Brimar Rosettes - A Trim Odyssey

This odyssey began last spring with the selection of a rose colored silk. Ah, that rose colored silk had been the the object of a long search for the perfect shade to match the flowers in the fabric covered couch and loveseat in the family room. But that was only the beginning...

The design came together quite easily. Three elegantly shaped cornices with side panels, two for the windows and one for the sliding glass door. Beautiful frames for a spectacular view of islands dotting the bay down below, fading into the far horizon. Accent trim to pull in a few more colors from the furniture. Simple - or so I thought.

The next search was on... The ever-elusive trim was finally found in a Kasmir collection, a collection with a few limited items. But there was enough cording and tiebacks to accent the graceful scallops of the design and satisfy the client's desire for trim - or so I thought.

Installation went well. The colors, the style, the proportions all fit the room and the decor. The client was happy - or so I thought.

Followup phone calls are a great idea. In this case, however, the client felt that something was missing. The cornices needed something more - she wasn't quite sure what, but they needed something... MORE. And THE SEARCH was on...

Well, we did discover what the MORE was not. It was not chair ties from that original Kasmir collection, used in a variety of creative ways. It was not rosettes from various other manufacturers in varied colors from ivory to tan to rose to multicolored. And every time we ordered something different, it took six weeks to arrive. The MORE was not to be found in Seattle, or locally, or on-line, but was eventually tracked down by brainstorming with several workrooms. And finally, after about six months of detective work, the solution was found!Brimar rosettes! Brimar is a supplier of stunning drapery trimmings, hardware and textiles. I'm pleased to be able to provide these products to my clients. And for this particular client, the rosettes were the perfect finishing touch, the MORE she was looking for.

Today I attached the Brimar rosettes to the cornices. As we stood back and looked at the finished product, the client said, "There. That's what I was looking for!" Sometimes a job takes a little longer to complete. But we need to go the extra mile to do the job right and make sure the client is completely satisfied.

I'm looking forward to getting started on this client's master bedroom!

Hunter Douglas Premieres New Line-Up

It was a great day for a drive, down south I5 toward Mt. Vernon to attend our local Hunter Douglas Premieres workshop. The sun peeked through the clouds from time to time, the first cherry trees were blossoming and that fresh green tint to the bushes and shrubs showed that leaves were budding. All heightened that sense of anticipation - what would Hunter Douglas come up with this spring? What new innovations, what enhancements, what new fabrics or products would we see this time around?

Highlights this year: additions to the highly energy-efficient Duette Architella line. Great new colors and fabrics! The sales reps presented an excellent demonstration of the insulating properties of the honeycomb shades compared to a bare window. Pirouette Window Shadings are the newest product offering, with soft horizontal vanes attached to a sheer backing, controlling light in an entirely new way. What excited me the most, though, was the expansion of the Vignette Modern Roman Shades line! A new tiered roman shade with a low profile headrail is sure to be a big hit. The new fabrics are beautiful and coordinate with Fabric by the Yard to complete the room's decor.

Of course, the new sample books are gorgeous too. The pictures showing the new product offerings are wonderfully done, and the Duette book is five pounds lighter this time around!

Hunter Douglas has done it again! They really are the leaders in the field of "hard" window coverings. I look forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves for the future...

Semper Fidelis

A little more reflective today. Yesterday I went with several of the children to witness our fourth child be sworn in as a US Marine. A proud moment for parents - to have a son put into action his expressed desire to serve his country. A bittersweet moment - letting go of the child you have raised for 19 years and watching him begin to fulfill his dream. He headed for boot camp very shortly after taking the oath, and we don't expect to hear from him much over the next 13 weeks. But he'll be thought of, prayed for, missed dearly, and we'll look forward to witnessing his graduation from boot camp in due time.

