Sending Smiles ~

Well, it's Memorial Day and I'm at the shop waiting for Kevin to return from dropping off multiple flower and balloon decor for various events being held on Princeton's campus. Reunions and graduations at Princeton University always keeps up busy! To kill some time I love looking at the photos posted on The Trenton Thunder Ballparks website. Kevin and I don't get to go often but we love being a partner with the ballpark and supplying them with flowers and balloons all during the season. I have to admit, I get a kick out of seeing our 7 foot long banner in the stands too. It's funny how many people tell me they see our flowers in the ladies rooms (who expects to see flowers at the ballpark, right?) and we especially enjoyed sponsoring the events during the game on Mother's Day this year.  Every mother received a hot pink visor that included the Thunder logo along with ours and the other co-sponsor, Chauncey Conference Center. If you've never been out to a...

Need something affordable to decorate tables for a picnic, shower or other event? Personally, I love these simple floating gerber daisies. These were created for an event at Princeton University and the black stones and orange gerbers really scream Princeton! Five inch square vases give the daisy plenty of room to spread out and show the black river stones. Easy for guests to take home and very long lasting.  Sometimes simple works best!!

Susan's Bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Yesterday I had a potential bride call me and ask why bride's let the stems show on their hand tied bridal bouquets. I have to say, I did not know how to answer at first. I understood what she meant, she wondered why they choose not to have them covered by ribbon but I think this bouquet really tells the story of why you might want to let the stems show. How pretty these delicate stems of mini callas are! To cover them completely in ribbon would take away part of the beauty and simplicity of the flowers. As I'm fond of saying - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to each their own. Personally, I love when the stems show. What do you think?

Iris and hydrangea Place Card Table , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . We created this arrangement for wedding of Bryan and Nicole at the Cranbury Inn yesterday. Usually I don't like using iris in wedding arrangement, mostly because they can be a difficult flower to work with. In this case, iris were the main theme and all the other floral elements used were meant to compliment this gorgeous bloom. One of my favorite pieces to design for any wedding is the escort card table, especially because we can make them a bit more grand and the couple are usually able to dedicate a few extra dollars to these displays. Setting the tone for the rest of the wedding decor, this piece greeted guests as they arrived for the ceremony at the Inn. Lavender hydrangea complimented with sweet geranium foliage created the base for lots and lots of deep purple iris.

Oran Alycia's bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . This bouquet, created for our bride Alycia, has been causing quite a stir on Facebook and Flickr.com showing me that Orange is a hot color for just about any season. Customers phoning in to request flower arrangements for get wells and birthday has shown a real preference for shades of orange, lime green and even yellow. Sunny colors, the perfect introduction into Summer!

Simple Candle Centerpieces , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . I wanted to share these pretty centerpieces created for an intimate wedding held at the Salt Creek Grill this winter. Tall, square vases filled with natural river stones were the base for these candle centerpieces. Tied with a chocolate brown ribbon, the effect was natural but romantic. The location has an earthy, modern feel and these centerpieces really blended in with the environment. Flowers are nice but if budget does not allow why not consider something like this?

Wow, talk about a term that gets over used. Not all "local" florists are local. Some out-of-state telemarketing and online firms pose as local florists. These companies mislead consumers into feeling they are ordering flowers from a local florist, but without their knowledge, are being call-remote forwarded to another state. These firms charge higher fees and take business away from legitimate local florists. Consumers are deceived into thinking they are doing business with a local company when they're not. That's unethical and unfair. Any local florist would be happy to assist you with your out of town orders but they will let you know upfront that they are using an affiliate shop to make the delivery. To make sure you are doing business with a local professional florist, just follow these tips from the Federal Trade Commission. Ask for directions to the shop. If they hesitate or refuse, chances are they are not a real florist. Deal only with shops that list their ...

Our new video , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . It was really fun having a camera man in our shop a few weeks back! I am super happy with the video that Superpages produced for us. I hope you enjoy!!

