Silk Purse

06/29/2017

Well, color me stupid! I included the wrong photo of the exterior of the house on Sheridan Road in Pekin. This is actually the exterior of that house. The photo I included on my post yesterday was actually the exterior of another house I worked on that's also on the market now....guess that's what happens when you (I) try to cook & post at the same time :)

06/28/2017

This is one of the houses I worked on that's on the market now. It's my nephew's house on Sheridan Road in Pekin, It's really cute...has 2 bed, 2 bath with great master suite, full height basement and huge garage.

04/05/2017

04/05/2017

Refinished my niece's oak cabinets in tan & navy. Quite a difference,.

03/27/2017

Transformed this old bench into glam new cushioned bench & hanging herb garden. These pieces will be available at Past Time Antiques in Green Valley. They will be having a Spring Open House on April 28 & 29.

03/22/2017

This piece is another one done with the champagne metallic finish. It was originally a kind of orange-brown colored, kind of "Early American" finish with lots of carvings on the pieces. There was also a table with 2 leaves & 6 chairs. The transformation was amazing.

03/22/2017

This was some beautiful dark colored furniture that was just too dark for the space and the owner wanted a change. She hired me to paint it, which was pretty scary. I started with sanding, primer, a light glaze (which after sanding resulted in a distressed look), followed by a champagne metallic, and rub on poly. I also re-upholstered the chairs. It all turned out well though. She was happy with the results, and one of her friends who saw it liked it so much she hired me to do the same finish on her dining room set.

03/22/2017

This is a home I used to own, but renovated it to sell a few years ago. It had the original "Monge" cabinets, old appliances, carpet & paint. I re-painted & replaced the flooring, light fixtures and window treatments throughout, and did a major update on the kitchen. I purchased unfinished oak cabinets & glazed them to a dark brown, added all new stainless steel appliances & a glass tile backsplash. I sold the home for more than any of the surrounding homes at the time, even though the home still had original siding and windows and an aging roof and central air unit. (These photos are pretty bad. Digital cameras have come a long way)

03/22/2017

The owner contacted me to design & paint this bathroom. I don't have any before pictures, but it was rather dated...pastel floral wallpaper, brass fixtures, oak vanity & dated vinyl flooring. I helped them choose cool new tiles & paint color, fixtures, and accessories. They were lacking storage so found an old oak cabinet that fit the space & painted it and the vanity white & added new hardware, fixtures and vanity top. Looks like a new custom cabinet. Definitely the coolest room in the house now,l

03/22/2017

A realtor friend of mine contacted me about this house. It wasn't a bad house, but it was dark and dated and had been on the market for quite some time with no showings.

03/22/2017

This is a house I helped my friend renovate to sell. She was a single mom who had lived in the house and had little time or money to update it, so it hadn't had any updates in a while. It had white on white walls & trim, falling apart cabinets, and dated light fixtures and décor.

One area I focused on that some people might think unimportant was the basement. The laundry was there, and it was an older house and was dark, dirty, and smelly. I cleaned & painted it to make it a space that wasn't scary to go into...good place for kids to play or to store household items.

This house sold almost immediately.