Baby showers are so much fun and so full of color! It is a time for friends and family to gather and celebrate the upcoming arrival of a precious baby and a chance to adorn the new to be mommy all the necessary items she will need to tend to her baby.

Hosting a baby shower can be a bit dreaded because it can get a bit overwhelming but with a few tips to keep you directed you will be able to pull off a baby shower effortlessly.

Step one: Picks a theme! It will direct you in the rest of the decisions you will make throughout the rest of the entire process. It will help you in choosing the décor, colors, food, and party favors. You can base your theme off darn near anything. Think of who you are throwing the party for and pick a simple icon, color, or even a flower. It can be anything that you know the expectant mother would enjoy. Flowers are always fun to design around and probably the easiest of themes to do!

Step 2: Invitations. Choose invitations based off theme. Gather guest list from expectant mother family and friends. When going with a flower theme it is easy to find party invitations designed with flowers! You can also design one of your own. There are many sites online that have templates to help you design invitations for any occasion.

Step 3: The Décor. The décor is the fun part. When working a flower theme you can make all kinds of flower arrangements to decorate tables, entryways, gift trim, around punch bowls, etc. There is just do much you can do with flowers!!!

Step 4: The Menu. Decide if you are going buffet style, sit down, or just snack type foods. Not all baby showers have a full meal so don’t feel like you are obligated to that; however, if there are a lot of guest coming in from out of town for the celebration, you may want to consider having something a bit more substantial then cake, snacks, and drink. Whatever you decide to serve, make sure it is something you are comfortable preparing. First time dishes are not recommended. The menu is a great place to ask for assistance in preparation. Preparing the food for any party, no matter how big or small can be very time consuming, so by enlisting the help of others you take some of that pressure off you and have a better handle on getting the dishes prepared timely.

Step 5: The Cake! The cake is the best part. It pulls the entire theme together.. If you are going with a flower theme, make sure you do it up good by incorporating frosting flowers in the likeness of the flowers being used in the décor. The cake is probably the most exciting and if ordered, the easiest part of planning the whole party!

Step 6: Party Favors! Party favors are a great way to thank the guest for coming! With flowers you can use a single flower garnishing a small treat like chocolates, cookies, or other candies.

By just following these six steps you can create a wonderful baby shower that your guest of honor will adore!!!

Who loves flowers? Who loves flowers delivered to them? Who love free flowers delivered? EVERYONE!! Would you like to win free flowers delivered to your door?

If you would like to win a beautiful flower arrangement from Brant Florist valued at $50.00 delivered to your door, make sure to enter into Brant Florists Free Flower Giveaway.

Here how you can enter to have a chance to win a beautiful flower arrangement from Brant Florist valued at $50.00 delivered to your door:

Basics:
No purchase necessary.
Flowers delivered only in the US or Canada
All you have to do is:
1) Follow us on our Brant Florist Facebook FanPage, Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, or Brant Florist Twitter
 

2) Leave a comment on this blog about the most memorable flower delivery you have ever received.

3) Check back on Brant Florist Facebook FanPage or Brant Florist “The Florister Blog” to see if you won!

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. SWEEPSTAKES BEGINS 12:00 AM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME (“PST”) ON May 5th, 2010 AND ENDS AT 11:59 PM PST ON May 19th, 2010.

1. ELIGIBILITY: Brant Florist Facebook/Blog Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the United States and Canada who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Winners of a sweepstakes by Brant Florist within previous six (6) months prior to this Sweepstakes are not eligible. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Brant Florist’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Brant Florist reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of the winners.

2. HOW TO ENTER: Visit the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog” located at http://theflorister.com/ or Brant Florist FaceBook Fan Page located at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Brant-Florist/192057682380?ref=ts and post a comment on your most memorable flower delivery. Fan the Brant Florist Facebook Fanpage or Subscribe to the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, or Follow Brant Florist on Twitter at http://www. . Limit one (1) entry per person/e-mail address/household for the duration of the Sweepstakes. Automated entries by script, macro, or other automated or mechanical means are void. All entries become the property of Brant Florist and will not be acknowledged or returned.

3. PRIZES: One (1) winner will be randomly selected from among all eligible entries and shall receive a Brant Florist flower arrangement valued at $50.00. Brant Florist will arrange to deliver the Prize to the winner within fourteen (14) days of when the winner accepts the Prize. The Prize (or any portion thereof) is non-transferable, non-negotiable and not redeemable for cash, credit or merchandise. No substitutions or cash redemption of the Prize is permitted. Additional restrictions may apply.

