Sending Smiles ~

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had at the shop. Over 100 floral arrangements and centerpieces were delivered the day before the holiday and everyone seemed quite pleased with their fresh flowers. Now, with December 1st  just around the corner, how thoughts turn towards the holiday. Don't let the 60 degree temps fool you, it definitely time for Christmas cheer and gift shopping.  This year we added a new balloon bouquet to our offerings. This bouquet of 6 helium filled mylar balloons is super festive and a fun gift for kids of all ages only $34.95.  When you walk in the front door of our Princeton shop you are greeted by our Christmas tree that is loaded with tiny stuffed animals, lolly pops and many different styles of Christmas ornaments. Each and everything on the tree is for sale, of course and many make great stocking stuffer's.  Winter Welcome, this slate hanging sign is so pretty and can be displayed for years to come, only $14.95. What  In a rush and

•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

Last Friday night we had the opportunity to drive over to the Mercer County Farmers Coop and what fun we had, so much in fact, we're going back tomorrow night. We were able to purchase fresh, local grown product such as these zinnias, sunflowers, cockscomb and even small pumpkins and Indian corn. We even purchased a case of fresh New Jersey peaches for our fruit and gourmet baskets! What made the night even more special was getting to meet the actual farmers who grew the products that we were purchasing. What nice people and are clearly devoted to their farms.It felt good to really put my money where my mouth is with regards to "buying local". Keep check back to see what comes into the shop all through the fall as I am told the mum plants are next!! Remember, shop local and support your local community. To see more of our local products become our fan at www.facebook.com/localflorist !!

Floral Designers have one thing in common and it's universally known: You know your shop is busy if you grow a few inches by the end of the day!! Designers arrange quickly and do not always hit the garbage can until sometime during the day when I make them clean up at their feet! Stems, leaves and other discards go right onto the floor and the bigger the pile the more productive you've been. This photo was taken at Designer Rocio's feet after she made 18 floral centerpieces this past weekend for bride and groom Alison and Drew. Roses, statice, gerbers and hydrangea stems all mingle into one big pile. Ah, perhaps composting is next? Have you seen those movies about Flower Shop workers that have hit the movie theaters lately? The ones that show Jennifer Aniston with clean hands and little sandals on her feet? Well, in  case you were wondering if that is what it is like to design in a flower shop - the answer is no and here's your  proof!!

Wow, it's almost August and the tropical flowers are in demand. Orchids, Ginger, Bird of Paradise and even these huge Heliconia flowers are in the shop this week. Yup, that's me in this funny self portrait trying to show you how big this flower is. It's only fitting when the weather gets hot that we think about palm trees and island florals, right? Heliconia, how cool are they? Heliconia is named after Mount Helicon, the seat of the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and sciences in Greek mythology. Heliconia, also popularly known as lobster-claw, wild plantain or false bird-of-paradise, is a beautiful flower with multi-color bracts and varied flower structure.They have bracts are so large and colorful that they almost hide the flowers altogether. This keeps the flower's sweet nectar from other birds so that only specialized birds can get to it. Heliconia grow from 3 to 30 feet! Next time you are looking for a single bloom or two for a special vase, why not consi

Last week I had the misfortune of bending over in just the wrong way and whamo!! Snapped my back right out of whack. Not a fun way to spend Memorial Day Weekend. It would not have been so bad if it weren't for painful spasms that kept me up and walking around the house most of the night. It's amazing how quickly you can get to feeling pretty sorry for yourself. I sure did. During one of my many strolls around the house my mind wandered to balloon bouquets. I know that sounds strange but in one of my moments of "self-pity" I thought about a big bouquet of helium filled balloons. Colorful hearts, stars and circles. How fun! Sayings such as Thinking of You, Get Well Soon, To Cheer You, You're Special not to mention, silly Smiley Faces with colorful hair came to mind. I mean, I'm a florist and work with balloons everyday. I tried to detached myself from my business and imagine what it feels like to receive one of these fun, high flying bouquets of balloons. I qu

If you live any where near either of my shops, you woke up to snow this morning! How crazy is that? Well, it is if you are in New Jersey or near Buck's County Pa! Anyway, I am so ready for spring! This morning I walked around the Princeton shop taking it all in and so here are some Scenes from the Shop - Part 3!! Pretty wheat grass and spring colored roses. Fresh bunches of tulips (only $8.95) and hand painted vases with tulips designs. Designer Rocio shows off her very tasteful sympathy piece. It's taller than she is! Rocio is a designer in training and has been slowly learning sympathy design. Lucky for her (and us) she's been taught by her sister who helped bring her into the business. Both Reina and Rocio are naturals!!

Well, I could not resist doing a "Scenes from our shop" Part 2. So many cute pictures to show! To the left is a shelf of all baby items, stuffed animals and cute novelty containers that hold pretty floral displays. To the right is a shelf themed for Valentine's Day. Satin ceramics and red glass vases, chocolates, love themed stuff animals make for fun shopping. Below is a picture of designer Rocio who is wrapping her creation for the trip in the delivery van. In cold weather flowers need extra attention to keep them from freezing! The photo to the right show Design Coordinator Dianne Legg putting the finishing touches on a wedding cake at the Nassau Inn. Simple touches of fresh flowers are a very popular way to dress up a simple wedding cake. Most people find it surprising when I tell them that we did exactly 100 wedding in 2008. Now, that's a lot of wedding flowers and many, many hours of meetings with brides! No wonder I'm tired! :o) To the left is a tin of yumm

I know Halloween is over but I had to share. We had our annual Halloween Costume contest at the shop and once again I was amazed by the creativity of my staff. Not only did many of them create fun costumes but a special kudos goes out to David, Sheryl and Kyle who went out and delivered (set up a wedding, in fact) fully dressed!! Too funny!! Pictured here is David (as a Stock Broker - notice the Plan B noose around his neck), Kevin the Beer Can, Heena the magician, Dianne the scary pirate, Yarrow and Dena the fallen angels, Sheryl the Vampira and Kyle the scary Jester (and no he did not deliver wearing that mask, that would be crazy). Funniest costume went to David, most creative was shared by Yarrow and Sheryl and the most like the person prize went to Kyle. Kyle, no offense, you are not scary but you are funny and so to us you are our lovable court jester! This year we also tried to spread some Halloween cheer to some local nursing homes. Our staff made and delivered some cute mug

We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and boy if that isn't the truth, I don't know what it. Being in the business of floral design puts me in the center of this truism just about every day. We've all had this happen. Someone in your life gives you this gift for your birthday or maybe Christmas. They watch you intently as you open the package, bit by bit. They have this look on their face that says "she's gonna love it, I hope she loves it" and of course, you really want to love this gift you are opening. You have all these preconceived notions of what this gift could be. Is it those cool jeans you saw in American Eagle or maybe one of those soft and fuzzy terry cloth robes you saw at Victoria Secrets. The tension mounts. Them looking at you and you intently digging inside the gift box and then it happens.... you unfold the ugliest blouse you have ever seen in your life. You look up into the eyes of the person who's obviously excite

I'm surrounded each and every day with beautiful flowers and green plants at work but I still enjoy having a bundle of fresh flowers at home. I ususally keep a vase of posies in my living room, another in my dining room and sometimes a small vase in my bathroom. I don't have a ton of plants but a long draping pothos perched high on a wooden plant stand in my living room and an ivy in my foyer. They really make the place feel peaceful and fresh. My husband faithfully checks them for water and adds a touch here and dash there. I guess when you think about it, it's even the routine of watering the plants, checking their foliage and admiring your green thumb that give your life purpose. It truly is the little things that can bring you the most pleasure.