What struck me yesterday was the number of recruits that were there, and their ages. They were not only 18 year olds, who had just finished school, not knowing what to do with their lives. Sure, they were there, but there were those too who had a clear direction of where their lives were going, of what they desired for their country and for themselves, and there were those who were older, in their late twenties, thirties, and even one fortyish woman, who were re-enlisting.

It gives me great hope, once again, for this country, seeing young men and women make that solemn oath "so help them God" to be our defenders and protectors, to sacrifice for the common good of our nation.

I give them all my thanks.

Just how bad IS the economy?

Today's blog is a reflection on a comment made by a Facebook friend, Marie Mouradian. She questioned whether the economy is really as bad as the news portrays it, and concluded it wasn't.

I'll include some comments I posted in reaction: "Yesterday I reflected with a client on how blessed we truly are in this great country. Daily, I continue to work hard, provide excellent service, and strive to constantly improve - and I see so many others around me doing exactly the same thing in whatever job or industry they are in. This continues to be a land of great opportunity and hope!
I'm chosing not to listen to the economic news. I'm going to keep on making those sales calls - and I'm thankful for every single client."

There are so many people like you and me, people who are just going about their everyday life, working hard, doing what's best for their families, their communities, and their country. Those are the people who will continue to make this country strong through times of economic turmoil, naysayers and second-guessers.

I'll work harder, pray more, trust my Heavenly Father and hope for more settled times in the near future.

Twitter Widgets, Hot Links and Mindfly.com

Another episode in the life of a multi-tasking custom window drapery fashionista! Sometimes juggling a million different balls can be a little crazy. Today Maya at Mindfly.com had some great ideas on how to finetune my website. Of course, we had to detour for a moment and have a look at some of the website stats showing up on Google Analytics and what they meant... What? Twitter's not installed on the website? Okay, let's get the Twitter widget up and running there... Oh, and anchor text and hot links on the blog - yep, should do that too...

Wow, lot's to do again in the cyberspace world. Now, back to the real world...

Custom drapery creativity!

Sometimes the right fabric just really isn't the right fabric! And how do you deal with that? I ran into that problem late last year. As I sat with a client flipping through sample fabrics, one caught her eye. It was a beautiful striped faux silk, with beige and peach colored stripes of varying intensities and tiny stripes of gold. The colors were perfect with her walls, carpet and room. What was the problem? The client wanted a room darkening drape in that living room, and this fabric was a sheer...

So, back I went to the office, searching for another very similar fabric that would suit her needs but be equally as stunning. Of course, that did not happen. There was just nothing like the original fabric choice.

That's when Angel's came to the rescue! Their 118" Bella Notte Blackout Lining with Eurohem saved the day. By railroading both the fabric and lining, the workroom could fabricate a pair of seamless drapes that stretched across the entire wall, draping softly and providing the desired room darkening. No unsightly seams showing through the sheers, no bottom hem of the lining to worry about.

Mounted on a custom wood Estate Rod by Kirsch with rings and decorative finials, the custom draperies with the subtly striped fabric finished the living room with elegance and style.

Moral of the story: Sometimes the wrong fabric IS the right fabric - it just takes a willingness to think outside the box and look for the less obvious solution!

I'm excited about the IWCE 2009 Vignette!

Two weeks ago I heard from Deb Barrett that I was one of twelve designers who would be creating Vignettes for the International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta this May! Wow, was I excited! What an opportunity to showcase my creativity and ideas to an audience of 6,000 or so window fashions design professionals! But then the nerves set in - briefly. What was I thinking? Could I do it? It wasn't long though, before the creative juices started flowing, the ideas were popping into my head in the middle of the night and at other inopportune moments, and I couldn't wait to get all the details so I could get the design finalized. I had a preliminary design in mind...

But first, a "client" interview. I could chose a client profile - which would I pick? for there were many intriguing profiles - and then hold a phone interview with that client. Based on that interview, and the client's needs, desires and style, I would design a window treatment that would not only be functional, but also beautiful.

