I'm only going to say this one time...

Okay guys, based on the fact that over 1,300 of you read (or at least clicked on!) my last blog post, but very few have reached out with interest...leads me to believe most of you are sitting at home thinking, 'I wish Mollie could come over to my house and help me but I can't ask her until I have a new house/couch/bed/rug/whatever-that-thing-is-you-think-you-need-in-order-to-decorate.' Or some other kind of nonsense like that.

Listen...it doesn't bother me in the slightest that my phone isn't ringing off the hook. But because I've had SO MANY people in the past few years say, 'I need to have you come over and help me decorate my house!' ......................it just seems like you're all a little gun shy.

The loveseat we used in our living room for the better part of three years, was literally pulled from a curb across the street from our house. And you better believe that didn't stop me from adding a blanket and some throw pillows and pretending it was brand new. It was new to us! So I'm telling you, I can work with ANYTHING you've got.

Please hear me when I say this...I am not here to sell you anything you don't want or need. I am not trying to recruit you for something. I do not make commission on anything you buy from Target or Hobby Lobby (though I really should). This is not a candles/jewelry/skin care/multi-level-marketing trap that I'm going to continually push on you multiple times a day until you're forced to unfollow me.

I just want to help give you the pretty, cozy, unique home you've always wanted but aren't sure where to start.

So if that's you, hiding behind the glow of your phone screen, wishing you had a nicer house worthy of hiring a "decorating consultant" for (it's just me guys)...STOP. Waiting until you've painted a room, or have enough money to buy that piece of furniture, or until you don't live in an apartment anymore...all nonsense. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're looking at someone who had mauve + baby blue carpet in her entire house for nearly five years. If I would have waited until I had tile floors and nice furniture to decorate and have people over, we wouldn't have any friends.

That's it. That's all I'm going to say about it.

And this is in case you think I'm being dramatic about how 'bad' our first house really was when we moved in. This transformation took about five years and a LOT of hard work but it was obviously worth it.

MmB

Time for a Little Side Hustle

Today is the day I start charging for my decorating services. I held out long enough, not wanting two business owners operating two businesses simultaneously under the same roof because one is our literal livelihood and one is a whole lot of playing...but I just can't do that anymore.

I LOVE helping people with this stuff! Random Instagram friends asking where I found our dining room chandelier; Facebook acquaintances asking endless questions about our farm sink; friends texting pictures of their frames laid out for a possible gallery wall...it brings me LIFE to offer my opinions and encouragement as people turn their spaces into cozy, inviting homes...BUT I'm starting to get more and more requests from people who I don't consider to be in my immediate tribe, some that will require drive-time upwards of an hour and I can't in good conscience steward my time that way if it's not a wise investment for our family's time/resources.

Everything will be on the up-and-up like a 'real' business (meaning I will charge and also pay taxes on this income...and I'll send invoices...it will be a whole thing) because my father-in-law is a CPA and also an evil dictator. So in a strange turn of events, Boersma Enterprises now has a design and decor division. What in the actual. Whatever, I'm pretending our house is a showroom.

So here's a rundown of how I'll operate in order to help people with different needs and budgets:

Remote Consultation: $25 

We can chat via email/text/Facebook message with photos and I can offer input on anything and everything you'd like to show me, whenever it's convenient for us to chat. Text me pictures and questions while you're out shopping if you see something that catches your eye, but aren't sure if it's right. I can work up sketches for room arrangements/feature walls, assign 'homework' for what to buy/paint as budgets allow and we can work through one room at a time or overhaul an entire house. 

*Time spent communicating shouldn't exceed more than one hour, when/if it does, an additional $25 will be charged*

Cottage Consultation: $50

I have always wanted our home to be a calm, clean, inspiring place, and I love when friends come here and find new ideas or discover a way to put their twist on something I've done and then implement it in their own home. So come to my house for an afternoon to snoop through whatever you'd like. Anything from how I organize our closets to what wall colors we've used is open for discussion/imitation. At this point I have quite a bit of experience with what works and what doesn't in small and large spaces, and can offer so much advice from my own attempts/failures until I've gotten it 'right'...I'd love to avoid all those trial-and-error failures for you.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so if you immediately go out and buy the same wreath from Hobby Lobby to hang on a tobacco basket above your fireplace...I will be right here cheering you on.

*Time spent shouldn't exceed more than one hour, when/if it does, an additional $25 will be charged*

Shopping Consultation: $50

Show me the wall/room/space you need help with and we can head to Hobby Lobby/JB Knacker/TJ Maxx/Target to find some items to make it perfect. I'm not going to baby you through this because it's not my house it's YOURS! ("Would this work on my shelf?" "Do you like it?" "I think so." "THEN SURE.") Decide what you like and go for it. But I am more than willing to come along for a morning of shopping to help you pull together some pieces you love. Text me a picture when you get everything home and hung on the walls for some final encouragement.

*Time spent shopping shouldn't exceed more than one hour, when/if it does, an additional $25 will be charged*

Arranging Consultation: $25

You've gathered everything you love but don't know how to play with it to get it 'right' on your mantle/shelves/counters/etc. I'll come over and offer my ideas and we can work on the arrangement together until it's exactly how you like it! Disclaimer: You're allowed to change ANYTHING you want when I leave!

*Time spent arranging shouldn't exceed more than one hour, when/if it does, an additional $25 will be charged*

Organization Consultation: Hourly

This is not for the faint of heart. If you have junk stored away in the top of your bedroom closet that you haven't touched in 25 years, prepare to say goodbye. We can tackle one closet at a time, one room at a time, or even one DRAWER at a time...it's totally up to you how much or how little assistance you'd like in this department. Just make sure you're prepared with ideas when I come ready to help!

Quick Consultation: $50

Have a grad party (for example) coming up and just need some decorating suggestions fast? I can come over and help clear the clutter, rearrange furniture, and hang all the things you've been meaning to hang forever but haven't had time to. I've done this quite a bit for people when they need a set of fresh eyes in their house or a little update. A lot of times it's just putting useless kitchen counter appliances away in cupboards...creating a new home for the endless piles of mail that seem to build up on the desk or hanging a picture on the wall to fill some blank space. But for those who aren't as confident at accomplishing those things on their own, I can come help.

*Time spent shouldn't exceed more than one hour, when/if it does an additional $50 will be charged*

Everything Consultation: Hourly

This one is my favorite because I get to spend time helping, hands-on, from start to finish. I'll come over to tour the home/room/space you need help with. We will chat through some homework (ie: I will help choose paint colors but I won't be doing the painting...I have done enough painting to last me a lifetime) and I'll be available for texts/emails/messages throughout the process. Once the painting (or any other projects) has been accomplished we will go shopping (in your barn/basement/G'mas/stores) for what you'll need to finish everything. Then I'll spend time arranging and styling the space to pull everything together. This is usually the part most people have trouble with but it's my favorite. We can work through the house room by room, or tackle the whole thing, it's totally up to you!

*If you'd like a little bit of everything from the previous 'packages' I've mentioned, they can all be hustled together and when we're 'finished' I can determine the cost based on how much time we spent together at my hourly rate ($50/hour)*

*Mileage+hourly rate will be charged for anything outside of Ames*

If you have questions, just email me at mollie.boersma@gmail.com or text 515.509.1001. Because I get to decide how I run this little side hustle, please, for the LOVE don't call me and leave voicemails. Email and texts will be our best means of communication. 

MmB