Sending Smiles ~

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm thinking about the 3 weddings we did today. One was blush pinks and creams, one was creams, corals and peaches and one was purples and blues. It's amazing how floral designs in different colors ~ even using similar flowers can look so different. Case in point are these 2 centerpieces. Created for a Corporate Client who likes to see options, both are valued at the same $65 per table. When I posted these on our Facebook Page asking folks to tell us which was their favorite, it was easily 50/50 with a few saying they loved both. It's amazing how choosing one color theme can make floral designs even more dramatic. Imagine if these 2 centerpieces were multicolored ? They wouldn't really have the same level of sophistication and drama ~ don't you agree?  The peaches and corals are warm and elegant while the purple shades are cool and bright.   The next time you are ordering centerpieces for your next event, why not choose ...

Today we are highlighting more MMF staff favorites. This time from Jeff  and George ! Jeff has been with MMF for over 6 years, as our highly talented in-house graphic designer and a driver and event's setup person.  Jeff's first choice was a lady slipper orchid. Orchids are easy to care for, will re-bloom throughout the year and a gift that gives long lasting beauty.  Jeff must really like plants! His second choice was a succulent and he said he especially is captivated by the succulent's flowers that appear after a few months of proper care. We offer a chic and modern succulent garden that would make the perfect gift for a man or woman, Apparently everyone loves stuffed animals , including this adorable owl that is a new item in the shop. Be sure to give us a call if you are interested in one of these more unique plush friends, what is displayed on the website is only a small selection. Our driver George also gravitated t...

The Mother's Day Rush ~ and boy what a rush it is. The busiest week of the year for us, even busier than Valentine's Day. Look at just a few of our favorite designs from the week so far! This arrangement is called Spring Time in Paris . don't you love the vibrant colors? Tulips, viburnum, roses, carnations, dianthus and more.  This was a custom; one of a kind designs. This arrangement included peony, roses, orchids, clematis and lilacs.   This arrangement is called Vineyard Jubilee and includes green hydrangeas, mini calla lilies, succulents and roses.  Why not call us to send your mother a beautiful arrangement from our store? 

Nothing makes us happier than when our customers send pictures of the flower they received. It's nice to see how folks live with flowers in their home. This yellow rose photos was post last week by a woman who received these beauties from her children for her anniversary ! A customer also shared a picture of her 2 week old alstroemeria she got from us for $5 Friday . Looks great right?  Our past bride Lisa loved the pale pink roses her hubby sent to her.   White roses from a groom to his lovely bride on their wedding day. 

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!

We are so ready for spring and we know you are too, which is why today's $5 Friday Flowers are brightly colored Spring Bouquets . Each bouquet is unique and extremely vibrant, fresh and long lasting. Why not pick up one up today? Sorry, no delivery, walk in and walk out only!  Why not check out our Facebook Page to see all the new products in our stores for Spring.  www.facebook.com/localflorist www.facebook.com/sendingsmiles

I laugh when I see this graphic below (borrowed of course) but I admit that I am encouraging those flower sending guys out there to send flowers 1 day early this year. The main reason is because Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday in 2015 and it's always more exciting to receive flowers at work than at home. Why you may ask? It's fun to having your coworkers see you get flowers and makes you feel special!  As I write this blog, we've already started receiving orders for the holiday with about 75% be requested for Friday the 13th and the rest going out on Saturday. What day would you want to send or receive your Valentine's Day Flowers this year? 

It might be very white outside but the colors in our Princeton store are anything but white! Did you know that we now organize our Retail Display Cooler by color? This way when you come in you can see the flowers you love in the colors we have them in that day!  We've recently added some new floral designs to our website .  Be sure to check them out! 

December is a fun month to be working here at the flower shop for multiple reasons but the main one is that our days are so varied. One day we might be making 34 cookie bouquets for a corporate client , like I'm doing below.  Or we may be making 24 Chocolate Sled Gift Baskets to be delivered to the Pavillions, like Alanna is working on below.   Or perhaps we making really pretty centerpieces for a holiday party, like Holly is doing below.   Not to mention hosting a design class where the students have fun and make new friends.   And at the end of the class the students pose with their creations!   Design Rosy makes boxwood tree after boxwood tree , all created by hand, one piece of foliage at a time and then decorated for the holiday.  Whatever we work on at the shop, including sympathy designs to show love to grieving families, our days in December are extremely varied and rewarding. While others might be slowing down at wor...

Who says the only place to get cheap (low cost) flowers is at the Supermarket? Not us! Each week we offer two different flower specials. Monday's FreshTen are bouquets of unique blooms, the kinds you won't find at any Big Box Store for only $10. Ours are way fresher too with flowers arriving 3-5 times per week. Available at our Princeton store only we've featured flowers such as Mini Calla Lilies, Protea, Kale and other unique, long lasting flowers for FreshTen. This past week we offered Mini Calla lilies! Each Friday at both of our Stores (Princeton and Yardley) we offer $5 Friday Flowers ; a fresh bouquet usually valued at $10, $15 or more dollars for only $5. This past week we offered Freesia and Rose Bouquets. Do you currently follow us on Facebook? Just visit our pages each week to find out the flower specials! Click here for Princeton's Page or here for Yardley's Page . These bouquets often sell out so we make it easy to reserve. Just give us ...

