Time to Yourself

Carve out a Reading Nook. Forget summer reading lists, fall is the time to pull out your favorite titles and lose yourself in a good book. Pick a well-lit corner of your home, either by natural light or a lamp, and shove a comfy armchair in it. Place a table nearby, like our Cordova Nesting Tables, a scrollwork throw for chilly days, and a scrollwork pillow for extra comfort.

Product Spotlight: Italian Stitch Ramekins

Maybe we're biased, but we think everything looks better in a ramekin. They're perfect for individual portions of breakfasts, snacks and desserts — and our Italian Stitch Ramekins are even better because they're beautiful AND bakeable! Part of our Mario Batali collection, they have his attention to detail and style. That's what makes them our Product of the Week! $24.96 set of 2, or as a Customer Special for $12.48.

Shop online for them by Clicking Here

Fall Alfresco

Enjoy the last few warm days of the season outdoors in style. Dress up your patio table with an outdoor tablecloth in autumnal tones. Top the table with Italian Stitch dishes, pumpkin place cards, and Hemingway Hurricanes with orange candles or flowers.

Product Spotlight: Hawthorne Hurricane

The Hawthorne Hurricane is so stunning! Fill your silent night with sparkle. Classic column-like shape is great for showcasing everything from desserts to displays. Food safe and great for organizing! Catalog page 59, $39.96 (or $19.98 as a customer special)

How would you use it? Here are some inspirations shared at http://www.plateandpattern.com/

Kim: This time of year, I like to fill up a hurricane about 1/2 way with candy corn. Wiggle in a black candle -- then get ghost Peeps (those marshmellow candies that really aren't fit to eat :) and then circle the candle with them so they look like they're looking out. Very cute!

Nikki: Remember the old "punch bowls" Grandma used to entertain with? Think outside the box: you've seen centerpieces made with over-sized martini glasses--how about a mix of those and this Hurricane--looks like a great (large)wine glass--have a variety of drinks for your friends--wonderful for sangrias or daiquiris! Just have ladle for each (or just add a few large straws for you and your friends!) Or think how great this will look with lemonade or water with fruit floating... Think fun!

Cheryl: I'd probably force some Amaryllis bulbs in it for a festive holiday display.

Lacie: I would fill it halfway with pumpkin seeds and fall colored leaves and then push in a pumpkin scented pillar candle! Then I would tie some pretty fall themed ribbon around it to make a centerpiece or an accent piece to go on the mantle (or anywhere!)

Susie: I would add 4 or 5 "cuties" to the Hurricane top off with a bit of water. Find a branch from my neighbors' tree (it's not stealing, it's pruning) that was filled with acorns or fall leaves, snip it and nestle it in between the cuties. Perfect color, perfectly simple fall centerpiece.

Elizabeth: I would add 4 or 5 "cuties" to the Hurricane top off with a bit of water. Find a branch from my neighbors' tree (it's not stealing, it's pruning) that was filled with acorns or fall leaves, snip it and nestle it in between the cuties. Perfect color, perfectly simple fall centerpiece.

Kim: I think this would make a cute centerpiece for July 4th. Layer red, white, and blue jelly beans in the hurricane. Then add one of those patriotic spray centerpieces to the middle.

Denise: Build a sweet tradition with this piece. Have pretty scrapbooking cards close by for family members and friends to write what they are most thankful for this Thanksgiving. Place cards in the hurricane and later read aloud...also a great tradition for Mother's Day and birthdays. Finish off by tying a big, fat burlap bow at the base for contrast and texture.

Helen: This is a favorite piece from the catalog! I would take it somewhere to have it monogrammed and put it in the bathroom with guest soaps and goodies!

Kyna: For a great tailgate centerpiece, toss pom poms with your team colors around the base, and have 2 window flags or pennants hanging out the top. Fill with layers of popcorn and jelly beans in your team colors and have a snack filled centerpiece that says GO BRONCOS!!!! had to fit Boise State in there somewhere :)

Suzanne: layer dried beans of various colors, pinto beans, black beans, white beans, split green peas, and stick a candle in the middle...looks striped, looks great and easy on the budget!

