Introduction to Jeanette

My name is Elizabeth and this blog is not about me. It's all about my mother Jeanette who is an amazing product of being brought up in the Caribbean by a "Frenchie" French Caribbean father and a Puerto Rican mother. Raised on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, she came from very humble beginnings. Her family didn't have a lot but that never stopped my mom from finding creative ways to fulfill her needs. From her father and uncles she inherited what I call "island hillbilly creativeness". No piece of trash ever got thrown away without being certain that it couldn't be worked over in some useful way. Years later, even though she has the money to spare, she still uses her island hillbilly creativeness to make anything from effective utility objects and spiritual totems to eclectic home décor. Along with her obsessive compulsion towards thrift, she also has a very spiritual/metaphysical side. Her spiritual leanings are often incorporated into her unique, hippie decorating style. This blog is dedicated to her creations. I hope you enjoy!

Let's get started with some simple home decorating ideas:

A simple Yukon hat mounted on a standing globe adds style and sophistication to any old corner of your home! It's educational and utilitarian all at the same time.

Indoor wind chimes...because what more logical place could there be for your chimes than the very windy interior of your home? The actual reason she has wind chimes inside is so she can hit them throughout random times of the day to break up the stagnant energy in the room, creating positive Chi. I'm not making this up. She really does this. This location is an upgrade from the door frames where she would purposefully hang a wind chime low enough to hit us in the head because we were being uncooperative with the Chi activating exercise.

Lets take a walk outside for some outdoor decorating ideas.

Here we have our porch railing Buddha. My mom had a hematite bracelet that broke. She would never toss such treasure. Oh no, not Jeanette! She turned it into a sweet hematite necklace for old Buddha belly. Also, take heed of the burnt pieces of wood in front of Buddha. Did Buddha decide to have a camp fire? Is it an offering? No, she just thought it went well with Buddha.

Right on down the lane from Buddha we have our crystal enhancing glass prism. You never know what you're going to find in there. One day it could be a crystal that she's energizing. Another day it could be a dollar to enhance the vibration of abundance in our lives. Some days it's both!

Here's where the hillbilly comes out.

Why throw away a perfectly good spatula after replacing it with a new one? Just draw a happy face on it and stick it in a flower pot! It adds pizazz and character to any old planter. Better Homes and Gardens here we come!

Moving on to the utility objects...

Have a rusty old coffee tin that you just can't seem to let go of? Wrap some tin foil around it to cover the rustiness and boom! Maxwell House no more! Now you have a perfect storage container for those large outside garbage can bags! Brilliant Jeanette.

Have an old pair of holey pajama pants? Turn it into a stylish apron! No sewing required! Just cut those bad boys up and use the waistband as a neck tie! Wow, is there no end to her creative genius?

And the pièces de résistance. At first glance you may be fooled into thinking that this is just an ordinary trash can with a scrunchie tied around the top. This is actually the reinvented item that inspired me to start this blog. Are you ready for this? Jeanette could not part with this old trash can after my Dad decided that it was time for it to go on to greener pastures. No, Jeanette knew that this old boy had some use left in him yet! A holder of trash he is no longer! This guy is now the proud receptacle of laundry! Yes, my mother is now using her old trash can as her laundry hamper. Damn it Jeanette!  

This is only the beginning! More Jeanette-isms to follow!