Sew Much Fabric, Sew Little Time

My newest hobby aka obsession is quilting. Sewing brings back wonderful memories of my mom. She didn't sew all the time but when I was around 11 or 12 years old, Cabbage Patch Dolls were a HUGE hit! My Mom and her friend Joann started making dolls and selling them to the downtown stores around the square in Granbury, Tx. They were made of flesh colored double knit polyester with fake fur hair and painted faces. They would take custom orders for hair and eye color. She would pay me a nickel for each pattern piece I cut out (correctly). I wish I still had one of those dolls she made.

In middle school, we learned to sew in our version of Home Ec class. I made the ugliest shirt that we had to wear to school for extra credit...so of course I wore it. As an adult, I've sewn on and off over the years but not for long periods of time.  For years I've said that when I get old I'm going to drink martinis and quilt...won't that be an interesting quilt. :). Pinterest has teased me with beautiful quilts but I never thought I'd have time to work on one. Then I discovered mug rugs and a new hobby has emerged. I've made several mug rugs now and a baby quilt for little Ollie (our new nephew).

I'm still working on my binding. Hopefully I will conquer it before long, I've watched many different tutorials on different techniques so I'm sure there is one out there that will make stick for me.

Trick or Treat Mug Rug 2013
My 1st Quilting Project

Halloween/Fall Reversible Table Runner 2013, the top picture is the Fall side in progress

For Christmas I made Sheila and Estela both Cowboys Mug Rugs

I've made a few others but I need to go back and get pictures of them. I forgot to photograph them before I gave them away. I have two more in progress so they will be posted soon.

Scentsy has created history...again! Three wonderful companies to choose from within the Scentsy Family, giving consultants EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES! Thank you Scentsy!

It all started with Scentsy ~ the beautiful ceramic and porcelain warmers and emotion-evoking wax fragrances. No flame, no soot, no fire. Then they added the Layers by Scentsy products so we can wear our favorite fragrances...shower gels/wash, lotions/body creams, body sprays/solid perfumes and more! All in your favorite fragrances!!!
www.chrishyde.scentsy.us

Next was the introduction of Sincerely Scent. Create over 250 greeting cards that are completely customizable, including a Scent Spot (yep, your favorite Scentsy fragrance) that can be scheduled up to one year in advance so you never miss a birthday or anniversary again! They are actual cards that get mailed out from Scentsy and the postage is included in the purchase price.

Then they gave us something yummy for our tummy....Velata! They took the same simple concept of our Scentsy warmers and gave us fondue warmers and premium decadent chocolate. Caramel Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate...YUM!!! It is all 10% off for the month of March 2013. Spoiler alert: We have a great line of fondue cheese coming out in April, so please check back then!

At our annual Scentsy Family Convention in 2012, Scentsy did it again! They gave us another amazing brand to boost our business and provide a stylish product with the introduction of Grace Adele! Beautiful mix and match purses, clutches and wallets, scarves and jewelry, in great colors and styles!

Whether your like to shop, host parties or are looking for a wonderful opportunity with an amazing company,  click on my links above! Our team is growing and we would love to mentor you and watch you successes as well!

Gotta Velata

Gotta Velata

   I love reading blogs, I’m just not very good at keeping mine updated...but today I did something that is worth blogging about. We tried our new Velata fondue warmer and chocolate! Three words, WOW, WOW, WOW! Ok, I have a disclaimer and a confession.    

   My disclaimer is as of May 1^st, I will be an Independent Velata Consultant (stay tuned for my website info) and I am very excited about it. I was excited about it even before I tried it. After all, the parent company is Scentsy, so I knew after being an Independent Scentsy Consultant for over a year and a half they would give us a quality product with the best Belgian chocolate to help our businesses succeed. I was excited about a new product to play with, the sales potential and growth in my team. We received it Friday evening but it has been a busy weekend so we didn’t get a chance to try it out until this evening.

   My confession ~ I have never made fondue. I know that seems crazy. I don’t know why I haven’t had it, as much as I enjoy cooking and food, you would think I had, but it always appeared to be a little complicated, messy and time consuming.  Let me tell you, Velata is none of those!

