Sending Smiles ~

I have to start off by saying ~ Wow! Wow, can you imagine that I'm included with these amazing men below being honored by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce? I've pinched myself and so I must be awake but even after the Gala last night at Jasna Polana (the most amazing venue in Princeton) I'm still in awe. Below I'm pictured with (from the left) Senator Peter Inverso, President and CEO of Roma Bank who was honored as Business Leader of the Year, Dr. Herb Greenberg Chairman and CEO of Caliper as Innovator of the Year and Marty Johnson, Founder, President and CEO of Isles, Inc as Community Leader of the Year.  I also have to mention Brian Juleskusky of Bank of America for Sponsoring the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Brian came by the shop last week to learn more about me and the shops and we had so much fun. I'm thinking we are life long friends from this point forward.    Of course, the night would not have been complete with out my friends and fa...

Looking for a fun project to make for Christmas ? Why not make your own Boxwood Tree? During the holiday we sell tons and tons of the cute, mini Christmas trees for our customers. What's fun about them is that they last so long and if someone you know doesn't have the room for a traditional full size tree, it's a nice way to help decorate their house. They also make wonderful centerpieces for the dining room or kitchen table.  Take this one for example that Designer Holly made for a customer who wanted to send her husband a cute Anniversary arrangement, something that would last through the holiday season. Decorated with tiny cardinal birds, curly willow, cinnamon sticks, pine cones and red burlap ribbon ~ it has a very "woodsy" feel, perfect for a mans office, don't you think? Want to make your own Boxwood Tree? If you are in our area you can come to our Boxwood Tree Making Class  but if not, with a few tips, you too can make an adorable tree like t...

Last week were lucky enough to host a Junior Girl Scout Troop here at our Princeton Shop. Troop number 11717 from Ewing came with 8 girls (and moms in tow) to learn all about flowers. Design Coordinator Sheryl presented each girl with their very own apron to keep and taught the girls about the different parts of the flower. After the lesson each girl worked with Designer Norman to learn how to wrap flowers "presentation style". I'd say it looks like these little ladies enjoyed their afternoon and were sure going to enjoy their floral bouquets. Do you or someone you know have a civic group that would like a tour and lesson at our shop? How about having us come to your place to do a demonstration or even organize a "hands on" class? Just give us a call at our Princeton store at 609.520.2005, we'd love to accommodate you! 

 At our shop, both Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite busy times for us with folks wanting to send and receive floral centerpieces for their dinner tables. When I talk to other shops from around the country, some are busier than us while others say that no one in their area is interested in having flowers for their home during the holiday season. What camp do you fall under? Do you like to have flowers on your table? What about sending flowers to family and friends that you are not able to share the holiday with?  As you can see by the photo of Kevin above, our shop was quite busy during the Thanksgiving holiday and this photo was taken on Wednesday and although it was not all the deliveries that we made, just the first round of deliveries for the 4 drivers working that day.  For me, I can't imagine not having something fresh on my dining room table and that goes back to long before I was in the floral business. Marking special moments in our lives is so impo...

One of our favorite places around Princeton is the lovely  McCarter Theater. If you have never seen their production of "A Christmas Carol" you sure are missing out. We sure love providing the theater with these 3 big (yes, they are 4 feet across) wreaths ever year and once we do, we know the holiday season is upon us!  To learn more about this amazing and historic Theater and their upcoming events, visit their website ! 

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a day  dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide. Last year,  over one hundred million people* came together to Shop Small® in  their communities on Small Business Saturday®. Small Business Saturday is a day for everyone — from the business owners who create jobs to the customers who buy locally — to support small businesses that invigorate the economy and keep communities thriving. It began in 2010 when American Express founded Small Business Saturday to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Last year, over 100 million people came out to shop at independently-owned small businesses on the day. Now, in its third year, Small Business Saturday will be even bigger.  This November 24th, support the small businesses in your community! 

Here at our Princeton Forrestal Village store, we are super lucky to be near so many great venues for parties. Take the location below ~ Tre Piani Restaurant is located right next door to our Princeton shop. What a great place to have a special event. Not only is the food prepared by Chef ~ Owner, Jim Weaver delicious but the 3rd floor party room is warm and cozy. These floral centerpieces, created for a 60th birthday party have bright, jewel tone colors and really make for a festive touch. Floral centerpieces don't have to be big to be noticed, don't you agree?  To see these and more of our special event floral designs, be sure to visit our event website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com ~ if you are having a social or corporate event, you'll find much to inspire you there! 

Just about every day we displaying more and more of our holiday gifts and aren't they cute. This tree pattern comes on a coffee mug (like this one), a tea pot, a pitcher, a cake plate ~ chip and dip combo. It's such a happy design, don't you think?  These snowmen salt and pepper shakers are such a cute gift for a secret Santa or grab bag, don't you think?  They are only $6.95!    This nativity sets has been a good seller already. What a sweet gift for a babies first Christmas.    You may have noticed that we have a new line of jewelry, scarves, head bands and now pocket books. This one is super cute and we love damask pattern and that pop of hot pink.    Rustic themed plates, pitchers and coffee mugs are super sweet and make great gifts. This plate would be adorable added to a gourmet basket or used as the base for a cookie bouquet.    Tea pots and so popular these days. Imagine this one with a super cute winter flo...

