Birthday Flowers

Birthdays are one thing you can count on. We all have them and I'm willing to bet, all of your family members and friends have them too. Sometimes birthdays seem to roll around quickly. You can't believe it's been a whole year since you found the perfect gift for your cousin Susie, and now it's time to deliver again.

Whether the birthday boy or girl is a friend, lover or just an acquaintance, flowers can be ordered and designed to say just the right thing. Flowers have so much going for them, it's a wonder you haven't thought of this before!

Think of the blossoms as building blocks. Each has color, texture and form. They each have a personality and many have a tradition. The rose is elegant and says love. The carnation is sturdy and says you can count on me. The orchid is exotic and dares you to dream.

Next, think of your florist as an architect. She uses the building blocks to design a birthday greeting. An architect won't design a home for you until she has spent time with you and discovered your personality and your needs. A good florist should be asking a couple of questions to help her design the floral piece that says just what you want to say.

No, we're not talking about a million dollar home, were just talking about a birthday bouquet. Still, you should try to convey the message you are trying to send when you order your flowers from the florist. Your florist can translate your words into flowers. Using words like Romantic, Festive, Bright, Soft, Extravagant, Elegant, Simple, Fun, Young, Classic, Natural, Earthy or Modern will help your florist understand the personality she is fitting.

You can send flowers with little or no thought, and they'll probably be just fine. The enclosure card will say "Happy Birthday", and the message will get through. Or, you can invest just a few minutes into the process and choose flowers in a design that expresses the personality and message that fits the situation. Remember, it's the thought that counts and you really should put some thought into the order. It'll be worth the investment, I promise.

Karen Marinelli is a Floral Industry Professional with nineteen years of experience in the academic, retail and wholesale sectors of the industry. She believes the common goal should be to sell more flowers to more people, more often. For information on How to Open a Flower Shop, visit http://openaflowershop.com/.

To order flowers online, visit http://send-flowers-online.ws/.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, second from left, talks with the American Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, after leaving consultations on the situation in Gaza at United Nations Headquarters, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)AP - The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces now fighting in the Gaza Strip. The vote was 14-0, with the United States abstaining.



Vice President Dick Cheney pauses during an interview with the Associated Press at the White House in Washington Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he sees no reason for President George W. Bush to pre-emptively pardon anyone at the CIA involved in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. "I don't have any reason to believe that anybody in the agency did anything illegal," he said. In an interview with The Associated Press, Cheney also said that Bush has no need to apologize for not foreseeing the economic crisis.



Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) votes to recommend the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the House during an Illinois House Impeachment Committee hearing Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Springfield, Ill. The committee voted unanimously to recommend impeachment putting the matter before the full house.  (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.



President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the economy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.,  Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.



In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff leaves U.S. District Court in Manhattan after a bail hearing in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary. What they thought were profits was likely money stolen from other clients in what prosecutors are calling the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Now, they are confronting the possibility they may have to pay some of it back.



Gabrielle Rae holds a photo of Oscar Grant while attending a BART board of directors meeting on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. Speakers criticized the transit agency for its handling of a New Year’s Days incident involving a BART police officer who shot and killed Grant, an unarmed 22-year old. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back — then looks up.



U.S. General David Petraeus, the commander overseeing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, talks during a conference in Rome December 9, 2008. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.



AP - An 82-year-old businessman was charged Thursday with running a Ponzi scheme that took in at least $17 million from a clientele gleaned largely through ads in Catholic newspapers.

AP - A Wise County man who would have been on probation for his drug conviction will now have to spend six months in jail — all because he fled before hearing the verdict and was captured after a high-speech chase through three counties.

Florida's Tim Tebow reaches back to pass during the first quarter of the BCS Championship NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Miami on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP - Two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks couldn't produce a point in the first quarter of the BCS championship game. Tim Tebow and No. 1 Florida and Sam Bradford and No. 2 Oklahoma were scoreless after the first 15 minutes at Dolphin Stadium on Thursday night.



Israeli soldiers take their positions during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip January 8, 2009, in this picture released by Israel's Defence Forces (IDF). (Doron Keren/IDF/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - Recovery teams ventured into battlegrounds of the Gaza Strip on Thursday to gather bodies from the rubble, and Hamas officials said the Palestinian death toll in Israel's 13-day-old offensive had risen to 765.



President-elect Barack Obama at a news conference in Chicago, December 7, 2008. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.



People taking the Long Island Foreclosure Tour arrive at a foreclosed home for sale in New Hyde Park, New York in this May 17, 2008 file photo. Citigroup could soon agree to principles that would let troubled borrowers save their homes through bankruptcy, sources familiar with the talks said on Thursday, while industry groups are easing their opposition to the plan. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.



U.S. General David Petraeus, the commander overseeing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, talks during a conference in Rome December 9, 2008. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)Reuters - The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said on Thursday.



Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich gestures as he announces former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as his choice to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois December 30, 2008. (Frank Polich/Reuters)Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.



Bernard Madoff is escorted from Federal Court in New York January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.



Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (L) delivers remarks after being announced as the new Democratic National Committee chairman by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in Washington, January 8, 2009. (Jim Young/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama named Tim Kaine as head of the Democratic Party on Thursday, rewarding an early supporter with a high-profile political post even as he continues to serve as Virginia governor.



A customer shops at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rogers, Arkansas, June 5, 2008. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.



