Sending Smiles ~

Well, it's Memorial Day and I'm at the shop waiting for Kevin to return from dropping off multiple flower and balloon decor for various events being held on Princeton's campus. Reunions and graduations at Princeton University always keeps up busy! To kill some time I love looking at the photos posted on The Trenton Thunder Ballparks website. Kevin and I don't get to go often but we love being a partner with the ballpark and supplying them with flowers and balloons all during the season. I have to admit, I get a kick out of seeing our 7 foot long banner in the stands too. It's funny how many people tell me they see our flowers in the ladies rooms (who expects to see flowers at the ballpark, right?) and we especially enjoyed sponsoring the events during the game on Mother's Day this year.  Every mother received a hot pink visor that included the Thunder logo along with ours and the other co-sponsor, Chauncey Conference Center. If you've never been out to a

Need something affordable to decorate tables for a picnic, shower or other event? Personally, I love these simple floating gerber daisies. These were created for an event at Princeton University and the black stones and orange gerbers really scream Princeton! Five inch square vases give the daisy plenty of room to spread out and show the black river stones. Easy for guests to take home and very long lasting.  Sometimes simple works best!!

Susan's Bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Yesterday I had a potential bride call me and ask why bride's let the stems show on their hand tied bridal bouquets. I have to say, I did not know how to answer at first. I understood what she meant, she wondered why they choose not to have them covered by ribbon but I think this bouquet really tells the story of why you might want to let the stems show. How pretty these delicate stems of mini callas are! To cover them completely in ribbon would take away part of the beauty and simplicity of the flowers. As I'm fond of saying - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to each their own. Personally, I love when the stems show. What do you think?

Iris and hydrangea Place Card Table , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . We created this arrangement for wedding of Bryan and Nicole at the Cranbury Inn yesterday. Usually I don't like using iris in wedding arrangement, mostly because they can be a difficult flower to work with. In this case, iris were the main theme and all the other floral elements used were meant to compliment this gorgeous bloom. One of my favorite pieces to design for any wedding is the escort card table, especially because we can make them a bit more grand and the couple are usually able to dedicate a few extra dollars to these displays. Setting the tone for the rest of the wedding decor, this piece greeted guests as they arrived for the ceremony at the Inn. Lavender hydrangea complimented with sweet geranium foliage created the base for lots and lots of deep purple iris.

Oran Alycia's bouquet , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . This bouquet, created for our bride Alycia, has been causing quite a stir on Facebook and Flickr.com showing me that Orange is a hot color for just about any season. Customers phoning in to request flower arrangements for get wells and birthday has shown a real preference for shades of orange, lime green and even yellow. Sunny colors, the perfect introduction into Summer!

Simple Candle Centerpieces , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . I wanted to share these pretty centerpieces created for an intimate wedding held at the Salt Creek Grill this winter. Tall, square vases filled with natural river stones were the base for these candle centerpieces. Tied with a chocolate brown ribbon, the effect was natural but romantic. The location has an earthy, modern feel and these centerpieces really blended in with the environment. Flowers are nice but if budget does not allow why not consider something like this?

Wow, talk about a term that gets over used. Not all "local" florists are local. Some out-of-state telemarketing and online firms pose as local florists. These companies mislead consumers into feeling they are ordering flowers from a local florist, but without their knowledge, are being call-remote forwarded to another state. These firms charge higher fees and take business away from legitimate local florists. Consumers are deceived into thinking they are doing business with a local company when they're not. That's unethical and unfair. Any local florist would be happy to assist you with your out of town orders but they will let you know upfront that they are using an affiliate shop to make the delivery. To make sure you are doing business with a local professional florist, just follow these tips from the Federal Trade Commission. Ask for directions to the shop. If they hesitate or refuse, chances are they are not a real florist. Deal only with shops that list their