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Twins go online to show you how to DIY your home on a budget

Posted at 5:00 AM, Jun 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-14 08:43:15-04

They are famous, without the paparazzi, and they could be living right next door.

These Valley women have thousands of followers on their social media accounts. They are mothers -- some of them stay at home and some work full-time jobs -- but they are making money on their posts and sharing their secrets to success this week in our ABC15 series.

The fifth and final account is the Lolly Jane Blog on Instagram. They are twins from the East Valley who argue that just because you have a small budget, doesn't mean you can't DIY your way to a beautiful home.

It all started when Kelli Mullins was struggling to pay the bills. Her husband was a new police officer in the Valley and was not making much. They also had mounting medical bills from a respiratory illness with one of their children.

So, Mullins thought she needed to do something from home. She enlisted the help of her twin sister, Kristi Jansen, and the pair started crafting to create cash.

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Now, the Lolly Jane Blog is bigger than ever.

"We're so flattered that anyone cares what we have to say," laughed Mullins.

"It's true," Jansen said, chiming in.

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It all started for these two back in 2007 with a sign shop.

"Even though we were poor, I still loved making all of my own furnishings," Mullins described. "Like something on the side of the road... you get that 59-cent craft paint and give it new life."

From that small sign shop and no money to Instagram fame today, Lolly Jane Blog has nearly 140,000 followers and big name companies come to them to pay for advertised posts.

"Our first brand partnership... was with Elmer's glue and it was a big deal," Mullins and Jansen laughed. "They sent us unlimited glue... It was a $75 box."

RELATED: Tempe mom makes money posting family-friendly workouts online

Their blog and following increased after realizing they needed to focus on a specific market: a mom on a budget.

"A lot of the influencers today, 'Oh, my husband is a doctor... and he's a dentist,'" Jansen said. "Well, of course you have thousands of dollars to renovate your home. We don't!"

But, that is why they are successful -- they offer solutions.

That success has also helped them provide for their families from home.

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"If you want to succeed, you have to solve a problem for them," Mullins said. "You have to be selfless and giving and give them information. Because people don't want to just look at a pretty feed because you don't know the story behind it."

Mullins and Jansen said aspiring influencers have to find their own story and build a brand off of that. Then, be sure to study by going to conferences and taking online courses.

"You need to get educated on what the strategy is," Jansen explained.

To follow Lolly Jane Blog, click here.

To view their website, click here.