   I turned the Velata warmer on high and poured in about ½ of a bag of dark chocolate and started getting our dippers ready.  It took about 10 minutes to fully melt and then we turned the heat to low so it wouldn’t scorch (but I don’t think it would have had time with the way we were digging into it. There are a couple of really cool features about the Velata warmers. If you don’t finish all of the chocolate, you can cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When you are ready to get your fondue on again, you can pop the silicone dish with the chocolate into the microwave or place it back on the warmer to remelt. The other really cool feature is it is Dishwasher Safe! That is very important to me, I hate hand washing dishes and avoid buying anything that isn’t dishwasher safe.

I had just poured the Velata Belgian Dark Chocolate wafers in the warmer before this picture. It took approximately 10 minutes for it to fully melt. If you aren't that patient, the pouches can be microwaved and poured into the warmer.

   A couple of our favorite combinations were:

•       banana, dark chocolate and coconut
•       graham cracker, marshmallow and dark chocolate
•       strawberries, dark chocolate and sprinkles

   If you would like to try Velata yourself or host a party, please contact me! My Scentsy website is www.chrishyde.scentsy.us or you can e-mail me at chrislhyde@yahoo.com. As soon as my Velata website is up on May 1st, 2012, I will post that as well. Please feel free to post comments or questions!

Until next time ~ Keep Calm and Each Chocolate,

Chris Hyde aka Lawala

Independent Scentsy Star Consultant

www.chrishyde.scentsy.us

Fun Friday Scentsy Story

We had a fun challenge this week from our Scentsy director. It was to write a story using as many scent names as possible. Here is my story!

After a grueling Friday at work, as Always, Jax decided to head to his favorite coffee shop, Mochadoodle, for a little Clarity. He stepped out of the car, right into a wad of Bubblegum. “Great! This is a perfect ending to my day”, he said sarcastically. Walking into the café, he smiled at this favorite barista, “I’ll have a Hazelnut Latte and a Sticky Cinnamon Bun…and a Sugar Cookie for later, please.” Ready to head to his Home Sweet Home and find some Inner Peace, he left with his treats.


I need a vacation, he thought on his way home. Where should we head, the Rainforest or the Beach? Dreamily, the thought, White Sands, Ocean waves, Clean Breeze and beautiful Reggae Sunsets, sounds perfect. Back to reality…the clouds are building, looks like a Thunderstorm is rolling in with the dark clouds and Falling Leaves.

He made it home just before the rain began. When he walked in, it smelled like a Flower Shop, a medley of Lavender, Vanilla, Lilacs & Violets. “Welcome Home”, Tori said in a Flirtatious whisper. Oh no, I forgot about date night, he thought. Luckily Tobi hadn’t. She had a romantic evening planned, Berries & Bubbly to start, Sashimi Rolls with Wasabi Ginger and a Berry Tart to finish it off.

He was feeling Lucky in Love, she was Simply Irresistible! The lights were dimmed and Jax could see Tobi’s Silhouette headed to the hot tub and thought, You Go, Girl! with Radiance beaming off her. Now this is the perfect ending to my day, he thought, with visions of Skinny Dippin and silky Satin Sheets in their near future.

Later that night, snuggled in front of the Cozy Fireside with Embers glowing, sipping a Guava Nectar Daquiri with a Tropical Twist, Jax had a surprise for Tobi. He had two first class tickets to the exotic island of Kahiko Hula, a suite at the luxurious Camu Camu Resort and massages booked at the Mediterranean Spa. She was so excited, “My Wish, my dreams, they are all coming true! You are the man of my dreams!”

Two weeks later in the Enchanted Mist of the waterfalls of Kahiko Hula Island, with Silver Bells ringing, Tobi looked amazing in her Pima Cotton and lace wedding dress carrying a bouquet of Lush Gardenias and French Lavender. Wedding vows were exchanged and sealed with a passionate French Kiss. They were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Jax Watson.

After a glorious honeymoon on the Island, Jax had one more surprise. “How would you like to spend the holidays in our Rustic Lodge in New York? We can ice skate under the Christmas Tree at Rockafeller Center, snack on Central Park Pralines and see ‘I heard it through the Grapevine’, the next big Broadway show by Hemingway? “My Dear Watson, I think that is a fabulous idea!” giggled Tobi. “It will be a Winter Wonderland!”

