Celebrating Home

Celebrating Home grew out of two companies. Home Interiors & Gifts was founded in Dallas in 1957 by Mary C. Crowley and became one of the best-known home decor party businesses in America. Home & Garden Party was much younger: Penny and Steve Carlile founded it in Marshall, Texas in 1996.

Home Interiors filed for bankruptcy on April 29, 2008. Later that year the Carliles bought it and merged it with Home & Garden Party. In early 2009 the combined business took the name Celebrating Home and ran from Home & Garden Party's headquarters in Marshall. The company said the merger gave it a history of over 50 years in direct sales. In 2013 it added the Penelope Ann line of fashion accessories and relaunched Home Interiors as a Spanish-language catalog. By 2014 it said it worked with over 30,000 Designers across the United States and Puerto Rico.

“Celebrating Home is founded on solid Christian principles with a great purpose and strong commitment to helping our Designers take control of their lives, both spiritually and financially.”

Celebrating Home, “Our Mission, Vision, and Values” (celebratinghome.com, archived), 2014

Celebrating Home called its range “the broadest line of home decor, fashion and personalization products in the party plan industry.” Stoneware was its signature. The company's own stoneware came in named collections such as Sonoma Villa, Tuscan Home and Veranda Home, many with matching wrought-iron stands and baskets.

• Dining and entertaining: stoneware bean pots, covered casseroles, bakeware, dinnerware, canister sets and serving pieces.
• Home fragrance: jar candles, pillars, Ooh La Lamp fragrance lamps and aroma crystals.
• Wall decor: framed art, plaques and wall accessories.
• Gourmet food: easy mixes for dips, desserts and main dishes.
• Later additions: Penelope Ann handbags and jewelry, personalized totes, and Sapphire cookware made in Germany.

The line changed with the seasons, with holiday serving pieces, patio and garden items and pet accessories. Customers could also buy from a Treasure Chest of special offers and through party fundraisers for schools and groups.

Sellers were called Designers. They sold through in-home parties, catalog parties, fundraisers and personal websites. Hostesses earned free and half-price products based on party sales. The old Direct Sales Aid profile recorded that a party of $200 or more earned the hostess 20% of sales in free products, with a gift for guests who booked their own parties.

Starter Kit

New Designers chose a Designer Kit with a sampling of products and business supplies. The company said in 2009 that Designers could pick the kit they felt most comfortable showing. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed five base kits at $119, with optional wall art, stoneware and a business builder pack for about $20 each.

Pay

In 2009 the company advertised 30% to 40% commission on personal sales. The old Direct Sales Aid profile, written a little later, listed 30% to 45%. Designers who became executives earned sponsoring bonuses and override commissions on their team's sales, and the company promoted cash bonuses, free products, trips and even a car for top performers. These figures come from the company's own marketing and were not independently verified.

The party plan ended in the summer of 2015. By August 1, 2015, the celebratinghome.com home page had been stripped to a single Designer sign-in link marked “Available Until August 31, 2015.” A banner announced that Celebrating Home Direct was coming on August 3. It said that Designers who were active and in good standing on May 1, 2015 would automatically become Buying Club members. A second banner pointed fundraising groups to a new brand, LaTeeDa! Fundraising, launching the same day. The company did not publish a reason for the change.

Celebrating Home Direct opened at celebratinghomedirect.com in August 2015. Its first version greeted visitors with a note that former Designers already had accounts. By 2016 the old celebratinghome.com address redirected to the new store. In June 2017 the store moved to a new website, and it still operates today. Its About page describes “quality products at factory direct pricing,” all “direct from the manufacture,” and it sells candles, fragrance lamps, Sonoma Villa and Veranda stoneware and home accents. There are no Designers, parties or seller sign-ups.

If you liked buying decor at home parties, compare live companies in the home decor and storage category on Direct Sales Aid, browse the full company directory, or start with Scentsy or Pampered Chef.