Sending Smiles ~

Last month I was given an assignment - show flowers in the home. Well, that's just perfect for me being I love taking photos and I love flowers. I was put to the task by a wonderful person at Society of American Florists, Jenny Scala who is the Director of Consumer Marketing. Seems that they were updating their blog site known as Flower Factor. Having fun with my new duty, I took home several floral arrangements made by our designer Rocio and went to work taking pictures. I especially loved this arrangement in a cube because even though the flowers are mostly common, it's just so sweet and vibrant. I also loved the ribbon treatment Rocio did, making the flowers look like a fresh, natural present. The perfect gift, don't you think? For floral inspiration, visit them at http://www.aboutflowersblog.com/ and be on the look out for more photos of flowers in my house!   To see more of our design work visit our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ and our wedding design

Don't you just love these orchid plants that just arrived today? They are almost 3 feet tall came in the most amazing colors. These lovely plants are locally grown down in in South Jersey in a brand new green house. How about sending one as a house warming present or to say congrats on the new job? To see more of our plant selection visit our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

•Do I have to give red roses on Valentine's Day? NO! People love receiving flowers such as tulips, daisies, gerbers and orchids, not to mention roses in other colors. Mixed spring bouquets are the next most popular choice to send on Valentine's Day from our shop. •Does my flower gift have to be a huge bouquet of flowers and cost a lot? Of course not! A single bloom you picked out by hand at your local florist will mean just as much as a whole dozen of roses. Your flower purchase should be relative to what you feel is comfortable for you to spend. There are many options to choose from. Save some real dough by checking out our promotion codes at the bottom of this e-mail! •Why do red flowers seem to cost more during the holiday? Simple supply and demand. Not enough supply and high demand.Go with the crowd and send red flowers or stand out by being creative and most likely, you'll save some money. •What are some other great gift ideas for the holiday? We sells

Have you ever noticed how many birthdays there are in December? In our business, we certainly see the ebbs and flows of life events such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and sympathies. In addition to Christmas and Hanukkah, December is always busy for us with folks needing to send thoughts of comfort and sympathy. What a terrible time of year to loose a loved one. We take great pride in providing beautiful floral arrangements for viewings and services, just like Holly is doing for this recent service. A spring like mixture of flowers in shades of pinks and creams using roses, gerber, snaps and orchids. To see more of our sympathy work visit our sympathy website at http://www.sendingsympathy.com/ and for happier occasions shop us at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

Did you know our Princeton shop is located in the Princeton Forrestal Village? Yes we are and we are just up from the Westin Hotel and are located between Exquisite Brides (how convenient to be located next to that) and Tre Piani and Tre Bar (again, how convenient is that?)! We've actually been in the Village for just over 12 years and we really love it. We moved out of downtown Princeton when we lost our lease and needed more space. People often ask if anyone finds us in this mixture of corporate and retail and the answer is yes they do. We actually do a very brisk walk in and thanks to customer deciding to shop local and the recession lightening up it's grip a bit, our walk in is up this year very nicely. We make speedy delivery into down town Princeton, the whole Route 1 corridor, all of Mercer County, parts of Middlesex and Somerset, not to mention Lower Buck, each and every day. Offering delivery to over 70 zip codes keeps our 3 to 5 delivery trucks busy all day long,

My last blog talked about the importance of the Escort/Place Card table and that got me to thinking about the gift table. Is it worth decorating the gift table at your wedding or other event such as a shower or birthday party? My answer is a definite "Maybe"!! Is the table in an area that will be seen all night? Does it need a little something to help say "Here, Put your gifts here?". If so, it might be worth putting some of your decor budget towards decorating the gift table. Often we do a tall floral display or a bouquet of balloons, as in the case of sweet 16 and mitzvah parties. Even a garland of fresh foliage accented with flowers, ribbons or event branches looks lovely if it matches the over all theme of the event!! To see more of our design work visit our party website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com

Have you heard? Have you heard the word? Saturday, November 27th is Small Business Saturday. What is this you wonder? Small Business Saturday is a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday is a national movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S. Saturday, we urge you to shop small, shop often and shop local. Not all floral delivery sites online are local florists. We urge you to use "Local Florists" who actually arrange and deliver flowers direct from their shops. Unsure if someone you want to order flowers through is local? Check out their About Us page, check out their address. Is there a address local? Do they even show their address? If not, please find a shop that does. Society of American Florists hosts a great directory at   http://nationalfloristdirectory.com/ We hope to see you Saturday!!

