Sending Smiles ~

Sorry, could not resist. Yesterday, after the staff and I successfully delivered and set up 5 weddings, I - Georgianne Vinicombe, went home, ate dinner and actually relaxed on my deck. My husband snuck this picture and no, I'm not down loading photos, updating a website or anything work related. I was actually playing solitaire on my new Droid phone. So to answer the burning question that I'm often asked "Do you ever relax?". Here is the proof, yes I do!! :o)

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...

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?

There are three main things you may not know about me. Number 1, I'm extremely goal oriented. Number 2, I'm competitive but not with others and Number 3, I love working. Ok, let's take these one at a time to get to why I'm writing this blog. What does it mean to be goal oriented? To me, it's having purpose, knowing where you want to go and taking the steps to get there. It can be as simple as "I want to leave work, go home and get some laundry done". By the time I get home, I might not feel like doing it but I know it was my goal to do it and sometimes you have to do things you don't feel like doing. Anyone that knows me, knows that once I set a goal, I'm very hard to derail from getting whatever it is done and accomplished. Sometimes the goals are long term and sometimes short term but they are there and I could not live without them! The next one, I'm competitive, but not with others. I've never liked being in situations where someone...

Halloween (or the days leading up to it) are always fun at the shop. We dress up, eat, laugh, take pictures and most of all have fun! We even have a contest with prizes. Who will win this year? Perhaps it's the Swine Flu? Or the King of Hearts? Time will tell! Our shop is always busy and boy, it can be a tight fit but most of the time it all works!! In between the madness, there are weddings and deliveries to be made. The Flower Show must go on! It's times like this that I really appreciate my staff (and friends). This year is especially bitter sweet, as we miss Rocio's sister, Reina so much but we still feel her here with us, each and every day. New designer Norman has been a wonderful addition to the Monday Morning team. It's wonderful that he fits right in, even during Halloween because he's in the spirit!! Norman strikes a pose with Sheryl and Rocio!! David always manages to make us laugh. He's been striking funny poses and making me giggle...

Something you may not know about me is that I actually have a degree in Management. How hysterical is that? Anyone that knows me knows that I'd rather be your friend than your boss but that being said, they don't call me a slave driver for nothing! Just today, in my usual floral orchestrating way, I had at least 6 employees running here and there doing this and that. Is that what being a boss is? I guess so, if the goal is to get stuff done. Of that, I'm the Queen. Even when I used to work for others you often heard "Hey, give that to Georgianne, she'll get it done quick". In an instant, I can formulate in my head multiple things that need to be done and best determine the way to not only get them done but get them done in record time, with as few physcial movements as possible. You may laugh but if you've ever been in the shop to see me in action, I can walk around the shop doing 10 things at once, all while just doing one big loop. They don't call...

Can flowers be a symbol of success? I say a resounding YES! Have you ever been to a beautiful restaurant and noticed that they have fresh flowers on their front counter or even at every table? Those flowers need to be replaced at least once a week but each week that restaurants pays for them for their space. Why? Simple, people love flowers. Flowers are a symbol of freshness and success. Businesses having trouble paying their staff, rent or other bills don't  buy flowers. Let's be honest, all businesses would love to have fresh flowers in their lobby but not all can afford them. In that way, flowers are a sign of financial success. I remember reading a statement made by Carley Roney, Co-Founder of TheKnot.com which was "with flowers, you get what you pay for" and boy, that is so true. Case in point, this weekend we had 8 weddings and various other parties that we were hired to create floral centerpieces for. We had every price point from $30 to $125! Wow, wha...