Sending Smiles ~

Ok, ok, I know what you thinking. Why do you have Christmas product displayed at the shops already?? Right, come on, you were thinking it. I could hear you through my computer but honestly it's because people seem to want to buy it. Take these pretty ornaments that just came in. The first day we displayed them, someone came in and bought 2 right off the bat!   Another cute product to arrive are the funny, little pillows and matching coffee mug - nice until proven naughy, the nice list is over-rated. How cute! How could we not put them out when they make us laugh just reading them.    Above and below is some of our fall products. Every year at this time we bring back our peanut brittle - yum and our fall and winter scented candles from Yankee Candles.  Don't forget about our $5 Friday specials. Each Friday we have a special floral deal for only $15. Last week we had mixed bouquets that normally would sell for $15 for only $5 bucks. You can't be...

In most cases, bigger is better, right? That being said, when you get an engagement ring, you'd like it to be a nice size, right? When you get a new car, it would be nice if it was roomy enough to fit you comfortably. It's nice when you go out for dinner and there's so much on your plate that you can take a doggie bag home. I personally love leftovers - no cooking the next day!! Whoo hoo! Well, I guess the same can be said about flowers. It's super nice to receive a gift of flowers but you have to admit, getting a big and showy floral display to the office is enough to put a smile on your face for the whole day. Kevin and I recently put together these three arrangements, at three different prices to make that point to our sales staff. All three arrangements are gorgeous and all three have very high quality blooms but the one on the right really says - WOW ! Sometimes you need to send a "little" something and sometimes you need the WOW factor. My les...

Have you ever had someone walk into your house and say something nice about it? Doesn't that make you all warm and fuzzy? Personally, I'm a homebody. To me my house is my castle, my sanctuary but if truth be told, so are both my shops. When someone walks in and says something nice about them, I'm so happy. Yesterday I met with a bride and she was so complimentary about my Bridal Showroom. It just gave me the warm and fuzzies inside! Well, today it's snowing - again. I love the snow but I especially love the way both my shops look in the snow. First off, our new Yardley location is off the "quaint" meter in the snow and the picture above proves it !! Our Princeton shop with it's lovely woodwork and big open windows, is also a charmer. Today is the third major snow fall we've had, not good for business but honestly, don't my shops look adorable in the snow? To the left is my house. It also looks amazing in a snow storm. Nice to be inside, all wa...

With kids returning to school in a few short weeks and the change of seasons not far behind, I thought it might be nice to do a "Scenes from the Shop" blog again. There has been so much activity at the shops I thought it would be a good time to fill in my readers! Above is a picture from a Bat Mitzvah we did yesterday. Lots of pink flowers and balloons made for a festive event at the Princeton Marriott Hotel! If you need a great location for your next event, you should check them out! These lovely centerpieces were for a wedding we did just yesterday for bride Rebecca. Her wedding was held at the Chauncey Conference Center and although the Hurricane hitting our shores caused much rain and a bit of flooding, the flowers sure brightened the mood of the place!! Chauncey is another great location that we work at quite a bit. If you need an natural, more out of the way location for your next event, they might be a great choice for you.! This arrangement of flowers for Rebecca...

You can't read a business publication without them telling you how important it is to join in on the "Social Networking" craze. I must admit, that both Facebook and Myspace are still a bit of a mystery to me! And Twitter, now that one is really challenging but I keep plugging away! What I'm really enjoying about the Internet is hooking up with other florists from around the world. It's fun to look at the pictures of their creations, especially wedding designs. In this business it's important to constantly be learning new things not to mention being up on the latest trends! Sometimes after a hard day I may post something that only another florist can relate to. It's so reassuring to have them respond, especially when they post kind things about our work. So for those of your out there, doing the whole "Social Networking" thing. Look me up on the following sites. I'd love to be your Cyber Friend!! http://www.myspace.com/mondaymorningflowe...

A new hire that recently came on board got me to thinking about Continuing Education. In our industry our education comes in the form of floral design seminars, conferences and sometimes even floracultural schools such as community colleges. It even comes from keeping up with trends via magazines and websites. Some are floral and some are not. Inspiration can come from something as simple as a "Pottery Barn" catelog! Our industry is one that is always changing and evolving. What was "IN" last year might not fly today. Colors, styles and flowers used change with your clients desires. Did you know that floral trends usually follow home decor trends? Well, they do!! The colors that are popular for us to carpet our homes or paint our walls, also affect what types and colors of flowers we want to both send and receive. About a year ago I returned from a Floral Conference and was so inspired by many of the instructors but one in particular stood out to me. In addition ...

Well, it's that time of year again where Assistants, Secretary's, Admins and Support Staff of all kinds will be expecting to be taken out to lunch or a delivery of a gorgeous flower bouquet! Administrative Professional Week is this week and the shop is a buzz with hundreds of deliveries go to all our local offices. Need to send flowers? Save 10% now with promotion code prof9 at www.sendingsmiles.com.

