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Showing posts from March, 2010

Elegant Calla Lilies

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What is it about these spectacular flowers that is so endearing? Well, first and foremost it has to be their elegance. Beautiful, large heads on long, delicate pale green stems, few flowers have such power to stand alone. These particular flowers were combined into a graceful bridal bouquet for a bride last weekend. All it took were these three open cut blooms.  Hand tied into an arm bouquet, tied simply with a satin ribbon, they must have looked amazing as she held them. Perhaps she'll send pictures? I hope so!! To see more of our floral designs check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

Flower Arranging 101

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Having fun with flowers! That's what our flower design classes are all about. Shop Coordinator Sheryl loves going out to different organizations and teaching floral design to children and adults alike and it's truly is gratifying to see how peoples moods changes once they get their hands on those pretty blooms. The photo at left was from a recent class held at the Lawrenceville Community Center and judging by the pictures everyone really had fun! "It's amazing to see how being around flowers has the power to make people happy" says Sheryl. "It just proves to me how powerful our product is". That's why as often as we can, we like to go into the community with our flowers and teach people how to arrange them. We love making people feel that flowers are worth having in their life. We especially love doing Brownie and Girl Scout troops because teach them to love flowers while they are young, and they are flower lovers for life. Flowers are very power

Sending Sympathy

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When you think about flowers at a funeral do they make you feel sad? Think again about attending a funeral and not seeing any flowers? Now to me, that would be really sad. Flowers are such a caring and thoughtful way to not only pay your respects but help to celebrate the life of the person who has died. This sympathy piece was delivered this morning for the service of a wonderful man sent by his Niece. I love this piece because not only is it very beautiful, it also shows the person in life, the way he should be remembered. The family said he was a religious man and what a wonderful way to celebrate his life and his faith. Colorful and expressive, the flowers really showcase the photo and I'm sure this piece will not only be admired by everyone in attendance but will be remembered by the family for years to come. Not sure what to send to a service? How about all white flowers in a clear glass vase? Another option that is a bit different is sending a plant or dishgarden. These ar

Tulip Mania!!

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Tulips! You have to love tulips! I know that I do and so do our customers judging from the amount of tulips we sell each spring. It's funny how this week I was thinking back to my trip to Holland about 8 years ago. I even brought in my photo album to share with the staff so they could see all the greenhouses, farms and florist shops we visited. It was so much fun to share the photos with the staff, even if they did make fun of Kevin's facial hair! :o) Of course, a trip to Holland is not complete with out a visit to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. If you've never been, it's a must see if you love flowers! Look for my blog on that trip as soon as I get time to scan some of the photos. In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy pictures that someone just sent me of the tulip farms in Holland! Can you imagine flying over this beautiful land and seeing this rainbow of tulips? If you can't get to Holland anytime soon why not stop in our shop for some of these pretty f

Color or No Color, that is the question

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As, I am fond of saying - It's a matter of personal preference as to whether you will infuse color into your event or not. This above picture is from a wedding we did for our bride Jen. Silver revere bowls filled lushly with cream hydrangea and ivory roses. When the lights come down, these are bound to look spectacular! Cream colored linens are the perfect back drop to the silver tones of the base and are carried into the silver cane of the chairs. Simple and elegant, this direction is always classic. Spring flowers in various shades of blue and purple are accented with soft foliage styled in a white ceramic footed compote.  A pop of color on the ivory cloth gives a gentle yet sutble look. Because the compote blends with the table linens the container is less noticeable. Here's the same white compote filled with deeper tones on a deep blue table cloth. What a difference, right? This time the container pops out and becomes more noticed. These pretty floral centerpieces sit hi

Think Out of the Flower Box

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Recently a wedding expert asked me for my ideas on some "Non-Traditional" wedding flowers that are nice to use in wedding designs. Of course, I feel that I'm lucky as my brides are so varied in their design tastes, I rarely do the same thing twice. Being floral bored is not in my vocabulary! That being said there are some flowers that come to mind that are fun to use in wedding work and a little out of the mainstream. That brings me to the picture at right. These lovely flowers are pincushion protea. Talk about drama! Later on this year we will be combining these interesting textures with mango mini callas. Can't take credit for the idea to combine them, my bride brought me an inspiration picture and boy is it going to be memorable!! I almost jumped for joy when she whipped out that picture! Orange continues to be a popular wedding color this year and these large flowers really add a lot of "Pow", "Zing" and "Pop" to wedding designs. Wou

To Blog or Not to Blog? Sorry, I have too!

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Ok, I know that I just wrote a blog yesterday but I'm catching up on some floral reading (Floral Management to be exact) and I came across some information that really got me excited. Recent studies (I know that sounds soooo boring) just revealed that those who send flowers, in comparison to other gifts, are viewed as successful, caring and emotionally intelligent people!! Ok, so that is not too boring, right? Wow, how can you be a florist and not be excited about that. As a consumer, isn't that awesome news? I know the power flowers have over people and there a  million reasons why the next time you need to send a gift, or let someone know you are thinking about them, flowers ARE a wonderful choice. Where else can you call in the afternoon and have a beautifully arranged, hand delivered gift arrive in the very same day? I'm sorry, I know there are lots of choices in gift giving these day and many are easy to order but dang, how much easier can it be!! It is our strength a

Have You Considered Feathers?

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Ah, peacock feathers, definately not for the faint of heart but when used correctly - Wow! This bouquet created for our bride Stephanie really speaks to people when they see it. They may not be brave enough to choose it for themselves but everyone agrees it's beautiful and memorable. Even the groom wore a small peacock feather. Talk about being trend setters! Traditional floral elements like the roses and stephanotis above are taken to the next level with these soft white ostrich feathers. Bride Jennifer loved the soft texture these added to the edge of her bouquet and they also complimented her soft tulle skirting.  The simple act of adding some rhinestones really take this bouquet from ordinary to extraordinary.