Niki: It would depend on the season - I would either fill it with seashells and a blue candle for summer, pinecones for the fall, and glass ornaments for the holidays!

and the winner was...
Lynn: Everyone's ideas and comments are great-love this inspirational opportunity! Let's decorate the outside of the hurricane for fun - use fun festive theme colored paper/ribbon/rafia, depending on your themed event or season. The vinyl cling stickers work great too-just attach to the outside of the glass, then remove & wash when done. For example, as a baby shower gift, use the cling on stickers with baby feet, congrat's, pacifiers, then fill the hurricane with diapers, receiving blanket, binkie, & onsies - present it as the actual gift instead of using wrapper paper or gift sack.

Share how YOU would use it!

A short break...

Hey friends - I have to confess to some stupidity. I did NOT back up my computer and when the power blinked out the other night, it fried the hard drive. Five years of files GONE. So I'll get back on track next week with posts and ideas, but for the time being, I need to work on rebuilding some of the stuff I'd worked up to share.

Go back up your files. Right now. Not later. I was going to do it later. Didn't have time. Hmmmph.

Product Spotlight: Villa Footed Server

Don't you love the way this Villa Footed Server showcases everything beautifully, from this season's pears to colorful gourds for the upcoming autumn holidays. That's why it's the Willow House Product of the Week! We love it for serving and decorating — how would you use it? Find it on page 42 of the catalog, a BEAUTIFUL addition to your Villa Stoneware Collection. Retail Price $59.96. Hostess half price $29.98 (or FREE with Hostess Dollars). Customers - get this piece and add the Appetizer Tray for 50% off - only $19.96 when you purchase the Footed Server. Holds 6 cups.

Product Spotlight: Eyelet Ribbon Plate

Yum! Don't you love the look of hummus and spicy dip served on our Eyelet Ribbon Plate, today's Product of the Week? Heavy glass means you can use it as a plate or tray. Willow House tied on a fun herb bouquet here, but you could also run a ribbon through the plate's eyelets to add a pop of color.

This has been a customer favorite this fall, several of you have purchased it as your Customer Special. At $39.96 retail ($19.98 as a Special), you'll get your money's worth back out of it at every occasion. How would you use it?

Consultant Tip: Stay out of Debt!

This is something we don't talk about much in the industry, but it's such an important lesson that it MUST be shared.

STAY OUT OF DEBT. DO NOT CHARGE YOUR CARDS WITH PRODUCTS SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM OR NEED TO MAKE A QUOTA.

About 13 years ago, hubby and I joined a health & nutrition/weight loss company. We bought products and I was a retail machine - I had lost 62 lbs. and therefore everyone wanted to do what I was doing. But it was a financial nightmare for us. We stockpiled inventory and helped ourselves to whatever we wanted, charging huge sums on the card but retailing it off we were able to pay back a couple thousand dollars each month. After all, we were doing what our upline said and we were going to be RICH. Right.

After 3 years, it was unsustainable. The payments on the cards (notice there are now multiple ones) were going to take 398 years to pay back at the minimum. So we tucked our tails between our legs, gave up the business, and filed for bankruptcy protection. Ouch.

Obviously, I loved direct sales, as I started back into it a few years later with Southern Living at HOME (now Willow House). My biggest rule of thumb is I never charge any products I want - no matter how much I want them. I'm very proud to tell prospective consultants that I earned back the $199 I spent on my kit at my own launch show, and was turning a profit by the end of my first month. Sure, I add things on to orders for myself, but when I deposit funds to my SPECIFIED Willow House bank account, I know exactly how much is mine to spend. There is never any question as to whether I could "afford" to purchase a certain piece. I hostess once or twice a year myself to earn the Host Rewards and get it for free or at big discounts.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - if you are in Direct Sales, NEVER spend more than you're making. Sure, the discount is nice, and you earned that money, but go back to the reason you decided to get into the business before you make your own life harder. If it was for products at a discount, spend up to the amount you earned (and have that seperate bank account so you know for sure!). If it was for an extra $500 per month to pay DOWN your current debt, then spending everything you make on more product will only upset your husband and make you feel like a failure. Whatever your reasons - YOU know them. Hold yourself accountable.

As for me - I don't own every product Willow House makes. My kit came with plenty to show at parties so there is a nice sampling, and the Enhancement Kits we can get each year allow us to have some of the newer products. While I did purchase the Holiday Enhancement Kit, there wasn't enough in the special bank account to also get the Fall one, so I added a couple of pieces to a Hostesses order (retail points count too!) and I'm fine with that.