What is the flower? Can you guess? I'll bet you think it's a rose? Nope, it's actually a form of ornamental kale that we use in floral arrangements. This variety is hands down our favorite and it's called "Red Crane" and comes through the dutch market and is grown in Holland green houses. Apparently, it's edible but we've never tried it and I'm thinking we probably won't! Long lasting yet fun and fancy, our designers love "Kale Season". If you order a flower arrangement from our shop, you just might find it among the other blooms. It's especially nice used in Thanksgiving centerpieces and the green and white variety are spectacular during Christmas! Take advantage of Kale Season and ask for this awesome flower when you place your order! To see more of our floral creations be sure to check out our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ and if you are planning a wedding our designs can be seen at http://www.perfectweddingflow

Anyone that knows me knows that I can be quick with the camera. I'm sort of a frustrated photographer of sorts, I really have no idea how to correctly use the lovely Nikon D40 Camera that I bought over a year ago. I have no patience for reading a manual and I rarely stop long enough to figure out what all the different setting mean and do. Regardless, I do take some photos that while a photographer might see the flaws, I think they look pretty darn nice. So was born, my line of blank greeting cards. Take this card for example. I took this photo while at a local winery (Silver Decoy in Robbinsville, NJ) while at a friends birthday party. The perfect photo for a flower shop greeting card, don't you think? So far I've created about 8 different greeting cards that range from pictures of garden variety flowers, flowers in the shop right up to bridal bouquet close ups. They seem to sell well and I'm proud of them. If you're ever at the shop, let me know what you think.

We'll it's finally happened. We have done away with the service fee associated with sending flowers outside our own delivery. Using our affiliate of local flower shops in the Teleflora and/or FTD wire services, we can not only send flowers anywhere in the USA but now it does not cost you anything additional to do so. And remember, we are a local florist, sending to a local florist - There is no middleman!! Why is this a big deal? Because we want to be your local florist and years ago, before what our industry calls "order gatherers" came into existence our customers trusted us to send their orders both near and far. Those days changed forever with the invention of businesses who were not in the business of creating and delivering flower arrangements. Their sole business is to "gather" the order and "relay" them to local florists who were responsible for creating and delivery the flowers. What this effectively did was "cut out" the local

Join us each Thursday beginning on October 7th for wine tastings at our Yardley store. Located at 45 E. Afton Ave right between the Yardley Inn and the Continental Tavern, our shop will be open to browsers and wine lovers a like. Beginning at 4 pm until 7 pm, each week we will highlight a different wine from a local vineyard. October 7th's tasting will be a lovely wine from Hopewell Valley Vineyards (yum, my favorite local vineyard). Start the weekend early with a tasting, a bouquet of flowers (but no pressure to do so) and then perhaps venture down to one of our fabulous Yardley restaurants for dinner. Remember, shop and buy local!! For more information visit our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist  or shop us online at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ To find out more about the local businesses of Yardley, PA visit the Yardley Business Association website at www.yardleybusiness.com/  and for more information on Hopewell Valley Vineyards visit their site at www.h

Sorry, long time - no blog!! I had the honor of being included in a panel discussion at the SAF conference this past week in Orlando Florida. What fun and I sincerely hope that the florists in attendance enjoyed the discussion. My partners in crime were Rick from Exotic Flowers in Boston, Mass and Mandy from Hothouse Design Studio in Birmingham, Alabama. We spoke on the use of Social Media in the Floral Industry.   As you may know, I serve on the advisory committee for Floral Management Magazine and it was my opportunity to meet my fellow adviser's and all the writers and editors of the magazine.  Kevin and I especially enjoyed the Outstanding Varieties Display at the Conference. This room was filled with amazing flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors. It's wonderful to see all the new varieties being created! For my buddy Rick who had to actually judge these flowers, I have no idea how you could choose one over the other. They were all amazing! This new variety of red rose

Who doesn't love chocolate? Well, all of us at the flower love sweets and these new chocolates are sure to be hit this holiday season in our gourmet and goodie baskets. People always love receiving gifts of foods and goodies. Add these vinegar and the gift flies off the "elegance" meter! Most of fruit and gourmet baskets are being sent for happy occasions but, of course, a food basket is always a thoughtful gift for sympathy. Have you seen our new cookie line? These cats and dogs are brand new and are so adorable. We also have many styles of flowers such as sunflowers and daisies. The grapes, bananas, apples and strawberries are so life like! Believe it or not we also have some in the shape of grapes, candy corn, leaves and pumpkins. Added to any food basket, they really bring a smile because they are not only funny but also taste good! Did you know that we always have pre-made arrangements ready to go in our coolers? Always fresh and always creative, they are perfect

Late summer is always a nice time in the flower shop because of the local product that arrives each day such as these huge yellow centered sunflowers. Some measuring 7" across, what fun it is to bring a couple home to brighten up the house. Another flower that screams late summer are iris. Available year round from various farms, they are especially plentiful at this time of the year and the color is just so vibrant! Did you know that these very cool brown sunflowers grow this way? Nope, they are not dyed and they came from a local New Jersey Farm too! Look at these very cool gloriosa lilies that just arrived from Holland. Very spidery and vibrant, these little short stemmed version of this viney flower is perfect in summer basket arrangements and centerpieces. How about these tropical bird of paradise? Tropical floral displays are very popular during the summer months. Must be the heat!! Well, that's a view in the shop today!!