Gloriosa Lilies - Something New to You?

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The world of flowers - a breath of fresh air on a dreary day. Is there anything more satisfying than being a  florist who is able to slowly unpack these lovely flowers? Today, these little "blooms in fire" arrived to many Ohhhhs and an Ahhhh's from myself and the staff. Gloriosa lilies, commonly known as the climbing lily, arrived to our shop via Japan. Yes, from Japan and these are unusually spectacular. Native to South Africa, they are truly a work of art. Long, thin vine like stems topped off with these gold tipped gems. As the blossom matures, the petals elongate and wrinkle and gradually arch backward while sequencing through a spectrum of color from green to yellow to scarlet. A most unusual and exotic flower, the gloriosa lily is a crimson and yellow vision to behold and if you receive a flower delivery from our shop - you just might have one of these beauties in your arrangement!!

Do You Care?

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I know, you read that title and said "Of course I care" and you don't even know what I'm about to write, do you?? hehehehe. Too funny but I'll bet that's what you are thinking. This blog is about wedding flowers. And it's about brides. Wedding flowers and brides. Two of my favorite things, most of the time. So back to the title - Do you care? Do you care about your wedding flowers? Are they important to you? I often ask brides during my consultations to tell me how important their flowers are to their overall wedding. I use a basic scale from 1 - 10. One being "I could care less if there was even one single flower at my wedding". Ten being "I must have flowers everywhere" and five being "I'm an average bride, they are important but I don't want to break the bank". First off, I have to tell you right now that I don't care if you are my bride and you tell me you are a 3, a 5 or a 10, as long as I can make you happy.

Is Bigger Better - Dah, Yeah

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In most cases, bigger is better, right? That being said, when you get an engagement ring, you'd like it to be a nice size, right? When you get a new car, it would be nice if it was roomy enough to fit you comfortably. It's nice when you go out for dinner and there's so much on your plate that you can take a doggie bag home. I personally love leftovers - no cooking the next day!! Whoo hoo! Well, I guess the same can be said about flowers. It's super nice to receive a gift of flowers but you have to admit, getting a big and showy floral display to the office is enough to put a smile on your face for the whole day. Kevin and I recently put together these three arrangements, at three different prices to make that point to our sales staff. All three arrangements are gorgeous and all three have very high quality blooms but the one on the right really says - WOW ! Sometimes you need to send a "little" something and sometimes you need the WOW factor. My lesson to t

I am surrounded by flowers!!

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Thought I'd share some views from the Northeastern Floral Conference. Wow, what a way to spend a weekend, surrounded by flowers and making new floral friends! Our friends at Delaware Valley Wholesale had the most amazing display - see above!! It's so much fun seeing flowers that are so artfully designed!! Next stop? The Floral Design Competition! Getting to meet lots of new people, discuss the floral business and have fun is the order of the day at the Conference. Above, Georgianne gets to meet and spend time with the shop owners of Don's Own Flower Shop located in Geneva, NY! Checking out the new varieties of flowers are especially enlightening. These cool blooms were located at the DV booth! If you can't tell how big they are from this picture, check out the roses next to them! It was especially fun spending time with our favorite floral importers, DV. It's always so nice to spend quality time with John Richards and Ken Wilkens!! I even got to meet Bill Shodowski

It's All in the Presentation

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Everyone knows that making a purchase, no matter how big or small is partly about the experience. Yes, sometimes you shop because you have to but isn't it true that you shop where you have the best experience? Ok, I'm going to get on my Florist soap box and shout my usual mantra of floralisms. Hm, is that a word? It is unclear to me at the time but on with my rant.... Flower Purchases are About the Floral Experience!! As a Florist I understand that people may be coming into my shop for fresher flowers than they might find at the Supermarket. They may be coming to us for flowers for their wedding. They may be coming in to have flowers delivered to a friend but chances are, if they are coming into my flower shop to buy flowers they are here for the Floral Experience. What, pray tell, is that? It's the wonderful experience that they should have of coming into a clean, organized, well stocked place of beauty. They are coming in for the selection, the freshness, the customer s

Spot Our Van and Win a Smile!!

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If I had a dollar for everytime I was out at a business or social function where I heard - "Hey, I see your vans all the time",  I'd be a very wealthy lady by now! How fun is that? I love hearing how people are aware of my company and I especially love my delivery vehicles, complete with their "Send Someone a Smile" and huge blue daisy! So now how can you  win you a smile? If you see our van, take a picture and post it on our Facebook Fan page and you can get money in your hand. That's right, take picture and post it and win a $50 gift card to our shop.  That will put a smile on our face and yours! Have fun and happy hunting! Don't forget to become our fan at Facebook Fan Page of Monday Morning Flowers!

Balloons, Balloons and More Balloons!

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It's funny how the calendar changes from February to March and suddenly, customers start calling for balloon decor! I love it! Every spring hundreds of balloons leave the shop to decorate for fun events such as Communions, Proms, Sweet Sixteens and Mitzvahs. What better way to usher in spring and celebrate good times than with a balloon arch or clusters of balloons flying high over party tables? Even corporate events such as sales meetings and fund raisers can really benefit from a bit of balloon decor. What else really gives you that kind of "bang for your buck"? Flowers are fun but balloons speak volumns with out breaking the bank. It's especially fun doing themed parties using balloons. Just today we met with a client who is hosting a "movie" themed party. Each table will have a giant cluster of balloons that will look like buttery popcorn flying over a red and white popcorn tub. Fun, but simple and certainly will be memorable! Walk a thons are also bi