Meet Deema! She’s an interior designer with a fantastic aesthetic, the kind of blogger you actually want to read, accessible DIY-er, reel-creating genius, and one of the funniest people we pretend like we know on Instagram.  Her website, Pretty On Fridays, took her talent that started as a part-time hobby/side gig and gave it the professional, on-brand space it deserved. 

And – here’s the amazing part – she got her site up and running in a WEEK.  Not exaggerating.  Can she just be our poster child for easy-to-use (and pretty) website templates? After spending months DMing back and forth, we wanted to know more about how it all came to be, so we (virtually) sat down with Deema for a chat about her TONIC story. Trust us when we say, she’s really fun to interview (we basically want to be pen pals forever):

Okay, we’ve always got to start with the fun-stuff lightning round. LET’S GO:

Tell me what you do: I like to break design rules and hoard art. 

Vice / guilty pleasure: Bravo

Celebrity crush: Jack nicholson. I love old men, is that weird? I don’t care.

Something you’re proud of: My two little humans. 

What you’re currently working on: Designing my kid’s rooms while trying to stay sane.

Common misconception about you: That I’m an extrovert. 

What you’re learning right now: All things website traffic. I have no clue what I’m doing. Send help.

We probably wouldn’t guess….I’m a proud Lebanese immigrant. Came to the U.S. when I was 5, but my favorite childhood memories were summers in Lebanon.

Best marketing / business advice / insight you’ve ever gotten: Growth only happens outside your comfort zone. 

Currently watching / listening to: Currently listening to You Are A Badass on audible, and watching The Good Fight

What do you want everyone to know reading this? Every time someone subscribes to my newsletter a puppy is born. 

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Amazing. I knew I liked you. So, storytime — how did you find TONIC? 

A friend recommended it. She didn’t use TONIC personally, but went to some conference and had heard about it. I did some major Instagram stalking, ahem, research, and fell in love. The reviews got me. That and Jen promised I’d be rich within a week if I purchased a template (Editor’s Note: this is 100% true.) and I was sold.

Haha, the reviews, man! They get meevery time, too. Did you have to get past anything to finally take the leap and snag a TONIC template?

I lost my job that same week I purchased the template and the installments were a HUGE lifesaver. But again, those damn reviews y’all kept posting got to me. You guys do an incredible job of marketing. Everything from the website, to the reviews, and the humor. It almost felt like this cool club I wanted to be a part of. When do I get my membership badge?

Which template did you choose, and why? I’d love to hear what sealed the deal for you/any features that you immediately loved.

I took the quiz on your website and it narrowed it down to a few. I loved the way the French 75 template looked and it’s what I landed on. It felt “fresh” and “happy.”

It totally does. Such the right choice for you. Let’s talk a little bit about the process…. Describe the process of creating, customizing, and launching your new site. What was that experience like? 

I probably muttered, “OMG I AM DOING THIS ALL BY MYSELF” to my husband a million times before he threatened to lock me out of the house. It was easy, fun, and incredibly rewarding. Honestly, it’s foolproof. Working on my website before was a nightmare. I purchased several templates in the past, paid someone $500 who was more of a headache than a help, and then found TONIC and it was like a breath of fresh air.  

Haha, yeah, we get that a lot. 😉 So glad you found us! Describe your new website (we think it’s stunning, but we love to hear how you’d describe it!)

She’s my precious angel baby. My last website felt like a reflection of a hobby and now it feels like I’m a bad-ass, serious bitch. It is quirky, and fun, yet sophisticated. It screams heyyy, I’m fancy.

You are so freaking fancy I can hardly stand it. But let’s shift to a little bit about the results — how has your new website impacted your business, brand, or life? 

For starters, I’m no longer embarrassed to share my website. Now I’m like, but did you see every page? It’s also created an alternate home for my audience. I was tired of leaving all my eggs in one basket (the Instagram basket). I finally had something that was mine and I was damn proud of.

How do you see your TONIC template working for you in the future, as you seek to pursue any plans, goals, or growth? 

Hope to use it as a vehicle to earn a living writing one day. *manifests dream*

I will 100% buy your book. Full Stop. Okay, real talk — What would you tell someone on the fence, considering purchasing a TONIC site? Shoot ’em straight!

You get what you pay for. Full stop. It’s the investment I pat myself on the back for over and over again. I was broke, in the middle of a renovation right after losing my job, and STILL believed in TONIC enough to pull that trigger. It’s a foolproof (and stress-free) way to personalize a ridiculously professional-looking website all on your own. Best decision I made for my blog. Stop wasting your time and money on basic templates, rip that damn bandaid off.

Anything else you’d like me to know about you, your story, or website? 

Just that I love it so much and I’m so glad I found you guys. I hope to write a book one day, and can’t wait for that shit to be featured on my website.

You get what you pay for. Full stop. It’s the investment I pat myself on the back for over and over again. I was broke, in the middle of a renovation right after losing my job, and STILL believed in TONIC enough to pull that trigger. It’s a foolproof (and stress-free) way to personalize a ridiculously professional looking website all on your own. Best decision I made for my blog. Stop wasting your time and money on basic templates, rip that damn bandaid off.

We can’t wait either, Deema. We’re truly invested in big dreams and are so, so happy when clients like Deema find the perfect platform to launch from. We may even have to steal her “OMG I AM DOING THIS BY ALL MYSELF” line and just use that in all of our marketing because that’s the goal, people!  We think everyone can – and should – be “damn proud” of their website. 

Want more Deema? Check out her fresh and happy version our our French 75 here, for belly laughs and design inspiration, follow her on Instagram @prettyonfridays (the content we all need), and check out a few of her gorgeous interior stylings below. We also HIGHLY recommend you subscribe to her newsletter, Merci Kitr (we hear that every time someone does, a puppy is born).

Want more TONIC? Shop the collection and find your dream (“ridiculously professional-looking”) website.