The museum looks spectacular and I can’t wait to go. In the meantime, I wanted to share the rest of my favorite must-visit Native American museums. 

First Americans Museum 

First Americans Museum opened in Oklahoma City in 2021 to share the collective histories of the 39 First American Nations in Oklahoma. It is beautifully designed and does an outstanding job of presenting the cultural diversity and the contributions of each of the 39 Nations. Technology helps tell the stories in a seamless way. Don't miss the outdoor exhibit about the Mound Builder cultures and definitely allow time to eat Native cuisine in the restaurant. 

Heard Museum

The Heard Museum has been a must-visit spot in Phoenix, Arizona since it was established in 1929. The museum is dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It tells stories of the indigenous people from a first-person perspective through traditional and contemporary artwork. The museum includes a library and amphitheater. 

Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum

The mission of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum is to tell the stories of the American Indian children who were educated there, many by force. Located in Carson City, Nevada, the school was operated by the federal government from 1890-1980. Hearing about the experiences of some of the thousands of students who attended Stewart Indian School is powerful and eye-opening. In addition to sharing the history of Stewart, the museum also displays contemporary Native art and hosts public programming and educational activities. 

Chickasaw Cultural Center

The Chickasaw Cultural Center opened in 2010 to preserve, protect, and share Chickasaw culture, traditions, and history. The campus is enormous and stunningly beautiful, boasting a world-class exhibit center, an amphitheater, a traditional village, a library, art galleries, a cafe, and much more. There is so much to see and do as you immerse yourself in the rich Chickasaw culture. 

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center celebrates the culture of the 19 Pueblo communities through exhibits, a library, a teaching kitchen and restaurant, and community events. This award-winning Center opened in 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is a wonderful place to visit and learn (and eat!). Not only is it a gathering place, but it also provides economic opportunities to Pueblo communities. 

Indian Museum of North America

The Indian Museum of North America is located at Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. It houses art and artifacts from over 300 Native Nations and is committed to telling the stories of their diverse cultures and histories. There are daily programs, including music and dance performances. An Artists in Residence program highlights contemporary Native artists. There is so much to see and do here, all in an incredible setting. 

Oklahoma 2023

I have fond memories from our visits to all the states, but there's something about Oklahoma that stands out. We packed so many cool things into 5 days in the Sooner State. We enjoyed amazing gardens, learned about a tragic day, discovered the fascinating world of banjos, and took a boat ride. We toured the  stockyards, learned all about Oklahoma's First American Nations, and saw florists at work. We fed flamingos and learned about cowboys. We visited the only Capitol with an oil well and petted pigeons. We were blown away by "the best success story of Native voices telling their own story." We had a GREAT time. 

Oklahoma 2023 (affiliate link)

I'd put off scrapping about our visit to Oklahoma because there were so many memories I wanted to document. I ended up picking 11 photos that give a glimpse into our visit. It's not the whole story (that's what the blog posts are for) but it's enough to spark memories. One look at the picture of the curly pigeon or the banjo collection or the Chickasaw lunch or Trevor feeding flamingos and it takes me right back.

Tissue Paper Flower Bouquet

I've shared dozens (and dozens) of flower crafts over the years and I never get tired of making them. I've made so many flower crafts that I actually had enough to put together a round-up of just my favorite edible flower crafts! Today's project isn't edible, but I'm happy to add it to my collection of flower crafts. It's so pretty. (And did you notice the colors I used?) Affiliate links below. 

 

Decoupage Tissue Paper Flower Bouquet 

Materials:

• Neenah Bristol vellum
• 1/2 sheet for the vase
• 1/2 sheet for each of the flowers
• 1/4 sheet for the leaves
• 1/4 sheet for the flower centers
• tissue paper
• Mod Podge
• decoupage brush
• microtip scissors
• hot glue

Steps: 

Choose the colors of tissue paper you want to use for your bouquet. Tear the tissue paper you're using for the vase into irregular pieces. Pour some Mod Podge into a cup and dilute it with a little bit of water (about 3 parts Mod Podge to 1 part water). Working on one area at a time, paint some of the Mod Podge onto the paper, then place a piece of tissue paper onto the moist area. Paint over the top to seal it. Repeat the process, overlapping the pieces as much (or as little) as you want. 

Cut or tear the remaining colors of tissue paper so that they are slightly larger than the paper they'll be covering. Working with one color at a time, spread a coat of the watered-down Mod Podge onto the paper. Carefully lay tissue paper onto the moist paper. Load the brush with more Mod Podge and paint a coat over the top of the tissue paper. Use the brush to smooth any wrinkles as best you can. Don't worry about any overhanging tissue paper. Repeat the process until you have prepped the papers for the three flowers, the leaves, and the flower centers. 

When everything is completely dry, cut out a vase, two flowers from each color (total of six), three flower centers, and three leaves. It is easiest to draw the shapes you want on the back of the paper before cutting. 

Arrange the two layers of flowers so the petals are off-set and glue them together. Glue the flower centers in place. Adhere the flowers to the vase, starting with the one in the center back. Finally, add the leaves. 

You might have noticed that my purple flower is sparkly. I experimented with Sparkle Mod Podge, which gives the flowers some extra dazzle. The choice is totally up to you and the look that you want!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 54th birthday!

I celebrated with my quilt group yesterday. Three of us have March birthdays. Our leader, Diane, made us each a personalized dessert, with coordinating ice cream! Mine is chocolate mint. What a treat! 

Tonight, Steve and I are meeting Trevor (and his roommate, who also has a birthday this week) for dinner. And on Saturday, I'm celebrating with friends... in a very Cindy way. 

On Sunday I will be leading a spring craft after church. We're making decoupage flower bouquets and I can't wait to see how everyone's turns out. I spent time yesterday prepping kits. 

Tomorrow I'll share the tutorial. I think you're going to like this project. 

Paper Quilt Cards

A friend gave me a big pile of 1.5" pre-cut squares of gingham paper in rainbow colors. They looked like tiny quilt squares, so I decided to turn them into cards that our quilting group can use to thank people who donate supplies to us. I started out ambitiously, cutting the squares down into even smaller shapes before gluing them onto a cardstock base. It was fun playing with the itty-bitty squares, rectangles, and triangles. I experimented with different patterns, designs, and color combinations, just like our group does with fabric. I even changed up the dimensions of the cards. Eventually, I realized that I was spending WAY too much time cutting the squares apart when I could make perfectly functional cards using the squares as is. 

Here is a look at some of the cards I made. If you want to see the supplies I used, click the affiliate link below. 

Quilt Square Cards (affiliate link)

All the quilts we make go to people in need and we rely on donations for our supplies. If you're local and have extra fabric, thread, or batting you're not using that you'd like to go to a worthy cause, let me know. We also appreciate sheets (they make good quilt backs). If you're not local, look into whether there is a group near you making quilts for Lutheran World Relief or another charity and consider donating supplies to them. Thank you!