Sending Smiles ~

MMF Plant Care Tips: Bulbs and Orchids We have noticed that one of the things people most often ask about is plant care. I'm going to write a series of blogs with some basic plant care instructions. These are all plants we carry in our shops and want you to feel comfortable bringing one of beauties home! Bulb Plants are an easy and economical way to add color to your home and garden year after year. Sun Exposure: moderate, indirect light Care: ·          Keep soil moist, water thoroughly when water is dry to the touch, draining excess water. Replanting Bulbs: ·          Once the plant has stopped blooming, stop watering and wait for foliage to die back. ·          Once the foliage is dried out and brown, remove from bulb by gently tugging. If foliage does not pull off easily, you may not have waited as long as needed. It is ve...

Late June has us creating designs for every occasion from Get Well, Birthday, Graduation and Beyond. The designers have been having fun with the designs they are making, including the arrangements in the cooler for those who need to dash in and back out!  Fresh cut bouquets of mixed flowers ready for those grab and go customers in a rush.   Summer candles arrived last month and are on full display, including this Sunshine in a Can candle from Aunt Sadies.   Coffee Coasters - a fun gift for the coffee drinkers in your life.   Who doesn't love yellow daisies , right?   Coffee mugs for your favorite nurse!   Gorgeous orchid plants in the shop this week!  We love making plant gardens and new tropical plants just arrived.   These polka dot plants are super cute and easy to care for and grown. The perfect indoor house plant.   Some adorable signage ~ the joy of the Journey is in the Ride.   Fresh sto...

I've said it before and I will say it again, living with flowers not only brightens you home but it makes you feel better. Studies show that seeing flowers first thing in the morning helps people feel more positive and uplifted. Think you can't afford flowers? Now you can. Each Friday we off a fresh bouquet of flowers for only $5 and these are not just any old flowers. These are fresh, big bunches that change each Friday to give you a variety from week to week. Last wee we had fall carnations, the week before we had Oriental Lilies. We sometimes do stock, gerbera daisies and even roses. Fresh, full and fun, you really need to treat yourself to these beauties.  Sorry, no delivery available but maybe, just maybe you should swing by one of our stores and treat yourself to a bouquet. Get out and smell the flowers! 111 Main Street, Princeton, NJ in the Princeton Forrestal open until 7 pm and 45 East Afton Avenue, Yardley PA open until 6 pm. To reserve a bouquet call us at 609.5...

Soft pink hydrangeas, roses and dianthus (carnations) accented with waxflowers and baby's breath; what a sweet combination for Robin's wedding at Mercer Oaks Golf Club today. Simple bubble bowls filled lushly with these sweet flowers decorated the tables that were draped in a purple table cloths.  Robin's bouquet was soft, sweet and simple and perfect for this late summer wedding. To see this and more of our wedding floral designs be sure to check out our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com or call us at 609.520.2005 to schedule your free wedding flower consultation . 2014 wedding date are booking up quickly so if you haven't already chosen your florist, we hope you will consider our shop!  

Creating custom floral designs is time consuming but very gratifying. Here Designer Norman makes a police officer shield for a memorial service. First he creates the shape out of foam board then adds color, ribbon and fresh flowers.  Custom designs like this are a very respectful way to show your sympathy while incorporating elements to the day that truly represent the person who has passed.   Norman shows off his latest design.  To see this and more of our funeral and sympathy designs, be sure to visit our sympathy specific website at www.sendingsympathy.com  

Looking for a centerpiece with drama? I present to you a double ball topiary made from Tea Roses, Spray Roses, Dahlias, Canrations, Berries, Mint, Ivy Trails and Mosses. Clearly not in everyone's budget, this piece is perfect for a buffet or escort card table .  Created for this past weekends wedding  held at the Nassau in, this piece would later be moved to the Escort Card Table to greet guests as they arrived for cocktails.   An elegant, peach, orange, red and burgundy theme, this piece was both traditional and formal ~ perfect for the Nassau Inn , wouldn't you agree? To see these and more of our event design work, be sure to visit our main website at www.sendingsmiles.com 

It was such an honor to speak before 45 young, emerging leader as part of the LEEP program which is an offshoot of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce.                

