Sending Smiles ~

Who says Hydrangea is boring? Not us and not with these fun varieties that just arrived as fresh cut flowers. The one below has shades from green to mid purple and is called Expression Classic.  This variety is called Magical Coral and both come through the Dutch Market to our stores. They last forever and dry just the way you seem them. Don't you want some for your home?    To see these and more of our design ideas be sure to visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com or our facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist  

Thank goodness it's Friday! Well, it's actually Saturday but when I thought I wanted to share what's going on in the shop today, I automatically thought of that old "office battle cry" because it absolutely does not have anything to do with working in a floral design shop in May. When Friday at 5 pm rolls around, it does not stop for us and as a matter of fact, things really heat up. Today we had many parties to set up, we're hot and heavy working on tomorrows 3 weddings (we had a small one today too) and I even got out to do a Floral Demonstration at D&R Greenway Land Trust for a couple of hours last night and this morning.  Here is designer is hard at work making Bridal Bouquets like this one for bride Jeri. Lavender and purple flowers hand tied ~ so elegant. We hope she loves it when she sees it tomorrow morning!    Roses, lisianthus, freesia, mini calla lilies... such an amazing combination for Spring.    Lots and lots of party floral cen

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

Last week were lucky enough to host a Junior Girl Scout Troop here at our Princeton Shop. Troop number 11717 from Ewing came with 8 girls (and moms in tow) to learn all about flowers. Design Coordinator Sheryl presented each girl with their very own apron to keep and taught the girls about the different parts of the flower. After the lesson each girl worked with Designer Norman to learn how to wrap flowers "presentation style". I'd say it looks like these little ladies enjoyed their afternoon and were sure going to enjoy their floral bouquets. Do you or someone you know have a civic group that would like a tour and lesson at our shop? How about having us come to your place to do a demonstration or even organize a "hands on" class? Just give us a call at our Princeton store at 609.520.2005, we'd love to accommodate you! 

Did you know that we do a special every Friday at both our Princeton, NJ and Yardley, PA flower shops? It's called $5 Flower Fridays and each week we offer fresh flower bouquets at a very discounted price. Today's special are summer bouquets and aren't they just adorable? Each week we sell between 15 and 40 of these bouquets and it's our way of thanking our local customers and helping them to afford fresh flowers in their house each week. If you have never joined us for $5 Flower Fridays, we'd love to see you. Want to know what flowers are being offered ahead of time? Just text the word FRIDAY to 555888 and we'll add you to our Text list. Also, check out our Facebook Book Pages at www.facebook.com/localfloris t and www.facebook.com/sendingsmile s for advanced notice each Friday morning. Fresh flowers for just $5, you can't beat it! 

Last night we held our very first Terrarium making class and what a fun time we all had. About 12 folks got together for wine, cheese and a lesson in how to make their own terrariums. Led by shop staff Alanna and Sheryl, each person was able to choose their own plants, sand, gravel, moss and even butterflies and birds. I must say, there just might be some future floral designers among our students!  Everyone proudly displayed their works of living art at the end in a group shot and it was fun to see all their bright smiles. We'll be doing more classes in the fall - another Terrarium class on 9/12, a wreath making class on 10/3 and look for a Boxwood tree class in late November!  Thanks to the dynamic duo of Alanna and Sheryl for all their hard work for organizing, hosting and teaching the class. 6 out of 12 people at this class were happy enough with their experience to sign up for our Wreath making class and we can't wait to get started organizing that!  We were ev

 Each week we try  to bring in a few new floral varieties that we have never seen before like this very cool green and blue hydrangea above. The heads are huge and we loved the ruffly nature of the petals.  The celosia this week are amazing. The colors are so vibrant and shocking! They really look so cool in the arrangements.  Oh my goodness!! What can you say about this beautiful Banksia above. Wow, wow, wow, the texture and colors of these flowers is just super cool. How fun!  Mocha sunflowers, locally grown and very brown, how fun is that? We love the yellow ones but these really add an interesting touch to a summer arrangement. Have you ever seen our bud vases? Each vase is a different shape and very artfully holds a single flower. Who says you need multiple flowers to make a statement? Not with these sweet vases. There you have it, our floral favorites from this past week - 7/22/12. Check back to see what next week holds in store for our customers. Want to see t

 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

I can tell you that if you don't care, you really should. Did you know that 80% of the flower bought in the US are grown outside the US? It's true, that means that only 20% of the flowers sold in America area grown on American soil. You might wonder why this is and it's as simple as this - consumers want low cost. But wanting everything at a low cost can be a high price to pay as we see less and less being "Made in America". As I read a view point in Floral Management Magazine written by Lane DeVries, who is the current Chairman of the California Cut Flower Commission, part of what makes flowers less costly coming from Columbia has been because of the Andean Trade Preference and Drug Eradication Act, which provided duty free access to flowers from being imported from South America. As part of the geopolitical interest of the US, through "Plan Colombia", as the federal government called it, our government has "Invested" an estimated $570 m

Check out our newest video showing scenes from both of our shops. What fun it is to work in a flower shop - Enjoy!! http://animoto.com/s/kQOb3f4gbj4EhM0dTergQQ

dingsmiles.com The Village Water Fountain , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . What is it about a water fountain that makes people happy? This fountain is just up the block from my Princeton shop and I personally have been enjoying it even before I moved my business into Forrestal Village. On a sunny day there are tons of children dipping their feet and laughing. Even my new niece Mary Ann was introduced to this particular fountain recently and was absolutely mesmerized by the water. Making it even more special is how her parents posed at this fountain for their wedding portrait 17 years ago! On this particular day, I snapped a quick photo. I was on my way to take some pictures of an event we had just decorated at the Westin Hotel. How cool is that and how lucky am I to have this wonderful mood lifter so close to me? :o)

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!!