The client was a delight, and after the interview I had a clear picture of what was needed. Off to work - out with the preliminary design, and back to the drawing board. Different fabrics - but even more stunning! New design - but this would work so well given her room and window - and I was excited all over again!

I can't wait for the fabric to arrive. The workroom is eager to get started - and I'm ready to begin this next phase of the project. I'll keep you posted...

Stalling

Okay, I admit it, I am stalling. I really should be cleaning the house, since I have a whole day with no appointments - wow, what a luxury! - but instead I spent the morning ordering fabric for a client and updating the website. And I have to admit it, that was a job that I am glad to be finished with again. At least, for this month!

Up to now, I have managed my website on my own, but it was time to get some help. I have been thankful for the expertise of John Raasch and Maya at Mindfly.com, who is helping me fine-tune keywords, get Google Analytics going, and just generally making the website a better tool for Edwards Drapery & Interiors. Quite a science to the whole system of bumping your website up in the Google, MSN and Hotmail rankings! But the whole idea is to increase traffic to the website, for more phone calls, more sales and more enthused clients!

And now, time to grab the dustrag and vacuum cleaner... Because I can always design the next window treatment and whistle as I work...

Lynden Luxury using Ado's Trim Collection

Lynden is a spotless little town nestled between the foothills and the Pacific waters. Dairy herds dot the countryside; raspberry fields march in ordered rows up and down gentle slopes; the people are hardworking and friendly. And some own beautiful homes that cry out for that finishing touch - gorgeous draperies. Late last year one such homeowner came calling. Her formal parlor and dining room needed to be dressed up before the Christmas season.

The rooms and windows mirrored each other, on either side of a formal entry hall; two tall, narrow windows separated by wall in each room. Because the rooms were visible to each other and from other areas of the home, we decided to install identical treatments in both rooms. The client wished to have sheers with drape panels which could close as well as a top treatment, all hand traversed for that "luxury hotel" feel.

The fabric which was chosen for the panels and top treatment was a rich wine faux silk, pin dotted with a raised gold swirl. The simple cream sheers underneath were a perfect complement. The swagged top treatments were trimmed with a four-inch gold and wine bullion from Ado's trim collection. The floor-length panels were gently held back with a single tassel tieback from the same collection.

These window treatments evoke visions of ballgowns from a by-gone era, gathered softly and glistening in candlelight. Light spills from the rich silken folds and gleams on the tassels and trim. Beauty and elegance, to provide that finishing touch for a beautiful home in this corner of God's creation.

Window Challenges

Last year Camano Island homeowners presented me with a real challenge. One wall of the great room of their home perched high on a hill is composed of a series of three arched, stacked picture windows looking out on a gorgeous vista of islands dotting the peaceful waters below. The room faces south and on a sunny day light fills the space. The existing shadings were simply inadequate; the homeowners desired a fabric treatment that would soften and beautify the room as well as add another layer to help control the amount of light coming in.

I was to treat the 6 bottom rectangular windows; 3 side by side, stacked in 2 rows. A 4 foot window next to a 6 foot window next to a 4 foot window, separated by narrow 8 inch strips of wall, with only 8 inches of wall at each end. Not much room to stack any draperies!

The homeowners initially desired a hand-traversing custom iron rod, color matched to existing ironwork in the home. After discussions with the hardware supplier, installer, homeowners and myself, a much better solution for these 15 foot high windows was found - The Kirsch Estate Rod, with 3 separate cord traverse rods, one opening left, one right, and one center opening. The wood fascia was one continuous 17 foot long rod, custom stained to match the ironwork.

We needed to be very careful with the fabric that was chosen. Because there was so little room to stack drapes on either side of the windows we chose a semi-sheer unlined Ado fabric which was beautiful both on the face side and the reverse. The homeowners wanted a striped fabric which was not available so we created a wide stripe using two colors of the same fabric and minimal seaming. This took some math skills working out stripe sizes so that the stripes looked even although the drapes panels were not the same sizes! Kudo's to my skilled workroom seamstress - that was a lot of seaming! Ado's Eurohem was a clean and contemporary look to finish the bottom.

