Sending Smiles ~

Did you know that Monday Morning Flowers is 25 years old this year? Founded in 1988 ~ it's hard to believe. In some ways it feels like I've been in this business forever and in other ways, it's hard to believe it's been that long. Things sure have changed since the beginning but it's still all about the customer for me. Delivering Smiles, Delivering Satisfaction ~ each time, every time.  Thank you to all our past, present and future customers that allow us to do what we love ~ Helping You Send Someone a Smile ! 

Doesn't it feel good to have natural , organic elements in your home and office? I truly think you feel better when you are surrounded by nature and air plants are a great addition to any setting. Are you away a lot? Do you have limited space to dedicate to plants? If so, air plants might be perfect for you. We've had fun stocking them in the store and folks are loving them. Take this mini hanging terrarium. For only $14.95 this plant is perfect for home or office. Hang in the window, over a sink or attach to a window with a suction cup. Air plants do need water but not often and no soil needed (hence the air plant name).  If you have a little more room to dedicate, why not have us make you a larger terrarium with multiple air plants ? Clear gems, natural river stones, moss, sand - the design options are limitless!    We love these little sphere terrarium plant bowls. Add some colored sand and hit with a touch of water once a week and you are good to go! They work w

Have you ever noticed how many people just love angels and even collect them? We've always had angels in our shop but we recently brought in a few more styles and have more arriving later on this month. Angels make great gift for the home and garden for everything from birthdays to sympathy.   This angel has a modern feel but is still very soft and almost romantic, don't you think? The angel below is over 16" tall and has the sweetest face. We love adding angels to our floral designs but they make a great gift just by themselves.   Be sure to check out facebook pages to see all our new arrivals as they come in!

It's that time of year when the store gets flipped from Christmas to winter/New Year. With lots of birthdays and anniversaries taking place in January, in addition to our beautiful floral designs, we have some neat gift ideas. Love this new Mother and Child statue. You can use it to floating a pretty flower in the home or put it in the garden come spring with bird seed. :)  Lots of birthdays in January so we have some gift ideas such as books, wine charms and wine glasses.   Why not poke a little fun for someone turning 30, 40 or 50? Over the hill balloons and wine glasses make a memorable gift.   We love those girlie gifts here at the store - purses, wine glass, candles and European style bud vases. Treat yourself or shop for a girl.   We just brought in a line of books on life, weddings and staying strong along with blank journals and more Yankee Candle diffusers just arrived for the winter. These funny wine glasses say "Ms. Always Right" and these

Happy Monday! Can you believe we are just 1 week away from Christmas? The holiday season is a busy one for us here at the shop and in addition to a higher than usual volume, we still have all the usual tasks to squeeze in. We still have to design floral arrangements for birthdays , get well , sympathy,  and even weddings . Toss in the fact that we too want to enjoy the holidays with family and friends and it makes for a super busy time for all of us!  Designer Norman makes a huge Boxwood Tree for a customer. Don't you love all the pods and flowers? Makes such a sweet gift for the holidays.    It's that time of year where not only do we decorate for parties, we try to attend a few too. This holiday event was held at the Rocky Hill Inn for a group I belong to called Coffee Talk. It's a group of us that get together to discuss Social Media and other Marketing Topics for Business.    The hubby even took a little time to play Santa to some children at Springdale

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

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 floral display created right inside.

We love suggesting Fall and Thanksgiving Gift ideas like this one!  I love this line of Thanksgiving tableware that we have for the holiday this year. This particular set includes a pitcher, hot tray, mug and even a chip and dip that all coordinate. These make a sweet Thanksgiving hostess gift or you can even use them in a floral design for the holiday. The fall is always a festive season and although we have started to put out some of our Christmas gift ware, we certainly don't want to jump by this fun holiday. And don't forget to order your Thanksgiving Centerpiece early! Visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com to shop our complete selection.

Well, better late than never to mention that it's Boss's Week and it ends tomorrow. Never heard of the holiday? Well, you might think it was invented by Hallmark but actually it was "invented" by  Patricia Bays Haroski. She registered "National Boss' Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois at the time and chose October 8 because she forgot that the birthday of her boss, who was her father, was actually on the 16th. Four years later, in 1962, Illinois Governor  Otto Kerner  backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day. So there you have it! Boss's Day is October 16th but here at our shops we celebrate it the whole week and believe it or not, it's quite a busy week for us. With all those employees out there that who appreciate everything their Boss does for them (even I get Boss's Day gifts every year), it's the perfect

We love getting rare and unusual flowers here at the shop and Banksia is one of them!  Banksia is a genus of around 170 species plant family Proteacea. If you have ever seen our very cool Pincushino Proteas at the shop, they are from the same plant family. These Australian wildflowers are easily recognized by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads.  Heavy producers of nectar, Banksias form a vital part of the food chain in the Australian bush. They are an important food source for all sorts of nectariferous animals, including birds, bats, rats, possums, sting less bees and a host of invertebrates. Furthermore, they are of economic importance to Australia's nursery and cut flower industries.  When we purchase these super cool flowers, they come by way of the Dutch Flower Market. Long lasting and quite large, our designers love making arrangements with them. If you are looking for something a bit unusual, perhaps ask us to add a few

