Sending Smiles ~

  With summer officially here, and the awareness for more eco-friendly products on the rise... I thought it might be a good idea to write this weeks blog on natural insect repellents that are easy to make and environmentally conscience.    Natural insect repellent for skin Get rid of those chemical and synthetic based insect repellents that I'm sure are chock full of parabens. Things you need: An essential oil (eucalyptus, lemon eucalyptus, or rose geranium) A carrier oil (olive, vegetable, or sunflower) or alcohol How to prepare: Mix one part of essential oil with fifteen parts of carrier oil or alcohol. The natural insect repellent for the skin is ready. I prefer using carrier oils instead of the alcohol because the alcohol tends to make my skin dry. Olive oil is always a good choice if your skin tends to be sensitive to alcohol.  Please note: test a small patch of your skin to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction before spraying full parts of the body.  

Last weeks $5 Flower Friday was a huge hit and we sold just over 50 bouquets of fresh roses. Today's special flower deal are these vibrant and colorful Asiatic Lilies and they are sure to be a hit with our local customers as well. Did you know that Asiatic Lilies mostly have no fragrance and many have 3 to 5 big blooms. As one bloom dies off, the next one opens continuing all the way up the stem. What we love about them is they come in such vibrant colors - yellow, pink, orange and white and can give 2 weeks of viewing pleasure. To buy one of these beauties today, visit our shop at the Princeton Forrestal Village in Princeton/Plainsboro, NJ or at 45 E. Afton Avenue, Yardley, PA. Have a great weekend all! 

Are you tired of seeing the basket of petals or small bouquets that are typically given to flower girls ?  Why not give her a cute pomander instead with some playful ribbons to enhance her innocence.  Or even better... why not give the entire bridal party pomanders rather than bouquets? Pomanders can really make a wedding and they are so versatile.  Try using them as pew decorations or hang them from chairs or shepherds hooks down an aisle for an outdoor wedding .  Place different sized pomanders on the ground at the top of the aisle for added floral and overall texture elements to your wedding.  You can even place them in the center of a table and use them as your centerpiece or as an enhancement to your larger centerpiece. With so many flowers available to make pomanders with, your pomander wedding won't be anything short of a success, and certainly one that your guests will be talking about for years to come. 

What do Flowers and Margarita's have in common? Apparently at Monday Morning Flowers they have quite a bit. Our Summer Floral Design Class appears to have been a big hit with the ladies who attended. Even my Mother in Law got into the act and had a blast.  As will all our classes, we start off with food and drinks, giving the attendees a little time to mingle, network and shop.   This class included $15 worth of Monday Morning Money for the ladies to spend however they wanted. Candles, hand bags and plants seemed to be the best sellers that night.  Next comes the design part the program . This class had us learning how to design using colored floral foam in a margarita glass. The students really had fun and Designer Nicole did a great job leading them through with tips and tricks.   As you can see, even the young girls had fun! Future designers perhaps?  Who wouldn't laugh during a class with such bright colored flowers. Well, the margarita's helped!   

Another Fun Blog Post by Designer Nicole ~ Enjoy and send us photos of your Trees!  If you're anything like me, seeing the circle of life play out in gardening is absolutely astonishing.  Follow these easy steps and please let us know if you have results! Step one: Obtain a pineapple with firm green leaves (not yellow or brown).  Make sure it's not over ripe by tugging gently on the leaves.  If they pop off, your fruit is too ripe for this project.  Make sure there are no scale insects ( these look like small gray spots at the base of the leaves). Step two: Cut off the crown and strip some of the lower leaves so that some of the stem is exposed.  Trim any fruit flesh without cutting the stem.  The flesh could later rot your plant. Step three: Turn the crown upside down and let it dry out for about a week so that the cut end and the leaf scars harden. Step four: Float the crown in a glass of water until the roots grow out.  Be sure to change the water every couple of days and

We love doing floral decor for events, especially baby shower, like this one from last weekend. The Mother of the Mother to Be did not want the typical baby decor and so this "Story Book" Themed event was elegant and whimsical. Floral centerpieces in creams and green using hydrangea, roses, veronica, ivy, mosses and fresh mint smelled heavenly in the room.  Working with Mary from Mary Bradley Events is always wonderful. She is dedicated, detailed and a dream come true as far as event planners go. I could not have done this event without her!  Loved these mini centerpieces that went onto the cocktail tables.    This story book tree graced the gift table at the Westin Hotel in Princeton. This party is a perfect example of how to blend natural elements with great success! 

Back in 2009 I was asked to write a blog for Flower Shop Network called "Bloomin' Blog" and I really had fun writing it. Fast forward 4 years to 2013 and nothing has really changed so I thought it might be fun to re-post. Hope you enjoy!  Me ~ oh how I have changed in the last 4 years I've  noticed over the years that what I love most about my job is something that an average person usually hates. What is that, you wonder? It’s diversity, change, constant evolution and sometimes even chaos. The day in the life of a florist is anything but boring or mundane. I’ll bet if you asked someone what they thought it would be like to be a florist for the day, most would answer with cliche. The most common ones  I've  heard over the years is “It must be fun to play with flowers all day”. Play? Who said anything about playing. Last time I looked it was my job to be a florist, not my hobby. Another personal favorite is “It must be so calm and relaxing being surro