I have to start off by saying ~ Wow! Wow, can you imagine that I'm included with these amazing men below being honored by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce? I've pinched myself and so I must be awake but even after the Gala last night at Jasna Polana (the most amazing venue in Princeton) I'm still in awe. Below I'm pictured with (from the left) Senator Peter Inverso, President and CEO of Roma Bank who was honored as Business Leader of the Year, Dr. Herb Greenberg Chairman and CEO of Caliper as Innovator of the Year and Marty Johnson, Founder, President and CEO of Isles, Inc as Community Leader of the Year.  I also have to mention Brian Juleskusky of Bank of America for Sponsoring the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Brian came by the shop last week to learn more about me and the shops and we had so much fun. I'm thinking we are life long friends from this point forward.    Of course, the night would not have been complete with out my friends and fa...

 At our shop, both Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite busy times for us with folks wanting to send and receive floral centerpieces for their dinner tables. When I talk to other shops from around the country, some are busier than us while others say that no one in their area is interested in having flowers for their home during the holiday season. What camp do you fall under? Do you like to have flowers on your table? What about sending flowers to family and friends that you are not able to share the holiday with?  As you can see by the photo of Kevin above, our shop was quite busy during the Thanksgiving holiday and this photo was taken on Wednesday and although it was not all the deliveries that we made, just the first round of deliveries for the 4 drivers working that day.  For me, I can't imagine not having something fresh on my dining room table and that goes back to long before I was in the floral business. Marking special moments in our lives is so impo...

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! 

Here at our Princeton Forrestal Village store, we are super lucky to be near so many great venues for parties. Take the location below ~ Tre Piani Restaurant is located right next door to our Princeton shop. What a great place to have a special event. Not only is the food prepared by Chef ~ Owner, Jim Weaver delicious but the 3rd floor party room is warm and cozy. These floral centerpieces, created for a 60th birthday party have bright, jewel tone colors and really make for a festive touch. Floral centerpieces don't have to be big to be noticed, don't you agree?  To see these and more of our special event floral designs, be sure to visit our event website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com ~ if you are having a social or corporate event, you'll find much to inspire you there! 

The Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the 2012 Business Leadership Award honorees.   Entrepreneur of the Year Award  Georgianne Vinicombe, President & Co-Owner, Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co Sponsored by Bank of America Business Leader of the Year Award Peter Inverso, President, Roma Bank Sponsored by WithumSmith+Brown Innovator of the Year Award Herbert M. Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, Caliper Sponsored by NRG Energy Community Leader of the Year Award Martin Johnson, President & CEO, Isles, Inc. Sponsored by Glenmede

We rarely do any print advertising and truth be told, we get most of our weddings via word of mouth and referrals from other Wedding Vendors and Venues. Every now and then it's fun to advertise in a local magazine such as Princeton Magazine or this one, Accent which is produced by Hamilton Jewelers. We super love this ad created for the latest issue and thank you to Al Ojeda Photography for the great photo of bouquets we created last year for a wedding last year at the Somerset Palace . Simple hand tied bouquets of Garden Roses look anything but simple when paired off with navy blue brides maids dresses. To see these bouquets and more of our wedding flower designs from the Princeton area, visit our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist

KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetie (Ok, so I changed that word) and this really tells that story. A brides maids bouquet made for yesterdays small wedding, this bouquet is made of Ocean Song Lavender roses and purple waxflowers accented with a tiny collar of fresh galax leaves. Posted onto my Monday Flowers Facebook page, with in a matter of hours we had over 45 "likes" by florists and non-florists alike. Sometimes you just have to keep the flower selection simple. To see this and other wedding designs feel free to visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com or www.perfectweddingflowers.com

