2017 reader survey results

WOOHOO finally the results of that survey you took! thank you again for taking the time to respond, it means a lot to me to read your comments and to try to make this place somewhere you and i can both enjoy. 


well we all knew DIY would be the most popular, but who knew interiors would surpass DIY by a whopping 1%!? i guess that means you guys really do enjoy the new house and that makes me really happy — there are only so many house projects i can do to my own house, so hopefully by interiors you also mean roundups of inspiration, products, that sort of thing and not just huge makeovers because that’s not as doable obvs. is that cool with you?

also i like that you’re into lifestyle, so i’m going to do my best to do more lifestyle posts too!

in terms of what you’d like to see more of, it was basically just more interiors lol. but you also said you’d want to see more personal posts — and here’s the really exciting result… the biggest desire was to see ORGANIZING POSTS. being a natural hoarder, i am very into this idea and i’m going to start brainstorm organizing ideas. shoot me any if you have ’em! i think the spice drawer was satisfying af and i’d love to have a reason to start more projects like that.


i was relieved to see that most of you don’t mind the idea of some pregnancy / mom posts, like i said — i promise i don’t plan on making this a mommy blog, but being pregnant is a big part of whats going on with me right now, and obviously when the baby is here that will change my life huge. so i’d like to blog about things that matter and are relevant to my life, and i’m glad you’re mostly ok with that. and i think it’s pretty hilar that 13.4% of you said other.


i think i said in the survey that i’m focusing more on only DIYing when it’s something simple, something functional, cheaper than a thing i’d want to buy, etc. other than that, i feel like you and i don’t have as much time to just make stuff for the sake of making stuff anymore, right? so that’s why i’m going to keep on focusing on projects like that, and focus on quality vs quantity.


your questions, answered!
BLOGGING
do you ever plan on going full-time on blogging?

i plan on it all the time, but then i get nervous about money and decide it’s not feasible. i think once the babe is here, life will change in so many ways that i’ll need to reevaluate my career and what’s really doable, etc. i’ve always believed that if i were to just take the leap and try going full time, it would push me to make it work — but obviously i didn’t test that theory prior to getting knocked up.

how do you come up with content?

it’s SO insanely hard. especially once you feel like you’ve kind of exhausted all your ideas. i get inspired by cool products and cool design — and i get most of my inspiration from boutiques and pinterest. the thing i struggle most with is not only coming up with ideas, but executing them the way i picture in my head, it’s a constant battle.

is it worth it to start blogging now?

while it’s obviously reaaaally saturated now in the world of blogs now, i think if you have the ammo to do it — go right ahead. i would not suggest starting a blog with the intention of just doing it for a living, because obviously you can blog for a long time and not be a rich famous blogger — but if you are blogging about things you love and staying true to yourself — chances are your blog will stand out.

what do you take your photos with + how do you edit them?

i take most of my photos with my canon t5i. i have still not really learned about photography or how to properly use my camera, but i make due. i use this tripod and i use photoshop to edit my photos. instagram photos are just my iphone, and i use this point and shoot camera when i travel with this lens.


CATS
how do you keep your house clean with all the kitties?

we have a housekeeper twice a month which helps tremendously! i tell everyone that that’s a luxury that all cat owners should invest in — because our house is WAY less disgusting than before and people don’t really leave sneezing anymore.

where do you keep your litter box?

right now our litter box situation is not good and i am not proud of it. we had a litter box in our bathroom but when i got pregnant we moved it out so i wouldn’t be around it — we have two litter boxes in our guest room and that room has pretty much just become the junk room/cat shit room. it’s gross and it stresses me out every time i see it — so we’re hoping to come up with a better solution soon. we use a litter robot for rocky, and the big cats don’t like it — but ideally i’d like to just have one litter robot for all three of them somewhere hidden (i am totally aware we’re supposed to have like three litter boxes for three cats but i also don’t want to). if you have any suggestions, would love some!


PREGNANCY
are you nervous about being a new mom?

of course! it’s such a weird feeling knowing your life is about to change so drastically, but have no idea what that will actually look or feel like.

How did you know you were ready to start a family?

i didn’t really — i don’t think anyone ever feels ready or knows for sure, but we’ve been married for 2.5 years now and i’m 31, so it felt like time wise it could be ok. i’m not that great at multi tasking and i’m always wondering how working moms do it, but maybe you just do what works for you without putting too much pressure on yourself (especially in the beginning).

when did you know you wanted kids, and I guess more importantly, when did you feel like your life was in a place where you could support a family?

i don’t really! i feel like gid and i are solid, and we earn some money, and we have a house — so even if we struggle we’re optimistic that we’ll survive. it’s all very new and scary and i’ve never not worked, so it will be an adjustment for sure — but we’ll figure it out as we go. i’ve always wanted kids, but i really don’t think anyone feels 100% ready — maybe especially not when you live in a city and none of your friends have kids.

