Stop and Smile

Hello! Welcome! Put your feet up and stay awhile. I am sure we will have many great things to talk about. :)

I have searched ye olde interwebs many times over to find you some interesting things to look at, to bask in, and to smile at. You will find many great and spectacular wonders on which to feast your eyes and soothe your soul. So sit back and relax and lets get this party started.

First off I would love to tell you about the Piano Guys. Have you heard of this Youtube group already? They travel all over the country and the world to create visual and musical works of art.They do a hysterical Star Wars Themed light saber duel. They do a beautiful mash up of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Tis a Gift To Be Simple."  And then there is my personal favorite... Their cover of Coldplay's song Paradise which they renamed Peponi. Watch below and just bask in the beauty of it.

A piano and cello on a cliff. I would be terrified for them if it weren't so beautiful. We have been listening the CD in the store and it is amazing. (Sadly we don't sell it so if you are interested click here)

This quote by Eleanore Roosevelt made mom and me laugh.

"I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."

This surprisingly thoughtful and poetic Tweet from Jim Carrey.  

Finally this picture made me smile. :)

What are some things you have found on the internet 

that has made you smile this week?

Stop and Smile this week! I promise the world will notice.

Jennie

Staffer

David Swesey Florist

The Rose and Thorn

This looks like Hitchcock

I hate cleaning roses. They are painful. My hands get scratched and messy. And frankly, they are just not very nice flowers. 

I know many people love roses. I can't tell you how many people think that I am weird because I do not like them.

I admit it... I complain about those sadistic little flowers. Whenever we get a box of them I sigh and grumble, grumble, grumble under my breath. I give the evil eye to the bunch that I am de-thorning. I avoid them until I have to clean them. I just generally all around despise them and I don't care who hears me. 

But then I came across a great quote by Abraham Lincoln while doing research for the blog. 

 "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, 

or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

I realized that I complain too much. Yeah it stinks that roses have thorns. They hurt. They cut skin. The cling to your fingers if you grab them just right. They do not play well with others.

Love the colors!

But maybe...just maybe I should be happy that thorns have such lovely flowers attached to them. They come in a variety of bright and bold colors which I love. They make people happy which makes me happy. :)

Complaining doesn't change anything. If I complain about all the homework that I have to do for class, does that make it go away? Not so far. It just wastes time that I could be using to get it completed. Complaining about anything doesn't make it disappear like some trick during a carnival magic show. 

So I am going to make a New Years Resolution early. I have resolved to stop complaining about thorns and enjoy roses for what they are.

What are some of your early New Year's Resolutions?

Jennie

Staffer

David Swesey Florist.

 

Flower Love

I love flowers. 

I love looking through flower shops when my family goes on vacation and seeing what is trending in other areas. I love seeing different flowers come in and out of the store. I love seeing my mom and the other designers work on something lovely. I love seeing the smile on the faces of the people that I deliver arrangements to. 

I love that smile. It is like the smile children have on Christmas day. It is bright and full of joy. Joy because someone took time to send them an arrangement that will add color to their day. It is pure and golden which is refreshing to see in a world that is often accented in shades of gray.

We need a little color in our life. We need the sunshine and the rain to refresh our spirits. We need to stop and smell the roses, gardenias, lilies and any other flower that takes our fancy. We need to step out on a fall day and breath in that crisp air. Embrace the world without wondering if it will hug us back. We need simple reminders that we are still here to enjoy this life.


Maybe I am a little sentimental. Too much Jane Austin and Meg Ryan movies will do that to a girl. Perhaps the Green Glow plant-shine has finally gone to my head.  But I think that life is a little better when you have a vase of wildflowers to look at.  

What are some of your simple pleasures?

Jennie

Staffer
David Swesey Florist 

The Witch is In!

We have the Wicked Witch of the West!

Okay, not the movie one or the one from Wicked.  Ours is decidedly better looking. She's a trendsetter. Unlike the witches from The Wizard of Oz and Wicked both who wear simple black frocks and witches hats, Elphaba (named after the character in Broadway musical) wears a short black dress with an orange tulle underskirt. Elphie adds drama to her outfit by pairing it with some vintage boots and a looooong black tulle cape with a jaunty witches cap.  She ain't your Grandma's Wicked Witch.

The store has been redecorated for fall. It is so refreshing to come to work and have new things to look at.It's exciting. It's- dare I say- magical!   

One more thing before I sign out. David Swesey Florist now has our very own Pinterest account. So you can follow us there to discover all sorts of exciting things. We have wedding, decor, garden, and many other things pinned. You can read about my love of Pinterest here.

A question before we go. 

What is your favorite thing about Halloween?

Do you put up decorations?

What's your favorite kind of candy to get?

And now some music from Wicked to sing us out.

Hope you have a fantastic start to fall.

Jennie 

Staffer

Oh Carnation!

"Oh, Carnation!"