These 52 Scentsational scents are available on my website at http://www.chrishyde.scentsy.us/

By Chris Hyde – Scentsy Lead Consultant

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Our 2011 New Year started exactly how we would like the rest of our year to be. We had a pajama party and spent it relaxing, enjoying our friends and 4 legged kids, having fun, and drama free!!! Jax, Benni and Tobi all had matching jammy shirts as you can see…yep, I resurrected the Happy Tail Designs shop! Enjoy your new year!

It’s been awhile since I have posted on my blog, mainly because I didn’t feel like I had anything important to say. Then I realized, it doesn’t have to be important…just write! I went back and read my old posts and was very happy with myself that I have kept up with most of what I posted about previously! I am still selling Scentsy and LOVE it! One of my best friends, Jesse, is a consultant with me which makes it more fun and successful. We are looking forward to the Scentsy Spring Sprint in Dallas on February 16th. Check out my website at http://www.chrishyde.scentsy.us/ (shameless plug).

I admit, I have not been writing down my 10 blessings every day, but I really like the concept and am going to recommit to doing it. It’s still early today and I'm only on my first cup of coffee, but yesterday’s blessings: I attended a great committee meeting on education, our Scentsy business is still doing well and I have a possible basket party lined up, I received a commitment of more work to be signed off, I got off work early, I had the ability and energy to go to the gym where I was complimented on my hair, Estela ate her lima beans without complaining, we enjoyed a quite evening together and Jax is a daily blessing! Think of your 10 blessings and focus on your blessings instead of the things that aggravate you!!!

We are still working out at the gym, still being conscious of BPA’s, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, nitrates and nitrites…and yes, I do feel healthier! Losing weight is still a work in progress but at least I am still working at it!

I did it!

I did it! I did it! I signed up as a Scentsy Independent Consultant! I’ve always liked the idea of becoming an Independent Consultant but just never did it. I debated Mary Kay back in the day but the consultants always seemed to look great! I know it is a great product but is doesn’t just jump on your face when you wake up. I couldn’t commit to making sure my hair and make-up were perfect every time I left the house, even just to get gas. I’m not sure if it is really a pre-requisite but every time I see the bumper sticker I look to see who is driving and they have perfect hair and make-up! Besides, I really don’t wear that much make-up. Then I briefly thought of Avon…still a great product but not as high of an expectation to look great all the time. I figured my mom would end up being my best customer, spending money she really didn’t have, so I passed on that. On to Pampered Chef…cool cooking utensils! Yes, that is right up my alley…I love to cook, I love to eat, I love to make money! Right up my alley. Then I realized I would probably be my best customer, spending money I really didn’t have, so I passed on that too.


I mentioned it to Estela last week that I was considering it and she said, “Go for it, if it is what you want to do”. The voice in my head said, “Really?” I don’t know why I was surprised; she supports all of my ideas…crazy and sane. So I did it! I hope it gets here soon while I am still excited about it. You know, I have a relatively short attention span. I get really exited about a new venture and throw myself into it, but something happens…and then we have everything to screen t-shirts stacked in the garage! Nope I haven’t given up on Happy Tail Designs (our puppy t-shirt screening business) but it is way too hot to work in the garage. Our record breaking temperature yesterday was 108! I actually said this morning, “Wow, it’s only going to be 100 degrees today” and we were excited! (I hope my new Scentsy doesn’t melt when it hits the Texas state line!) Scentsy is something I can do indoors and be cool!

