happy Friday!

from this lovely Etsy shop

from this lovely Etsy shop

Happy Friday friends!

Another lovely day here in North Florida. Being born in a tropical country, I am loving this warm Spring weather so much. 

I don't have much planned for the weekend actually. I have lots of organizing and cleaning to do in the house, umm what do you call it? Yep, spring cleaning LOL. My sewing room and Audrey's room were painted last weekend so I need to start organizing everything in both rooms this weekend. Also, the new vacuum I ordered from Amazon.com, Dyson Animal Vacuum Cleaner, arrived few days ago. I tried it right away and I have a feeling that I won't dread vacuuming chore anymore! Love that vacuum cleaner. 

I am definitely looking forward to another lovely Spring weekend. 

Kinda want to bake something but  not sure. I've been trying to eat healthier lately---lots of veggies and fruits. Summer is around the corner, so I guess you can say I am getting ready for the season :)

Speaking of getting things ready, I need to prepare my little baby shop for its relaunch in April. Two more weeks and shop will be open again. I am definitely bringing back my best sellers--bibs, burp cloths, blankets, wash cloths...But! I am also going to introduce at least a couple new items this April. 

The vintage shop needs to be taken care of as well. I should be able to list some vintage jewelries  this weekend. I have tons already and definitely need to start selling those! Though I am having fun playing with those jewelries. 

Ok lovely friends, have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you Monday :)

count your blessing...

from this Etsy shop here

happy Thursday!
Oh where did the time go?
I've been hiding from the blog world. Been spending the last couple weeks brainstorming ideas. I need to be more aggressive marketing my little shops. Need to be more organized. Need to pay more attention to what sells.  I know for some, it might sound silly but I love my little shops. They are my babies. I want to grow them. I want to be a successful entrepreneur. Like my mom. She's my role idol! She is one kick-butt entrepreneur. One of the most hardworking women I know in my life.
Ok. So anyways.

Between organizing my little shops and taking care of 4 babies (yes, I count my 3 little doggies as my babies!), life can be chaotic sometimes. I am still loving my life, though. Everyday is a blessing. I am truly grateful for everything--big and small.
I realized that there are many of people out there who are in much worse situation than mine. I have nothing to complain about. I embrace every flaw. I count my blessing each and everyday. God has provided me with foods on the table and a shelter.

"with God, all things are possible" --- Mark 10:27

My Lucky girl....

from this Etsy shop

from this Etsy shop

My furbaby Lucky, my last black Labrador Retriever, went to heaven on Sunday morning, March 4. It was so sudden, I wasn't prepared for her departure.
She was about 5 years old.
My heart is still aching thinking about how much I'll miss her.

I remember the day Lucky came into our life. She was just a puppy, maybe about 3 - 4 months old. Saved from the streets of our neighborhood. My now ex-husband came home one day with her in his arms. He said to me, look, what I found!
And that was it. She became one of our furbabies.

Lucky was always playful and had the best attitude! Though, she was notorious for finding ways to get out of the backyard. But she always found her way home. She got along well with our other dogs--big and small. The sweetest, friendliest dog ever. She was also very gentle with my toddler daughter. I remember, my daughter would always pulled her tail then gave her a big hug. She'd tell her, "my Lucky....."
Even when Lucky was already gone, my daughter was still looking for her.

In 5 years of her life with us, we never once had to take her to the vet for any kinds of serious problems. The only times we took her to the vet were to get her annual shots (rabies, bordetella, etc). She was always healthy.

Our Jack Russell (also a rescue), Stash, was Lucky's best friend. These two could play all day! I know Stash will miss her very much. I'll miss Lucky's smile. The way she wagged her tail the way she looked at me when she wanted some treats, the way she jumped up and down whenever she felt happy, the way she played with Stash.... Growing up with little dogs, she thought she was small too. So she often liked to sit on my lap. Silly girl.

I know Lucky is now in heaven. Happy and carefree. Playing with Charlie and Yoda.
She'll wait for me there. One day, we'll meet again.

Be good in Heaven, my Lucky girl!

Happy Friday

from this lovely Etsy shop

Happy Friday Everyone!
Wow. Another week has flown by. Can you believe we only have less than 2 weeks left this month? Soon Spring will be here. I don't know about you  but I am ready for a new season. But for now, let's enjoy this weekend first :) 
I have lots planned, just like what I wrote in my earlier post(s). I am going to a vintage-buying trip this weekend. I hope to find lots of goodies for my vintage shop. If you love vintage jewelries, get ready for new listings on my Etsy vintage shop this weekend. I am going to have a handful listed everyday starting tomorrow.