I know it's the American dream to own your own home but who out there doesn't sometimes long for the days of being a renter and making the landlord fix the furnace? Being a homeowner has lots of advantages but along come some definite disadvantages such as bills to pay that you did not expect, leaky faucets, a downturn in real estate prices, not to mention increases in property taxes!! Yikes! Have you ever met a business owner who seems frazzled, unhappy and worn out? I know I have and there are times when I can truly relate. Being self employed is no easy task and in many ways being an employee is similar to the renter and being the owner is similar to the homeowner. There are good things about being the King of your own Kingdom. Then there are times when you think it would be wonderful to be the Court Jester, right? What does this all boil down to? It boils down to love. The feeling that you can't live without it. That you must have it, control it, and make it completely...

How fun was this? This past Friday we did the prom for West Milford High School. Their theme was Oscar Night! The event was held at The Tides and we decked out the place with lots of movie themed balloons. All the students were greeted with a large balloon arch as they walked along the red carpet. The organizers really did a great job of adding additional props such as huge popcorn containers, themed centerpieces and full size movie star pop ups. My Event Staff, Sheryl and David, did a wonderful job and had a great time working on site. Kelly and her team from the High School were a pleasure to work with. According to Kelly, the students loved the decor and had a fabulous time! To see more of our event work, including balloon decor check out our website at http://www.mondaymorningballoons.com/

Roses, roses and more roses. People often ask me, as a florist, what is my favorite flower. Hands down my favorite are roses. I love them! They come in so many wonderful colors, can be used in so many different ways. If kept in fresh water and a quick daily cut they can last a long time, and I love they way they burst open. Recently a customer asked me what they should expect the vase life to be. This is a tricky question being some roses last longer than others. Certain varieties last longer than other. Just as there are differences in grades of meat, there are different grades of roses. Some roses are bred to be very fragrant but have a shorter vase life while others with little or no fragrance have a longer vase life. There are many farms located all over the world that grow roses. Some grow hydroponically, some grow out in a field and other inside green houses. After years of ordering roses for the shop for both everyday orders and roses, you get a feel for what each farm produce...

You know how they say the older you get, the faster time seems so go? That is certainly true for me. I can't believe it's February already and it's another Valentine's Day holiday around the corner. As a florist, I have a love, hate relationship with this holiday but truthfully, it's more of a love these days, than a hate. Why you ask? It's because after so many years of coordinating the business during busy times, it seems like each year it gets a bit easier and easier. Remember that line from "You've Got Mail" where David Chapell's character tells Tom Hanks - "It's a well oiled machine my friend". That's the way I feel about my business. Each of us have become so good at what we do that each detail is carefully orchestrated and executed. A well oiled machine indeed!! I remember in years past going to bed at 3 or 4 am only to have to get up again at 5 or 6 to drive back to the shop. It's been years since we've even ha...

Well, I could not resist doing a "Scenes from our shop" Part 2. So many cute pictures to show! To the left is a shelf of all baby items, stuffed animals and cute novelty containers that hold pretty floral displays. To the right is a shelf themed for Valentine's Day. Satin ceramics and red glass vases, chocolates, love themed stuff animals make for fun shopping. Below is a picture of designer Rocio who is wrapping her creation for the trip in the delivery van. In cold weather flowers need extra attention to keep them from freezing! The photo to the right show Design Coordinator Dianne Legg putting the finishing touches on a wedding cake at the Nassau Inn. Simple touches of fresh flowers are a very popular way to dress up a simple wedding cake. Most people find it surprising when I tell them that we did exactly 100 wedding in 2008. Now, that's a lot of wedding flowers and many, many hours of meetings with brides! No wonder I'm tired! :o) To the left is a tin of yumm...

So let me start off by saying, this blog has absolutely nothing to do with flowers. I'm a Jersey Girl. Always have been, always will be. You can imagine how excited I was when I heard that my favorite artist (who happens to be from Jersey) was going to be playing the half time show at the Superbowl. Who? Who is this Jersey boy? None other than Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band!! Normally I would go to my cousins along with my husband to watch the game but yesterday I was feeling a little less than perfect so I stayed home. Flipping back and forth between the game and Ghost Hunters Marathon made for a relaxing night but as soon as Bruce took the stage, I was up, I was cheering, clapping my hands and singing along. No lack of energy then!! My poor cats are still recovering from the off-key singing! I remember in the year 2000 when I was in Paris on vacation. I entered a little shop and the sales clerk said "Bonjour" I awkwardly replied "Hi" with my NJ accent...

About a month ago I was doing my usual buzzing around the shop and noticed a few people browsing. I greeted each with a "Hello" and a "Is anyone helping you yet?". Each told me they were being helped and I did not doubt it as all my employees were hard at work wrapping bouquets and bagging gift items. It's what I love about retail! That whole, I'm here, I need help and I need it now. I find it so stimulating! One woman, as I greeted her said "This place is amazing". She had this look on her face, her head was moving up and down, left and right and her eyes almost looked wild. I became alarmed!! What did she mean? Amazing good or amazing bad? I was almost afraid to ask but I said "Is that a good thing?" and she was like - "oh yes, this place is amazing". I had to ask further, "In what way" and she went on to tell me that she couldn't believe the selection of product we carried, how many employees were flitting her...