About Me

I’m Janet, the creator of the brand Shabbyfufu and I am so glad that you are here! Welcome and the door is always open for inspiration, 24 hours a day!

Based in my hometown of Miami, as well as Vero Beach, I embrace the tropical, elegant, coastal relaxed lifestyle that this area offers. 

I’m a devoted wife to the sweetest and handiest husband around, who you’ll often see in my DIY projects on this website. He puts up with all of my crazy design ideas and projects and brings them to reality with perfection! I’m also a loving mom to two grown daughters, as well as a pet mom to two special senior dogs, a darling rescue kitty and a pair of pretty rescue parakeets! 

My background has always had me involved in creative pursuits for as long as I can remember. As a child, a box of crayons kept me happy for hours as I attempted to draw what I read in favorite books. 

I developed a love of collecting when I went to my first flea market at the age of 8 with a favorite auntie. Dumping out the contents of my piggy bank gave me a few dollars to spend on my first vintage item, which was a crystal perfume bottle that I came to treasure! 

Another youthful moment where a flash bulb went off, was when my parents put me on a flight solo at the age of 14 to spend the summer with our cousins who were in Paris. Spending 3 months with many days alone while they worked, I learned to navigate the city (times were different back then!). Days were filled with museum visits, flea markets and perusing all sorts of shops, while trying my best to learn some French. This was a turning point in my life, knowing that my career in the future would involve creativity and be filled with artful endeavors!

Several years later, I attended The University Of Florida and graduated with a degree in art education. Next came some additional art studies at Ohio State, followed by a brief stint of teaching art in Atlanta. However, I decided that life as a teacher was not for me and I began to work at making a living as a creative artist with pottery, painting, a clothing line and more.

Those pursuits took a breather for a handful of years when my children were very young, with my husband working long hours and no help readily available. I dabbled in the antiques and collectibles trade in spare time and became a local dealer in several antique stores. Then the internet and eBay came to be, and once again a new opportunity to create and connect with others! I started selling on eBay in the late 90’s under the name of Shabbyfufu, which my good friend and business partner at the time coined for my style. “Fancy, but perhaps a little bit tattered and time worn”. The name stuck and I became busy as a bee! 

In 2006, at the suggestion of many of my regular clients and customers, I started a blog! They were asking to know more about me and my life, where I shopped, had questions about collectibles and had MANY questions about decorating their own homes. 

I’m now in my 18th year of blogging, which definitely makes me a OG of the world of blogs! As times change, so does the focus of being an online content creator but I still believe in this from the earliest days of my blog: 

My mission for this blog is taken straight from the way that I live. I hope to inspire you to live a comfortable life in your own home without much fuss or great expense. I’m here now for YOU and share decorating and design advice, diy projects big and small, fashion, gardening, lifestyle topics and more! What can I do to help you out? To guide you in making your own life at home the best that it can be!

Again, I thank you for joining me here at Shabbyfufu Designs! If this is your first time here, I’m inviting you to join my  community by subscribing to receive my updates via email. You will receive my blog posts and gain access to the Private Members Only Library of free printables.

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