This is from the welcome e-mail I received. We’re delighted that you have decided to join Scentsy in our mission to provide unique, beautifully designed warmers and home fragrance products that warm the heart, enliven the senses and inspire the soul.
Great statement! If you are interested in purchasing Scentsy products, look me up! www.chrishyde.scentsy.com

Mud Puddles & Blessings

It seems that I have an uncanny ability to find every mud puddle in my vicinity. Of course, I find it by stepping in it! Today I went to visit a client initial thinking it would it would be a quick visit to look at a few pieces of rotten wood on the exterior of their buildings. I wanted to look cute today and wear cute shoes instead of my normal tennis shoes. Instead, I walked what seemed to be 100 acres of a large apartment community with 27 large buildings. Oh, did I mention it was 106 degrees today! After walking two buildings, I decided the cute shoes weren’t feeling so cute and I was headed to the sporting goods store down the street. Now, I love shoes…I love buying shoes! I don’t consider tennis shoes to be in the fun loving, fun shopping shoe category, therefore, I don’t buy them often. But today, I bit the bullet, found a cool new pair of tennis shoes (and they were on sale, woo hoo) so I did it.


I head back to the apartment community to finish walking the other 25 buildings, in the scorching sun, and while I am looking up and walking…squish! My left foot was already half buried in mud and my right foot was on its way! Oh no, my new shoes! I hear Estela’s voice in my head saying “Painful!” which she always says when I do something like that. I jump out as quick as I can, rub the sides in the grass to get the extra mud off, hoping not to get grass stains in the process. Did I mention it is 106 degrees! Why do they have mud puddles? Obviously they could reduce their carbon footprint a little by not over watering the grounds (see previous blog)!
It isn’t just about the mud puddles, which happens more than I care to admit. Sometimes I feel like I just need to wrap myself in bubble wrap to walk around and get through life! I bump into walls constantly (my Body Bugg has white paint scratched into it), trip over nothing, hit my legs constantly (have the bruises to prove it), misplace most things not attached to me,etc. The other morning I was in the back yard checking on the koi in the pond and playing with the dogs, when some how I tripped on my slippers, I guess, and fell on my knees. It was one of those flailing, slow motion falls, trying to catch your balance and just looking crazy in the process. I never learned how to fall gracefully…or quietly. Then I was in a panic to get up! I wasn’t worried about being hurt, or being embarrassed, although I was in the back yard in a t-shirt and panties, I was more worried about Corky (my dad’s dog that we are dog sitting) coming over and peeing on me! That would make my bad start to the day even worse! Ugh! I made it up, just in time...he only got to pee on my slipper! :(

It’s times like these that I really miss my Mom! It’s been 2 ½ years since we had a real conversation. (I talk to her everyday but it certainly isn’t the same). I don’t miss talking to her because she would feel sorry for me, but because she was the one person that could totally relate to all of the things that happen like this and we could laugh about it together. We used to talk every day and discuss all of the accidental, dumb stuff that would happen to us. Most of the time, there weren’t any major injuries…except when Mom fell through the front porch with one leg up and one down in the hole at 2:00am (luckily nothing was broken) or tripped over her slippers, falling forward and almost breaking her nose on the glass table on the porch. Weird stuff! I’m sure I inherited it from her…thanks Mom! Even Mom’s best friend always says I am definitely my mother’s daughter. Both of us are short, sweet, sassy and accident prone!

Then Mom and I would talk about the blessings that happened that day, which typically involved being thankful for not getting injured in the latest stunt. I think it is important to recognize our daily blessings and be thankful for them. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on them with all of the other stuff going on in our lives...work, stress, family, illnesses, dogs that pee on you, etc. It is easier to focus on the negative; to moan and groan about it. Get wrapped up on the neighborhood gossip..and boy, do we have our share of it! It’s like Desperate Housewives only we are not wealthy, it’s predominately gay with a few “breeders” thrown in the mix, no murders (not yet anyway)…ok, it’s nothing like Desperate Housewives but we certainly have our share of drama and gossip! Back to blessings..yes, we are blessed to live in a neighborhood where everyone watches our for each other and cares for each other, even if there is drama and gossip.

