Home Parties with My Mom

One of the main reasons I enjoy being a consultant is the fun I have with my mom. She's supported me by hostessing home parties. It's given me the chance to learn about her entertaining style and get to know her collection (that she had prior to me becoming a consultant). She's taught me tips on how to be a great hostess. I've also gotten to know her friends through our home parties.

my mom's holiday baskets

We kept our refreshments simple with just a bar cookie and some punch, then had some other holiday snacks on a buffet near the table where we were gathering.

getting to know my mom's friends through Longaberger

my own current samples

Who have you found to be the biggest supporter of your business--family, friends, or otherwise strangers?

Versatile Mixing Bowls

My mom uses her set of mixing bowls to make a great punch bowl set, simply by inverting the medium mixing bowl and using it as a base, setting the largest mixing bowl atop for the punch bowl. She places liquid (water or 7-up, depending on the drink she's serving) and fruit in the smallest mixing bowl and freezes it to make an ice ring that floats in the punch bowl for added color too. Her everyday spoon rest holds the punch ladel and keeps everything tidy.

Holiday Boutiques

Immediately after signing up as a Longaberger consultant, I spent a lot of time searching for holiday boutiques and fairs to participate in to spread the word about my new business. One of the first events I took part in was the Mabel Mosler Auxilliary Holiday Boutique on October 10th. I was hoping to hand out a lot of business cards and catalogs. My goal was to find customers, book some home parties, and enroll people in my mailing list.


I had ordered samples but hadn't yet recieved them, so I took all the Longaberger I already owned and created a display with the mostly vintage items. I even took my 1985 Pie Basket that I've inherited from my Grandma Rosentreter. My aunt had been a Longaberger consultant in the 1980s, and grandma probably bought it to support her. It's really fun to see Longaberger continuing through the generations.


I garnered a lot of interest at the fair but found that following up with people was difficult, especially during the holiday season. Impulse buys need to be placed at the moment, so I'll consider cash-and-carry next year; parties are hard to schedule around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What has your experience been with these type of events? Please leave me a comment with your suggestions!