Based off of our bank account, I would have thought 2018 was a veryyy slow year, but that is completely untrue. I always have to remind myself that we’ve come a long way in getting our company off the ground and running and this is a wonderful list of accomplishments to refer back to, when in doubt! I can’t believe how many different things we dipped our toes in this year all the while adjusting to life with a newborn. Whatever furthers our knowledge, continues to challenge us, and more importantly helps pays that never-ending stack of bills, am I right?
Without further adieu…2018 in chronological order:
George.
First things first, on January 14th we welcomed our first born, George Carey, into the world. This was something we hoped for quite some time and are so blessed and grateful for this little guy. He is what motivates us to work hard and do whatever we can to ensure we are successful.
Guest Suite Completion.
We started creating a guest suite from an unfinished attic space back in Q4 of 2017; however we did not complete until one week after George was born. It was definitely a challenge getting the floors refinished and moving all the furniture in after George arrived early; however somehow we managed. Don’t ask me how because I blacked it out.
You can view more photos and read about the Gingham Guest Suite process here.
Styled Photoshoot.
In early February, we tried out photography styling with some lovely Pinescone treats for the local magazine, Pinehurst Living. Jim also found time to fabricate some beautiful tile boards for me to use when styling these scones. This was such a fun and delicious project and we are so grateful for the experience and the connections we made along the way.
Flipped A House.
Two weeks after George was born we got started on another flip in Southern Pines. We were under contract before the house even hit the market in May — our quickest flip to date. This home was the most challenging budget-wise, but we made it work with some very creative solutions that did not sacrifice the quality of the flip.
You can view the completely renovated home here as well as read about how we got creative with the master bathroom.
Electrical Level 1 Course.
Jim wanted to expand his knowledge of electrical work so he completed an Electrical Level 1 Course at Sandhills Community College. He would spend hours working on our flip during the day and attend 3+ hour evening courses a couple nights during the week. I still can’t believe he did this, all the while adjusting to life with a newborn.
Company Direction Change.
We upgraded our company name from “Slygho” to Crawford Modern. More importantly, we made the difficult decision to take a break from house flipping and ultimately work on developing business relationships with clients local to the area. We rolled out a new logo and web site to fully represent our aesthetic. This also meant figuring out Search Engine Optimization and other behind-the-scenes stuff with web site creation.
You can read more about why we changed our company direction here.
Staged A House.
We were asked to stage a Pinehurst home that had been on the market for four months without any action. It was a great challenge to stage a house that had seen better days as opposed to one of our freshly renovated flips. The best part: this home went under contract within two weeks after staging (bonus: with the first buyer to see it staged)!
You can read more about our staging process and aesthetic here.
Long-Term Investment Property.
We bought a cute little cottage in Pinehurst we envision ourselves as a family to enjoy for years to come. While we continue to get our business up and running, it will be rented out with Merit Property Management for a couple of years. We’ve learned so much about being landlords (as opposed to flippers) and have started brainstorming ways to potentially acquire another local investment property in the future.
Rental Property Repairs.
Many repairs were made to multiple properties (including our very own little cottage). With Jim’s background in residential construction, he has been an asset to local property management companies. This has helped us tremendously in between larger projects.
Teenager’s Bedroom Makeover.
This initially gave me the most anxiety as I am scared of teenagers; however I ended up having a great time assisting a sweet Pinecrest High School student achieve her dreams of a bohemian-vibe bedroom. Pictures to come soon!
Art Performance Piece for Oliver Jeffers.
When the timing works out, Jim builds Oliver Jeffers’ boxes for his dipped painting performances. As we were up north frequently this year, Jim was able to fabricate another in August. We love collaborating with Oliver — whether building things for his studio, frames for his beautiful paintings (PS - Bono owns one of Oliver’s paintings that Jim framed!), or boxes for his art performances.
You can see more examples of our custom wood-working projects here.
Decorated A House.
Shortly after we rolled out our new branding and web site, a couple reached out to see if they could give us the keys to their house and decorate it before they hosted Thanksgiving for their family. It was fun going on the thrifting hunt (both locally and online) to stay within budget—all the while not sacrificing the aesthetic. Jim was also a tremendous asset by installing a beautiful mirror-tiled backsplash and shelving for the bar in the living area.
You can view more photos of the fully decorated home here.
Rebranded Merit Property Management.
We helped launch a rebrand for this local Moore County business. A new logo, Instagram account, rental signs, and web site were created. We took all our learnings from rebranding our own company and were able to apply it here.
Bathroom Remodel for a Client.
We had the opportunity to renovate a 1970s master bathroom in Pinehurst. And as we have a passion for renovating ugly bathrooms from the 70s/80s, this was a lot of fun. We were fortunate to work with clients who had a clear vision of what they wanted and look forward to renovating their guest bathroom in the future.
Long-Distance Staging Gig.
This was a couple firsts for us — staging with a seller’s furniture as well as doing it long distance. We helped stage a condo in New Jersey without stepping foot in it during the entire process. It was a very collaborative experience and paid off as the home received 5+ offers within three days of being on the market.
You can read more about our long-distance staging process here.
Art Commissions.
In addition to selling lots of my artwork in our booth at Pastimes, I had the privilege of creating some nude line drawings for a couple located in Brooklyn. I’ve also recently begun a large abstract commission piece (to be custom-framed by Jim). This piece will be completed in 2019. Can’t wait to share more details soon!
In the meantime, you can check out more of our artwork here.
Design Consultations.
From providing paint color recommendations for a newly purchased home to assessing fixer upper houses for potential buyers, we’ve done numerous consultations over the year. We are grateful for all the people we have met who share a common interest in making their homes beautiful and perfectly theirs.
Other Fun Stuff.
We also tried out real estate photography (the house went under contract in under a week with multiple offers!), took a QuickBooks course with Sandhills Community College, successfully learned how to propagate plants (this is a feat considering we killed many-a-plant a year ago), and of course have continued to sell treasured vintage items out of our booth at Pastimes Antiques.