Blessings Unlimited

Blessings Unlimited was founded in 2006 by DaySpring Inc., the Siloam Springs, Arkansas maker of Christian cards and gifts. DaySpring was a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. For decades it had sold through Christian bookstores. Blessings Unlimited was its way to reach customers at home, through independent Consultants and in-home parties.

The company's own story page, archived in 2012, said its name was based on a verse from the Gospel of John. It also said the business continued DaySpring's tradition and let Consultants combine their work with their personal faith. The old Direct Sales Aid profile, written around 2011, put the sales force at more than 400 Consultants. Blessings Unlimited was a member of the Direct Selling Association and was accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

“Our business is about pursuing the heart of God and bringing blessings to others.”

Blessings Unlimited, Join page on a Consultant website (myblessingsunlimited.net, archived), February 2013

By 2012 the company had partnered with Compassion International. Its sites invited customers to give $20 a month to support a Compassion project center for mothers and babies, starting with one in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The company called its line “exclusive, message-based products”: home decor and gifts designed to encourage, build relationships and bring beauty to the home. Most pieces carried a verse or a short phrase of faith.

• Tableware: plates, platters, serving pieces and mugs, including Christmas sets marked “Happy Birthday to the King.”
• Home decor: wall signs, candleholders, pedestals, glass cloches and decorative globes.
• Jewelry: lockets, pendants and leather cuffs stamped with words of encouragement.
• Paper goods: greeting cards, stationery and journals from the DaySpring family.
• Kitchen and seasonal items: aprons and limited-time seasonal collections.

Stock changed every season. Consultants used a printed catalog, also shown online, to sell the current range and limited editions. The style ran from rustic to contemporary, which helped the line appeal to a broad group of shoppers.

Sellers were called Consultants. They held home parties, which the company called Gatherings, and took orders through a personal Blessings Unlimited website with its own shopping cart. Hosts earned half-price and free items based on their party sales. The old Direct Sales Aid profile recorded the rewards around 2011: one half-price item for a party of $100 or more, and free products worth 15% of sales for parties of $800 and up.

Business Kit

New Consultants joined with a $99 Business Kit. The company said it held home decor and gift items valued at over $400. The old Direct Sales Aid profile counted thirteen items, from books and signs to jewelry, an apron and a cake pedestal. Consultants also received a personalized website and a monthly e-newsletter. The same profile noted a quarterly fee of about $30 for the website, training and conferences.

Pay

The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed 25% profit on retail sales, a 5% personal volume bonus, and team and leadership bonuses that reached three generations. The company also advertised “unlimited earning potential,” company-sponsored incentive trips, training and support. These figures come from the company's own marketing at the time and were not independently verified.

Blessings Unlimited did not close in the usual sense. It was renamed. Archived copies show the change step by step. The company's WordPress site at blessingsunlimited.net still carried the Blessings Unlimited name on July 30, 2013. A new Mary & Martha site was live at maryandmartha.com by July 24, 2013, with the same tagline (“Be inspired. Be connected. Be blessed.”), the same menus and the same Consultant testimonials. By August 21, 2013, blessingsunlimited.net redirected to maryandmartha.com. The old corporate store at myblessingsunlimited.net was already showing “Site not Found” in March 2013.

Mary & Martha's “Our Story” page, archived in August 2013, used the Blessings Unlimited story almost word for word: “Mary & Martha was founded in 2006 by DaySpring© Inc.” The company did not publish a reason for the new name.

Mary & Martha ran for about eleven more years as DaySpring's home party brand, later calling its sellers Ambassadors. Its website redirected to dayspring.com from November 2024 and no longer loads. DaySpring products are still sold online and in stores. You can read about the successor on our Mary & Martha page.