About Fab Frugal Jane
Hi, my name is Jane Naskiewicz (Don’t even try to pronounce it, just call me Fab Frugal Jane :) and my goal is to help you have a Fab Frugal Home.
Here you’ll find a treasure-trove of do-it-yourself home remodeling and decorating advice and ideas from someone who’s been there. I’ve spent hundreds of hours making my home a reflection of my family’s spirit and a place that nourishes us and our friends.
I’ve built several homes, and remodeled and decorated many others, and always got really involved in each project, many times doing the work myself. I’ll try any job—at least once.
Having learned my lesson, I now know that some things are better left to the pros. I won’t be mixing concrete, building walls or applying stucco by hand anymore! There are many great companies out there that can help you with the jobs you can’t do or simply don’t want to try tackling on your own.
As you can imagine, friends and neighbors are always asking me “where did you buy this?” or “how did you do that?” It’s hard to explain a technique in conversation so I decided to start a website for sharing home decorating ideas ~ and that's when the nickname Fab Frugal Jane took hold.
And get this: although my goal was just to help people and share what I had learned about remodeling and home decorating, I’ve loved the process of building my website. I’ve found it to be creative, just like decorating my home. Now when someone asks me about how I did something or where they can get ideas, I point them to the right web page to find all the information they need.
My Story
Remember Dorothy’s famous claim that “there’s no place like home”? I agree! For more than 20 years, my life has been focused on helping people get and create homes they love.
Over the years, I’ve been involved with all things home: home ownership, home financing, home building, home remodeling and decorating, but it all makes perfect sense, since I'm a homebody.
I was also a mortgage loan officer for 13 + years before starting my website on home remodeling and decorating. When working with clients who were buying a home, I would often go to the closing table. Yeah, I could justify it by saying I was there in case there was a problem with the mortgage docs, but really, my absolute favorite part (besides all the hugs) was watching people get the keys to their new home.
When clients refinanced to do home improvements, we’d often get caught up talking about their remodeling and decorating plans. It was fun to share their excitement, and even better to get a card or phone call telling me how happy they were with their remodeled home. It made my day!
Building My Home Remodeling Expertise
During my time as a mortgage consultant, I spent hundreds of hours pouring over property appraisals and asking lots of questions, just so I could explain stuff to my clients. Appraisals helped me understand the basis for good design as it relates to market value and how having a good 'footprint' or floor plan is key, with rooms that flow well from one to another. You never want to hear the term 'functional obsolescence' because it really means poor or outdated design. As in, it’s not good if you have to walk through a bathroom to enter a bedroom. And so much for privacy if the only entrance to the backyard is through your bedroom.
Being in the mortgage business also taught me that the biggest favor you can do for yourself when it comes to home remodeling and decorating is to not overspend or go overboard. That means careful budgeting and staying within what’s expected for your neighborhood so you can recapture your investment when it comes time to sell.
At present, I’m studying for my California real estate license, which really fits in with my love of all things ‘home’ and brings all of my past experience full circle.
So Many Decorating Ideas and Themes, So Little House
My hope is that by sharing stories, tips, and lots of home remodeling and decorating ideas, this site will inspire you to enter a world of your own design.
Recently, I've added a page where you can share home decorating ideas, tell us your story, and upload before and after photos. It’s always exciting to see the transformation and how people interpret techniques to fit their own personal style.
Seeing your projects also lets me live out my design fantasies. I wish I could try every technique and trick, but many will have to wait for another house. Until then, I can live vicariously through you, my creative readers.
Ask Fab Frugal Jane if you have a question about something you saw on this website, need help choosing color schemes, a friendly second opinion, or just want some ideas. I'd be happy to help, provided you give some details along with your question.Here’s to a fabulous year ahead! May you create the home of your dreams and enjoy it in good health.
I also want to send out a Great BIG Thank you to all of YOU, and to all those who've helped, inspired and taught me over the years. For this, and many other things, I am incredibly grateful.
