Sending Smiles ~

Posting a bit late but HAPPY HOLIDAYS! The shop has been very busy since the beginning of December and we are so grateful for all our customers who allow us to make a living doing what we love to do. As always we've been helping folks express their feelings and with this Winter season still comes birthday's, get well's and unfortunately sympathy's along with the festive occasions of Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It's always fun to see the holiday trends and this year traditional centerpieces were the best sellers such as this design created by our lead designer. We also had many folks choosing festive basket designs such as this Berries and Spices which included cinnamon sticks.  We even had some fun with Succulent plants by using fun Merry Christmas boxes as pots.  Although not as popular as previous years, we still made a fair amount of Boxwood trees. This one will be brightening someone's day when it's delivered on Christmas...

Can you believe that December 1st is this Friday? Well, the weather has turned a bit cooler but it still hard to believe that Christmas is less than 30 days away. Of course, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, our customers start requesting holiday and winter themed floral designs and we do not want to disappoint them! Lead Designer Alanna has added quite a few new designs to the offerings this year including the 2 designs below. This one is called Rudolph . Either of these adorable designs would make a perfect centerpiece for a party or for at home on a coffee table, right? The design below is called the Mosaic .  Which one is your favorite? In addition to new floral designs, we have brought in a wide selection of gourmet items for gift baskets, including some yummy chocolates . These are great grab bag or Secret Santa Gifts.  We have also brought in a few new gift lines such as Naked Bee which is a natural skincare line with nourishing ingredients and addictive s...

Did you ever wonder where the tradition of hanging a wreath on your door began? Back through many cultures and religions, the hanging of a wreath, the symbol of eternal life, has been a way of celebrating happy occasions and holidays . Even during years when my husband and I were too busy to even put up a Christmas tree (yes, the florist who decorates for others does not always decorate for herself) we've always celebrated the holidays with a wreath. Each year Kevin and I do something different and it's just our way of expressing ourselves at home. Ask any floral designer and they'll tell you that creating custom holiday wreaths is one of the most fun parts of their job. Why not let us create one for you! 

The new “Scent of the Season” candles are here any ready to brighten up your home this holiday season! Buy one of our “Scent of the Season” candles and get 40% off any gift item in the store .  Being a floral and gift shop, your 40% off discount can be applied to nearly everything and anything, with the exception of fresh flowers.  Supplies are limited, so stop in and pick up our “Scent of the Season” candle today in either our Princeton or Yardley location.  Pick up Aunt Sadie’s Ginger Bread or Yuletide scented candle and find the perfect holiday gift for a friend, family member, or co-worker for 40% off! Who ever said holiday gifts are only for others?  Treat yourself to the candle AND gift item, we won’t tell!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. As for me, it was a great day off and I wanted to share a peek into our morning at Longwood Gardens. It's become our tradition for Kevin and I to visit the gardens for just an hour or 2 before heading to family and this year was once again a sight to see!  I know I'm surrounded with the flowers 7 days a week but I admit that I can't get enough. Blue is my favorite color so I especially love the blue flowers like these Salvia and baby blue eucalyptus.    I fell in love with Camellias and because we usually only use the foliage in our floral designs (the flower blooms for such a short time it does not make a great cut flower for commercial use) it was so nice to see the actual flowers blooming on the plants.    This had to be my favorite part of the display this year! This long "dinner" table was set with a moss runner and then begonia and orchids running the entire length of this enormous table. I especially lo...

The holidays are the perfect time to send friends, family and clients flowers through a florist but buyer beware. Sending flowers is easy and affordable and did you know that people that send flowers are seen as "thoughtful and sincere". It's true and a Rutger's University study proved it.  So for that person who has it all, sending a pretty floral centerpiece for the holiday could be the perfect gift but buyer beware so read on!  Over the years there have many businesses that have popped up online acting as if they are a real florist when in reality, they are a call center collecting orders. These business have been funneling orders away from local florists for years, charge the consumer an extra fee (sometimes as high as $17!!!) and then transmit the order back to a local florist for them to full fill and deliver. Some of these businesses are down right sneaky and have names that make them appear to be located in a certain town. When ever you order onlin...

Designer Norman finally got the front of our shop decorated for the season and we are thinking he did a mighty fine job. Pine and Laurel Garland really make for a festive outline and a few wreaths with bright red ribbons make the shop stand out from the street. We've started taking orders for the holidays and so far we are noticing centerpieces and decorated boxwood trees seem to be the most popular floral gifts. Be sure to check out all our new arrangements on our website at www.sendingsmiles.com . We also brought in an extensive line of Decorative Gifts such as pillow and ornaments along with fun gift items such as coffee mugs, wine glasses, platters and more. Don't forget our line of jewelry and also our gourmet items such as chocolates, poinsettias and stuffed animals . We also have fresh evergreen wreath and grave blankets for sale.  Don't forget that we deliver 7 days a week and we can also handle your "Out of Town" orders for those folks who liv...

 At our shop, both Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite busy times for us with folks wanting to send and receive floral centerpieces for their dinner tables. When I talk to other shops from around the country, some are busier than us while others say that no one in their area is interested in having flowers for their home during the holiday season. What camp do you fall under? Do you like to have flowers on your table? What about sending flowers to family and friends that you are not able to share the holiday with?  As you can see by the photo of Kevin above, our shop was quite busy during the Thanksgiving holiday and this photo was taken on Wednesday and although it was not all the deliveries that we made, just the first round of deliveries for the 4 drivers working that day.  For me, I can't imagine not having something fresh on my dining room table and that goes back to long before I was in the floral business. Marking special moments in our lives is so impo...

Just about every day we displaying more and more of our holiday gifts and aren't they cute. This tree pattern comes on a coffee mug (like this one), a tea pot, a pitcher, a cake plate ~ chip and dip combo. It's such a happy design, don't you think?  These snowmen salt and pepper shakers are such a cute gift for a secret Santa or grab bag, don't you think?  They are only $6.95!    This nativity sets has been a good seller already. What a sweet gift for a babies first Christmas.    You may have noticed that we have a new line of jewelry, scarves, head bands and now pocket books. This one is super cute and we love damask pattern and that pop of hot pink.    Rustic themed plates, pitchers and coffee mugs are super sweet and make great gifts. This plate would be adorable added to a gourmet basket or used as the base for a cookie bouquet.    Tea pots and so popular these days. Imagine this one with a super cute winter flo...

 You probably saw our recent post where I talked about all the new Non-Floral items we have coming into the shop . It's been fun going out  on a bit of a limb this past year to bring in broader range of products in to the store. We've been doing our $5 Friday Flowers for over a  year now and between the 2 shops, we have over 30 folks come in for their fresh bouquets each week. That got us to thinking because once our loyal customers were coming in for those bouquets, many were surprised to see the wide selection of items were carried such as greeting cards, candy, plush animals, plants, candles and even jewelry. Once I realized that our "foot traffic" was on the rise, currently running 100% ahead of last year, I knew it was time to bring in more products and even broaden our existing lines. I think it's been a great decision for us and customers seem to be loving it.  As with any product expansion, it's super important to closely monitor what sel...