Sending Smiles ~

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...

Have you ever noticed how many birthdays there are in December? In our business, we certainly see the ebbs and flows of life events such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and sympathies. In addition to Christmas and Hanukkah, December is always busy for us with folks needing to send thoughts of comfort and sympathy. What a terrible time of year to loose a loved one. We take great pride in providing beautiful floral arrangements for viewings and services, just like Holly is doing for this recent service. A spring like mixture of flowers in shades of pinks and creams using roses, gerber, snaps and orchids. To see more of our sympathy work visit our sympathy website at http://www.sendingsympathy.com/ and for happier occasions shop us at http://www.sendingsmiles.com/

This seems like it would be an easy question to answer but sometimes it's not so straightforward! Today I had lunch with a dear friend (and business associate) along with a gentleman whom I'd never met. He is in a similar industry to mine my friend thought it might be nice for us to meet. Anyway, back to the topic of this blog - have you ever noticed when you ask someone, "What is it that you do?" it's funny how they take a deep breath and really have to give it some thought. Most of the time, 10 minutes later, you are listening intently but you are still not sure you understand how they make a living, right? That was me today. This gentleman's business seemed so confusing to me but I'm sure his customers know what he does or at least I hope so!! I believe that's because business today is so much more complicated than even 20 years ago. Remember back in the day when you needed meat you'd go to the Butcher? Or if you need a birthday cake you'd g...

If you live any where near either of my shops, you woke up to snow this morning! How crazy is that? Well, it is if you are in New Jersey or near Buck's County Pa! Anyway, I am so ready for spring! This morning I walked around the Princeton shop taking it all in and so here are some Scenes from the Shop - Part 3!! Pretty wheat grass and spring colored roses. Fresh bunches of tulips (only $8.95) and hand painted vases with tulips designs. Designer Rocio shows off her very tasteful sympathy piece. It's taller than she is! Rocio is a designer in training and has been slowly learning sympathy design. Lucky for her (and us) she's been taught by her sister who helped bring her into the business. Both Reina and Rocio are naturals!!

One of the challenges of any business is having people know what your business is about. For me, it becomes especially hard because we do the normal flower shop stuff, which in itself has so many facets, but then add balloon decor , candy and funeral flowers into the mix and it becomes many run on sentences instead of one clear concise description!! One minute you are getting balloons out the door for a festive affair and then next you are creating a funeral spray that includes a symbol meaningful to the family. Anyway, that's pretty much what I love about my business, even if it does make it hard to describe. My husband is fond of telling people the flower business is about everything from the craddle to the grave and it really is true. New Baby, Birthdays , Proms, Graduation, Congratulations, Weddings, Get Well, Sympathy and Funerals . Our product touches people, makes them happy, and even comforts them. From joy to sorrow and back to joy again. The cycle of life......

Recently a customer and I got to talking about sympathy flowers. This started me thinking about the floral industry and what an important role we play during the grieving process. I remember when my father passed away I asked my mother if she wanted me to inform friends and family to make a donation instead of sending flowers. My mother's response was something I've never forgotten, even 15 years later. She looked completely grief stricken and told me that her greatest fear was that she would walk into the wake and not find any flowers there. Being in the floral business, I've always known that flowers are sent as an expression of sympathy but I never truly understood what an important role they played in the minds of the surviving family members until that moment. My mom feared that no flowers at the service would mean that no one cared about my father. Since that moment, unfortunately, I have lost many family members, including my mother and it's never been more ...