Sending Smiles ~

When I was a little girl, my mother used to take great pride in her Easter Egg Tree. Actually this was our birch tree in the front yard but she would add 100's of plastic Easter Eggs in different bright colors tied on with colorful ribbon. Of course, she had me stand in front of the tree for my Easter photo in my best Easter Dress. It wasn't the Easter season in my family until Mom decorated that tree. Easter is one of my favorite times in the shop because I love plush bunnies and colorful plastic eggs. Call it tacky but it reminds me of happy childhood memories. We always had at least one Easter Lily Plant in the house too! When it comes to merchandising the store, I can't help but bring in giftware that makes me happy and this year is no exception. I especially loved these little chick salt and pepper shakers that came in this month. No Easter table is complete without them.  Below is a cute egg platter, imagine deviled Easter Eggs displayed with the little chick...

Lavenders, creams and greens ~ I'm in love with this color combination and how perfect are these colors to add a touch of brightness to Eno Terra? Among the long, wood tables we placed multiple floral centerpieces that were created in cylinder vases with purple roses and tulips and mojito hydrangeas with loops of lily grass. Circling the vase were real tropical leaves and the green really popped against the shiny light wood tables.  We especially loved the buffet arrangement with it's additional hanging amaranthus and green cymbidium orchid blooms. If the Engagement party is this pretty, imagine what the wedding will look like! 

This week I was lucky enough to be a part of a new program through Princeton University called Boss Lady. On Tuesday the Women's Center paired off female University students with Princeton area CEO's, Business Owners and Heads of Non-Profits. We hosted Crissy, class of 2015 who arrived to the shop, ready to shadow me at 10 am. It is not very often that I get to spend time with fascinating, intelligent young women and Crissy was that and more. Crissy will be graduating with in June with a degree in Biology and has really enjoyed her time at the University. She's currently working on her thesis  in  topic that is way over my head but took time out of her schedule to find out more about my business and what it means to be a Business Leader and Entrepreneur.  Alanna shares a moment with Crissy, with flowers of course Crissy not only spent time with me seeing how I fill my day at the shop but she was able to spend a bit of time helping Alex with a small marketing project...

Who doesn't love coffee in the morning to get their day started? Like our recently added Wine Gift Selection, we couldn't resist adding these adorable Coffee Related items to the shop. Mugs, signs and even candle holders make great gifts for office mates and friends.  Why not let us create a gourmet basket with a few of these fun items added? Flavored coffee, a few snacks and a mug. The perfect gift for the Coffee Drinker in your life!! 

With Prom Season just around the corner, here are my Top 3 Reasons you need to order your Prom Flowers early! Reason #1 ~ each one is made custom, just for you. Each corsage, hand tied bouquet or boutonniere is a one of of kind floral creation. Not only does it take time for our Talented Floral Designers to create each one, we often need to special order the flowers needed to meet your design expectation. Reason #2 ~ Our time to create Prom flowers is limited  Because Prom flowers are designed by hand and take more time than you can imagine, it's important to get your order in early so that we can actually take your order. Waiting till the last minute may mean that we don't have designers available to make one for you. Because they are made with fresh flowers and can't be created too far in advance, we only have so many design hours to devote to making Prom flowers . Prom season is also the time of year that florists are very busy with other events such as Wedding...

I love our signs around the shop and as this one says, Plants are the Ultimate Organic Gift. Right now now we are selling more plants than ever before and with all the cool options, it's not really a surprise. Not only do they make a great gift but folks love having them in the own home and office. Terrariums and Air- Terrariums have become so popular that we are dedicating space the store to glass containers along with specialty stones, moss and more.  With our wide selection of mini tropical plants, succulents and air plants, you can come into the shop, pick out your plants , container and other elements to go home and create your own living garden .  check out these new little cut Echeveria's in a bag. Aren't they adorable. They even come with instruction on how to root them and turn them into a thriving plant. At only $14.99, they make a wonderful little gift for a friend, teacher or relative. 

Right off the bat, I'm going to say that I don't remember who shared the concept of Wiggle Words with me (so I can't give them credit) but this term changed my life! Dramatic? Yes but it truly changed how I communicate. What is a Wiggle Word? A wiggle word is any word that fails to describe. Still confused? In the flower business we hear wiggle words all the time. Customer: "Hello, I'd like to send flowers. Can you make me nice arrangement ?" What does nice mean? What is nice to one person could be not nice to another. Nice, beautiful, pretty ~ all are wiggle words that don't really tell us what you'd like. We love when our customer express themselves! Now taking this from the other side "Yes, we'd be happy to create a nice arrangement for you, how about if we create a very colorful mixture of Spring Flowers "? They might have something else in mind but at least I'm responding with a response that is a bit more descriptive. ...

No, I'm not talking about the movie, I'm talking about flowers (as I've been known to do) and the color purple.  Ah, remember THE DRESS? You know, the one that some said was white and gold, while others said blue and black? That really brought it home how different people see color differently so that got me to thinking about one of the hardest colors to work with and that is the color purple. When you look at the flowers below, do they look purple to you? Some will say yes, while others say no but in the world of flowers, they are all considered purple. Some have more red undertones, while others have blue but if you asked me for purple flowers; any and all would be what we would send. Imagine working with this color when decorating a home or creating wedding flowers? Not easy! What is your favorite purple flower?

What's in season ? Tulips! They are coming from Farms in NJ, Virginia & Holland. An interesting fact about tulips is that they continue to grow after being cut, up to an inch or more & they are “phototropic” which means they bend towards the light! Do you follow our shop on Facebook ? Each Saturday we share a new flower that has recently come into season. We'd love for you to follow us and share!  Spring is around the corner!

One of the best parts of my job is securing flowers to sell at the shop. Whether they are for a special event such as a wedding or just for our everyday offerings, I try to buy American Grown Flowers whenever possible. Truthfully, there aren't many florist grade flowers being grown in PA or New Jersey these days so we look to states such as California for the "locally grown" American product we crave.  Did you know that 80% of the flowers used in America are imported from outside of the US? That's crazy but true! I've personally visited farms in Holland and California and it's fascinating how they grow these amazing beauties. Take for example, the photo below of our tour of the Stock Flower Fields at Ocean View Farms in Lompoc, California We have been known to secure NJ flowers through both our wholesaler and on our own, like these Sunflowers from a past summer! Our designers had fun making little smiley faces on them!  Do you know where the ...

In Lieu of Flowers  - What Does It Mean The death of a family member or close friend is one of life's most painful experiences. Those in mourning need support and most of us are anxious to find some way to comfort them. One of the most appreciated and accepted ways to express sympathy is by sending flowers. Occasionally, the obituary announcement includes the phrase " In lieu of flowers , contributions may be made to...". Often times, this terminology is used to encourage charitable gifts but not necessarily to discourage other expressions. Most families sincerely appreciate all personal expressions and may later regret having too few flowers at the funeral . It is important that each giver make their own choice and many people are choosing to send a floral remembrance to the service or family home as well as a donation to the charity indicated. While a monetary donation is a worthy tribute, there is really no substitute for beautiful flowers at a sympathy se...