Go forth with your dreams & goals in mind, and PUT YOUR CARD AWAY. If you don't understand this, may I suggest checking out Dave Ramsey...

Love,
Crystal

Inspiration for Finding YOUR Style

Get your own Inspiration Guide FREE at any of my Willow House Events this fall.

Willow House: Hyacinth Measuring Cups

Our Product of the Week, Hyacinth Measuring Cups, make baking special sweets so fun! Standard 1 cup, 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup measures make these ideal for baking — and since measures aren't printed directly on the cups (although there is an interior line for exact liquid measurements), they're ideal as serving bowls, too.
The set of 3 is only $29.96, add them to an order of $39 or more and you can get this adorable set for only $14.98.

Please share in the comments section how YOU would use them.

Working With a Theme to your Design Presentation

One of the things I'm finding success with in my Willow House business is sharing a different theme within the design presentation portion of the party. I don't mean theme as in "Tacky Party" or "Sangrias & Senoritas", but sticking with a lesson that changes each month.

In August, it was "Fave 5 for Style" - working in Odd numbers, Texture, Height, Hue & Pattern, and Cool. For September, our focus is the "Fab 5 for Fall" and the presentation will be completely different. So anyone who attended one of my August parties will get a completely different experience in September, and I'm changing the games up just a bit as well. In October, the plan is "Jolly Holidays" with a focus on decorating, entertaining, and enjoying the upcoming Holiday Season. November will be all about "the Spirit of Giving", with some great gift ideas and lessons on spectacular packaging. And for December... I haven't decided! But I think I've got some time yet. And I'm sharing each of these with my team, so there is no need to "think up your own" - I've got you covered .

Spice up your presentation, change what you're showing at parties and give lots of ideas for each product you are sharing with guests, and you will soon become the "hottest ticket in town".

My Baby Turns 15 today!

Isn't it funny how long 15 years can seem in one breath, and how short it feels when you celebrate your oldest child's birthday?

My beautiful Emily, pictured here from Homecoming last year, is an amazing person. Her style is so unique - and she pulls it off somehow, too. I could never look as cute with purple highlights, spiky hair, or combat boots, yet she is never afraid to be true to herself and who she is.

Emily makes me so proud every day. Even when she thinks she's let me down, I'm proud to call her my daughter. She is one of the most sensitive, caring people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. While she doesn't have hundreds of friends, those that do know her are lucky that she calls them friend. She will always look to protect them and loves them more than she loves herself.

What a talented artist she is, too. Her gift for seeing details in her drawings and photography blow me away. While I appreciate that God gave me a gift for design, I know he passed a piece of that on to my dear daughter so that she could help the world see it "her way".

Again, Happy Birthday to the light of my life, my dear, sweet daughter. She will do amazing things and touch many lives, whether she realizes it or not. How Blessed we are!

Willow House Graymont Entertaining Bucket and Stand

With a black-etched floral pattern, built-in towel bar and lower shelf for storage, isn't this perfect for a Labor Day barbeque?

Another fantastic idea I heard was to set it on the front porch for Halloween, fill the bucket with candy and set a pumpkin in the bottom.

Wouldn't it also be great filled with fall mums?

Hostess a party this month and you can get this piece for only $43.79 (retail price $145.96) when you choose it as your 70% off item.

Please share your ideas! And not just for Fall - how about at Christmas, Spring, Summer?

Football Season is HERE!!

Okay, I admit it. I'm one of those die-hard Sports Moms. Whether it's our beloved Spotswood High School or recreation league basketball, I'm into it. But Friday night football - my heart skips a beat thinking about it.

This year, a new high school was built and they took half of the kids from Spotswood (previously 1300+ students, now around 700) and sent them to East Rockingham High School (now about 600 kids). These are kids that have grown up together, played football with each other since they were 8 years old, and now they're facing off TONIGHT at their brand-new facility. The rivalry is unprecedented around here. And of course, we are going! I'm curious to see how it all comes out, who ended up at which school, what the upcoming Juniors bring and whether sportsmanship will rule the night.