4. DRAWING: The potential winner will be selected in a random drawing held on or about May 19th , 2010 from all eligible entries received. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. The potential winner will be notified by e-mail. Potential winner must respond within one week of notification or prize will be forfeited and another name drawn. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for Sponsor and its designees to use each winner’s name, city, state, likeness, voice and biographical information for purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity in any and all media, now or hereafter devised without limitation and without additional notification or permission or compensation, unless prohibited by law. All information collected will be treated in a manner consistent with Sponsor’s privacy policy and the consent given at time of entry.

5 WINNERS LIST: The winner’s name will be posted on the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, Brant Florist Twitter, and on Brant Florist Facebook FanPage. Last name will be emitted for privacy of winner and Last Initial will be used instead.

6. SPONSOR: Brant Florist 2010 Maria St. Burlington, ON L7R 1K5 Canada

I am pleased to announce we have a winner for our very first BrantFlorist Free Flower Give Away! Denise B. from Iowa participated in the contest and was selected out of the random draw as our first winner. Brant Florist would like to thank everyone who participated and helped our Facebook BrantFlorist FanPage base grow. However, if you were not the winner this month, there will be plenty of other opportunities to win a free flower arrangement delivered to your door from Brant Florist. So stay tuned! Once again, thank you to everyone who participated!

Prom is a great time to show your daughter just how much she means to you and make her day even that much more special than she already is dreaming it to be. You can do this easily by sending your daughter a sweet flower arrangement wishing her a fun evening at the prom and telling her you love her. This type of attention can be helpful in reminding your daughter just how much she means to you and how although you want her to have a great night, you want her to have a safe night as well and return safely to your loving home. Flowers leave a strong impact on anyone who receives them.

On special nights like this it is important to share your joy and happiness for your daughters big night and you can do this easily with the gift of flowers. When you are helping your daughter take care of ordering her dates Boutonniere, it is the perfect time to slip in an order for a sweet flower arrangement to be delivered to your daughter as well. You will definitely be on her mind that evening in fond thoughts as she shares with her friends the loving gesture you made.

Here are some suggestions that are sure to make her night:

Floating Flowers in Vase

Cosmopolitan™ Bouquet

Pretty Pink Lilies by Teleflora

Inspiration

From our family to yours ~ Merry Christmas and Happy holidays. May it be full of joy and great blessings.

Thanksgiving is a great time to decorate with fall arrangements. A Thanksgiving dinner can really become an event with a floral centerpiece on the table. You can find ideas for centerpieces on our website here. 

Looking at www.brantflorist.com you will see buttons for more fall flower arrangements and Thanksgiving Day flowers and gift baskets. If you are attending a dinner a gift basket is a great way to say thank you and help add to a host’s presentation. (more…)

Decorating your front door with a Christmas wreath is an old tradition and dates back hundreds of years. The practice of hanging wreaths dates back even further because in the 7th Century, tree branches were used to crown Olympic winners and the winners hung their wreaths for all to see.

It is unclear when the wreath moved from the wall to the door, but it’s a common well-liked practice today. Unlike the tree branches of old, today’s Christmas wreaths are typically made from fir tree garlands (often balsam fir) and then wound or wrapped into the familiar wreath shape. Decorated with pine cones, flowers, ribbons and other festive items, the Christmas wreath can also be used as a table top center piece.

The Christmas wreath is an iconic fixture at this time of year and many families ensure there is a wreath hanging on their front door before they even trim the tree and hang the lights. The Christmas wreath is such a familiar icon of the festive season that homes and offices don’t seem festive without this favorite decoration.

For families with young children, creating a Christmas wreath is a great family project and requires only patients and a little imagination. Of course the professional great Christmas wreath is very different at your local florist can provide you with many choices from different shapes, different decorations, and even different kinds of garlands or swags.

The Christmas Poinsettia has become Christmas’ most famous plant. In fact, the Christmas poinsettia plant (and in particular the red poinsettia) has become a symbol for Christmas the world over. Discovered fairly recently (by traditional standards) the poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, who imported it from Mexico in 1828.

The legend of the Christmas poinsettia tells of a poor village boy in Mexico who wanted to give the Holy Child a gift, but had no money. In desperation, he picked some weeds on his way to church to leave as his gift. He prayed to God to help him show his love and God answered by turning the weeds into a beautiful star-shaped flower with bright red leaves. The poinsettia has been a Christmas symbol ever since.

Poinsettia plants can last weeks beyond the holidays when placed in indirect sunlight at least six hours a day. Keep it away from cold drafts and excessive heat and water your poinsettia when it feels dry. Remember at Christmas the air is dry or so you might need to water it more. After the blooming season is over, use an all-purpose fertilizer once a month for best results.

