Custom Floral Design

What Do You Get A Gold-Medal Gymnast? Puppy Flowers!

August 23, 2012 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Like many others this August, I couldn’t get enough of the Summer Olympics. Not only was I watching, I was keeping up with the scores and following my favorite athletes on social media. One of my favorites to follow is McKayla Maroney, the American gold medal gymnast and vaulting specialist. When I saw this posted on Instagram, I just had to share!!

That’s right, McKayla Maroney loves puppy flowers! (But who can resist their cuteness?) She says, “NO WAY.. puppy flowers!! tooo cute” with addition of a few flower icons from the iPhone.

Puppy Flowers at the Illinois State Florist Convention

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Floral Design, Gift Ideas, Trends Tagged With: Custom Floral Design, Flower Trends, Gift Trends, Puppy Flowers

Fireman Sympathy Tribute

August 20, 2012 by Flower Shop Network 2 Comments

Beautiful sympathy flower arrangement by Petal Pusher Diva Flower Studio in El Cajun CA. This was created to celebrate the life of a devoted fireman. Below, the florist explains the thought behind their creation:

Reflection: The white hydrangea reminds me of the smoke plumes at the start of a forest fire; the green Trachelium soft and wet grass rolling on the hills. The red gloriosa burst out flames while the Dahlia are stationary and contained. This is my interpretation of a fireman’s sympathy piece.

So much thought and care goes into creating each and every sympathy tribute. Especially when your florist has some insight into the life of the departed. It doesn’t have to be a literal ‘firetruck’ out of flowers; they can still incorporate many thoughtful elements of their life as a fire fighter into the design, just as they did here.

Tell us your floral story! Whether you are a florist or flower lover, you can share your floral story with the rest of us on the Bloomin’ Blog. Simply Share Your Story here.

Filed Under: Floral Design, Florist Spotlights, Funeral Flowers Tagged With: Custom Floral Design, Funeral Flowers, Sympathy Flowers

Bingo! The Perfect Funeral Flower Memorial

July 19, 2012 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Jean Everly of Heart to Heart Flower Shop in North Cape May, NJ shared with us the story of a recent sympathy tribute. Who says flowers for a funeral have to be the same? This lady loved her weekly bingo game. This beautiful floral memorial is a great way to lift spirits at such a somber occasion. It is a perfect conversation starter for reminiscing the best memories of the departed.

“She loved her Bingo game. Every week she was there until her illness took her away. Her friends decided this was the only flower arrangement proper for her service.” – Jean Everly

Have an interesting story from your flower shop or about flowers? Share it with us!

Filed Under: Funeral Flowers Tagged With: Custom Floral Design, Funeral Flowers, New Jersey Florists, Sending Custom Flowers, Sympathy Flowers

Celebrate Tour De France With Flowers For Your Cyclist

July 6, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

The world famous Tour de France 2011 competition is going on now! Running from Saturday July 2^nd to Sunday July 24^th, the 98^th Tour de France will consist of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometers.

Our cycling fans here at FSN are just itching to get home to see more of the race! If you, or someone you know are glued to the tube watching race results, this custom flower idea is just the thing for you!

Winners Wear

For those out of the loop (like me), there are different types of winners at the Tour de France signified by what jersey they wear:

YELLOW JERSEY – the over-all winner

GREEN JERSEY – fastest sprinter

WHITE & RED POLKA DOT JERSEY – best mountain climber

WHITE JERSEY – competition for young riders

The thing about the Tour de France we love is how they incorporate colors with their award bouquets. For each stage, a new winner is given the appropriate colored jersey (as mentioned above) to wear in the next round, and also a matching bouquet!

3rd Stage Winners: Mountain: Gilbert Philippe (Germany) Young Rider: Geraint Thomas (G.Britain) Sprinter: Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain) Over-all Winner: Tyler Farrar (American)

Need Gifts For A Cyclist?

Choose flowers in the colors above to match your cyclist’s favorite player or their style!

