Sending Smiles ~

I was totally thrilled to see that InStyle Magazine suggests surrounding yourself with flowers to feel better. I could not agree more!!

If you've read my blog before you know how I feel about funeral flowers. Yes, those obituaries sometimes say "In Lieu of Flowers" and you all know, that it does not mean not to send flowers. It merely means if you want to make a donation, yadda, yadda. You know that floral tributes not only express your sympathy for the grieving but don't you think the funeral home looks very sad if there were no flowers there? Sending flowers for funerals is a tradition that goes back ages and the reason is that it helps folks know you care, flowers make them feel loved, make it known the person who has passed was loved. It helps make the funeral more bearable. This blog is not about that. It's about NOT sending flowers that arrive to the funeral home in a box! We are not against ProFlowers, who just happens to be pictured here. They are not the only ones that sell flowers delivered in the mail. FTD and 1800flowers sell those, among others.  This blog aims to make you awar

I know I have blogged about this amazing flower in the past but after creating a wedding last week (see video in previous blog) using just this single, amazing flower, I felt inspired to talk about it again. If you've never seen "Stock" in person, it's a staple for most florists. Because of it's strong line form it's a wonderful to add length and height to a design. Looking for a lovely flower that grows in shades of pink, fucsha, purple and even burgundy? You have them all in stock. We especially love using the white and rich cream colored stock in our wedding designs. Sometimes misunderstood because of it's ruffly florets, it's important to remember that the buds open from the bottom of the stem upward. As the buds at the tippy top open, the buds at the bottom may turn brown and even fall off. Like other flowers such as lilies, this is the normal blooming progression of this flower from bottom to top and does not mean the flower is bad or old. As t

Do you know the difference between a Asiatic Lily and a Hybrid Lily? What makes an O.T. Lily different? If it's one thing I've learned, you need a Ph'D to know everything there is to know about flowers! Take this lily for example. It's called an O. T. Lily or Orienpet Lily. It's wonderful color, shape and texture is derived from crosses between Oriental and Trumpet lily types. The advantage in growing Orienpet Lilies (O.T.) is they are more tolerant of harsh growing conditions, compared to the normal Oriental Lily. Yet they retain the exotic appearance, size and fragrance of the Orientals. What a mouth full but I prefer to say - "Hey, what a gorgeous flower" and as a customer you can be rest assured that we'll seek out and find new and exciting varieties for you. Lucky for both of us, no Ph'D required! Our website is an awesome way to shop for flowers but to send something cutting edge and different, why not call and ask us what is new? We&#

After the long winter we've just had, thank goodness for Spring! Easter is Sunday and today begins Passover. Here at the shop we are busy dressing up Easter Lilies with bright colored ribbon bows and making goodies baskets with chocolate bunnys, peeps and dried fruit. Can't be with family for the holiday? Why not send them a pretty basket of spring flowers like this one? To see more of our Easter, Passover and Spring arrangements check out our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ and use promotion code APR to save $5 all month long!

At both of our flower shops, we pride ourselves on always have sweet, funky, fresh and fun floral arrangemens ready to go for our walk in customers. This pretty basket was created by Designer Holly (who happens to also manage our Design Team). Shocking lilies (yes, that is their name) and matching roses accented with a sweet orange butterfly - well who could ask for more! Imagine presenting this to someone for their birthday or bringing it with you on a get well hospital visit. I can't imagine their face doing anything other than smiling - can you? To see more of our floral designs be sure to visit our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist or our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

I love exploring how flowers look in the home. Here at the shop we see flowers all day long but exactly how are they displayed once received by happy folks lucky enough to be send a floral gift? This cute arrangement made by designer Rocio was just perfect in my own kitchen. In case you can't tell, blue is my favorite color as you can see when you visit our shop website http://www.sendingsmiles.com/ What I love about a floral gift like this one is that long after the flowers are gone, the coffee mug lives on to be used over and over. I'm envisioning a sweet little ivy plant or a cute "chicks and hen" succulent in there after the flowers are gone. Perhaps I'll just use it for a big cup of coffee! The next time you need to send a gift, we sincerely hope you'll consider a floral gift like this one! To see more of our floral gifts visit our website at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

Well, the Valentine's Day holiday is in full swing for us at both flower shops. It's always funny to watch the trends. Last year red and pink roses were all the rage and this year lavender, yellow and mixed roses seem to be in demand. Another trend seems to be men sending their gifts early to their Valentine. Friday and Saturday day orders are coming in strong even though the holiday is on a Monday this year. We even expect to need a few extra drivers for Sunday to get all the deliveries done! Here's designer Rocio arranging 36 long stem roses, our Explosion of Roses, for someone celebrating a special birthday. Our explosion retails for $199.95 which is a $40 savings over sending all red. To see more of our Valentine's Day gift selection, visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com .

