Sending Smiles ~

Well, this years Holiday Event held here at the Princeton Forrestal Village this past Saturday was a huge success! I'm not sure of the exact numbers but it was in the thousands. Everything was free again - cider, hot chocolate, carolers, ballet dancers performing the Nutcracker, carriage rides, balloon animals, crafts for the kids, clowns, pictures with Santa and strolling characters. The night was fairly mild and all the stars were out. These funny guys were so much fun! The kids loved them! The horses were a huge hit again and the lines were long but people patiently waited their turn! We gave out over 600 free helium balloons! Sheryl had a constant line of children and I literally stood blowing up balloons for 2 and half hours!! Our shop was decked out for the holiday. We had a free wine tasting, a drawing for a huge gourmet basket and surprise discounts for our customers! Customers were snatching up plants, ornaments and wreaths. We even saw a few of our regular ...

Well, here it is, the day before the day before Thanksgiving and I'm stealing a bit of time away from the sales and design floor to do another, much anticipated "Scenes from the Shop". What? It's not much anticipated? Well, regardless, I'm not offended, nor am I bashful about posting some pics!! hehehehe Shop Coordinator Sheryl surprised me with fantastic Winter Themed windows when I returned from my Jamaica vacation. Now that I think about it, was she just rubbing it in? I'm not so sure! Welcome to the North Pole! This year the Holiday Theme at the shop is relaxed and fun. Stuffed animals, Santas and other less formal products seem to be our trend this year. I hope the shopping public agrees!! Kevin walks the coolers before the begin of the busy day while I snap some shops of the new decorated tree. Snowmen, santa, moose and other cuddy toys welcome shoppers into the store! The candy bouquets all lined up and ready to go! Melissa did a great job w...

Ah, you have to love Halloween and what is more fun than a wedding?  Rachel and Brian were a fun couple and it was great getting to know them (even if I did call the groom Ben once - dah!) and their families. Their wedding at the Nassau Inn went off without a hitch. Lots of "orange unique" roses accented with brown berries and yellow solidago really looked gorgeous against the brides maids brown dresses. It was especially fun creating a floral display in Brian's family princess basket for the flower girl to carry! Traditions are so important it was an honor to creating another rememberance in the 45 year old heirloom!Rachels bouquet included mango mini callas along with roses and was the perfect compliment to her romantic lace gown. The groomsmen looked handsome with their orange rose boutonnieres and Brian with his single "Mango" mini calla. The mothers carried small hand tied bouquets of ivory roses which complimented their dresses. The centerpieces were a ...

Let's face it, if money was no object everyone would love to have flowers in their house. Having fresh flowers in your life doesn't have to break the bank and with a little care you can enjoy them for days or even weeks. Buying Flower Tips: Look for flowers that look hydrated but are still closed or just beginning to open. This one is a biggie. Flowers that are fresh from the farm as just beginning to open and bloom. Blooms often open in order from top to bottom. For example: Lilies. They are multiple buds. The ones at the bottom open first and then as they expire out the higher ones open. Buy them with the buds are either closed or just beginning to open and you'll get two weeks out of your flowers. Other tips are to look for fresh looking foliage. Stay away from leaves that are yellow or even brown. Remember, there is always going to be a certain amount of imperfections in flowers, they are real and not fake but try to find ones that truly look fresh. Le...

People often ask me what is the right way to hold a bridal bouquet. I know some ladies think it's going to be hard but truthfully, even a cascade is very easy to carry. As in the example to the right, that's me holding a very sweet tear drop shaped bouquet (compliments of our bride Coleen). As you can see, I'm able to hold the bouquet with one hand and it's not uncomfortable for me in anyway. The key to holding a cascade is to drop it down to the waist  level. I've seen many pictures of girls holding their bouquets too high, which is a very uncomfortable way to hold these. Second, holding it too high, especially in the case of the bride, blocks all the beautiful detail of their dresses. Remember, when you are walking down the aisle you want to appear relaxed and natural! Another issue I've seen is to point the bottom of the bouquet outwards. Make sure that the bouquets sits nice and flush against your body. This will give you the best possible view in the p...