Ok, it's a "had to share" moment. I love, love, love this bouquet that we have created for our bride Katie who is getting tomorrow! All white mini callas accented between with simple, cool white feathers. How sophisticated and striking with a slightly "Art Deco" feel. I'm truly loving it! I can imagine the guests faces when they see her enter the gardens at Prospect House on the campus of Princeton University. As she passes, they will be dazzled with a view her feathered headpiece. To be clear this is not for the our bride Katie getting married on Sunday! I'm giggling as I write this because I can picture Katie number 2's face drop if she reads this and thinks "where is my bouquet of creams and pinks of roses and orchids"! Ah, I love the summer wedding season.....

Ah, the fragrance and beauty of stock. Never heard of the flower? Such a strange name for a gorgeous bloom, right?  I must confess, that not everyone "gets" this flower and those not familiar with it's ruffled flowers often complain thinking that there is not the way it should look, but alas it is! That being said, it's still one of my favorite flowers of all time (next to roses, of course) not only because of those crinkled flowers all in a row but also because of their amazing fragrance.  Their long graceful line comes in so handy when creating floral designs and the colors of white, cream, lavenders into rich purples and Burgundy's also make for pretty arrangements mixed with other flowers or used just by themselves. Most of the stock we sell here in the shop is grown right in the U. S. of A, in California to be exact. I love that it's homegrown, right out in gorgeous fields. Can you imagine what it must look like to see these growing in person? That i

Once I get a bee in my bonnet (ok, I totally dated myself with that one) I'm hard to stop! I wanted our website to be easier for our mobile customers to use and by golly (there I go again) I've done it! It can't be said that we here at Monday Morning Flowers are not forward thinking and progressive. We just launched our mobile website and the buzz so far is that customers are really liking it. The neat (does that qualify as an "old" word) thing is that it actually works off our main website and will recognize if you are on a mobile unit. It automatically switches to an easier version to use which helps speed along your browsing and buying. Gee whiz, (sorry, I could not resist) you really can teach an old dog new tricks. Check out our new mobile site and let us know what you think. Now, my day would have been complete if I could have figured out how to include "upsy daisy" in this blog. Well, a girl can't always be forward thinking and clever at t

Tulips! You have to love tulips! I know that I do and so do our customers judging from the amount of tulips we sell each spring. It's funny how this week I was thinking back to my trip to Holland about 8 years ago. I even brought in my photo album to share with the staff so they could see all the greenhouses, farms and florist shops we visited. It was so much fun to share the photos with the staff, even if they did make fun of Kevin's facial hair! :o) Of course, a trip to Holland is not complete with out a visit to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. If you've never been, it's a must see if you love flowers! Look for my blog on that trip as soon as I get time to scan some of the photos. In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy pictures that someone just sent me of the tulip farms in Holland! Can you imagine flying over this beautiful land and seeing this rainbow of tulips? If you can't get to Holland anytime soon why not stop in our shop for some of these pretty f

It's that time of year again where brides call and come in to talk about their wedding flowers. I thought I'd post a quick guideline of items to bring to your floral appointment. An organized bride who has given some thought to her floral desires before coming in will have a much more productive meeting than one who has not taken the time to give it some thought! Item #1 - Bring a list of the florals that you will need. Nothing is worse than a bride who answers the question "how many brides maids do you have?" by counting them on her fingers! Item #2 - Pictures of both bridal gown and brides maids dresses. The more we can get a feel for your style, the better. Items #3 - Floral inspiration pictures. This is really a must. Collect pictures of flowers that show your style. A picture is truly worth a thousand words and most brides do not know the name of many flowers. What better way to show the texture, color, style and size of each flower element than

This morning, as I was driving to the shop after a meeting, I started thinking about the floral seminar that I attended at the beginning of the month. Our speaker had called flowers a "Gift" and he was trying to have all of us (florists) think of our product as a "gift option". I knew what he was getting at and I agreed that sometimes we forget that flowers are one of many gift giving choices. Sometimes in my mind, I have set us apart from other gift retailers but the truth is that our product is one of many options that gift givers can choose from. Now this got me to thinking how do flowers rank as gift? I’ve been in the business so long that sometimes it’s hard to think like a consumer or even a recipient of flowers. In an instant, I was 5 years old again. It was my first dance recital and my mom had given me a sweet little nosegay of carnations and babies breath, tied with a pink bow. If I close my eyes, I can still smell those flowers and I feel instantly h