It was once believed poinsettias were poisonous, this is untrue – they are safe. However, avoid allowing your pets to eat the leaves as they will likely get diarrhea or experience vomiting. For humans though, scientific evidence of the poinsettia’s safety is ample and well documented, in fact poinsettias are actually helpful in removing pollutants from indoor air.

The history of the poinsettia plant is quite interesting. The plant is native to Mexico and came from a region near the present-day Taxco. In 1825, Joel Robert Poinsett was appointed the first US Ambassador to Mexico and discovered these plants blooming in December. A botanist himself, Poinsett sent some of the plants to his plantation in Greenville, South Carolina, where they flourished in his greenhouse. These brilliant red plants quickly became a favourite during the cold dark months of December and with over 70 million poinsettia sold nationwide each year, the poinsettia is now the number one flowering potted plant sold in north America.

Christmas gift baskets are an ideal gift to send at Christmas. Whether you are choosing a gift for one person, a family or even your fellow co-workers, a Christmas gift basket is an excellent choice. Christmas gift baskets come in all shapes and sizes, and some aren’t really “baskets” at all, and are more like wonderful surprise packages!

Christmas gift baskets are also available to suit every budget which is one of the reasons why they are so popular this time of year. In truth, there’s little distinction between a Christmas gift basket and a gift hamper although your local florist is more likely to offer the gift baskets. Christmas hampers tend to contain meats, cheeses, crackers and other food goods.

Christmas gift baskets on the other hand, tend to be themed around flowers or Christmas plants and may include candies, cards are even plush toys. Again, remember that the florist who took to order for your Christmas gift baskets, may not be the florist who fulfills your order. This means you need to check for local and seasonal variations. For example, you may order a Christmas gift basket for your Grandma who lives in a country where Christmas flowers are hard to come by. Your local florist will advise you and explain how best to address such eventualities.

For most of us though, when we order a Christmas gift basket or someone orders one for us, we don’t need to worry about the particulars. Imagine hearing a knock on the door, or having a courier arrive at work and hand deliver a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift basket complete with flowers, chocolates, fruit, plush toys, and other decoration – it’s sure to be a special treat. In fact, with changes in the work place, and the advent of the Internet, giving your fellow workers – or even your boss – a Christmas gift basket is not unusual and does wonders for team building and morale.

With todays highly trained and skilled floral designers, choosing a suitable Christmas gift basket is as easy as picking up the phone or visiting a website. Whether online, in-person or on the phone, explaining your budget, your basic ideas and a few other design option choices is really all you need to do, and the professionals take care of the rest.

Remember, the best florists always guarantee your delivery and choosing a Christmas gift basket is easy, simply pick up the phone and call your local florist – they’ll have many gift baskets for you to choose from.

Wedding Flowers: When it comes to flowers, Weddings are one of the largest events.  More flowers are used on a single wedding day than any other day of the year.  Weddings are big occasions for everyone involved; from the bride all the way down to the caterer – and the flowers are no exception.  The flowers are an important part of the wedding.  Without the flowers a wedding would be a very drab affair.  The flowers add decoration to the wedding location, but they also give the wedding energy and life.

Many times the wedding flowers are made up from the favorite blooms of the bride-to-be along with other flowers for the color of the bloom, which will fit in with the dress colors chosen by the bride-to-be.  The flowers and the colors of the wedding theme will go hand in hand.  It has been said that many look at the wedding flower arrangements online, but most never buy their wedding flower arrangement from the web.

Many brides-to-be don’t really have a clue as to the type of arrangement or how they want their bouquet arranged, so they must look at pictures.  Because weddings take so much time to plan, and in almost all parts of the planning the bride-to-be must be present, so it stands to reason the bride-to-be does not have a lot of free time when the wedding is in the planning stages.

In order for them to have some ideas regarding the wedding arrangements, the bride needs to look at pictures.  Her options there would be to visit the florist and look at the pictures they have in books, or they can look on the web.  The web can be accessed at all hours of the day or night. Many smaller florists close by 5 or 6pm and don’t open again until 9 or 10am the following day. The bride-to-be will find it easier to find time to look on the web.  She will be able to look at the pictures several times before making her final decision.  She can then print out the pictures to take to the local florist or to give to her wedding planner.

It is unclear why more brides-to-be don’t order their wedding flowers online.  Maybe they are not aware of how an FTD florist works.  Maybe she believes the UPS or the FedEx driver will be the ones who will deliver her wedding arrangements to the chapel.  However, if she lives in the Burlington, Ontario area of Canada, the florist on the web she is looking at could also be the local florist she chooses for her wedding arrangements.  Brant Florist in Ontario has an extensive web site, which includes wedding arrangement as well as a location close by in Burlington.