Sewing Expo is coming to Lakeland, FL next weekend (Thursday thru Saturday). I was planning on going but as of right now, it doesn't look like I will be going. I have been going for the last 3 years ... I believe. Fun stuff. Loved going to that event. I still very much would like to go, so we'll see. Perhaps I'll decide on last minute---I'm notorious on this! If I don't go, I'll stay home and take care of my little shops.

Have a great weekend friends!
xoxo

Lovely Thursday



from this lovely Etsy shop

 Happy Thursday everyone!
We are officially one day closer to the weekend! Hope you are all as excited as I am. 
It surely is going to be a busy weekend for me with lots planned for my little shops. It is a vintage buying weekend for me, so that means I get to travel places to find vintage for my Etsy shop. Perhaps one day I'd get to travel all over the world to do that but for now, I am going to travel to nearby places to find treasures! It's still fun though. In fact, it is one of my favorite things to do! I love, love, love vintaging. I have vintage things all over my house. My little daughter is starting to love vintage as well, especially vintage jewelries. She loves to wear mine around the house. Precious. 
Overall, I am just so very excited for the weekend. Do you have anything lovely planned for this weekend?


from this lovely Etsy shop



silent Wednesday



all images are from this Etsy shop



Happy Valentine's Day!



from this lovely blog

I just want to wish everyone a happy and lovely Valentine's Day!

May you find lots of love and happiness to give and to share today and always.

xoxoxoxoxoxo



letting go



from this Etsy shop

 On Saturday, I had to do one of the most difficult things I ever had to do: letting go my oldest furbaby, Charlie. He had kidney failure and was dying. It hurt to see him suffer. He didn't want to eat for days, could barely move, and lost so much of his weight that on his last day, he only weighed 26 lbs.

I had taken him to our regular vet before and they had informed me of the internal organ failure. His condition worsen within couple of weeks. On Saturday, I took him to a different animal hospital since our regular vet wasn't open. The vet ran a blood test and informed me that Charlie was actually on his way passing. There was very little they could do to keep him alive.

I made the decision to send my furbaby to heaven. I didn't want to see him suffering. I chose to be present when the vet administered the drug. They gave me time to say goodbye to Charlie. I hugged and gave him kisses. I thanked him for sharing his life with us and giving us joy throughout the last few years. I thanked him for being a good doggie.I asked him to wait for me in heaven.  

Charlie passed away in my arms that Saturday afternoon. My heart ached. But I knew that I had set him free to a better place that was awaiting for him.

Good bye my Charlie. Forever you'll hold that special place in my heart. Wait for me in heaven. One day, we'll be a family again.

Hello Friday!

from this lovely Etsy shop



from this lovely Etsy shop


Happy Friday everyone!
So glad the day is here. Things have been good in my little family's life for the most part but for the last month or so, some of my furbabies haven't been doing that great :/ Chewy, the wire-haired chihuahua, had to get surgery done 2 weekends ago. Then I found out Peanut, my oldest chihuahua, has cancer, while Charlie, my oldest Black Lab, is having internal organ problems. *Sigh

Last night I thought for sure was Charlie's last night with us. I was so sad. I sat next to him until he went to sleep. In the morning, he looked pretty weak. Poor Charlie. I have a feeling his time is coming soon :/
I have prayed to the Lord to give Charlie peace and comfort. If it is his time to go, I will let him go. I don't like seeing him suffering.

I have talked to the vet about Peanut and have decided that we're going to do a surgery to remove the  cancer mass on Peanut's neck and back leg. We're going to do it on the first week of March. Pray for him please.

Both Peanut and Charlie are my oldest furbabies. They have been the best furry friends ever. There will never be another one like them. When they go, I will miss them forever but I know that they'll wait for me in heaven. When I die, I want to be burried with a bag of doggie treat because I know I'll see my furry friends again up there and they'll want me to give them treats!

hello happiness!

from this Etsy shop

Happy Thursday Friends!

This week has truly flown by. So excited the weekend is almost here. Little Miss and I don't have much planned. We'd love to do some vintaging on Saturday morning after our sweet breakfast. Then I'll be pretty busy organizing my Etsy shops. The vintage shop was just reopened yesterday (yay!). I have LOTS of inventories I need to photograph and to list.

My baby shop will be back in business around March or early April. So very excited. LOTS I have to plan for that shop! Hopefully I'll manage to get some stuff done while Little Miss is taking her afternoon naps.

