May 8, 2017

Meet Donna Cash of Designs by Donna in Flowery Branch

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Cash.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Donna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I ended a corporate job in 1986 to stay at home with our two young children. As a person who likes to stay overly busy, I decided to make custom window treatments for our home. I’ve always loved to sew and create. Actually, I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t sew. The neighbors saw my window treatments and wanted some too. Before I knew it, Designs by Donna was born and I was designing and fabricating custom window treatments. I worked in between the children’s nap times and while they were in school. About eight years later, my husband and I decided it was time to move my business out of our home so we purchased a house not far from home for Designs by Donna to move in to.

As the business continued to grow I realized there were others making custom window treatments who had a lot of “how to” questions and I had the answers. I began to teach how to make custom soft furnishings to women and men in the industry. I once had someone ask me why I would teach others. The question was, “Aren’t you teaching your competition?” The way I look at it, is I am sharing my passion and bringing joy into the lives of others. And if I can help someone become a better version of who they are, how can I go wrong?

Fast forward to today. Not only do I teach adults, I also have begun to teach children how to sew. I share ‘Tips and Tools Tuesday’ videos on my YouTube channel and my Facebook business page. I have created two videos, so far, for sale, with more to come in the near future.

With these additions, Designs by Donna has grown and is not only designing and fabricating custom soft furnishings for retail and designer clients, but also sharing with industry peers.

At Designs by Donna my mission is, “To use my passion, gifts, and abilities to bring joy and beauty into the lives of others through exquisite design, teaching, and sharing.”

I am extremely blessed to have a God given talent to bring joy and beauty into the world.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. To begin with, I had to overcome fear. I used to be extremely shy and afraid to speak not only to groups of people, but to people in general. As I began to overcome the shyness, I felt I was not good enough. This was due to being a perfectionist. This was something else I had to overcome, and I did.

What I found was once the passion to teach and share kicked in, the fear started to go away. And I realized sharing my failures, or mistakes are great teaching opportunities!

Please tell us about Designs by Donna.
Designs by Donna specializes in designing and fabricating exquisite custom soft furnishings. These are custom draperies and curtains, bedding ensembles, cushions, pillows, and upholstery. I am most proud of starting my business 30 years ago and also helping my husband raise our two sons who are now grown and out on their own. My business brings joy and beauty and joy into the lives of busy homeowners. In the industry, I am known for adding dressmaker details to custom soft furnishings and adding exquisite embellishments. What sets me apart from others is I find joy in all I do and share it with others as I encourage others.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is vacationing at Cape Cod with our family each summer. My dad would take his four children out on a row boat and catch crabs. My mother would cook them for us for dinner. I have a wonderful and supportive family. A true blessing!

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