Sending Smiles ~

Roses and Carnations are 2 of my favorite flowers and I especially love them together. One of this weekends weddings has us using both types of flowers in brides maids bouquets.   The difference in texture and the slight shading difference will looks especially pretty in pictures when taken from a distance. In this case, the carnations also help with cost because our bride has quite a few attendants and needed to keep the cost down. To see these and more of our floral designs, be sure to hop over to our website at www.sendingsmiles.com  and check out some of our other blogs and videos  that talk about how to save money on your wedding flowers! 

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

This past week since returning from my California trip has been a whirl wind of bridal activity. Over the last few days alone I have booked on more 2012 wedding and 3 for 2013. What I have found interesting, is the demand for purple flowers for these weddings still seems to be quite high. Almost 50% of the new brides I'm meeting with are using purple in one way or another in their wedding flowers and decor. Many are choosing a shade of green for the maids or even deep lapis seems to be a favorite among current couples.  Thought I'd share this lovely centerpiece we made for bride Lori and her husband Steve. This floral design was create on to of our 24" tall candle holder. Inside the vase were twirls of purple callas and the cascading floral designing on top was made using green hydrangeas, purple roses, phaelanopsis orchids, calla lilies - both Picasso and Purple and light touches of a deep plum colored carnation. They were truly lovely in person.  I especially

Couples like Rachel and Dion are the type of bride and groom that make what I do a real joy. Not only was it a delight to work with Rachel and her mother but I loved everything they chose! Take Rachel's bouquet for example: Orange roses, peach spray roses, cream ranunculus and dahlias, peach stock, mini calla lilies and touches of peach berries - oh the lovely colors and textures! She loved her bouquet and we could not have been happier!   Their wedding reception took place at the Princeton Marriott and had  vintage book theme. I loved the old card catalog that Rachel found at a Library. She used it for the escort cards - how cute!! Some touches of ivy, their engagement photo and an orange and peach floral arrangement made for a sweet display.  For their tables we created 3 different styles of centerpieces. This style had three different sizes of candle holders, each with an amber underwater light and a floating candle. Touches of petals and ivy trails and a books her

This past weekend the hubby and I were out and about with a family function, so of course, I had my camera. I just can't walk anywhere without taking a picture of any flower I see. This one above was a single gladiolus stalk that was in front of a restaurant in Hamilton, NJ. This single bloom was gorgeous and as you can see against the blue sky, the color was very striking. I personal love this flower but sadly many of our customers won't let us use them in our design work. :(  Now, this is obviously some kind of daisy and was found in my Mother-in-Laws garden. I especially loved the pods, which I think is the left over center of the daisy once the petals fall off. Sadly, I don't know much about growing flowers but love designing with them. If I could buy these for the shop, I would but they are most likely just a garden variety meant to be enjoyed like this and not a flora culture variety meant for cutting. :( Once again, we are back at the restaurant and this

 Ring, ring, ring - Us: "Hello, Monday Morning Flowers, how can I help you?" Customer: "We need 30 floral centerpieces in 2 hours, can you help us?" Us: "Of course, we'll deliver them for you in 2 hours!" Customer: "It's my anniversary today and I need something sent our fast. What should I send to my wife?" Us: "How about a dozen of our Premium roses made by designer Norman? She'll love it" We have fun at the shop and we all work hard to be able to say Yes to our customers. To see more of our custom designs or learn more about our shop visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

 I love giving helpful tips to save money when you need to decorate for wedding or other party. Here are a few of my favorites. The big, tall cylinder vases filled simply with river stones and three huge gerbers really make a big show on a table. Use them alone or pair off with other vase creations for more drama. Prices starting at $30 at our shop!  Who says a centerpiece has to be huge and have lots of flowers? These cute compotes have moss, berries, ivy and just 3 roses. Super simple but elegant, don't you think? Only $40 each.  How about starting with a vintage or quaint container like this pitcher? Add a single huge hydrangea and some greenery for a casual centerpiece . $28 each.  Have a large space to fill? How about huge vases (rentals of course) with gems, underwater lights and floating candles. What a simple way to fill in a large space and adding lighting at the same time. Expect to pay $18 to $25 per vase.  Our tri candle holders have become so popular.

How fun is this photo of the before and after of mother's day? We had a great holiday with over 730 floral arrangements , plants, goodie baskets and balloon bouquets being delivered in a 3 days span. Our staff of designers, drivers and sales associates all worked hard to bring smiles to Mothers all over our area and we could not be more proud of them. To see this and other pictures of our shop during the holiday visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist or our website at ww w.sendingsmiles.com

 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

It's a fact of life that every now and then we have to send flowers for a funeral. Imagine a funeral without flowers... it's a depressing thought. Flowers are such a lovely way of express our grief and support for the family and there are so many flowers options to choose from. One of my favorites is to send a wreath of beautiful blooms. They come in different shapes such as squares (yes, squares), ovals, rounds and even hearts, like this one. Elegant and tasteful, a wreath arrangement really stands out and gets noticed. Choose a solid color of mixed flowers or a sunny color theme like this yellow and white heart wreath pictured below. The next time you need to send flowers, perhaps this blog will have you considering a wreath. It's always our greatest pleasure to guide our customers in their floral selections . To see these and other sympathy flowers options visit our sympathy site at www.sendingsympathy.com or visit our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/lo

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

 We had so much fun working on the Cinderella's Closet Event this past weekend at Novo Nordisk! Talk about making these girls feel special. The staff and volunteers at Novo did an amazing job collecting prom gowns, shoes and even accessories such as handbags and jewelry. On the day the girls came to the office to choose their dresses, Novo had us decorate the office to create a prom like setting to welcome them.  For those of your not familar with Cinderella's Closet, it's a non profit organization that matches up girls who need prom attire with beautiful, donated ones. Isn't that a wonderful thing?  The weeks leading up to the big "shopping" day, we provided balloons at the office on collection days to create excitement among the employees. Well, they came thru with flying colors, collecting and donation over 300 gowns! Wow!  We loved creating the decor and the staff at Novo seemed very pleased. All in all it was a great event with many vendors and b

Well, it's that time of year again - Time for the Philadelphia Flower Show! This year I did not act as a judge as I have in the past, but I was able to attend and take a look see with the hubby on Sunday. The theme this year is Hawaii and as you enter this magical place you are greeting by blue clear ocean above and white dendrobium orchid and anthurium flower waves crashing over head. What a wonderful way to start the show!  A close up below reveals how the white caps were created along with elegant and gracefully curved phaelanopsis orchid plants. Folks loved it!!    This exhibit was my personal favorite, created by Robertson's floral. On each side, representing the blue oceans with white cresting waves, were these blue water filled vessels and cut phael orchid sprays. In the center was a trip thru the mainland with it's tropical flowers and fauna and sandy beaches.  Everywhere you looked there were every type of tropical bloom and orchid imaginable!

It's fascinating being in business. It's amazing how fast the world is changing and how hard it can be to keep up. Have you seen that Staples ad on TV with "Dave" the business owner? As the commercial progresses, it's clear that poor "Dave" pretty much does everything at his company, from fixing the copier, to making coffee, opening the mail... There might be 19 other employees working here with me but sometimes I feel like Dave, trying to keep up with it all. My job is to be the creative compass here at the shops. I set the tone for how we will be seen in the market place and I do this in many ways, with many goals in mind. It's been important to me to make ordering easy for our customers. People live fast, stressful lives. They are working hard with much on their professional plate. Add a hectic home life and the stress can be overwhelming. Although I work long days too, part of my job is to take the stress out of how customers place their o