Sending Smiles ~

Like a kid in a candy store, we all gather when the flowers arrive, especially our Dutch shipments. Above, these gorgeous mini callas are such a pretty pink. They are so perfect, they look fake, don't you think?  We love dahlias and it's the season for them. we love getting them in assorted colors so that we can really play!!   Lotus pods are so cool and are fun to design with. Not an inexpensive flower but long lasting and super cool for those looking for something a bit different in their floral design. Most folks are used to the dried ones but they are green when they are fresh. Craspedia or also called Billy Balls , we love designing with the little yellow balls on a stick. They are super cute in wedding designs, especially boutonnieres! To see these and more of our flower designs, be sure to check out our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

 A red bridal bouquet is not for everyone but if you want to go bold, this just might be the wedding color for you! This bouquet made for our bride Alex yesterday was both striking and dramatic. Red roses in 2 shades and red mini callas accented with green hypericum berries was a sight to be hold!!  Here I am doing a bit of modeling with this striking  bouquet. Honestly the photos don't really do the color and texture justice!! What is nice about a deep, rich color like red is that in bright sunlight the color stays very true. A great thing on a sunny summer day in July! We can't wait to see Alex's pictures, can you? Each week when the wedding flowers arrive we hold our breath until we see them. In this weeks case, the flowers were spectacular and each variety chosen really complimented each other (I will pat myself on the back for that one). I rarely interject my personal tastes but when I do, I've been know to say that red is not one of my favorite colo...

 What an elegant combination - ivory roses, hydrangeas, dahlias, arabicum and ranunculus. I love the soft, natural and romantic combination is perfect for a summer wedding. Our designer, as always, has done a lovely job forming the bouquet to show the different shapes and textures while keep it soft and round. We'll be sure to keep you posted if our bride Michelle shares any photos of herself with her bridal bouquet! To see this and more of our wedding designs be sure to check out our wedding website at www.perfectweddingflowers.com and our facebook page at www.facebook.com/localflorist

 Each week we try  to bring in a few new floral varieties that we have never seen before like this very cool green and blue hydrangea above. The heads are huge and we loved the ruffly nature of the petals.  The celosia this week are amazing. The colors are so vibrant and shocking! They really look so cool in the arrangements.  Oh my goodness!! What can you say about this beautiful Banksia above. Wow, wow, wow, the texture and colors of these flowers is just super cool. How fun!  Mocha sunflowers, locally grown and very brown, how fun is that? We love the yellow ones but these really add an interesting touch to a summer arrangement. Have you ever seen our bud vases? Each vase is a different shape and very artfully holds a single flower. Who says you need multiple flowers to make a statement? Not with these sweet vases. There you have it, our floral favorites from this past week - 7/22/12. Check back to see what next week holds in store for o...

Don't you just love the texture of this boutonniere that we made for a wedding last summer? A single peacock feather, a white daisy and a single tiny craspedia ball, combine to make a very unique boutonniere for the groom. Peacock feathers are still quite popular in our wedding and party designs. This wedding took place at Grounds for Sculpture in Trenton, a place known for it's natural setting and herd of lovely peacocks! The bride carried white gerber daisies dotted with the yellow craspedia and was a perfect compliment to this funky peacock feather boutonniere! Have you seen our other famous Peacock feather bouquets? Check out our blog written about it here !

This past weekend the hubby and I were out and about with a family function, so of course, I had my camera. I just can't walk anywhere without taking a picture of any flower I see. This one above was a single gladiolus stalk that was in front of a restaurant in Hamilton, NJ. This single bloom was gorgeous and as you can see against the blue sky, the color was very striking. I personal love this flower but sadly many of our customers won't let us use them in our design work. :(  Now, this is obviously some kind of daisy and was found in my Mother-in-Laws garden. I especially loved the pods, which I think is the left over center of the daisy once the petals fall off. Sadly, I don't know much about growing flowers but love designing with them. If I could buy these for the shop, I would but they are most likely just a garden variety meant to be enjoyed like this and not a flora culture variety meant for cutting. :( Once again, we are back at the restaurant and this...

 I just asked my husband to give me inspiration for a blog post and his response was "Why not talk about your love of cooking and wine"? Ah, I knew there was a reason I married that man. In case you don't know, I love being home, I love cooking and I'm fond of drinking local wine. I don't have much time too cook, most nights Kevin and I get home about 7:30  or 8:00 pm so no long, drawn out cooking times for me, it's gotta be fast, it's gotta be good and it's got to be healthy. In the summer we BBQ as much as possible, like the plate above - fresh bread with olive oil for dipping, veggies and steaks on the grill - all in about 20 minutes. Add a glass (or 2 if it's not an early day at the shop the next day) of local wine, like this Blueberry wine from Princeton's Terhune Orchards and the night is perfect. Sit in front of the tube and watch the TV Food Network (I know, it's a bit redundant at that point but we love it anyway, especially Guy...