The Northwest Washington Fair is almost here!

I'm excited! I'm counting down the days to the opening of the Northwest Washington Fair here in the small but beautiful town of Lynden. The Fair gives me the opportunity to show my work to a large and varied audience and it's something I look forward to all year. It enables me to meet new clients and reconnect with clients I've done work for in the past.

I've been prepping for a while already. My 10' x 10' booth will be jam packed with offerings. On the back wall of the booth I'm featuring a cornice with side panels; an aqua chenille is used on the lower portion of the drape panel with a contemporary paisley in cream, tan and aqua for the upper; they're joined diagonally and accented with a coordinating fabric tape. Topping the panels is a shaped cornice in aqua with beaded trim. A Moreland valance with tassels and trim as well as a tent pleated valance round out the drapery offerings for this year.

For the first time, I am highlighting Panel Accents sliding panels by Graber, a modern and functional way to cover patio doors, wide windows, and closet openings . As well, they can be used as room dividers and come in a wide variety of fabrics including screens and woven woods.

 I'll exhibit many other shades, including the always popular Silhouette window shadings by Hunter Douglas, energy-saving cell shades, wood blinds  and  UV-blocking screen shades. Sample books will find a place too, next to beautiful fabrics. Business cards and brochures are printed, informational literature is ready, and I've found plush carpet, classic furniture and decorative elements to dress up the booth.

So am I ready for 14 hour days of standing on concrete? To smell fair food for six days in a row? To listen to the spiel of the Magic Mop guy time after time? To enjoy the camaraderie of fellow exhibitors? To welcome new clients and chat with the old? To have the opportunity to share my love of designing window fashions? To educate? And in my own small way, make people's homes a better place to be?

You betcha!