The house could use a little cleaning and organizing this weekend. I will be using the "family room" as my office until my official office room is completed! The family room is quite large so it will do just fine. I am actually excited. I already have a huge desk in there where I will do my "office" works from. The dining room will be my unofficial sewing room for now. There is a huge, gorgeous, vintage dining table in there where my sewing machine is going to perch on. There is enough room in the dining room to cut and assemble fabrics together. I am keeping all my fabrics upstairs; however.

All this work talk is so exhilirating for me. Finally after months, I am able to seriously thinking about my shops again. I could always use the extra income :) And those are the things I absolutely enjoy doing, though I have the best day job ever now! (honest!). I just find it so nice that my day job is so stress-free that it is not draining my crafty brain. I love it.

Ok friends, I am happy today and it's a good thing!

Hope you find your happiness today as well :)



find your happiness, friends

from this lovely Etsy shop



Hi friends!

Can you believe it is Wednesday already. Wow. This week has flown by. I am excited, for the reasons I have mentioned in my earlier posts--- vintage shop has been reopened today! Yay!! high five!! There'll be more things to be listed everyday. Definitely go check it out and make sure to show some love for my vintage shop :)

shops update....

Happy Monday!
Another beautiful day today. I feel blessed and very thankful just to be alive. Lots of fun stuff are planned for this week. It's a big week for me. The vintage shop is opening this week. I am planning for this Wednesday. I'm trying to polish up few little details tonight and tomorrow then DG Vintage is back to business this Wednesday evening! Yay for me.

If you love vintage jewelries, you definitely want to check out DG Vintage. LOTS of beautiful vintage jewelries will be listed this week. As always, I keep my prices reasonable. As a single mom, I know how challenging it is sometimes to juggle budgets buying neccessities while still have extra cash to look fabulous! Don't worry friends, you'll find prices on my vintage jewelries to be very budget friendly! And since you will be buying vintage jewelries, you can almost be sure that yours is one-of-a-kind!

Another update is that I am going to put DGD shop on hold for now. Sad decision but it is for the better. I'll be reopening my baby shop, Max and Olivia, between March-April this year. After much considerations, I am planning to focus my time and energy on my vintage and baby shop at the moment. The plan is to grow Max and Olivia into a baby + mommy online boutique. And that's going to take a whole lotta work lol! I am doing everything on my own while raising a toddler, living with 6 dogs, and holding a full-time office job. So, it's going to be a crazy busy for me.

Max and Olivia will not only carry pretty little things for babies but also for mommies too! Chic diaper totes, diaper wristlets, to-go pouches, some make-up bags for pretty mommies! They would make wonderful baby shower gifts not only for the baby but for the momma too. Why not make baby and momma happy, right ^__^

So, that's all the update for you right now. See you tomorrow!

it's a new beginning...

First, let me say, Happy Weekend! 
For those of you who work Monday-Friday (like me!), I am sure you're glad the weekend is finally here. Today is going to be a good day. I have lots planned already. On my lists today:
- vintage shopping for my Etsy vintage shop
- sorting out vintage inventories
- taking pictures
- making descriptions of each item to be listed on my shop
- jotting down more plans to grow the shop

If you noticed, I own 3 Etsy shops--a vintage, pouches, and baby. In the past, I had time to manage all three---still don't know how I did that!!! Now with a toddler and life on the way, I barely have time for myself. However, I would like to earn extra money. And  I have to admit that I love selling. I enjoy sewing and crafting and vintaging. I am at my happiest when I do those things.

I've always loved collecting vintage. That's why I bought this home I am sharing with my daughter and 6 pups now---it's a vintage 1909 victorian. It's an awesome home and I plan to live in it for years and years to come. Anyways. I was battling for awhile to decide which 3 shops I should start back up first. Thought about the pouches shop but then after observing my daily activities,  it almost seems impossible to find time to sew anymore nowadays. So, I decided to reopen my vintage shop first. At least to get it going. Afterall, I love, love, love vintaging! So far, I have 60 items in my vintage shop. All those will be renewed in the next week. I will have at least 5-10 new vintage listed per day everyday for the month of February. My goal is to always have between 75 - 100 items listed on the store everyday.

The vintage shop will have few new categories--vintage linen and jewelries are some of them. The shop will have pretty much the same policy: refund for any shipping overage more than $1.
Customer service will be as stellar as usual.

My original shop, Downtown Girl Designs, will be reopened closer to April. Then the baby shop, Max and Olivia, will follow hopefully around June/July this year.

That's all the update I have for you.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!

hello Friday!



via one of my fave sites

for those of you dreamers!

via this etsy shop

Here are some questions for you:

1. What are you dreaming of today?

2. What do you dream of to become 5 years from today?

3. Do you remember what you dreamed of to become 5 years ago?

4. Are you there yet?

5. Do you promise yourself that you will achieve your dream?

6. Do you share your dream(s) with anyone else?

Welcome February!