At a friend’s graduation last month, the speaker spoke about blessings. I don’t remember his name but it was the best graduation speech I have ever heard and it kept me awake and interested. He has a journal that he writes in every night before he goes to sleep and writes down at least 10 blessings that he had that day. He brought it to show us and had six more at home already filled. He said that a few years ago, he was depressed and bitter and negative because life wasn’t going in the direction he wanted it to go in. He then realized he was always focused on the negative instead of the positive things in his life. He turned it around. Think positively, live positively and positive things will happen! I am a firm believer in that but unfortunately not always a good practitioner of it. I have a nice red leather journal that Estela bought me after Mom passed away but it was to hard to even write my feelings down at that time. I think this is the perfect use for it! My 10 blessings today: I was able to buy a new pair of tennis shoes at the spur of the moment, I was able to clean up my new shoes so if you don’t know I stepped in a mud puddle it isn’t obvious, I made it safely through some crazy traffic, I had work to bid on, I received a call at 5:30 that a job was signed off, I made it through the heat without having a heat stroke, the beautiful butterflies are fluttering all around the passion fruit vine, my aunt received good news about her breast cancer today, today is our last day to dog sit Corky, and my dad is flying home tonight so Corky goes home tomorrow!! Woo hoo!!  Our house can go back to normal, no dog gates, no covering furniture, no peeee!!!

“Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not of your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens

Healthy New Journey

Estela and I have started a new journey. A healthy journey. We joined a gym 2 months ago, and to my surprise, we are still working out and enjoying it. Our journey isn’t just about weight loss though (ok, maybe more for me it is); it is about getting healthy…our bodies, our home, our planet.


We think we are good to our planet. We recycle! We (try to) reuse. We (kind of) reduced? We hear about carbon footprints in the media and I learned a little about it at a seminar I sat in on a couple of months ago while speaking at the National Apartment Association. I tucked the information into the back pocket of my brain. Finally, last night I decided to find out what our carbon footprint is. Per EPA’s website, our carbon footprint as a household of 2 is approximately 65,841 lbs of CO2! That’s approximately 32,921 pounds per person…and we recycle! The journey begins to reduce our carbon footprint (and find a more accurate, detailed calculator). Now we have a starting point to measure against.


Moving on to getting our bodies (besides working out) and home healthy. I started reading an interesting book last week, Mastering your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. I am a fan of hers but not a “die hard” fan. This is the first of her many products that I have purchased. But since we are working out and losing weight, I want to do it the right way (and not gain it back plus some). Here is what I have taken away from the book but I admit I have not finished it yet. Our bodies are under attack from so many toxins in the environment, in our homes and in our foods that our hormones, metabolism being one of them, get out of whack. Ok, it is a plausible idea. So, her solution is to remove virtually all chemicals from our homes (from cleaning supplies and fertilizers to the unpronounceable ingredients in our foods), plastics, especially BPA’s (did you know that soda cans and fruit/veggie cans are lined with BPA liners?), and any foods that didn’t grow from the earth or have a mother. Wow! Is that really possible? I’ve heard the hype on organic foods but then I see the price difference and the frugal shopper in me goes for the bargain. However, when I find organic items that are comparable in price, I will buy them. This weekend was our first shopping excursion since I’ve been reading this book and sharing it with Estela. Boy do we have a lot of produce to eat! Friday we decided to go to the Bedford Farmers Market and got some great strawberries, squash, garlic, tomatoes (wondering if we can really use about 30 medium sized tomatoes) and corn. Sunday we ventured to the Dallas Farmers Market which was Estela’s first trip and bought fresh, locally grown eggplants, portabella mushrooms, patty pan squash (never had it but decided to try something new), an Israel melon, cherries and a mint plant. We came home and I made Ratatouille…yumm-o! It is a great vegetarian dish full of flavor and used up quite of few of those tomatoes. No we are not vegetarians…we haven’t gone that far! I was raised in the country, I like my meat! But for the sake of reducing our cholesterol and calories I try to make one at least vegetarian meal per week. Anyway, back to shopping. I finished off the shopping today and found what we want without hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, nitrites, etc. Ok, Jillian, that is accomplished. I even bought a glass pitcher to store fresh green tea in. We have mindfully stored leftovers in glass bowls instead of plastic. It is a work in progress, but I will let you know how it goes!


If nothing else, it has certainly made me more aware. More aware of what we are eating, what we are exposed to, what our impact is and the steps we need to take to change. ..more aware of our journey!


“An excuse becomes an obstacle in your journey to success when it is made in place o f your best effort or when it is used as the object of the blame.” Bo Bennett