Each 4' window had its own panel that stacked onto the wall; the center window had one drape pair that mainly stacked onto the very small 8" wall separating the windows. This was a very good solution to allowing as much of the windows to remain open to the view as possible while making it easy for the homeowners to operate.

Once again, digital photography and the DreamDraper software was invaluable. I took photos of the room and designed unlined pinchpleated Ado draperies for the windows. The color renderings helped the homeowners visualize how the final project would appear. And my installer Tom was the other key component to making this project come together, can I say it, seamlessly!

The homeowners were wonderful to work with. I went on to complete draperies for two other rooms of their home, blackout drapes and cornices for their master bedroom and media room. They remained patient in the face of what seems to be almost inevitable delays nowadays for fabrics, hardware and trim.

And the end product - gorgeous window coverings to enhance a spectacular home with a magnificent view!

A brave new year!

And what will this year bring? That's the question on the mind of so many people today. I'm stepping forward in trust this year again, trusting that we will be provided for, and looking at the blessings in my life.

Two of my largest suppliers have announced that they are leaving Washington State in some form: Hunter Douglas is shutting down its plant in Renton, and Source Window Coverings has been sold to Graber/Springs and is also closing its plant in Woodinville as a result. Will this be better for Edwards Drapery & Interiors? Both companies will retain sales and support staff in the state - I will be optimistic! I will be optimistic! I will be optimistic!

I will concentrate on providing superior customer service this year again. I will do a better job of post-sale followup. I will not be afraid to cold call. I will continue to educate myself to be the most informed window covering specialist I can be. I will not put off for tomorrow what I should be doing today when the phone is quieter.

And every day again I will be thankful for God's blessings.

It's almost Christmas

And I am desperately trying to get my newsletter and calendar out before then. I have to say - they look great! I am still doing a double sided one page newsletter for now, in color. I always include a coupon, and try to keep it upbeat and informative. This year my calendar features beautiful homes. They're provided by a company called trueIMAGE Publishing, a local company who specializes in calendars with unique photography. One thing that struck me as I paged through though, is that most of the homes have naked windows!! That's been an ongoing discussion in our drapery world - how so few of the beautifully photographed homes have window coverings. So many could be enhanced by the addition of gorgeous drapes, roman shades, valances, or any of a wide variety of soft window coverings. We have work to do! and lots of it, even in an economy that is faltering.
So as we enter this holiday season, I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year. May you receive all you need once again in the New Year, that you may prosper and live long.
Blessings,
Debby

More Beauty in Bellingham

But this time of a different kind... the drapery kind. Think bronze silk interlined draperies held back by a large black and bronze tasseled tieback with beads, overlaying softly pleated embroidered sheers with a slight metallic sheen. In sunlight, candlelight, at night with the chandelier lit, the draperies glow and sparkle, to highlight the depth and richness of the silk fabric. A stunning finishing touch to an elegant dining room - the beauty within this home matches the beauty of the landscaping and view without!

Bellingham beauty

I've had the opportunity to travel this week, and it's given me a bit of time for reflection. What a beautiful autumn we have experienced in Whatcom County! The colors have been gorgeous, more radiant than I've seen in years, mornings have been crisp warming to pleasant sunny days... This is the first soccer season we've experienced that every Saturday - game day - has been dry. There are so many interesting places to explore too, whether in Bellingham itself or around the county in hidden areas near Glacier, or the beaches of Birch Bay. It's sometimes hard to balance the demands of work with time out to enjoy the wonders of creation. I'm thankful that in an economy in flux I've stayed busier than ever. Yep, Thanksgiving must be around the corner....

Onward automation!