Say hello to February :)

Can you believe we are entering the second month of the year already? I am so very excited for this new month. Here's why:
**I am reopening my vintage shop
**Valentine's Day is this month!
**Lots of plans for decorating the house with my vintage finds
**Taking a break from spending major money to fix my vintage home!
**Visiting Lakeland to go to the annual sewing expo later this month.

So, yes my vintage shop is reopening this month! Yay
I have lots of cool vintage finds to list. If you love vintage, make sure you check out my vintage shop! I plan on slowly to reopen my two other shops in March - April of this year.
Things are kinda hectic at the house now, friends, so bear with me.

Yay for Valentine's Day this month. This year, I am going to celebrate the special day with my lovely daughter, Audrey. She is my forever Valentine. Not sure of what we're going to do yet. Perhaps we'll hang some pink pom-poms in her rooms and have special dinner at home for just the two of us. Or maybe we'll watch Elmo and Strawberry Shortcake movies.

As a vintage lover, you can almost certain that I have lots of vintage finds laying all over the house. Well, yes. Sorta. Almost everything in my house is vintage. I do mix them with modern pieces, however. Perhaps I should post pictures.....mmm....

Last year, I spent lots and lots of money: buying and fixing a vintage home. I managed to find a good house for great price so I paid cash for it. But the house did require some fixes, which cost money.
This year, I would like to earn those money back. I want to prepare a brighter future for my daughter. I'd like to provide her with everything she needs. Simple as that.

Ok friends, I need to start working on my to-do list!
I'll let you know when my vintage shop is opening okay :)

via happythings.tumblr.com

on being a mommy.....

Nothing says tough work like being a mommy. I am not only a mommy to my precius little angel, Audrey (who just turned 2) but also to my six fur babies. It's a constant work. All day. Everyday.

Thanks heaven I have a healthy toddler.
My fur babies, however, are not doing so well lately. Peanut, my little chihuahua, was just diagnosed with tumor. Charlie, one of my black labs, is having issues with his internal organ. Both of them have lost significant weight in the last year.
Then last weekend, Chewy, one of my little chihuahuas, was accidently attacked by Charlie. I almost died when I saw her laying helpless in the driveway. Bleeding from her head. We had to take her to the ER vet last Saturday. She spent 2 nights at the ER. On Monday, I transfered her to my regular vet, Monument Road Animal Hospital (which is VERY, VERY awesome! highly recommend it!!! Dr Wilson is my favorite vet! Ever. The staff are super friendly and helpful). They monitored her progress and fed her foods. She came home last night and ate foods I gave her. I put her in my master bathroom and she walked around in there. I signaled her to sit on my lap and she did just that. What a good girl she was!! So proud of her improvement in short period. I hope she will keep doing better. I know she will. She is a fighter!!

I love being a mommy. Seeing my little babies happy. Giving them endless love. I'm tired 24/7/365. I am just human, so yes I complain sometimes and I am far from perfect. I make mistakes. There are days when I want to pull my hair. Or scream to the top of my lung. But when I sit down to catch my breath and look at my babies, I know that they love me too... endlessly.
Being a mommy: Love, love, love it!

jeans Friday!!

Top: The Gap

Jeans: Banana Republic

Shoes: Aldo

Cluch: Anthropologie

Ring: Coach

Photographer: Tommy Rohloff

Location: Downtown Jacksonville, FL

orange you glad....

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: BCBG Max Azria

Ring: Coach

Photographer: Tommy Rohloff

Location: Downtown Jacksonville, FL

love your life and live it up!

“Chances are, you’re not going to be alone forever.

Start spending more time with you. Laugh at your own jokes. Luxuriate in solitary silence. Walk. Read. Pamper yourself. Be as filthy and disgusting as you please. Learn the comfort of your own embrace. It’s a cliché but it’s true—you will love better once you’ve fallen in love with you. Sleep sprawled on the bed. Snore. When you wake up make eggs and bacon and eat them in bed on your own. Find things—big and small—that you love doing and do them everyday.

Focus on your job. Find a hobby. Do whatever the hell you want. Because when that day comes—the secret day you hold onto in the hidden recesses of your guts—you will have to compromise. You will have to think of someone else whenever you make a decision. You will have to share your bacon, and maybe they wont like it crispy besides, and you’ll have to adapt. You will have to sleep wedged between someone’s limbs. It wont be better and it wont be worse; it will be different, and you’ll have to learn to love it too.”

The Greenness Of Your Grass (via creatingaquietmind)