Sending Smiles ~

 Looking for centerpiece ideas with a rustic flair? How about this idea from last weekends wedding at an elegant winery? The bride provided to us these cool boxes and we lined them with burlap to cover the mason jars that housed the loose and airy wildflowers that filled the boxes. Affordable and quite large, these floral arrangements took advantage of seasonal flowers and really looked full and lush.  The Escort Card table display used river pebbles and wheat grass with wine corks as the escort card holders.  Wine boxes held the grasses for a little more visual appeal and once the table was fully dressed with branched arrangements and floating candle holders, it truly was a show piece that greeted Rebecca and Patrick guests to the Vineyard. No two centerpieces matched which allowed us to use some expensive flowers like the Dutch Astilbe and Hydrangeas in this piece along with the more modestly priced Margarite daises and thistle. To see these and more of cente...

Flowers like this make me dreamy. I can imagine rolling up between the petals and falling off to dreamland in a fluffy cloud as soft as heaven. Ah, but I can fly away from myself into the world of floral fantasy. How gorgeous is this deep purple lisianthus? A flower often confused with a rose, each long stem has multiple bloomed flowers and "yet to open" buds. The stem is rather narrow and weak but is surprising strong giving how much weight is positioned at the tippy top. With multiple blooms and buds, the stem tends to arch and drape rather than stand straight up, again, part of it's subtle beauty that says "take me as I am, I'm not perfect but I'm lovely. I'm not weak but resilient."  Yes, yes, I know, you are wondering, "what the heck is Georgianne on today" but truly, when I look at flowers as gorgeous as this one, it's how I talk to myself. Soft mind full whispers of joy bounce around my head reminding me of why I love flowers,...

We had great fun creating the floral designs for George and Kelly's wedding for May 12th at the Shadowbrook.  What a fun couple, especially Kelly who is quick with a joke and smile. Luckily for us, they chose bright colored flowers not necessarily popular for moms being their wedding was the same weekend as Mother's Day. Hand tied bouquets of bi-colored Circus roses, sunny Asiatic lilies, mango mini calla lilies and loops of lily grass were the basis for the bouquets while Kelly's bouquet also had delicate white stephanotis dotted in among the bright yellow and orange blooms. It was a bright sunny day and the tiny accents of roses and ribbons on the ends of chairs were a perfect touch for the outdoor ceremony. Orange mokara orchids decorated the 3 tiered wedding cake. To see these and other wedding flower designs be sure to visit our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com  or our facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist .

 We love Mondays here at the shop and with a name like Monday Morning Flowers that's a good thing. Although flowers arrive 3 to 5 times a week, Mondays is the day we get lots of our dutch flowers. Take the hydrangea above. We'll bet you don't see those everyday and certainly not in the flower department of the Supermarket! Called Expression they have a star design to their petals and each head is huge! $19.95 per stem.  We have fallen in love with the variety of mini callas. Called Paco they have the dreamiest lavender coloring you'll ever find on a flower. Long lasting and elegant, we use them in weddings and our everyday floral designs. $5.95 per stem.  These Starfighter lilies are spectacular! Each stems has 3 flowers that will bloom in succession. Long lasting with an amazing touch of fragrance, only a few stems in a vase will give you 2 weeks of floral pleasure. $6.95 per stems.  Alstroemeria is one of our staple flowers around here and we love all ...

  We all love fresh cut flowers! Well, you do, don't you? I love talking about flowers, writing about flowers, educating folks about flowers - all things floral - yup that's me. This week, we were excited when one of our photos was used in a National Floral Blog written by Flower Shop Network. To see that blog follow this LINK and thanks to them, I'm sharing a tidbit of information on how best to care for your fresh cut flowers.  Tips for Extending The Life of Your Flowers Avoid Extremes. Keep fresh flowers away from drafts and extreme temperatures, which can quickly dry out the flowers and cause wilting. Avoid The Sun. Avoid placing flower arrangements in windowsills and other areas with full sun where flowers can wilt due to overheating. Keep Cool. Most flowers will last longer under cool conditions. Keep it Filled. All flower and foliage stems should be submerged. Flowers stay fresher, longer when they can get a drink! Remove Wilted Flowers. Immediat...

Guest Blog: Urns and Flowers, Comfort in Times of Sorrow - by Helen at Urns.com In our business we meet all kinds of folks who service customers, just like ours. It's always great to partner and learn from them. Sympathy floral designs are such a big part of what we do, when we became "online" friends with Urns.com, it was logical that we take an opportunity to share with each other.  We wrote a guest blog from them and them for us. Cremations are a huge trend right now and their urns are gorgeous. I hope you don't ever need them but if you do, their information just might be what you need. Take it away Helen!! Here at www.urns.com we understand how difficult it can be when we experience loss. It is during these times when you must rely upon friends and loved ones to help move through the transition period and to help when planning a funeral service. Many times when people are preparing for a funeral service, they find themselves shopping for both fun...

How fun is this photo of the before and after of mother's day? We had a great holiday with over 730 floral arrangements , plants, goodie baskets and balloon bouquets being delivered in a 3 days span. Our staff of designers, drivers and sales associates all worked hard to bring smiles to Mothers all over our area and we could not be more proud of them. To see this and other pictures of our shop during the holiday visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist or our website at ww w.sendingsmiles.com