Sending Smiles ~

Well, we had another fun event here at our Princeton Flower Shop  this past week! Scarf tying along with wine and cheese with 29 ladies in attendance. As you can tell by these smiling faces, the ladies had a great time!  Dear friend Ann (Ann and I have known each other for over 20 years) has always worn scarves so who better than to lead our discussion, right?   Wearing her signature fun colors, she showed us many fun ways to tie scarves of all different shapes and sizes.  Great customer Martha shows off what she learned!   Martha has been to every class we have had so far!  Ann leads a hands on session where folks tried their luck at using their owns scarves. Between the discussion and demonstrations the ladies took sips of wine and at some snacks including wonderful cheese from Tre Piani Restaurant.    Be sure to look for our next classes and a list can always be found on our Princeton Facebook Page and you can now reserve your place on our website !  Yup, that

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!

Wow, imagine seeing these beauties growing in a field? What are they, you ask? These are a Lily that bloom in a vibrant orange.  Each stem has 3 to 5 flowers on each stem that will measure a full 4 or 5 inches across. This particular variety is named "Bursa" and it's a newer variety here at our store. They are available year round and are grown in Mexico.  As floral designers we love creating arrangements with lilies of all sizes and colors. Lilies are commercially available in 4 major types, Asiatic, Oriental Hybrids, LA Hybrids (Longiflorum X Asiatic and Longiflorum (Easter Lilies).  These Bursa Lilies are long lasting La Hybrid. They have almost no fragrance (compared to their "cousin" lily the Oriental Hybrid) and bloom from bottom to top. They do put off a bit of pollen so be sure to remove them as they open being they can stain your hands, clothing, etc.   Lilies come in Yellow, Orange, Pink , Red, White and even 2 tones!  To s

We are so happy to announce that we have now added to our website a category including all our Upcoming Classes and Demonstrations. Not only does it provide you with the information ~ date, time & cost of each class, you can now reserve your space and pay directly online.  Our next class is our Scarf tying class on January 16th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Wine, snacks and a scarf of your own are included in the $20 price.  On January 22 ~ Wedding Planner Jasmine Cianflone from This Moments Events will be discussing "Diy? Oh no you don't! 5 things you should NEVER DIY". At this discussion , enjoy light snacks and champagne while you have all you questions answered. Only $15 per person, so this is a great event to bring a friend or a bridesmaid to!     Be sure to check back to this new Category often to learn about all our hands on Floral Design Classes, Ladies Events and more! 

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

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 love

It may be Christmas around her but if you are within 50 miles of Princeton University, you are bound to see some Black and Orange, like at this event we just created centerpieces for. We love working with the folks at the University ~ both Staff and Students and it's we are always looking for creative and affordable ways to do up the Tiger theme of Black and Orange.  These centerpieces were designed in plastic black footed bowls using roses, berries, lotus bods and cat tails with a few unusual painted craspedia and pin cushion proteas. Designed with a touch of boxwood, they look seasonal while still being well within the Princeton zone!   Nope it's not Halloween - it's an event at Princeton University!  To see this and more of our event decor for businesses, school and social ~ Be sure to check out event website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com  

I'm always adding cute little gift items to the website, especially around major holidays like Christmas. Isn't this adorable? A tiny 4" poinsettia plant tucked away in a keepsake " Ornament Candy Jar ". What a sweet gift to send to the hospital or the office, perfect to sit bedside or on some one's desk.  Available within our local delivery area of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I'm thinking they won't last long priced at only $39.95. To see this and all our custom floral and gift arrangements, be sure to check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com   ~ Happy Holidays everyone! 

Last week we held another fun class at our Princeton shop and Designer Norman, Shop Coordinator Sheryl and 7 amazing ladies had fun learning to make boxwood trees. As with all our classes, the night started with laughter, wine and yummy cheese from Tre Piani Restaurant, located next to us here in Princeton Forrestal Village. After a half hour and full bellies, the ladies move over into the design area to begin their lesson!  Below Norman works one on with Melissa (who works at the Windrows just up from our shop). As time goes on the trees begin to take shape!  Jean, Melissa and Jan all work on forming their trees. Next step is to decorate them!     Fast friends through our classes, Jean and Martha pose for a photo during the class.  Well ladies, you must all be very proud of your creations. After the class ended at 8 pm, the ladies moved back into the shop and enjoyed savings of 25% off everything in the shop! Each left with a goody bag with cookies, a Yankee candle and

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a day  dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide. Last year,  over one hundred million people* came together to Shop Small® in  their communities on Small Business Saturday®. Small Business Saturday is a day for everyone — from the business owners who create jobs to the customers who buy locally — to support small businesses that invigorate the economy and keep communities thriving. It began in 2010 when American Express founded Small Business Saturday to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Last year, over 100 million people came out to shop at independently-owned small businesses on the day. Now, in its third year, Small Business Saturday will be even bigger.  This November 24th, support the small businesses in your community! 

 Did you know that we have a free book exchange at our Yardley Pennsylvania store? Started about 5 years ago, our "free library" of books has grown to over 500 in all genres. How it works is you come into the shop with a book (or 2) and take a book. It's that simple. No purchases is necessary and folks seem to enjoy it! Mysteries and romance novels top of the list of desired reading of course but we have self help, business and biographies as well!  Both Nora Roberts and Linda Lael Miller are popular reading at the book exchange. If you've never picked up a book by either of the authors, you really are missing some great stories. In addition to the historical and contemporary romance categories, we have many self help books and business biographies of well known entrepreneurs.  Debbie Maccomber is another popular author and we have many of her recent paper backs in addition to Susan Mallory, James Michner, Fern Michaels and Dan Brown. If you have never

The holidays are such a festive time here at the shop and the fun will continue with some "DIY" classes here at the Princeton Shop. After such success with our Terrarium Making Class and our Wreath Making Class, our next class will be held on November 29th from 6:30 - 8:00 and we'll be teaching you how to make a Box Wood Tree for the holidays. This class not only shows you step by step but you'll be making your very own Tree to bring home with you! This class is $60 per student and the price includes wine and snacks. Our next class will be held on December 12 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm and we'll be teaching you how to make a Christmas Centerpiece . Again, you'll not only learn but make your own design to take home for the holidays. Wine and snacks will be served and the price is $55 per student. Lastly, we have scheduled a new class that should be a fun girls night our event. At this class, you will learn all the different ways to tie a scarf. Scarves are

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.

What an weekend! Three weddings and all so colorful and lovely! First up, bride Jackie chose these super cool green and ivory bouquets for her maids. Green buttons, orchids and berries along with ivory roses. Loops of lily grass make for an interesting combination, don't you think?   Bride Jackie's bouquet was a stunner for sure. Deep blue thistle, ivory roses, white mini gerbers, arabicum, hydrangea and anemone's combine to make for a very textured bouquet.  Ah, I'm in love with cascade bouquets lately and this one is amazing. White and purple picasso mini calls with white stephanotis, white tea rose and deep burnt orange spray roses accented with green berries and ivy for bride Gia.  Gia's maids will carry these amazing burnt orange roses, ivory spray roses and brown berries. What a pretty combination for a fall wedding, don't you think?  Bride Melissa went for the softer, romantic side of a fall wedding. Very pale blush pink roses, silvery lav