 Did you know that we have a free book exchange at our Yardley Pennsylvania store? Started about 5 years ago, our "free library" of books has grown to over 500 in all genres. How it works is you come into the shop with a book (or 2) and take a book. It's that simple. No purchases is necessary and folks seem to enjoy it! Mysteries and romance novels top of the list of desired reading of course but we have self help, business and biographies as well!  Both Nora Roberts and Linda Lael Miller are popular reading at the book exchange. If you've never picked up a book by either of the authors, you really are missing some great stories. In addition to the historical and contemporary romance categories, we have many self help books and business biographies of well known entrepreneurs.  Debbie Maccomber is another popular author and we have many of her recent paper backs in addition to Susan Mallory, James Michner, Fern Michaels and Dan Brown. If you have never...

The holidays are such a festive time here at the shop and the fun will continue with some "DIY" classes here at the Princeton Shop. After such success with our Terrarium Making Class and our Wreath Making Class, our next class will be held on November 29th from 6:30 - 8:00 and we'll be teaching you how to make a Box Wood Tree for the holidays. This class not only shows you step by step but you'll be making your very own Tree to bring home with you! This class is $60 per student and the price includes wine and snacks. Our next class will be held on December 12 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm and we'll be teaching you how to make a Christmas Centerpiece . Again, you'll not only learn but make your own design to take home for the holidays. Wine and snacks will be served and the price is $55 per student. Lastly, we have scheduled a new class that should be a fun girls night our event. At this class, you will learn all the different ways to tie a scarf. Scarves are ...

We love suggesting Fall and Thanksgiving Gift ideas like this one!  I love this line of Thanksgiving tableware that we have for the holiday this year. This particular set includes a pitcher, hot tray, mug and even a chip and dip that all coordinate. These make a sweet Thanksgiving hostess gift or you can even use them in a floral design for the holiday. The fall is always a festive season and although we have started to put out some of our Christmas gift ware, we certainly don't want to jump by this fun holiday. And don't forget to order your Thanksgiving Centerpiece early! Visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com to shop our complete selection.

Can you ever go wrong with an all white wedding ? One of this past weekends weddings had us using elegant flowers in shades of white with touches of crystals, candle light, diamonds and rhinestones. Jessica's bouquet was created using ivory roses, creamy white hydrangeas, white mini callas, ranunculus and touches of rhinestone sprays.  For Jessica's ceremony we provided our ivory satin covered chuppah accented with touches of fresh foliage's flanked by two elegant floral arrangements on garden pedestals.  In the ballroom, tall and lush floral displays were created up on 28" tall pedestal cylinder vases which are a rental item , then filled with clear gems, amber underwater lights, a single white cymbidium orchid bloom and fresh water. At the base were diamond like gems sprinkled over table mirrors and 3 crystal votive candles.  To formalize the chandeliers, we had 25 feet of crystals sprays to each fixture. I can only image what this looked like when the ...

The Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the 2012 Business Leadership Award honorees.   Entrepreneur of the Year Award  Georgianne Vinicombe, President & Co-Owner, Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co Sponsored by Bank of America Business Leader of the Year Award Peter Inverso, President, Roma Bank Sponsored by WithumSmith+Brown Innovator of the Year Award Herbert M. Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, Caliper Sponsored by NRG Energy Community Leader of the Year Award Martin Johnson, President & CEO, Isles, Inc. Sponsored by Glenmede

 You probably saw our recent post where I talked about all the new Non-Floral items we have coming into the shop . It's been fun going out  on a bit of a limb this past year to bring in broader range of products in to the store. We've been doing our $5 Friday Flowers for over a  year now and between the 2 shops, we have over 30 folks come in for their fresh bouquets each week. That got us to thinking because once our loyal customers were coming in for those bouquets, many were surprised to see the wide selection of items were carried such as greeting cards, candy, plush animals, plants, candles and even jewelry. Once I realized that our "foot traffic" was on the rise, currently running 100% ahead of last year, I knew it was time to bring in more products and even broaden our existing lines. I think it's been a great decision for us and customers seem to be loving it.  As with any product expansion, it's super important to closely monitor what sel...

Well, it's been a heck of a week and for us here at Monday Morning Flowers, we've come through it better than most. Our Yardley shop is still without power today but in Princeton we are up and running and creating beautiful floral designs for this weekends 4 weddings. To say we are relieved is an understatement. Most of our employees have power back on at home except Drivers Allan and Jeff but we are hopeful that soon their houses will be warm and they can take hot showers.  In trying to do our part, we have decided to make lapel pins and ask for donations for the American Red Cross to benefit the Hurricane Sandy victims in our area. The last time we did a fundraiser like this was the weeks following 9/11 and we raised over $3,600 for the Red Cross. I'll never forget their faces when we walked into their offices on Alexander Road here in Princeton, NJ with all that cash.  For now we have lapel pin donation boxes at Bon Appetit and our store here in the Princeton F...