Someone called us the other day and said ~ "What do you do? I don't know what your company does". Hm, I had to think about that and there was a part of me (the Jersey Girl Part) that wanted to come back with "We do air conditioning and carpet cleaning" but as you an imagine, that won't win me any customers. This is not the first time I've been asked that question but our name really does say at least most of what we do. Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co ~ we do flowers, we do balloons, that's not all but it's a big part!! This past weekend we inflated and delivered 500 helium filled latex balloons in shades of pink for a radio station "Breast Cancer" event. In fact, we inflate over 40,000 helium filled latex balloons every year. Just ask Alanna, Holly and Melissa and they'll show you they have the strong fingers to prove it!  Now yes, we also do flowers. Folks often say "I'll bet most of your flower sales come fr

It's officially fall here at the shop. Some folks think we rush it but as soon as we put out the fall products and merchandise our website with fall arrangements, they start selling. Take this dramatic floral arrangement for example:  It's one of our brand new designs for fall 2012. It's named   Autumn Expressions  and retails for only $42.95. The orange  cube vase makes such a nice keepsake and these rich autumnal colors really pop. Imagine this being delivered to you at work or home? We especially love the assortment of flowers and the dried wheat! Folks have also been starting to buy our Halloween and Thanksgiving table top pieces such as chip and dips, salt and pepper shakers, dried wreaths, wine glasses, pitchers, cookies jars and more. To see some of our new arrivals, check out this video on YouTube . Don't forget about our $5 flower specials and be sure to check out Facebook Page to find out what flower we have each week.

When I say that we have some colorful flowers that have just arrived, I'm not kidding! Wow, the colors in the shop this week run from all the fall arrivals of reds, oranges and red to browns and even deep rich blues. Over 300 assorted colored gerbera daisies arrived from Holland this week and the flowers span almost 5 inches across. Some have dark centers like these yellow ones while others have a light center but all are amazing. Each week we try to get at least one variety of hydrangea that is a little bit different, either in the color or the same of the florets. These are called - You and Me Together Classic and they are an amazing shade of blue. Yes, they grow that color naturally without any help from dyes or paints. This particular variety seems to last a very long time and as it ages, it dries almost the exact same shade of blue with very little fading. Talk about a flower that gives it's all! To see these and more of our floral designs be sure to check out

LinkedTube A quick video that explains how hand tied bridal bouquets are made, how they come together and why a bouquet costs what it costs. We love doing weddings and the floral industry. Be sure to check out our Facebook page to see more of our floral designs. We'd love for you to become one of our happy brides. To make an appointment I can be reached by email at georgianne@mondayflowers.com

We love Mother's day here at the shop. Did you know that Mother's Day is the largest floral holiday here at our shop next to Valentine's Day? We'll sell over 2,000 carnations and just as many roses during the week along with other popular spring flowers like gerber daisies, hydrangeas, lilacs and more. What better time than Mother's Day to show mom how much you appreciate everything she has done for you? What better way than by sending her a gorgeous floral bouquet!! Ok, if you are looking for gift ideas for mom, can you really go wrong by sending her flowers? We think not! The variety of flowers available during spring are spectacular and there a so many unique ways to arrange them. What about French Tulips  submerged in a tall glass cylinder vase or a topiary of all Yellow Lilies? Does mom really love plants? What about a sweet Pink Azalea plant in an elegant ceramic pot? A gift like this lasts all summer long out in the yard and can be planted in the

 I love giving sneak peeks into the shop and today has been an exciting one for sure. Lots and lots of colorful floral arrangements are leaving the shop. Many were ordered directly on our website... www.sendingsmiles.com and the phones just have not stopped ringing.  Lots and lots of last minute parties have come in this week such as this Murder Mystery centerpieces going over the Windrows (which is an active over 55 residence) and the centerpieces below for the Trenton Thunder Ball Park for their game tonight!  I posted this photo on Facebook and got over 45 likes almost immediately. I'm thinking they will be a hit for all those who see them. I love the mixture of flowers that arrived today, such as the mini calla lilies below. The stems are almost 28" long and the color is just so vibrant! Imagine these twirled down in the water of big cylinder vase!  The peony that arrived today on our Dutch shipment has an amazing coral color. They are just beginning to pop

Every year we seem to sell more and more gifts and this spring is no exception. I had so much fun choosing some items to bring in for Easter, Mother's Day and Summer and I have to say, my favorite is this line of Zebra Print Gift Items. Stuffed animals, coffee mugs and even the cool tote bag all make great gifts for Mom or anyone having a birthday this summer. To see this and more of our new gifts check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist

Isn't January the perfect time to Reorganize and Refresh? If you are in retail, it really is! This January has been no exception for us. This year, right after new years, we did a complete reorganization of our Floral Design area. Not only was it our chance to really do a good cleaning but also look to at our space from a production point of view. We've always had space for 6 designers to work at one time but it was a bit more disjointed than I would have liked. Moving our storage units and flipping the design benches, now all 6 designers can work near each other, sharing flowers, design recipe books and other materials in a more efficient manner. Now the designers are all only steps away from the flower cooler, the sinks and everything else they need to complete their designs quickly. Did you know that at our Princeton location that we have 2 large coolers - one that measures 12 feet by 15 feet and another that is 12 feet by 9 feet? Having the flowers stored and orga