•Do I have to give red roses on Valentine's Day? NO! People love receiving flowers such as tulips, daisies, gerbers and orchids, not to mention roses in other colors. Mixed spring bouquets are the next most popular choice to send on Valentine's Day from our shop. •Does my flower gift have to be a huge bouquet of flowers and cost a lot? Of course not! A single bloom you picked out by hand at your local florist will mean just as much as a whole dozen of roses. Your flower purchase should be relative to what you feel is comfortable for you to spend. There are many options to choose from. Save some real dough by checking out our promotion codes at the bottom of this e-mail! •Why do red flowers seem to cost more during the holiday? Simple supply and demand. Not enough supply and high demand.Go with the crowd and send red flowers or stand out by being creative and most likely, you'll save some money. •What are some other great gift ideas for the holiday? We sells

Looking for a different rose gift for Valentine's Day? How about this stunning design created by our designer Holly. Cymbidium orchids and roses in red, hot pink and pale pink arraned in a metallic vase accented with floating hearts. Who says sending a dozen roses for Valentine's Day has to be boring!! To see this and more of holiday designs check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

Did you know that we have a sympathy specific website just for choosing and sending funeral flowers? About 4 years ago we developed this site to make it easier on folks needing to plan a family service, not to mention others who needed to show their sympathy through flowers. We thought by having a site just for these kinds of flowers and other gifts it would be more considerate of their feelings during a stressful and sad time. This past week we were able to redo the site completely with many new and updates styles of arrangements. I sincerely hope you won't need this website, but if you do we hope it makes it easier on you. To visit our site you can go to http://www.sendingsympathy.com/ and to  read more about the importance of sending flowers for funerals, visit our re posted blog on the subject.

Just a quickie blog to say Happy Holidays to all our customer, family, friends and "Blog" readers. We wish for you health, happiness and a prosperous 2011 from all of us at Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co!

It's official - Halloween is almost here! The designers have started filling orders for novelty arrangements similar to the one designer Norman was creating yesterday. Tiny ghosts, witches brooms, gerbers and fall leaves are included in the Ghostly Greetings bouquet.  What a fun arrangement to send  to "ghosts and goblins" of any age, don't you think?

Not sure, what color to choose when sending flowers or even planning a party or wedding? It's so hard to decide but truth be told, classic white is always nice both because it can be clean and modern or traditional and elegant. We recently created these pretty wedding bouquets. They were so simple but they looked amazing for a summer time wedding. Need to send flowers for a sympathy? The color white symbolizes wholeness, openness, truth and kindness. The color of white in context of flowers means elements of innocence, humility, and reverence, white flowers evoke simple beauty. When asked, most people will tell you that white flowers are beautiful so why not send them for a get well, anniversary or a birthday? The next time you are in doubt of what color flowers to use or send, never forget the power of white! Would you like to see more examples of our wedding designs? Check out our wedding website at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/ or examples of our everyday floral desig

We see it all the time in the obituaries in the paper and online - "In Lieu of Flowers" send money to this organization or charity but what is it really saying? Customers ask all the time if that means they are not allowed to send flowers and the answer is a big NO. That sentence does not mean that the family does not want flowers for the service and that the funeral director will not accept them, it means that if you wanted to honor the person by making a donation, this is the organization the family would like you to donate too. Can you imagine walking in to a funeral service and not seeing flowers? How sad indeed. Flowers help to express your feeling in a visual, loving way and families have expressed that flowers are measurable representation of how well loved their family member was. So the next time you need to express your sympathy, remember that flowers are still very much appreciated and I personally believe that nothing will ever change that!

This past weekend we created these lovely Phalaenopsis orchid centerpieces for our bride Carolyn. This morning she sent a thank you note and expressed that she was so happy with all her flowers and especially these arrangements. Well, who could blame her. Phalaenopsis orchids have to be one of the most beautiful cut orchids that a florist can design with. Most often we sell them as plants but for special occasions and certain design work, we order cut orchid sprays. Longer lasting and more sturdy than you might think, these cascading orchids are perfect for these "umbrella" style centerpieces. Not inexpensiveby any means, but so worth the money and effort. These lovely blooms might not fit everyone's budget but as a florist, I'm so happy when a client comes along who can both afford and appreciate these amazing flowers! To see these and more of our wedding designs check out our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com

Tulips! You have to love tulips! I know that I do and so do our customers judging from the amount of tulips we sell each spring. It's funny how this week I was thinking back to my trip to Holland about 8 years ago. I even brought in my photo album to share with the staff so they could see all the greenhouses, farms and florist shops we visited. It was so much fun to share the photos with the staff, even if they did make fun of Kevin's facial hair! :o) Of course, a trip to Holland is not complete with out a visit to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. If you've never been, it's a must see if you love flowers! Look for my blog on that trip as soon as I get time to scan some of the photos. In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy pictures that someone just sent me of the tulip farms in Holland! Can you imagine flying over this beautiful land and seeing this rainbow of tulips? If you can't get to Holland anytime soon why not stop in our shop for some of these pretty f