We don't sell as many of these pretty plants as we used to but they still make a great gift option and they are easier to take care of than you may think!  Tip of the Day: Looking after a Poinsettia Position the plant in good light away from direct sunlight and draughts.  Poinsettias originate from warmer climates than our area, so avoid temperatures below 55F.  Over watering will quickly damage the plant. Wait until the surface of the compost begins to dry out, then water thoroughly.  It's as easy as that so get out and get those Poinsettias for your home or office!

In the floral industry we hear all kinds of stories; some joyous, some somber. A few weeks ago I received a call from a man who worked at another flower shop .  He needed to send a personal floral gift and he needed it in a hurry. Through the conversation he told me that the recipient of the gift was on her death bed… terminal cancer and did not have much longer to live. He wanted to send a few mixed orchid plants in a large glass or ceramic container and said it needed to arrive the next day as early as possible. As promised, we delivered the orchid arrangement just before noon. I called him back to let him know the delivery had been made so that he would not worry.  He thanked me for taking care of this so quickly and I thanked him in return for trusting this important personal order to our shop to fill. I told him that I hoped the gift helped her to know that she was thought of in a special way.  I hung up and went on about my day, as usual.... A week la...

I've said it before and I will say it again, living with flowers not only brightens you home but it makes you feel better. Studies show that seeing flowers first thing in the morning helps people feel more positive and uplifted. Think you can't afford flowers? Now you can. Each Friday we off a fresh bouquet of flowers for only $5 and these are not just any old flowers. These are fresh, big bunches that change each Friday to give you a variety from week to week. Last wee we had fall carnations, the week before we had Oriental Lilies. We sometimes do stock, gerbera daisies and even roses. Fresh, full and fun, you really need to treat yourself to these beauties.  Sorry, no delivery available but maybe, just maybe you should swing by one of our stores and treat yourself to a bouquet. Get out and smell the flowers! 111 Main Street, Princeton, NJ in the Princeton Forrestal open until 7 pm and 45 East Afton Avenue, Yardley PA open until 6 pm. To reserve a bouquet call us at 609.5...

I love when bride's do a bit of DIY. Yes, you heard it right, I love when my bride's do a little themselves. Especially like what this past weekend's bride Crystal did. She let us handle the fresh flower part, while she and her maids set up some floating and votive candles on their own. I especially loved the little boards they found to anchor the centerpieces and the table numbers.  Aren't they super cute? She was able to personalize her wedding while not having to worry about processing fresh flowers and worrying about the weather (it hit 95 degrees that day).  She left that up to us to worry about and at a very modest cost, I might add. Again, vintage ~ country is very in these days and these adorable tablescapes were perfect for this tent wedding at Chauncey Conference Center here in Princeton. Would you consider doing a bit of DIY while your florist handles the floral aspect of your centerpieces? 

We really had a great time working with Christian from YardleyTV while he shot this video. I admit, I think it came out well and I think the store looks adorable. What do you think?

If you missed our floral design event in February, don’t worry!   We are having a second class in our Yardley PA location on April 11 th , from 6:00-8:00PM.   Join us for wine and snacks while you learn the basic principles of floral design.   With a great turnout for our Princeton floral design class, we are excited to host this event is Yardley also.   At our Princeton floral design event, all participants began the night with unarranged flowers...   Enjoy a night out, meet other locals, and learn how to create a beautiful floral arrangement.   Our designers will go over everything from balance and proportion to focal point and accent. And after a night with one of our designers, arrangements turned out beautifully! You can sign up for Yardley’s floral design event on our website or call the shop at 215-493-1400.   We have a quaint shop in Yardley so this is sure to be a relaxed, fun night out – but space is limited, so d...

Hey, look what I learned at our Scarf Tying Class last month. Yup, I was one of those girls who only knew how to take a scarf and wrap it around my neck a few times. Ann Kosco, long time friend and customer here at MMF did a great job showing me and over 25 ladies (as they ate and drank wine, of course) the many ways to use a scarf to fancy up your look. And in case you did not know it, scarves are a fashion trend for all seasons.  Because our Scarf Tying class was such a success at our Princeton store, we are now planning one at our Yardley, PA store on March 14th. For only $20 per person you get wine, cheese and even your own scarf to take home. Once again, MMF friend Ann will teach us all the tricks we need to go from boring to fab when dressing with scarves. The event runs from 6 - 7:30 pm so it's a fun, after work event so invite your friends for a girls night out. Remember, scarves are not just for winter and Ann will show us many different unique ties for summer too...

 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...

They say there is a hurricane coming but for now this bright and sunny bridal bouquet that we created for bride Jennie this past weekend is a beacon of sunshine, don't you think? I love all the fall colors and monochromatic floral designs for events and everyday are super popular right now, with Yellow leading the pack. We've added lots of new arrangements to our website for Fall so if you know someone under the weather or having a birthday , be sure to check out what is new. Here's  hoping that Hurricane Sandy is more hype than wind and rain! 

I know what people think... "It must be fun to play with flowers all day long". hahaha, those of us in the Flower Biz always laugh at that because yes, we do enjoy our jobs and let's face it, who wouldn't want to be surrounded with gorgeous flowers day in and day out. The part that most folks find surprising is how truly hard it is to perform at 100% day in and day out. Being creative yes, but also detailed. There are so many important details that one miss and you just might ruin someones birthday, wedding or make them even more sad at a loved ones funeral.  This photo below shows how we plan ahead and advise our clients to do the same. This floral arrangement was designed to fit no matter what the wedding day weather was. In this case, it rained and these flowers fit this nook above a huge fireplace to help decorate the ceremony site. If the sun was out, this piece was made in two pieces and would have been placed on each side of the bride and groom on a ledge t...