Finally had time to down load pictures from the weddings we had on Mother's Day weekend and I had to share this one. Wow, this has to be one of my favorites of all time. Creamy white roses, deep purple lisianthus and lots of fresh lilacs, not only looked gorgeous but smelled like heaven! If only local American grown lilacs were available year round but alas, is it not to be. I guess that is what makes them so special.

Whenever I'm helping someone decide on what flowers to send for a birthday or what their wedding flowers should look like, I always start with color. Sending flowers for a birthday? Bold, dramatic colors really speak to the occasion and make it fun. Hoping to send a sunny smile to someone who is sick? Studies show that the color yellow speeds healing and makes people feel more healthy. I guess that's why many hospital rooms are painted yellow, huh? What I loved about this bouquet we created for our bride Kathryn was that she was not afraid to pop in there with some dramatic color and shake it up with some different textures. The mini callas and orchids mixed among the roses keeps the viewer guessing. I can't wait to see a picture of her walking down the aisle with this stunningly colorful bouquet!!

.pe Wild Bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . We created this bouquet for bride Rachel about 5 years ago but it's still so unique. Not for everyone but if you love wild and crazy, this bouquet might be for you. Blue thistle, mini callas, roses, seeded euc and white veronica blended together to make for a unique bouquet. Photo taken by Jeff Tisman, 5 years later, it remains a favorite of mine!

The cooler , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Have you ever said - "I'd love to work in a flower shop"? I'll bet at one time or the other you have because why wouldn't you? It smells nice, we are surrounded by flowers and we make people happy. Mother's day is awesome for us florists because we help all of you say thank you to your moms. Colorful flowers in pinks and lavenders, helium filled balloons, yummy chocolates and pretty blooming plants just flew out of the shop this week. Each were hand delivered to happy mothers with special messages of thanks, love and adoration. Want proof? Well, here was our cooler one night at closing. Each day our cooler filled up like this and each morning as the drivers filed in, the cooler was emptied out. Thank you to our customers who have made our 22nd Mother's Day such a success. We sincerely hope we brought a smile to many faces this holiday!

http://www.per/ Wow - Say Pink! , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . These wedding bouquets were created last weekend for our bride Amy's wedding. Wow! Talk about punching it up with color. Light pink alstroemeria, shocking pink roses, fuschia mini callas with loops of lily grass created fun, spring bouquets. Even though pink never truly went out of style, it's back with a vengence! The deep color was limited to the bridal party and by the time guests arrived to the Breakers Hotel at the Jersey Shore, they were treated to more serene shades of pink (see escort card table arrangement below) using dendrobium orchids accented with grasses and white hybrid lilies. The sun was shining and the ocean shone a dazzling blue. A perfect day for bride Amy!!

Escort Card Table , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . It's funny how trends change, things go in and out of style. Sometimes slowly, sometimes very quickly. One thing that I've noticed is that more bride are asking for lilies again. There for awhile, most brides I suggested them to showed a dislike of these pretty blooms. Last weekend we had three weddings and this particular bride used lilies in both her bridal bouquet and this piece that was created for her escort card table. What I love about lilies is not only their star shape but also their buds. This design included simple foliages accented with lily grass. Add a few pale pink Erica dendrobium orchids and a stunning display is born. Two weeks ago one of our clients chose all white hybrid lilies in tall rectangular vases accented with navy ribbon tied simply on the vase in a knot. The perfect centerpieces for the two young boys celebrating their holy communion, the mother said she was still g...

Mother's Day , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Wondering what to get mom for her big day? Of course, every woman loves flowers - tulips, roses, daisies, lilies and gerber daisies are fun to receive at work or home. What about sending a goodie basket with fun shaped cookies and chocolates? Another option might be a fun balloon bouquet of all brightly colored latex with a few "Happy Mother's Day Mylars". Add a cuddly stuffed animal for something fun or even a small blooming plant to brighten her environment. Put your message on a full size greeting card and make the gift even more memorable. To see our full selection of Mother's Day gifts visit us online at www.sendingsmiles.com and use promotion code SPG2 to save $10!