Kelly's Spring Wedding 2012-05-24

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.
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A Fresh Flower Monday at the Shop 2012-05-21

 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 the colors they come in. We sell these beauties by the stem and by the bunch. With 5 or 6 flowers on each stem and lasting over 2 weeks with simple water changes and trips, it's a real bargain at $9.95 per bunch.
 These cool roses, medium stem with delicate sized heads are grown in South America. With little pops of yellow on their burgundy petals, Hocus Pocus is one of our favorite roses. $3.95 per stem.
 Just arrived 360 fresh Mini Gerber Daisies in assorted colors. We love these little gems both arranged alone in a glass vase or with other flowers. $2.95 per stem
We love this Papyrus that just arrived. A tall green stalk ending in this broom like fluff of greenery, these are fun to include in our high style and tropical arrangements. $4.95 per stem.
Well, that is not all that arrived but that sure is the fun stuff. The next time you want to bring flowers to a friend or treat yourself to a bouquet, why not check out your local florist to see what's in. Step out of your comfort zone and try something new. It's a big floral world out there and as always, I love sharing mine with you!
To see these flowers and other designs, be sure to visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com and our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist and www.facebook.com/sendingsmiles .  (more...)

Tips for Keeping Your Cut Flowers Fresh 2012-05-19

  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. Immediately remove dead or wilting leaves and stems from fresh flower arrangements.
• Change Cloudy Water. Watch your water. When it gets cloudy it’s time to change it out.

Thanks again Flower Shop Network for the wonderful support you give our industry day in and day out, year after year! To see some of our floral designs visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com and we'd love for you to like our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/localflorist (more...)

Guest Blog: Urns and Flowers, Comfort in Times of Sorrow 2012-05-17

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 funeral flowers and urns. Although this is indeed a sad time for those who have experienced loss, we know that a thoughtful flower arrangement can not only lift troubled spirits, but also help keep a funeral home from appearing dark and dreary.
By either incorporating colorful and beautiful floral displays, a funeral home is brightened and filled with a hope for growth and new life. Sympathy flowers, as well, show that people care enough about you and your family to send flowers - uplifting spirits during sad times.
At Urns.com we specialize in providing customers with tasteful, elegant, and beautiful urns and cremation jewelry that serve as fitting tributes to the memory of lost loves ones. We also have a number of urns that have hand painted floral designs that help accentuate the beauty of the piece. Urns also allow you to create a memorial for your loved one, such as using a photo urn that allows you to always see your loved one as you remembered them. Or, you can utilize an urn to have a small intimate ceremony between close family and friends. By taking steps such as these, you are able to keep the memory of your loved one alive forever.

We love that Monday Morning Flowers obviously puts a lot of effort into ensuring that all of their arrangements are uplifting. Beautiful flowers arrangements for the wake and the start of the funeral service help to fill in a room, which is especially important for a service involving cremation urns. An simple setting involving the urns, flowers, and framed photos will provide family and friends with much needed comfort.

If you know someone who has recently lost a love one, one of the ways that you can show your support is through a lovely arrangement of flowers to help decorate the funeral service and go with the urns.

Urns always allow for you to keep your loved ones close and we are very happy that we have made each other’s acquaintance with Monday Morning Flowers. We hope that you will go and visit our website when making your selection of funeral service flowers. (more...)

Before and After Mothers Day 2012-05-14

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 www.sendingsmiles.com (more...)