Sending Smiles ~

Couples like Rachel and Dion are the type of bride and groom that make what I do a real joy. Not only was it a delight to work with Rachel and her mother but I loved everything they chose! Take Rachel's bouquet for example: Orange roses, peach spray roses, cream ranunculus and dahlias, peach stock, mini calla lilies and touches of peach berries - oh the lovely colors and textures! She loved her bouquet and we could not have been happier!   Their wedding reception took place at the Princeton Marriott and had  vintage book theme. I loved the old card catalog that Rachel found at a Library. She used it for the escort cards - how cute!! Some touches of ivy, their engagement photo and an orange and peach floral arrangement made for a sweet display.  For their tables we created 3 different styles of centerpieces. This style had three different sizes of candle holders, each with an amber underwater light and a floating candle. Touches of petals and ivy trails and a books her

Last night we held our very first Terrarium making class and what a fun time we all had. About 12 folks got together for wine, cheese and a lesson in how to make their own terrariums. Led by shop staff Alanna and Sheryl, each person was able to choose their own plants, sand, gravel, moss and even butterflies and birds. I must say, there just might be some future floral designers among our students!  Everyone proudly displayed their works of living art at the end in a group shot and it was fun to see all their bright smiles. We'll be doing more classes in the fall - another Terrarium class on 9/12, a wreath making class on 10/3 and look for a Boxwood tree class in late November!  Thanks to the dynamic duo of Alanna and Sheryl for all their hard work for organizing, hosting and teaching the class. 6 out of 12 people at this class were happy enough with their experience to sign up for our Wreath making class and we can't wait to get started organizing that!  We were ev

I live and breath flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers - it's what I think about all the time. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, if there are flowers there, I notice them. So obviously, I've learned a thing or two and these are the Top 3 Things I've learned About Selling Flowers!  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Flowers are like food. Some people love Escargot and will pay any price for them while others think of them as no better than a slug found in their garden.  Flowers are the same way - some folks will see the rare and unusual as something worthy of a high price tag, while others just don't see that appeal. Take the arrangement above for example: The roses are pretty common and affordable but the Dutch  Asclepias , the star shaped orange flowers are  much more unusual and rare, thus costing more. If you like them, you might pay for them, if you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that.  Sending flowers only to say you are sor

Every now and then we get a customer call us who is throwing themselves are party and here's one that we just loved! After realizing that no one was giving her a retirement party, she decided to give herself one. A lover of all things pink, I'm pretty sure she got a kick out of these centerpieces we created for her. An assortment of flowers in shades of pink such as spray roses, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, tea roses and mini calla lilies all arranged in these pretty silver containers, they looked amazing on the tables. The moral of the story is: don't wait for someone to throw you a party when you do something wonderful, throw yourself one and don't forget the flowers! 

 Ah, nothing says summer like a sunflower bouquet and so it's the perfect flower for a summer wedding, don't you think? Today's bride Jane wanted a fresh picked feel to her bouquet and I  think we really achieved that. Medium size sunflowers arranged with a rim of fresh babies breath and lemon leaves with a hint of monte casino white asters between the blooms adds just a touch of softness the bouquet would not have without them. I also love the pop of white and I think it will look smashing (did I just say smashing?) against her simple bridal gown.  For the men we are using Viking pom poms for the boutonniere. I like the fact that although they look like a sunflower, they are much smaller. This way they don't feel like they are wearing a ladies size corsage. Speaking of corsages, we also like using the viking pom pons to make delicate wristlet corsages like this one. It not only has the wristlet attached, we also include pins in case they decide to wear t

Because I failed Junior English in High School and did not pass Business Writing in College, it gives me the warm and fuzzies when people say they enjoy reading my blog.  If I could just go back and find those teachers.... well, I regress. I meet business owners and other florists who ask me why I bother to write a Blog. My reasons are actually pretty simple. I like writing, I like sharing the knowledge I've gained in my industry and I'm a social person. I write like I talk and although others might have trouble finding topics to write about, it's comes pretty easy to me. I think of things I want to talk about when I'm at home watching TV, driving in the car, taking a shower or even at 3 AM when I can't fall back to sleep.  I write down exactly what I would say if you were here in front of me, minus all the Italian hand gestures of course! Sharing advise, money saving ideas, new products and life experiences are all easy topics for me and it seems folks want

 Yum, we have started getting in some new gourmet product, just in time to test it out for the holiday gourmet basket season! Believe it or not, our Corporate customers will begin ordering their holiday gift baskets before you know it.  We've been enjoying getting in a new variety of Dutch hydrangea each week and this week's is called "You and Me Together - Pink". We love the shape of the little flowers, so pretty, don't you agree?  Next week we will be having our first Terrarium class and we love making these cuties, like this one that Designer Norman made for a customer. A little wave action to look like the sea is what she requested and Norman did a fine job with it!  We've been carrying jewelry and we just got in a new line of bracelets. They are so pretty. Some have saying such as faith, kindness and love. Colorful and affordable at only $14.95.  I love the head bands, they are so cute! Perfect for when you need a touch of bling!  How cute