Sending Smiles ~

"What's the best way to keep my flowers fresh and long lasting"? I hear this question all the time and my answer is as simple as 1, 2, 3! Make sure there is no foliage in the water. Decaying foliage causes bacteria to grow.  Keep your flowers in a cool spot out of the sun or away from heat sources.  Change the water daily if possible which gets rid of the bacteria that kills the flowers. Can it really be that simple? Yes it is. Flower Food? It's fine if you don't have any. I've always believed that fresh water trumps everything.  Good rule of thumb - if you wouldn't drink the water, then your flowers probably don't want to either! Did you know that surrounding yourself with fresh flowers is an instant mood enhancer?  A 2013 Huffington Post article says: Smelling floral scents also seems to put us in a good mood and make us feel less anxious. Flowers clearly aren’t going to eliminate the need for medication, but they may take the ...

  We all love fresh cut flowers! Well, you do, don't you? I love talking about flowers, writing about flowers, educating folks about flowers - all things floral - yup that's me. This week, we were excited when one of our photos was used in a National Floral Blog written by Flower Shop Network. To see that blog follow this LINK and thanks to them, I'm sharing a tidbit of information on how best to care for your fresh cut flowers.  Tips for Extending The Life of Your Flowers Avoid Extremes. Keep fresh flowers away from drafts and extreme temperatures, which can quickly dry out the flowers and cause wilting. Avoid The Sun. Avoid placing flower arrangements in windowsills and other areas with full sun where flowers can wilt due to overheating. Keep Cool. Most flowers will last longer under cool conditions. Keep it Filled. All flower and foliage stems should be submerged. Flowers stay fresher, longer when they can get a drink! Remove Wilted Flowers. Immediat...

We love creating flowers for special events such as this birthday party. Not sure what direction to go in when deciding on flower centerpieces? Why not take a "hint" from the invitations you have chosen. Obviously, if you thought they were perfect to represent the milestone, clearly they should be a good inspiration for the table decor. Show us the invite, give us a budget and let us do the rest!

As  you may know, this past year has been an eventful one for the husband and I. This past October we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and last month the hubby celebrated a very important birthday, OK he's 50. There, I said it. He might not be too happy for me rating him out but there you have it. It's been a strange and stressful 2 years, as anyone living in the world can attest to because of the crazy world we live in but finally we were able to get away and celebrate these two milestones in our lives. A quick trip over to Dublin, Ireland was in store for us last month and we had a great time.  That's me sitting on the ledge of our hotel room window and yes, as always we had flowers. The bouquet I'm holding was sent by my husband. Tradition has it that he always has flowers sent for our room where ever we go and I love it. The bouquet to the left was sent by my in-laws in addition to a lovely f...