Sending Smiles ~

It's that time of year again ~ the holiday shopping season has begun and judging by the mall parking lots on Black Friday, it's going to be a busy one. Have you considered where you shop ? If you haven't you should. Here's a few stats to show how you can play an important role in your community by shopping small independently owned businesses!  I know you've heard it before but shopping at locally owned small businesses really can make a difference in your community. You might ask how and this photo below shows the story. Consider a small business like mine. When I need to get something printed, I used my local printer Ed at Document Depot. When I need to get one of my 4 delivery vans fixed, I use a local garage ~ Fowlers in Princeton - Gary is the best! When I buy my yummy chapsticks that we give out to our customers, I use Jim at Browndog Marketing. Each of the business has employees who work for them, so my purchases help keep people employed. So you get the...

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 26th, support the small businesses in your community! 

Another month of fun Instagram photos. Thought I'd share the behind the scenes from December!  Here a photographer posts a photo of a bridal bouquet we created in November and we share it on our feed!  Our Princeton store decorated for the holiday season!  Kevin and Alanna build a balloon archway for a non-profit awards breakfast in Woodbridge. This is a new frame for us and it really turned out great. It's 12 feet tall!!  A winter wedding of teals and white, snowflakes and birch branches at Old York Country Club in Bordentown, NJ.  A 3 foot tall boxwood tree decorated with real peacock feathers  for the Princeton Residence Inn. Even the ribbon had the peacock feather design!  We held 3 design classes during the month of December including this wreath making class. The students really did a great job.  Design Alanna went out to a club meeting for a demonstration and then then attendees bought what she made.  ...

Who says a floral design has to have tons of flowers to be memorable. Take this floral design as an example. Created using 1 stem of purple butterfly aster, 4 stems of lavender daises, 1 rose, half a hand full of foliage and purple moss with 3 simple butterflies and there you have it. An adorable floral design that looks super cute, is a nice size and is sure to bring a smile. The retail value on this design is just under $30 but imagine this being used on a buffet table for a party or even as a centerpiece. Know someone who could use a lift, this design is sure to bring a smile and make them feel loved. Birthday flowers for your favorite young lady? This will do it, don't you agree? The next time you need flowers , don't assume you have to spend big bucks to make a big impact. Just give your favorite florist some free rein and let them create something special just for you! Remember to keep it local ~ please order your flowers from a local independent business owner an...

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 ...

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 think we all need a little sun today right! While driving in to work, the temps were hovering about 5 degrees so today's FreshTen bouquet is the perfect way to warm up your home or office. Priced at only $10, this is not only a great flower deal but should give you the warm and fuzzies all week long.  Yellow roses and light sunflowers with sunny bright yellow centers! 

We know Christmas is right around the corner but we could not resist these amazing and colorful flowers. Haven't heard about our $5 Flower Friday's? Each Friday we offer the freshest most amazing flower bouquets for only $5. Perfect timing for the weekend, this weeks flower are alstroemeria. They big bouquets are extremely colorful and long lasting and the perfect way to being a big of color into your home this weekend. Want to be notified via text each Friday about what flower we are offering that day? Just text the word FRIDAY to 555888 and we'll add you to our text list! You can also find our specials by visiting our Facebook Pages - www.facebook.com/localflorist for our Princeton NJ flower shop or www.facebook.com/sendingsmiles for our Yardley PA flower shop. 

Wow, I truly can not believe it's November. And with that, comes the time of year we will be asking our customers to consider shopping with us on Small Business Saturday. In addition to having a store wide sale that day, we hope to be having food, fun and "free stuff" for the kids! Mark your calendars now and look for future blogs and Facebook posts highlighting all the activities planned that day!  Don't currently follow us on Twitter? Be sure to follow us as @mondayflowers  and follow along with hashtag #ShopSmall for future specials and discounts. 