Every year we get a call from the White House Florist (yes, that White House)  ordering a memorial wreath for President Cleveland's Grave. He's buried in the historic Princeton Cemetery for those of you that did not know that! Each year they send a memorial wreath from the current President in honor of his birthday. This year was a huge event being it was his 175th! You may not know that he was President of the United States twice, at 2 different times. He was the 22nd and the 24th President. President Cleveland moved to Princeton, NJ in 1897 after his second term as President. He became a beloved member of the community. He died on June 24th, 1908 and was buried in Princeton Cemetery. Our local Princeton Packet newspaper always puts a photo of his ceremony on their front page. All deceased Presidents are honored this way and we are honored to be the local florist that creates this amazing wreath for our very own local President.

It's not all the time that we get to do wild and crazy things with flowers but boy did we ever get to do that with Cherie's flowers in May. Don't you just love the natural feel of her bouquet? Roses, berries, callas, arabicum, soft green hanging amaranthus, hydrangea, loops of curly willow vine and galax leaves all combine to be anything but boring! The brides maids carried simple cream hydrangea which looked so pretty against their soft, antique lavender dresses. The men's boutonnieres were green hypericum with a double galax leaf treatment behind. The amazing and unusual - Grounds for Sculpture of Trenton was the setting for the ceremony. A wedding made in heaven if you ask me! To see more of this wedding check out the "Photos Sent By Our Brides" album on our Fan Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist or visit our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com A special thanks to Reena Rose and Erin Hoyt for their amazing photography!

It's always fun having the shop featured in a magazine and we were thrilled to be included in this months Floriology Magazine. Designed for the flower shop owner, Floriology is a monthly, national magazine produced by 1800flowers.com for their members.   Each month the issue highlights individual stores and their owners. We were thrilled to have Managing Editor Fred Russell come out to inview us and take some great photos for the article. Our article was named "Marketing Frenzy" and was all about our attempts of social media and online marketing!

Have you ever wondered who arranges the flowers here at our shop or takes your phone call? Well, here is most of the crew!! Norman is all the way in the back, and new designer Samantha in front of him. Then that's Theresa who after a few years away is back at the Princeton shop - she used to manage our Yardley store. All the way in the back is Design Coordinator Holly, and in front of her is designer Rocio. Tina is in the back on the right and she preps all the flowers and keeps us all neat and clean. Sitting in the front on the bottom is Sales Associate and Marketing Assistant Melissa. Behind her is me, Georgianne. Next to us is to the left is Shop Coordinator Sheryl and Sales Associate Heena (how has been with us over 10 years!). Well, anyway, you know have a face to put with some names. These folks assist our clients with smile and design with all their might to deliver the best possible product and customer service!!

Every year Kevin and I sit down to make up our holiday gift list for our own customers. Talk about a long list, as we are lucky enough to have many wonderful customers! This year we decided to do a combination of chocolates and poinsettias. I love to have fun with our corporate gifts as a way of showing our clients some new and unusual things. Of course red poinsettias area always popular but this year we sent out some white ones, like this one and also some Cinnamon colored ones that were almost a copper color. What raves reviews we received too! We also have done in the past large red poinsettia trees and once again, folks really loved getting them. The biggest compliment we get to a gift is when someone calls to thank us and then asks us to send the same thing to their client. The holidays are a busy time for us, but we really do try to take the time to show our customers how much we appreciate their business!! Tis the Season!!

So, I posted this photo on my facebook page and people went crazy! It must be color but let's face it, it's a simple bouquet of three very common flowers - roses, mini gerbers and carnations but the color really takes it from boring to bravo! Tiny accents of branched solidago and add the fact that all these flowers are ultra high quality and fresh and with a bit of luck, we'll have hit a home run with our bride this weekend!! To see more of our floral designs for every day and wedding visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com