Yes, I am continuing in my quest to automate my processes at a client's home or business. I purchased a wireless printer a few weeks ago. My 5 pound wonder connects to my tablet PC using Bluetooth technology, and is cordless and very portable.
Now I can take a digital photo, transfer it to my tablet PC, and then begin designing on that photo using DreamDraper software. Preliminary designs can be printed out at the client's home at the first sales call already if I so desire. Once I get back to the office I can scan the chosen fabric into my PC and import it into the designs, then continue working with the software to complete the finished designs.
Hard window coverings - even easier! Quickbooks estimates and invoices are printed at the client's home immediately, along with receipts for payment. I am trying to eliminate paperwork and processes; no more handwritten quotes. I can even link wirelessly to various suppliers and use their sites to provide the quote; ordering then is one-click to change a quote to an order.
And what will I do with all the time I free up? Hmm, more time to sell, more time to play... Because don't we all want to work smarter, not harder?

Week's end

It's a glorious Saturday morning, and here I am in front of the computer again. I guess I shouldn't complain, since I am entering orders and visa charges, but this would not top my list of favorite things to do on a Saturday. It is amazing just how much paperwork a small business generates and how detail oriented you have to be in this business. All the more reason to eliminate steps by purchasing that wireless printer and generating Quickbooks invoices at the client's already.
Today I am tasking myself to read some of my favorite business publications though - the Bellingham Business Journal and Window Fashions magazine. And maybe a little online perusing to see what's new in the trade.... until the kids and grandkids come over! And then it's playtime!

I'm in love with trim

I have to admit, here in the Pacific Northwest I have not designed many window fashions with trim. My rationale was that PNW home design just doesn't lend itself to adding bullion, tassels and expensive tiebacks. Plus I live in a corner of the country filled with staunch pennysavers, where price is often an issue. Adding trim adds to cost... so no trim.
I'm changing my tune, thanks to one set of clients in particular. They believe the more trim the better, and as a result I've designed some delightful cornices bedecked with scallops and gorgeous Fabricut beaded trims, braids and medallions.
That led me onward to designing drapes, valances and cornices for a show display and then, my own home, using Ado's new line of coordinating fabrics and trim, which are showstopping but really reasonably priced.
I love trim, and I really like clients who love trim!

Web 2.0 for window fashions

Hard to believe two years have passed almost to the day since I first conceived of blogging. And then did nothing. Since then, I've continued on my merry window covering ways, designing, selling and installing more blinds, shades, drapes, valances and cornices.... but not blogging. And what have I been missing? It's a whole new world out here. Two years ago I wrote about the technophobia in our industry. Well, I haven't contributed much to advancing the cause. I've been designing on my tablet at client's homes, but I haven't linked my Listo laser measure (a Godsend!) to the tablet.... Time to get serious. Eliminate the paper, automate processes, blog more...
Truly, Edwards Drapery & Interiors is a work in process. And I'm thankful for it!

Know any good window covering suppliers?

I have been fortunate in the last four years to have good relationships with my window covering suppliers. My biggest problem has been getting good discounts from some of the bigger companies because I am a relatively small volume business. Should that disqualify me from better discounts? Other companies don't think so and charge me the same as their big accounts. How have other companies dealt with this problem? I would like to buy more from one of the big brand names but don't for that very reason.

Technophobia

Why are window covering professionals such technophobes? Shortly after I entered this profession I attended a seminar put on by a great group of people, Grace McNamara Inc. They do the largest window fashions Expo in the U.S. and do a great job of it. However, while attending, I snapped pix with my digital camera and downloaded them immediately into the notes I was taking on my laptop. I could not believe the amount of interest/unbelief I encountered. By the following year I was using DreamDraper, a drapery design program which enables me to use digital photography at the client's home and incorporate design on top of the photos - virtually no one else at the conference was. There are great options out there now, tablet PCs, laser measuring tools, small printers, that can bring this industry into a brave new era. Which brings me to a new question - how can I capitalize on being "cutting edge" in a hidebound industry?