Looking To The Past For Inspiration: African Funeral Tributes

February 16, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

In most early African religions, life did not end in death, but transitioned toward a new realm where they could reconnect with their ancestors. Life itself was thought of as simply an increase or decrease of an energy that flowed through them all. When there was sickness, they would say “we are living a little,” and when misfortune struck, it was described as, “reduction of vital life force.”

After death, the personality and individuality of the person would not end or even alter. They continued to live on in the form of ancestors, or people who live on within the community and communicated with their own families. Death began a deeper relationship with nature and the beginning of communication between the visible world and the invisible worlds.

African funeral traditions were extremely well organized. It was believed that if the proper funeral rites were not performed, the deceased would actually return to the living as a wandering spirit. The goal of these African funeral rites was to detach the deceased from the world of the living and help smooth their transition to the next life.

It was customary to place the deceased’s personal property, including eating utensils, walking sticks, blankets, and other useful items, in the grave. In some areas, dancing would take place at the funeral, providing the deceased with light feet for their journey to the spirit world.

After the funeral, everyone would gather at the deceased’s home for a funeral meal. Often there would be a cleansing ritual before you step foot onto the property in efforts to remove any dust of the graveyard before entering the house. Sometimes pieces of cut aloe would be placed in the water, which was believed to remove bad luck.

Some family members would cut or shave their heads after the funeral. They believed life was concentrated in the hair and removing it symbolized death. It’s regrowth indicated the strengthening of life.

African funerals are community affairs in which the whole community feels the grief of the bereaved and shares in it. The purpose of the activities preceding the funeral is to comfort, encourage and heal those who are hurting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Funeral Flowers Tagged With: Custom Floral Design, Funeral Flowers

Floral Design With You In Mind: How To Order Custom Flowers

January 17, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

When you think flowers, you might think of sending flowers for Valentines Day, or maybe as a thank you or get well gesture. But floral design has come a long way, and it doesn’t always have to be sent as a gift.It’s not just about flowers for you anymore, it’s about flowers for me. Flowers in your home as fresh decorations. Get to know your florist. Take them an example of your style such as a swatch of paint, a throw pillow, or even a picture and have them match your style exactly!

Nothing lifts the spirits and puts a smile on someone’s face like the beauty of flowers. Why not have them displayed in your most high-traffic areas? This is especially ideal if you are throwing a party or even having a small get-together. Your local florist can either create a floral arrangement to match your home, or a themed arrangement to match your party.

So How Do You Order Custom Flower Arrangements?

It’s so easy. First, find a local florist, if you don’t already use one. Flower Shop Network makes it easy, just type in your city in the top of our site, choose and state and click go! This will bring up a list of real florists in your location.

Using a local florist directly ensures you get the BEST bang for the buck: professional service, quality design and the freshest flowers!

Next, pick up a phone and call them or go into the store and meet them. Explain to them your type of decor and what colors you use most. If you use mostly blues with orange accents, make sure they know which colors are the most dominate. You might even offer to email them a photo of the room your decorating. If you’re visiting the shop, take a few items from the room for your florist to use as inspiration.

If you have ideas in mind, or photos of arrangements you’ve seen in magazines, share those with your florist as well! Here’s a little secret: most florists are VERY creative people and love a challenge. Tell your florist if you have any favorite types of flowers. If you have a bit of an art background, you might even suggest design elements to match your style. such as: asymmetrical, minimalistic, geometric, etc.

Many florists also offer custom orders from their website. Most of the time there is a description box for you to explain what you are looking for in a custom floral design. Here, type what you are looking for and any special requests you might have.

Here’s a tip: If you are ordering flowers for yourself or someone special and don’t have a preference on how it looks, the Designers Choice is a great choice! This let’s the florist be creative and do whatever they want. Florists will often use the best flowers and their favorite accessories to make something truly unique and special.

So remember, next time you can’t decide while browsing flower arrangements online, or looking for something completely YOU, custom flower arrangements are your best option for fabulous home decor.

This post is brought to you by local Nashua, NH florists.
Not in New Hampshire? No worries, Flower Shop Network makes it easy to find your local florist with their handy online directory.

Filed Under: Floral Design Tagged With: Custom Floral Design, Custom Flower Arrangements, Sending Custom Flowers