Being a saavy flower buyer!

Whew!  The fast and furious week of Valentine's Day is over - every single order I received was made and delivered on time (one of the benefits of doing business locally!) and not a single complaint was received (another plus to doing business locally!)

In the days after the holiday, I took some time to research the facebook pages of the online flower order gatherers such as 1-800-Flowers, FTD, Teleflora, Just Flowers, Blooms Today, ProFlowers, and the like.  The complaints were never ending.  Flowers never delivered, flowers frozen, poor quality, non existent customer service, and totally unsatisfied customers.  It sometimes amazes me that these deceptive companies are still in business.  Yes, I know there will always be those who like the convenience of ordering online in the middle of the night...but oh, how I wish they knew how much extra they were paying for that convenience...and what it would eventually cost them in the end!

Those of us who have spent our lives in this industry and who love our work are deeply concerned when we hear and read about these types of complaints.  It upsets us when anyone is unhappy with a flower purchase, but we get even more worried when we continually see these deceptive online businesses taking money from our customers and delivering poor quality, or worse not delivering at all.  An unhappy customer (either purchaser and recipient) is one who may just stop purchasing flowers altogether, and that affects all of us in the industry.

I have repeatedly said that one should always take the time to get to know your local florist.  Develop a relationship, and allow them to get to know what your preferences are.  Call them directly.  Stop in and visit occasionally.  Let them show you new and interesting product.   Then, if and when the time comes when you need to send flowers out of the area, let them recommend a florist for you to call directly (or allow them to place the order on your behalf).  You will not only avoid those excessive online fees, but you will be dealing with the designer who will actually create and deliver your floral gift, and ALL of the money you spend will go into the beautiful flowers!

So you still want to place your order online in the middle of the night?  If you must,  just be sure to do a little research and make sure the website you are ordering from is a real brick and mortar florist and not an online order gatherer.  Never pick a shop from the top of the search page that appears in the colored block - those are always order gatherers.   Look for a local street address and phone number.  Look to see if the designs pictured are those created by the shop, or if they are cookie cutter photos provided by one of the wire services like FTD or Teleflora.   Read the "about us" page and look for some history that will let you know who you're dealing with.  And when you get through the order process - be aware of any additional "service fees".  Real florists don't charge those!

Flowers are a beautiful addition to your home, and to your lifestyle. 
They make you smile!  They make you happy! 
And we want you to be happy!

MJ♥

Time to make the donuts...

donuts? 

yes, donuts.

Each year when the week of Mother's Day rolls around, that phrase comes out of my mouth automatically.  Reminiscent of the commercial;  the alarm goes off much too early, my feet swing out of bed, I try to wake up...and the words utter from my lips, followed by a sigh..and a smirk:  "time to make the donuts".

It's a long, long week at the flower shop... with many hours spent creating beautiful bouquets for Mothers, Grandmothers, and other "special women". 

When it comes to Mother's Day, there just is no gift quite like a bouquet of fresh, beautiful, fragrant flowers.

Don't forget to order your bouquet early!  
And it's okay to send it a little early too...couldn't you use some extra bragging rights?
♥

more PROM!

Crazy week!

Painting and cleaning over the weekend.
Funerals, funerals, and more funerals.
Delivery guy quit.
Friend to the rescue!
More PROMS!
Sticky fingers...

Times change and you have to get with the program or stay behind.
Took a class...did experiments...liked the results.
Glue is the way to go, and so now I have sticky fingers.
Magnets replace pins, and lots of sparkly ribbon, wire, gems, and even feathers are hot additions.
Uff da...
But here are a few of the beauties!

So another Prom season comes to an end, just in time to gear up for Mother's Day.
YAY!
♥

had enough?

Winter.

Still hangin' on in April...

Yuck.

I'm so glad that I can walk through my garden each day!

Had enough?

Come and walk through my garden!

It looks like spring.  It smells like spring.

You're welcome any day...

♥

Prom

Just a few of the beauties I am making for Prom!

I love seeing all the fun dresses the girls have now days!
some of them are so sweet ♥
most of them are so sparkly!
and many of them are downright risque...!

all of them so different from the gowns we wore back in my day!

(never mind...it was a long time ago...)

♥

stinky little things...

Several times a year the hoya blooms.....

stinky little things, they are...

gorgeous clusters of small pink blossoms
dripping with nectar

but they do not smell nice....

i received the plant from my dear friend Kae the year before she passed
she didn't like it
in fact, she wanted to kill it
it didn't do well for her...


it has flourished in my window
and several times a year it /she reminds me
that if you look past those things that are unpleasant
you will often find great beauty....

and that life continues
and flourishes
and blooms

even though, sometimes, it stinks
!

Easter in a flower shop