Sending Smiles ~

What is it about these spectacular flowers that is so endearing? Well, first and foremost it has to be their elegance. Beautiful, large heads on long, delicate pale green stems, few flowers have such power to stand alone. These particular flowers were combined into a graceful bridal bouquet for a bride last weekend. All it took were these three open cut blooms.  Hand tied into an arm bouquet, tied simply with a satin ribbon, they must have looked amazing as she held them. Perhaps she'll send pictures? I hope so!! To see more of our floral designs check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

Having fun with flowers! That's what our flower design classes are all about. Shop Coordinator Sheryl loves going out to different organizations and teaching floral design to children and adults alike and it's truly is gratifying to see how peoples moods changes once they get their hands on those pretty blooms. The photo at left was from a recent class held at the Lawrenceville Community Center and judging by the pictures everyone really had fun! "It's amazing to see how being around flowers has the power to make people happy" says Sheryl. "It just proves to me how powerful our product is". That's why as often as we can, we like to go into the community with our flowers and teach people how to arrange them. We love making people feel that flowers are worth having in their life. We especially love doing Brownie and Girl Scout troops because teach them to love flowers while they are young, and they are flower lovers for life. Flowers are very power...

When you think about flowers at a funeral do they make you feel sad? Think again about attending a funeral and not seeing any flowers? Now to me, that would be really sad. Flowers are such a caring and thoughtful way to not only pay your respects but help to celebrate the life of the person who has died. This sympathy piece was delivered this morning for the service of a wonderful man sent by his Niece. I love this piece because not only is it very beautiful, it also shows the person in life, the way he should be remembered. The family said he was a religious man and what a wonderful way to celebrate his life and his faith. Colorful and expressive, the flowers really showcase the photo and I'm sure this piece will not only be admired by everyone in attendance but will be remembered by the family for years to come. Not sure what to send to a service? How about all white flowers in a clear glass vase? Another option that is a bit different is sending a plant or dishgarden. The...

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...

As, I am fond of saying - It's a matter of personal preference as to whether you will infuse color into your event or not. This above picture is from a wedding we did for our bride Jen. Silver revere bowls filled lushly with cream hydrangea and ivory roses. When the lights come down, these are bound to look spectacular! Cream colored linens are the perfect back drop to the silver tones of the base and are carried into the silver cane of the chairs. Simple and elegant, this direction is always classic. Spring flowers in various shades of blue and purple are accented with soft foliage styled in a white ceramic footed compote.  A pop of color on the ivory cloth gives a gentle yet sutble look. Because the compote blends with the table linens the container is less noticeable. Here's the same white compote filled with deeper tones on a deep blue table cloth. What a difference, right? This time the container pops out and becomes more noticed. These pretty floral centerpieces sit h...

Recently a wedding expert asked me for my ideas on some "Non-Traditional" wedding flowers that are nice to use in wedding designs. Of course, I feel that I'm lucky as my brides are so varied in their design tastes, I rarely do the same thing twice. Being floral bored is not in my vocabulary! That being said there are some flowers that come to mind that are fun to use in wedding work and a little out of the mainstream. That brings me to the picture at right. These lovely flowers are pincushion protea. Talk about drama! Later on this year we will be combining these interesting textures with mango mini callas. Can't take credit for the idea to combine them, my bride brought me an inspiration picture and boy is it going to be memorable!! I almost jumped for joy when she whipped out that picture! Orange continues to be a popular wedding color this year and these large flowers really add a lot of "Pow", "Zing" and "Pop" to wedding designs. Wou...

Ok, I know that I just wrote a blog yesterday but I'm catching up on some floral reading (Floral Management to be exact) and I came across some information that really got me excited. Recent studies (I know that sounds soooo boring) just revealed that those who send flowers, in comparison to other gifts, are viewed as successful, caring and emotionally intelligent people!! Ok, so that is not too boring, right? Wow, how can you be a florist and not be excited about that. As a consumer, isn't that awesome news? I know the power flowers have over people and there a  million reasons why the next time you need to send a gift, or let someone know you are thinking about them, flowers ARE a wonderful choice. Where else can you call in the afternoon and have a beautifully arranged, hand delivered gift arrive in the very same day? I'm sorry, I know there are lots of choices in gift giving these day and many are easy to order but dang, how much easier can it be!! It is our strength...