My 10-yr-old son is also a die-hard football lover and plays Right Guard on his rec league team. He counted the days for the season to start, and is excited about his first game coming up in a couple weeks. Practices started Monday and are 3 days a week, and while last year he came home sore and bruised, this year he's relishing the hits on the offensive line. He's on a short break from his Travel Baseball team during the season - check him out - #17 in the photo. Add into the mix the 13-yr-old playing Volleyball for the Middle School and she's also been invited to a Fall Softball team, and the 14-yr-old is doing the books and managing for the Varsity Volleyball team, we are in for one jam-packed fall!

Hubby and I will gladly sit in the stands for all of it, cheering the great plays and silently cringing the bad ones, but in the end my goal is always to enjoy each moment of watching my children grow up. I'm so grateful I have a job that allows me to work around my kids' schedules.

Well, There Went Wednesday!

Yesterday my Mother wanted to go up to her work and check on things for about an hour. She had surgery on her carotid artery Monday, so needed me to drive her. We took her fuel-efficient Honda vs. my gas-guzzling Suburban and spent an hour up at the shop.  At 10:37 we left, picked up the mail, and started toward the intersection a half block away. It's a bad intersection anyway, but I saw a 2010 Honda CR-V making the turn too wide and stopped about 15 yards before the sign to give her room. She kept coming too wide, and I tried to get the car in reverse but couldn't react quickly enough. So I hit the horn, and the other driver hit the gas. CRUNCH! My mother claims I made a comment of "choice words" but I don't remember saying that. My first thought was "I can't believe she just hit us!" My first accident ever while driving. So I pulled the car off the road and called Willie to bring the rollback and pick us up, called my friend Amy to meet us at the body shop in an hour, and then spoke with the police to get the accident report filled out.

At the time I didn't feel like I was hurt, but later in the day an incredible headache hit, followed by alot of pain in my left hip, back of my ribs, shoulder, and arm. Mom shared a painkiller she'd just gotten from the hospital and I slept well last night but I'm very stiff today.

Not my usually intended Thursday post here, and I missed Wednesday as well. Ah, intentions, right? Hopefully by next week I can really start adding some great content here instead of such personal things. I've got a big party Sunday, an Open House Monday morning, and another (hopefully) great party Monday night, so let's hope August finishes up on a much more positive note.

Stepping Out in Faith

Church is a part of our lives, like eating & breathing. It's funny how it came about, because for years we were of the club "Sundays are for sleeping in". Until we visited a tiny little church, McGaheysville United Methodist, just a couple miles up the road from our house.


Although I grew up going to church, my husband Willie did not. His Faith Journey has been a bit more "fast tracked". We jumped into MUMC with both feet, and attend Sunday School after the contemporary service, and Willie was invited to a small men's group that meets once a month as well as the United Methodist Men. It was a big change for my garage-loving husband to suddenly be in social situations, adding on top of that the sharing of his Faith with other men. After all, "manly" men don't talk about Jesus - do they?

You bet they do! So this morning, Willie and Chris, another "manly dude" from church, attended Grottoes United Methodist Church and gave the message to the congregation. I never thought MY husband would be the one to stand in front of a hundred strangers, talk about his Faith journey, and share his relationship with Jesus. I mean, this is the guy who speaks when spoken to, an introvert more comfortable under the hood of a car than in a conversation.

So Willie shared his story - how he always believed in God but didn't grow up in church; how we found our church through a funeral I attended; joining different groups within the church and making friends; how he now sings at the contemporary service with the Praise Band; how he reads the Upper Room and he & I discuss different things within the Bible; and what he struggles with when it comes to trusting God.

Obviously, I'm very proud of my husband and the confidence he has gained. As he was practicing what he would say last night, I could relate - when I do Willow House parties, I'm always nervous, I want everyone to enjoy themselves and have a good time, I want to share something that inspires them, and I'm scared to death that I'll "mess up". But I also lean on God, that he will help me with the courage and strength I need. And He knows what we need, if we just put our Faith in Him.

Welcome to Willow House

Today is the official "birth date" of Willow House. Over the years, many fell in love with Southern Living at HOME and it's a bittersweet thing to say good-bye, yet who can look back when there is so much offered with this new, amazing catalog and the pioneering of our company to take us into new areas online.

I'm excited to start promoting Willow House, and to helping others feel that their home is "Simply Beautiful".