Posts

Sympathy Flowers - Blog Re-Post

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Below is a repost from one of my very first blogs . I wanted to re-post it because as it was relivant in March of 2008, so it is today, especially after the holiday. In honor of my dad, who died on Christmas Eve 17 years ago and because of the season, I thought it was especially timely to remind people how important flowers are to families who are grieving. 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 a...

Having Fun Over the Holidays!

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Let's face it, if you are in retail, your life is very hard during the holidays. Just as the office people are getting time off to go shopping and cook, those of us working retail are working long hours with little sleep and socializing. But that being said, we do manage to find some time to have some fun and goof off. Even Kevin and I, who work more than our employees (to the tune of 80 hours + at this time of year), still manage to see friends, go Christmas light looking, eat out and go to the mall. Hard to believe, but true! This past weekend our area got about 14 inches of snow. The staff all dug out and made it in safely and the flower production began!! Today Sheryl started the transition of the window displays from Christmas to Winter. Why so early? Mainly because we have sold so much of our Christmas product, there is nothing to display in the window! That's a good thing being over the next two days, the Christmas product must roll out and make room for Valentine...

Doing Good with Flowers!

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Flowers are fun. There's no two ways about it and what's more fun than teaching little girls about floral design. Not much, if you ask Shop Coordinator Sheryl Perry. This past Monday, Sheryl went out to Quarry Hill Elementary School in Yardley, PA to work with the local Brownie Troop. The girls had a ball. Each girl made three different arrangements and then finished off their session by drawing their favorite flower for us to post at the shop. Afterwards the girls would be donating them to a local nursing home to brighten their facility. It really feels good to get out into the community, especially during the holidays to help spread the "floral" cheer!! Thanks to all the girls who participated and especially to Sheryl who always does a fantastic job representing Monday Morning Flowers in the community!!

Holiday Shopping...

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For those of you who read my blog, you know I rarely make it overly "Salesish" but in the spirit of Christmas and knowing that many of you will be running around like crazy looking for gifts, I thought it might be nice if I point out some of my favorite offerings this year. The orders for some of our Teleflora product have started coming in and I have to say I really love the Christmas Cookie Bouquet. The mixing bowl is simply adorable and the arrangmenet really makes up nice. Because this is a Teleflora product, it's easy for us to help you send this to just about any location in the US and Canada. At $52.95 this really makes a sweet gift for anyone on your list and shopping online and hand delivery make it both fast and simple. Another Teleflora  product that I'm really liking is the Teleflora Lenox Holly-Day arrangement. The bowl is aspecially lovely and we have already sold quite a few of these, minus the flowers. That, to me, is the ultimate compliment as peo...

Working With Your Spouse

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People ask me what it's like working with my husband. It's funny how many variations of this "question" I get. For example, the timeless "How on Earth do you work with your husband"? That's a positive one! "Do you sometimes want to kill each other?" is my personal favorite. For the most part, it works out fine and no, most days we don't want to kill each other. The best part is when we go home at night there is no need to ask how each others day was, because we already know! As he calls me, I'm the creative " visionary " that spends the money and he's the accountant, or " pain in the neck " that keeps me on a budget. For the most part, it's all good. Can spouses work together? I believe so, especially if they each bring something different to the table. He stays in his area and I stay in mine and we only tangle in each others space when absolutely necessary. As a management team I play the role of ...

The Lovely Poinsettia.

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Maybe it's just me but it's not Christmas until the lovely poinsettia's arrive. Just before Thanksgiving we start bringing in these colorful plants and all through out December they arrive, get displayed and then get sold. The shop looks so empty when they are all gone and it's so sad!! I thought it might be helpful to post some Do's and Don't for poinsettia care. Thanks to the Paul Ecke Ranch for providing me with this information!! The Do's and Don'ts of Poinsettia Care DO place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun can't be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain. DO provide room temperatures between 68 - 70° F. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable, so is your poinsettia. DO water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. DO use a large, roomy shopping bag to protect your plant when transporting it. DON'T place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat. Av...

The Holiday Event!

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Well, this years Holiday Event held here at the Princeton Forrestal Village this past Saturday was a huge success! I'm not sure of the exact numbers but it was in the thousands. Everything was free again - cider, hot chocolate, carolers, ballet dancers performing the Nutcracker, carriage rides, balloon animals, crafts for the kids, clowns, pictures with Santa and strolling characters. The night was fairly mild and all the stars were out. These funny guys were so much fun! The kids loved them! The horses were a huge hit again and the lines were long but people patiently waited their turn! We gave out over 600 free helium balloons! Sheryl had a constant line of children and I literally stood blowing up balloons for 2 and half hours!! Our shop was decked out for the holiday. We had a free wine tasting, a drawing for a huge gourmet basket and surprise discounts for our customers! Customers were snatching up plants, ornaments and wreaths. We even saw a few of our regular ...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

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Well, here it is, the day before the day before Thanksgiving and I'm stealing a bit of time away from the sales and design floor to do another, much anticipated "Scenes from the Shop". What? It's not much anticipated? Well, regardless, I'm not offended, nor am I bashful about posting some pics!! hehehehe Shop Coordinator Sheryl surprised me with fantastic Winter Themed windows when I returned from my Jamaica vacation. Now that I think about it, was she just rubbing it in? I'm not so sure! Welcome to the North Pole! This year the Holiday Theme at the shop is relaxed and fun. Stuffed animals, Santas and other less formal products seem to be our trend this year. I hope the shopping public agrees!! Kevin walks the coolers before the begin of the busy day while I snap some shops of the new decorated tree. Snowmen, santa, moose and other cuddy toys welcome shoppers into the store! The candy bouquets all lined up and ready to go! Melissa did a great job w...

