Joan Ambu Archives – Page 66 of 97 – Strength Of The Small

DIY: Vintage Chalkboard Tray

By JM PerezApril 20, 20132 min read693 views

What can you do when you own a gorgeous vintage piece that you either don’t use often or can’t use for its original intent? For one you could re-purposed the item to meet your needs.

Well, I have been wanting to make some chalkboard for my kitchen and I thought it would be great on a tray. At the same time, I was looking for a vintage metal tray and was lucky enough to find one out at the Estate Liquidators in Hesperia, CA. I instantly fell in love with this lovely Stainless Steel Vintage Tray with charming gold handles (to top it all of, it was brand new and still in its original packaging). I knew at that moment that I had just found what I have been looking for: a plain and simple metal tray.

Today, I finally decided to re-purposed my stainless steel vintage metal tray and it turned out great.

Materials/Tools Needed:

Metal Serving Tray
Chalkboard Paint/Spray Paint
Paintbrush/Sponge brush (if you’re using Paint and not Spray Paint)
Painter’s Tape (if you’re not planning to paint the whole tray)
Vinegar (to prevent the paint from chipping)

How to proceed:

Clean/sand your tray (if needed).
Clean the area you need painted with vinegar to insure that your paint doesn’t chip.
Tape the borders (if you’re not planning on painting the whole tray).
Start painting in a well ventilated area and let it try at least one hour.
When you’re done and satisfied, remove the tape around the borders.

Now that your chalkboard tray is complete, you can write/draw on it and display it in your favorite place with pride. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine.

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By JM Perez

Culture History Yard Sculptures Garden Decor

Sculpture: Guanyin Torso

By JM PerezApril 19, 20132 min read864 views

I am a lover of everything beautiful and pure. I love statues and I have a huge collection of Cherubs all around my Home (indoors and outdoors). When we were designing our backyard layout a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to use a section of my backyard to create a Zen Garden. We started off by trying out two patterns with Yin Yang Symbols. Last year I bought three small Buddha Statues from the 99¢ Only Stores, which I displayed on my storage shed. Last month I bought a medium size Buddha from Pancho’s in Lucerne Valley, CA and today we picked up a life size torso of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, the Bodhisattva of Compassion (who promises to answer the cries and pleas of all sentient beings and to liberate them from their own karmic woes).

According to the website Taoism.net, a Bodhisattva is a being who is enlightened and ready to transcend the cycles of birth and death, but chooses to return to the material world in order to help other people reach the same level of enlightenment. This is the ultimate demonstration of pure compassion.

As much as I love beautiful things, I always make sure I do some research and talk to knowledgeable individuals before I bring anything (I don’t fully understand) into my Home. The first time I heard about the Bodhissatva of Compassion and actually saw a few pictures with her eleven heads and a thousand hands, I was freaked out and could not fathom such a transformation/sight until I read her story. From there I was on a quest to acquire more knowledge and more understanding. It’s so easy to judge someone or a culture without enough information.

Guanyin and the Thousand Arms (Wikipedia)

Despite strenuous effort, she realized that there were still many unhappy beings yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, her head split into eleven pieces. The buddha Amitabha, upon seeing her plight, gave her eleven heads to help her hear the cries of those who are suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokitesvara attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that her two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha came to her aid and appointed her a thousand arms to let her reach out to those in need. Click here for additional information.

A few years ago, I watched a mesmerizing and breathtaking stage performance called Thousand-Hand Guan Yin by a group of hearing impaired females and males of the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT). Below is the amazing video of the performance, I hope you enjoy it.

There are other stories about Guanyin’s origins as recorded in Buddhist sutras, which you can read here (the first 13 chapters) and here (the last 16 chapters). Looking for the PDF version? Simply download it here

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By JM Perez

Yard Sculptures Garden Decor High Desert

Alonzo’s Fountains

By JM PerezApril 17, 20131 min read2.8K views

Last Friday was quite a lovely day here in the High Desert. After picking up our son from school, we visited Alonzo’s Fountains located in Phelan, CA to check out some of his inventory and possibly pick up a few items.

We first spotted a few of his water fountains and garden sculptures and decorations pieces last Friday at the High Desert Home and Garden Show in Victorville, CA.

Alonzo’s Fountains specializes in bird baths, statues, tables and benches, stepping stones, wall decorations, planters/pots, pedestals and so much more. He has a huge yard filled with beautiful pieces and the prices are very reasonable. If you have a custom order, he might be able to accommodate your needs.

The pictures below are a testament to his products quality.

Address Location:
6135 Palmdale Rd., Phelan, CA 92371
Phone: 1 (951) 233-4114 for Juan
Other: 1 (760) 684-1753 for Lupe
Website: Alonzo’s Fountain

Hours of Operations:
Friday-Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

To verify that the shop will be open, call a day in advance. Delivery and installation available.

If you find yourself in the area do not hesitate to stop by.

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By JM Perez

Scripture Faith Inspire Life Lessons People

Self-Freedom

By JM PerezApril 15, 20132 min read699 views

Self-Freedom, Breaking Free from Bondage, Mind Healing, Seeking the path to Serenity, call it whatever you want as long as it means being at peace with ourselves and our surrounding.

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” – Harriet Tubman

We are all slaves of the mind and each one of us in our way is still struggling to break free (often without realizing it). We struggle with honesty, patience, understanding, gratitude, pride, shame, envy, bitterness, gossip, revenge, acceptance, communication, broken promises, forgetfulness, forgiveness, deceits, betrayal, illnesses, letting go, we compete for love, for perishable things as well as nurturing other bad habits just to name a few. Our lack of knowledge is the main cause for us missing on opportunities and being rewarded for what is rightly ours.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. – Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

When you stay true to yourself, live in accordance with and act in obedience with the Word of God, you change not only the way people view you, but you change people as well. Once you believe and come to terms with the fact that the Word of God is precise, clear, true and that everything you learn and relate back with the World can be found in Scriptures, then and only then will you achieve self-freedom and break free from bondage.

Stand your grounds, guard your heart and thoughts, do not let anyone fool or use you and do not willingly put yourself in a compromising situation. Know and understand the God you serve and trust that His Words, which are alive and active will prevail and free you from the hands of your oppressors.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

My heart goes out to the Boston Marathon bombing victims. I pray that the souls of the departed rest peacefully in the Almighty’s arms and wish a painless and swift recovery to the injured.

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By JM Perez

Flies Insects

Still Pictures: Green Bottle Fly

By JM PerezApril 13, 20131 min read645 views

Walking around my Rose Garden this morning, I spotted a couple of Common Green Bottle Flies on my Chicago Peace® Hybrid Tea Rose (possibly feeding on aphids or their feces). Click here to learn more about this fly.