Are you wanting to change the blog to all baby related posts now?

nope. i’m still gonna like the same things that i liked before, won’t i?

Are you worried about forfeiting style for baby stuff and balancing that with not wanting to be that dick parent that only gives their kid wooden toys because of the aesthetic?

i sure am. i think the trick is balance, and having enough hidden storage that you can tuck away the ugly toys — so far i’m only interested in pretty ones, i think this struggle happens more when the kid is old enough to request ugly toys right? until then he’ll get what i give him!


RENOVATING
How can you afford all your renovations so soon after purchasing your home?

being conscious of where to cut costs and where not to — doing things yourself as much as you can. it helps to have a contractor you trust who gives you good prices, we have our family contractor who gives me good prices because labor is where we’ve spent the most by far on our renos. i am also spending money from my savings that i could probably not be spending, but in theory i’ll be getting the money back when we sell our house.

How do you decorate on a budget?

it’s easy to say you should invest in pieces so you don’t have to replace later, but often times i totally don’t do that. my house is a mix of expensive and inexpensive things, but before i buy something i reaaaally take some time to decide if i want to buy it or not, so i don’t end up with too many items i regret. i also sell like EVERYTHING on craigslist that i don’t want, so like if i want to buy a new chair, i’ll sell an old chair i have to try to make out even. i also have an annual yard sale.

Are you working on any other big projects around the house currently?

after we finish the babys room, i’m actually hoping we have time to renovate his bathroom before he arrives (crazy i know but i’d love to have it done) — we’ll see if that works out!

How did you develop such a strong interior/exterior design aesthetic?

a lot of pinterest and a lot of mood boards! photoshopping out your vision exactly really helps, i’ve done that with every room in the house so far and just seeing all the items and details together gives you an idea of what works and what doesn’t.

where do you get your design style from?

this question is hard because i don’t know. we all just copy what we like and eventually it’s second nature? everyone’s style evolves and changes with trends, i try to stick to basics that i know i won’t get sick of, but i fall short sometimes and end up switching out throw pillows too often still.


QUESTIONS ABOUT ME
Where did you go to school to learn about freelancing? And how do you manage work work from the blog?

i went to otis college of art and design where i majored in digital media — we had some really good classes about freelancing, selling yourself, asking for raises, etc, things that have totally come in handy in this career despite not really doing at all what i majored in for a living now. the balance is hard, sometimes i plan to blog 3 or 4 days a week and when i get home and i’ve forgotten to finish a post, i just don’t. that explains why sometimes there are no posts that day. the most important thing to me is putting my happiness and relationship first, and that helps not stress me out too bad day to day.

did your parents have a great influence on you?

both my parents are the most vivacious people i know, i’d say i get my personality from them for sure!

if you weren’t married would you go on the bachelor?

very much so.

What’s a day in the life of Molly like?

coffee in bed, good morning america, eggs, emails, lunch, trying to be productive, snacks, tv, dinner, tv, sleep. i guess?

What are your favorite blogs?

i love blackbird and think she has the coolest style ever… bleu bird is the coolest mom. i like different color birds.

What’s at the top of your travel destination bucket list?

iceland, tokyo and cuba. hoping traveling with a baby isn’t too hard!

Would you rather have to be Mariah Carey’s backup singer/dancer or never eat cheese again?

yes.


again, thank you for filling out the survey — for your compliments, for your congrats, for everything! i love you and i appreciate you so much.

if there’s anything i didn’t answer, let me know.

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8 Comments

  1. Ashley Hodgson says:

    noooo please don’t stop doing printables, I live for them!!!! Honestly print and use every single one you put out there. lol biggest fan

  2. Yes, keep up with the interior stuff please!! 🙂

  3. I’m not sure how old your cats are, but I would HIGHLY suggest the Litter Kwitter (yes I also hate that they spelled it with a K). It took our cat 2 weeks to figure it out when she was about 5 months old, and although it’s kind of gross while you’re in the process, it’s a million times better once its done! A few extra toilet flushes in exchange for never scooping/buying/smelling litter again!

    1. This is interesting! Sounds like it should work for any cat as long as they’re not super old? We have a cat that will be 2 in July. I’m currently pregnant and not able to clean the litter box, so it’s all on my husband. Plus it’s just a pain in general dealing with a litter box. This is worth considering for sure!

  4. Seriously just dont change a damn thing about your blog. Add the baby stuff, but like dont change anything else. It’s perfect i promise you haha

  5. Girl, I have four kids and I still don’t feel ready for kids most days. (I kid!). I’m totally try to be that pretentious parent that only gives their kids wooden toys but I’m a sucker for those cute kid eyes. The real struggle happens when the grandparents bring over obnoxious glowing monstrosities.

    I’m looking forward to continuing to read your blog!