A wounded Palestinian is carried into Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital. Diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza conflict intensified Friday with Western and Arab diplomats agreeing to call for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll from the two-week-old war rose past 760.(AFP/Yassr Saymeh)AFP - Diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza conflict intensified Friday with Western and Arab diplomats agreeing to call for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll from the two-week-old war rose past 760.



A man carries firewood in the suburbs of Sofia, Bulgaria. Hopes for a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe were rising Friday after Russia agreed on the terms for the deployment of monitors in Ukraine.(AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)AFP - Hopes for a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe were rising Friday after Russia agreed on the terms for the deployment of monitors in Ukraine.




Eggs-travagant Eggs

Wonderfully simple to do and oh so impressive!You don't need a $40... Read More

Make a Golden Christmas Tree

Several Years ago while I was shopping for Christmas I stopped dead... Read More

Valentines Day is NOT only for Lovers

Some people hate to see Valentines Day come around. Some have ended... Read More

Planning a Gift Closet

Creating a gift closet is a wonderful way to plan ahead for... Read More

SALOME and HERODIAS, A Curious Mothers Day Story, Part 2 of 2 Parts

First, a disclaimer:This article requires information about John the Baptist, whose life... Read More

Making the Holidays More Meaningful

Have the holidays become too commercial for you? Are you feeling empty... Read More

Tis The Season For Love ? and Stress!

The holidays are upon us and for many people this is the... Read More

Christmas Matters

Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.Have... Read More

Christmas and New Year Celebrations: How Significant?

I remember vividly as if it were yesterday when I was only... Read More

Terrible at choosing gifts?

Need help with gifts? Not everyone is good at choosing them. But... Read More

Making Time to Write this Holiday Season

As the countdown to Christmas day continues, most everyone is naturally all... Read More

Gift Shopping Tips for Tight Budgets

Have you seen the prices of greeting cards lately? It is hideous!... Read More

Nine Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Head To The Office Party

One thing you can count on during the holiday season is the... Read More

Lets NOT Talk Turkey

The carving. The leftovers. The endless stuffing. Actually, you love the stuffing,... Read More

The Holiday Army

Here it comes again - the Holiday Army - in its annual... Read More

Holiday Times Are For Helping Those Less Fortunate, Think Holiday Cards

Every year I watch as advertisers begin to promote their products for... Read More

The Rose

Lifestyle is style over amount. And style is an art - the... Read More

Mother?s Day Crafts

Make these quick and easy crafts with your children for Mother's day.... Read More

Christmas Mourning

Deecember is a cruel month. Christmas sales, decorations, advertisements -everyone seems so... Read More

Rubber Stamping and Scrapbooking will Bring the Family Together During The Holidays

No matter what celebration you and your family will rejoice in this... Read More

Legends of the Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is a much loved symbol iinstantly calling up images... Read More

Valentines Day Love Letter - The Best And Most Romantic Gift Is Also The Least Expensive!

You don't have to spend a fortune this Valentine's Day to show... Read More

The Origins of Mothers Day

Mother's Day is, in many countries, a day for celebrating motherhood and... Read More

Decorate for Christmas

It's your home/your apartment and you want to make it a special... Read More

Valentines Day - A Guide for Men

Did you know that after Christmas, Valentine's Day is the biggest retail... Read More

Ready for Christmas? Enjoy an Organized Holiday This Year

1. Keep a stack of directions TO your place for people who... Read More

10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who have laid their... Read More

The Origins Of Mothers Day

Today Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday is celebrated all over the world.... Read More

5 Ways to Lose Those Holiday Blues

What a great time of year! It's a time to be thankful... Read More

A Mothers Day Prayer! Mamma Whispered Softly!

Patty Lovelace Country MusicVerse #1 Through the back window of a 59... Read More

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas

Now that the biggest shopping season of the year is in full... Read More

Creative Christmas Gifts

Christmas is always the time of year we consider to be the... Read More

The Christmas Dress

From the time I was a very little girl, I had always... Read More

10 Tips for More Meaningful Holidays

No matter how many lists you make, cards you send, gifts you... Read More

The Gift of Failure

During this Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to reflect on the bounty... Read More

5 Most Popular Styles of Christmas Ornaments

Traditionally Christmas ornaments were bulbs of all the same color which were... Read More

Is Buying a Gift for Mom as Difficult for You as it is for Me?

I have walked through a countless number of stores searching for a... Read More

Patience

Ever since my girls were little, I've tried to teach them patience.... Read More

Animatronic Halloween Props - Cardboard Carpentry

One of the most inexpensive ways to create stonewalls in your home/haunt... Read More

Gift Wrapping Ideas

If you're tired of your gifts looking like everyone else's, put some... Read More

Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress

What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon... Read More

A Simple Little Holiday Plan

The Thanksgiving leftovers have all been eaten and the gift-buying season has... Read More

Easter Party Ideas

Easter marks the start of spring and is a sacred holiday for... Read More

Orlando, The Vacation Station

If you were asked to name 10 reasons why you vacationed in... Read More

Important Chinese Festivals

Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year (January/February)It is usually in the winter of... Read More

Survival Kit for the Holidays: Grace, Gratitude and Random Acts Of Kindness

If you*re like me, the holidays always have a way of sneaking... Read More

No More Ties! Homemade Fathers Day Gift Ideas

If you are like me, you never know what to get dad... Read More