A Simple Halloween Wedding

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Ah, you have to love Halloween and what is more fun than a wedding?  Rachel and Brian were a fun couple and it was great getting to know them (even if I did call the groom Ben once - dah!) and their families. Their wedding at the Nassau Inn went off without a hitch. Lots of "orange unique" roses accented with brown berries and yellow solidago really looked gorgeous against the brides maids brown dresses. It was especially fun creating a floral display in Brian's family princess basket for the flower girl to carry! Traditions are so important it was an honor to creating another rememberance in the 45 year old heirloom!Rachels bouquet included mango mini callas along with roses and was the perfect compliment to her romantic lace gown. The groomsmen looked handsome with their orange rose boutonnieres and Brian with his single "Mango" mini calla. The mothers carried small hand tied bouquets of ivory roses which complimented their dresses. The centerpieces were a ...

Living With Flowers

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Let's face it, if money was no object everyone would love to have flowers in their house. Having fresh flowers in your life doesn't have to break the bank and with a little care you can enjoy them for days or even weeks. Buying Flower Tips: Look for flowers that look hydrated but are still closed or just beginning to open. This one is a biggie. Flowers that are fresh from the farm as just beginning to open and bloom. Blooms often open in order from top to bottom. For example: Lilies. They are multiple buds. The ones at the bottom open first and then as they expire out the higher ones open. Buy them with the buds are either closed or just beginning to open and you'll get two weeks out of your flowers. Other tips are to look for fresh looking foliage. Stay away from leaves that are yellow or even brown. Remember, there is always going to be a certain amount of imperfections in flowers, they are real and not fake but try to find ones that truly look fresh. Le...

How to Carry a Bridal Bouquet. It's not so hard....

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People often ask me what is the right way to hold a bridal bouquet. I know some ladies think it's going to be hard but truthfully, even a cascade is very easy to carry. As in the example to the right, that's me holding a very sweet tear drop shaped bouquet (compliments of our bride Coleen). As you can see, I'm able to hold the bouquet with one hand and it's not uncomfortable for me in anyway. The key to holding a cascade is to drop it down to the waist  level. I've seen many pictures of girls holding their bouquets too high, which is a very uncomfortable way to hold these. Second, holding it too high, especially in the case of the bride, blocks all the beautiful detail of their dresses. Remember, when you are walking down the aisle you want to appear relaxed and natural! Another issue I've seen is to point the bottom of the bouquet outwards. Make sure that the bouquets sits nice and flush against your body. This will give you the best possible view in the p...

Halloween at Monday Morning Flowers!

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Halloween (or the days leading up to it) are always fun at the shop. We dress up, eat, laugh, take pictures and most of all have fun! We even have a contest with prizes. Who will win this year? Perhaps it's the Swine Flu? Or the King of Hearts? Time will tell! Our shop is always busy and boy, it can be a tight fit but most of the time it all works!! In between the madness, there are weddings and deliveries to be made. The Flower Show must go on! It's times like this that I really appreciate my staff (and friends). This year is especially bitter sweet, as we miss Rocio's sister, Reina so much but we still feel her here with us, each and every day. New designer Norman has been a wonderful addition to the Monday Morning team. It's wonderful that he fits right in, even during Halloween because he's in the spirit!! Norman strikes a pose with Sheryl and Rocio!! David always manages to make us laugh. He's been striking funny poses and making me giggle...

Bridal Slide Show!

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Feed Me!!

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Feed Me!! That reminds me of The Little Shop of Horrors! If you've never seen it you must go, it's so funny. Anyway, I got the idea for this blog while watching Cake Boss the other night as he was creating a cake of the shouting "Feed Me" monster. It made me hungry for cake right then and there.  So, onto the blog... people love food. They love eating and so they love sending food as gifts, not to mention receiving them! It's always been amazing to me how many florists don't want to create and delivery gourmet, snack and fruit baskets. We love it. We not only do those but we have been doing a cookie arrangement for over 20 years that is very popular and thank goodness, the cake baker sends an "extra" cookie for us now and then. Yum!! And no disrespect to the Cake Boss (you are my hero) but we even do cakes. Add some balloons and the party begins! We all have people in our lives that we have no idea what to get them. Maybe it's their birthday...

Feel the Color...

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Have you ever noticed how seeing a particular color can affect your mood? As a child I remember the ride home from my Aunt and Uncles house every Christmas Eve. Driving down through the city (they live in Bergen County, NJ) the homes we passed were decorated with tons of shiny bright lights. Some were all red, some were multicolored and some were even all green but my favorite was always the homes with all blue lights. Seeing those homes always made me feel warm, relaxed and happy. I always wondered, what type of lovely people lived in those glowing houses. Why had they chosen all blue and did they know how beautiful they were to me. All through a childs eyes those colors caused strong feelings. I get goose bumps just thinking about! I would mention to my parents how lovely I thought those colors were. But every year my mother would say "Oh the blue makes me so depressed, why do people light their houses all in blue. It's dreadful". Each year I ...