A colleague and I used to say that in the backroom when we would accidentally snap a flower. We would put the broken flower in a bud vase and clean more flowers. But every time we snapped a flower or dropped a bucket of water, that same floral curse would pop on our lips. "Oh, Carnation!"

I feel in many ways carnations have a bad reputation as being a cheap flower or a funeral flower. A flower that is used to fill out an inexpensive arrangement. When I ask a customer if there is anything specific that they want for their arrangement, frequently they say, "I'm fine with anything as long as there are no carnations in it."

But I've got to say don't let these Plain Janes of the flower world fool you. While they may seem like spinsters compared to the beauty of a rose (I personally think that roses are divas... but I am in the minority on this), carnations can be dressed up. And let me tell you when they are, they are sparkling, vibrant, and oozing sophistication like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (or anything that she was in really).

We have had several weddings that have used the deep purple Moonvista carnation as part of their bridal bouquet. One bride even did her entire bouquet with Moonvista carnations. It was stunning. The purple is so deep that it looks like velvet or the deep purple of the sky when the moon starts rising in the evening. It's a rich, soul-penetrating purple.

Look at the bridal bouquet to the right and tell me that that is not gorgeous. Can you believe that those are carnations? I know I took back every unkind thing I said about carnations when I saw how a carnation can reach its full potential.

They are beautiful in an understated sort of way. They defy current perceptions and trends. They are Audrey Hepburn who embodied grace and elegance but was also a little gawky and silly.

Audrey on her wedding day.

Now I don't say "Oh, Carnation!" because I snapped a flower or tripped over a bucket or slipped in the cooler. I say it because they are beautiful.

What flower do you love but feel that it gets a bad reputation?

What celebrity would that flower be?

Jennie

Staffer

DSF

If you want to see more ways carnations are bringing sexy back look at click here 

Why I love Pinterest

Alstroemeria

I am huge picture nerd. I love looking at them and taking them and sharing them with people. I am attracted to splashes of color and the contrast of black and white pictures. I am also always looking for new ideas whether it is for the flower shop, my class work, or even just books to read. I love discovering nuggets of information that I can share with others as if it were a treasure from a lost pirate ship. Its one of the reason I wanted to start this blog at David Swesey Florist.

Taken from Pinterest.

Some of you may have heard of a new social media site called Pinterest. Unlike Facebook or Twitter which is more about communication, Pinterest allows its users to share information that they find on the internet. You can also search throughout their categories and see what is currently trending on the site. You can also see what your friends are finding. We have had a number of brides come in recently that have gotten ideas from Pinterest.

Once you find something, you pin it to boards that you have created like a virtual Bulletin Board. This helps you organize all the ideas that you amass. You can have boards for clothing, food, health, books, pictures of celebrities, music videos, flowers, and any resources for school that you might find.

Word Of Warning: Pinterest is hugely addicting. It is like opening a bag of chips...you can't only have one. Once you start pinning, it will be really hard to stop. But, oh, is it so much fun.

Taken from Pinterest

For those of you that do not have Pinterest, here is the link again. Here is a link to one of my boards called Florist's Child.

Happy Pinning!
Jennie
Staffer and Pinterest Addict

Pets VS Plants

Hello!

Pippin.

My family recently adopted a puppy. She is a beautiful retriever/border collie mix.. She is full of energy and she is curious about everything. We also have four cats. But since my mom (Lin, the manager) and I (Jennie) also work in a flower shop, we also have lots of plants and flowers that are in the house or garden. Like many flower-loving pet owners, we were wondering what plants and flowers would be safe to have around the house.

So of course, I did some reading on the matter. 

There are surprisingly a lot of flowers that are safe for pets to have and many of the toxic plants are only dangerous if consumed in large quantities. (If a pet does consume any flower that you know to be toxic or that you are unfamiliar with, please call a veterinarian!) 

Some common plants and flowers that are Toxic:

• Aloe Vera
• Carnations
• Cyclamen
• Lilies
• Tulips

Some Common Plants and Flowers that are Non-Toxic:

• African  Violets
• Bamboo
• Christmas Cactus
• Gerbera Daisies
• Orchids
• Snapdragons

Luna

So fellow pet-lovers, it is possibly to have a house full of pets and a garden full of flowers!

Jennie
Staffer, Pet-Lover
David Swesey Florist.

First Blog Post Ever!

Hello! This is the first blog post for our store!

We're pretty excited to share what's going on here and other interesting or useful nuggets of information that we learn along the way. Like most business, the floral industry is a continuum. We are always evolving what we do. Products , techniques, and styles are constantly changing. And in this age of continual internet access, it is so much easier to learn of new trends from all over the world.

That is why we wanted to start this blog. We want to share these new trends and maybe even try to start a few ourselves. We also want to hear from our readers and customers alike about new ideas that they have heard of or seen.We want to know about ideas from the worlds of fashion, architecture, art, and beyond to help us make each floral arrangement truly unique and memorable.


Jennie
Staffer
David Swesey Florist