Well, it's $5 Flower Friday and today we have fresh sunflowers . Boy oh boy, they have been a huge hit with the phone starting to ring about 7:30 am with folks wanting to reserve some for the weekend. Did you know that you can receive a text every Friday morning telling you what the flower special is that day. Just text the word Friday to 555888 to be included. Sorry, no delivery, cash and carry only!  Lots of pretty summer blooms arrived today such as these daisies. Don't you just love daisies?  "They are such a friendly flowers, don't you think they are the friendliest flowers"- Trivia; do you know what movie that line is from?   In case you are not aware, these weekend we are having a plant event in the shop. Come anytime between 10 am and 2 pm with any plant material you have or buy some from us. We'll help you plant it, transplant it or design it! It's all about plants this weekend - August 4th.  Be sure to follow us on our Facebook page t...

It's that day of the week and we have a fun one for tomorrow ~ May 24th. Fresh bouquets of colorful roses for only $5.  Roses are always a favorite for $5 Friday and today's selection is especially pretty. We have colors from corals to oranges, pinks to lavenders and everything in between. What a fun bouquet to bring home for Memorial Day, don't you think?  Stop by either store ~ Princeton Forrestal Village  or 45 E. Afton Avenue, Yardley, PA. We have limited amounts so feel free to call us to reserve. 609.520.2005. We hope to see you! 

While posting a copy of a blog to Google+, I wrote an introduction that I thought was worthy of it's very own blog post. My staff and family often tell me that I have a lot of patience when it comes to our clients.  It stems from them listening in on wedding and party consultations, which quite frankly, is an area of our business that takes a great deal of time and thoughtfulness. Not everyone buys flowers on a regular basis and sometimes they get a bit of "sticker shock" because they don't understand what goes into growing them, transporting them, prepping them, arranging them and then delivering them. It really is a long, time consuming process and with everything in life, carries a price tag because of it. Below is the intro I used to one my "education" blogs and if you read further, you'll see how my earlier working experiences have made me the business person that I am today. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts! ~ Georgianne   I'm a b...

Here's the Yardley shop all decorated for the season. We started early this year because just after Thanksgiving our business ramps up for the holidays, leaving little time to decorate our own spaces!! The wreath that hangs on the front door of the Princeton Forrestal Village was created by designer Norman. A tree at the Yardley shop holds all kinds of sweet holiday gifts. Each of the Yardley staff have their own stocking, hung with care - of course! Don't forget about our free book exchange. It's completely free and we have over 350 books to choose from! This year we brought in a line of silks for the holidays. Perfect to decorate the home, wreaths and we even use many in the custom grave blankets we decorate. A newly decorated wreaths awaits delivery to a lucky family! Wreaths make nice gifts! This year we have added line of chocolates. They are made for us by a local chocolatier and have for both Hanukkah and Christmas. They have been very good sellers so far! As alwa...

Recently one of our brides posted this photo on her Facebook and I have to confess, I took it for myself. As I mentioned to the bride Krista, what I love about this photo is that it not only shows the table flowers (which look very cool, I think) but it shows everyone having an amazing time. Rarely, do we get to see our table arrangements "in action" and this one screams - party! What fun and how rewarding for us to know that we helped set the tone for this very important day. By the way, in case you spy the gorgeous views out the window, this wedding took place this past summer at the pretty Lambertville Inn which is situated on the Delaware River, just across from New Hope, PA. To see more of their beautiful Inn visit their site at http://www.lambertvillestation.com/ !

Did you even know there was such a thing? I didn't but I know now that August 1st - August 7th is Farmer's Market week. How fun is that? What a wonderful reminder that during the summer months to take advantage of all the fresh fruits, veggies and even flowers being sold at local stands! My husband and I especially love the Trenton Farmers Market. What fun it is buying a bit of this and that and seeing face to face the farmers that grew these amazing crops. I know I look a bit strange arriving with my huge camera in tow but hey, it's worth it when I get great shots, like this one. Support your local community by buying local to where you live. Your local farmers and businesses will thank you for it!!