Sending Smiles ~

Let's face it, sometimes deciding on a gift can be down right difficult. With so many options, it's easy to become confused so that's why I have come up some awesome reasons to give the gift of Fresh Flowers! Top 5 Reasons to Give Flowers as a Gift: We all have times when we need a gift for someone that we don't know all that well. Perhaps it's a coworker that is having a birthday at the office. Flowers are the perfect choice because everyone loves getting flowers. 92% of women can remember the last time they received flowers as a gift. Studies actually show that people who are surrounded by flowers at work are more productive. How's that for getting a co-worker to pull their weight, while making you memorable to them.  It's time to come clean. Sometimes you forget an important occasion like a birthday or anniversary , right? When you have no time to plan and need something fast ~ flowers to the rescue. Not only can they be delivered within a matter ...

 Please, please, can we please? We love our website  but sometimes have to create the same floral designs over and over is not so much fun. That's why we love the opportunity to design fun, funky, festive and elegant arrangements for our cooler displays. This is where we get to show customers running in for a quick gift how talented we really are! Don't you just love this simple orange basket arangement. Big is not always better. I love this arrangement above done in a simple glass bowl with "Free Spirt" roses, hydrangeas and veronica. All dutch flowers, so elegant but fun don't you think?    Imagine getting this for your birthday. Love the balloon box! Adorable cube arrangements that look good enough to eat! Love this tropical styled arrangement with river cane, roses, fatsia leaves and even a cute butterfly. Elegant for a foyer table, this makes a really elegant gift . I loved this arrangement that design Rocio made. Three roses, an orchi...

Every week we have been ordering in a different variety of Dutch Hydrangea and this weeks is amazing! It's so much fun being a florist.  This is Magical Amethyst Hydrangea, produces giant spherical flower heads that open lime green that change to pink then back to soft green with pink edges. All we can say is WOW! What do you think? To see these beauties in person, come visit our shop in Princeton, NJ or Yardley, PA or better yet, send some to a friend.

Guest Blog: Urns and Flowers, Comfort in Times of Sorrow - by Helen at Urns.com In our business we meet all kinds of folks who service customers, just like ours. It's always great to partner and learn from them. Sympathy floral designs are such a big part of what we do, when we became "online" friends with Urns.com, it was logical that we take an opportunity to share with each other.  We wrote a guest blog from them and them for us. Cremations are a huge trend right now and their urns are gorgeous. I hope you don't ever need them but if you do, their information just might be what you need. Take it away Helen!! Here at www.urns.com we understand how difficult it can be when we experience loss. It is during these times when you must rely upon friends and loved ones to help move through the transition period and to help when planning a funeral service. Many times when people are preparing for a funeral service, they find themselves shopping for both fun...

We love creating flowers for special events, especially ones that take place in the home. What fun it is to match the colors and style of a room. Today we set up flowers for one of our bridal families. Because they are expecting many guests at the home starting tonight and all through the wedding weekend, they thought it would be a nice touch to add flowers in various parts of the house. This piece was created for the dining room table and matches the decor and colors of the room. This next arrangement greeted guests as they entered the home. We used flowers such as chocolate anthiurum, free spirit roses, safari sunset and pincushion protea, curly willow branches along with seeded eucalyptus and bronze colored cushion mums. The flowers add a cozy feel to an already lovely home, don't you think? 

At both of our flower shops, we pride ourselves on always have sweet, funky, fresh and fun floral arrangemens ready to go for our walk in customers. This pretty basket was created by Designer Holly (who happens to also manage our Design Team). Shocking lilies (yes, that is their name) and matching roses accented with a sweet orange butterfly - well who could ask for more! Imagine presenting this to someone for their birthday or bringing it with you on a get well hospital visit. I can't imagine their face doing anything other than smiling - can you? To see more of our floral designs be sure to visit our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist or our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

I love exploring how flowers look in the home. Here at the shop we see flowers all day long but exactly how are they displayed once received by happy folks lucky enough to be send a floral gift? This cute arrangement made by designer Rocio was just perfect in my own kitchen. In case you can't tell, blue is my favorite color as you can see when you visit our shop website http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ What I love about a floral gift like this one is that long after the flowers are gone, the coffee mug lives on to be used over and over. I'm envisioning a sweet little ivy plant or a cute "chicks and hen" succulent in there after the flowers are gone. Perhaps I'll just use it for a big cup of coffee! The next time you need to send a gift, we sincerely hope you'll consider a floral gift like this one! To see more of our floral gifts visit our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

It's official - Halloween is almost here! The designers have started filling orders for novelty arrangements similar to the one designer Norman was creating yesterday. Tiny ghosts, witches brooms, gerbers and fall leaves are included in the Ghostly Greetings bouquet.  What a fun arrangement to send  to "ghosts and goblins" of any age, don't you think?

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 ...

No, of course not, no one is forcing you to!! That being said we sincerely hope that you include flowers in your life as a gift giving option. Valentine's Day (or week, as we like to call it) is one of the busiest floral holidays of the year and rightly so. Few gifts are as emotional as flowers and few holidays are more personal than Valentine's Day! Perhaps the real beginning of flower giving as we know it today was in the Middle Ages, where flowers where given as tokens of affection by lovers. In a conservative society giving particular flowers in the flower delivery could act as a secret message from the giver to the recipient. Flower delivery was an early form of the text message, then, with perhaps a little more subtlety and a lot more beauty! Of course, red roses have always been viewed as the most romantic flowers to express love but with an endless assortment to choose from, the possibilities are endless! But as with all supply and demand, when the demand goes up, sup...