Eki Flowers

The History of Valentine's Day

2012-01-30T08:13:00.001-08:00

As presented by the History Channel - to learn more

Video Testimonials

2011-11-21T10:38:00.001-08:00

In today's world, people are bombarded by so many ads, articles, products, and sales pitchs, that it's hard to capture and maintain someone's attention.

The value of personal testimonials for business has been known for decades. People are more likely to watch a short video rather than read a short paragraph. A new up and coming wave, driven by technology is taking us in the direction of Testimonial videos.

This is where you ask one of your customers, maybe a bride or mother of the bride, to speak in a short video letting people know their experience working with you. By talking about what they like about your services, they are endorsing your company to other people.

We have learned to trust these spoken endorsements, they remind us of recommendations by our family and friends.

Please take a moment to read the following article to learn more about video testimonials and learn how they could be beneficial to your business.

This is an excerpt of an article published on 11/18/11 by Rightlookcreative - to view full article click here

Learn to Make Your Own Testimonial Videos

1. Ask / Incentivize Customers

The first step in testimonial video production is getting your customers to talk about your business. Sometimes you can just ask customers if they would be willing to say what they like about your service. If customers are shy, offer some incentives like a product discount, or a piece of swag. If you have a storefront, don’t be afraid to ask customers courteously for a testimonial after they make a purchase. Keep in mind the best testimonials are usually from your regular customers. If no one wants to say anything nice about your business, it might be your product that has the problem.

2. Shoot It

Shooting can seem intimidating if you don’t produce videos regularly, but the most important part is capturing quality reactions from real customers. Don’t think your footage has to be Hollywood quality. Customers are more interested in what is said than image quality, and an unpolished look can even give a more genuine feel. If you don’t have the budget for a video camera, an iPhone or other smartphone works great for collecting raw footage and can be used to get quick shots when the video camera isn’t handy. Develop a standardized system for interviewing customers, including a predetermined list of questions that introduce the customer, describe their experience, and offer a recommendation to other customers. Ask enough questions so the subject has time to relax in front of the camera, and so you have enough material for about a minute of video after editing. We recommend somewhere around ten questions.

3. Edit It

Again, Hollywood isn’t the goal, but some simple edits can go a long way. Customers can get nervous in front of the camera and don’t always speak clearly, so edit out awkward pauses, leaving only the clearest stated recommendations and compliments. Your questions can either be left in as audio, or edited in as a plain text-based frame before the answer. Then, sandwich the edited raw footage between a branded intro and outro with a clear call to action in the last frame. If available, edit in a license free soundtrack to add a professional touch and keep viewers engaged.

4. Set Up a Testimonials Page

Once you have your videos edited, it’s important to consider how you present them to your customers. Having a well-designed and organized testimonials page on your website is a great way to show customers that you’re a trusted business. Sometimes the mere sight of a well laid out grid of video thumbnails, clicked or not, can be all it takes to show a customer that your product is worth pulling out the credit card. Make sure that all of your video thumbnails feature a friendly image of the customer being interviewed.

5. Promote Online

Once you have your videos edited and uploaded you can get to work telling the world how much customers love your business. Use every marketing outlet you have available to share, email, post, and link your new marketing tools. Upload your videos to Youtube, and be sure to optimize your video testimonials with your main keywords, and use different keyword variations with each video.

*Text-Based Testimonials

Though less effective, quoted text can also be an effective way to gain the trust of your customers. However, customers recognize how much easier it is to fake a text testimonial than a live video, so don’t expect the credibility gained to be on par with a video testimonial. If you do use text-based testimonials, make sure to include a photo of the customer who said it.

Your Most Versatile Marketing Tool

Once you have your testimonial videos filmed and edited, there’s no limit to how you can implement them in your marketing. The content can and should be used everywhere you can upload it, including social media, landing pages, emails and newsletters, and on any online business directories that include videos – especially Google Places. Testimonials videos are even a powerful marketing tool for over-the-phone sales. Rightlook.com salesmen find it much easier to close sales when they can link customers to a collection of genuine reactions of happy customers.

More Testimonials for More Trust

If you’re going to promote your product or service with testimonial videos, it’s probably a good idea to have more than just one. Even if your one customer says nothing but great things, a lone testimonial may inspire customers to wonder why you couldn’t find anyone else to vouch for you. A strong set of 5 or more testimonials should dispel any suspicions of staged reactions, and will even imply that there are many other happy customers that you just didn’t take the time to videotape.

The benefits of testimonial video production are vast, especially when you consider the limited amount of effort they require. If you haven’t implemented your own system for generating testimonials, we highly suggest you start soon. If you really aren’t sure how to start consider a video production service to help produce any number of testimonial videos with custom intro and outro with your logo and brand. Then they are yours to promote, assuring customers all over the world that your product or service is actually worth their hard-earned cash.

Man sues photographer for $50,000 because of wedding photos

2011-11-21T09:20:00.001-08:00

Todd J. Remis of Manhattan is suing his photographer claiming that he missed the last fifteen minutes of his wedding. Todd wants not only his $4,100 that he originally paid the photographer back, but he also demands the whole wedding to be recreated in order to photograph those last fifteen minutes. The cost of the wedding he wants recreated is $48,000.

Want to know the real kicker? This wedding happened 8 years ago, he was divorced a year ago, and he's ex-wife now lives in Latvia, oh and he doesn't know the address.

Bridezillas... move aside, I think this ex-groom-zilla has got you beat!!!

To read more ...

Flowery products!

2011-11-14T09:40:00.001-08:00

Pretty BabyBowtique

BeSomethingNew

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

We were wondering what we could find if we researched costumes made out of flowers!
We weren't shocked when we found a bunch of lavish dresses.

Check them out!

These were made in Holland for a NY400 celebration.
Designer: Unknown Source - http://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=159835975250

These are from the Kerzner Mazagan Beach Resort launch party in Morocco

Designer: Unknown

Ephemeral clothing made by Vancouver-based artist Nicole Dextras.Thorns, camellias, lilacs, yucca leaves and laurel make up the "Camellia Countessa."
Source - http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/07/17/forget-floral-prints-these-clothes-are-made-of-flowers/

Westonbirt Arboretum launched a competition for young fashion designers to create a dress which takes inspiration from the spring blooms.

Designer: Alice Riley, 19, a fashion student from Epwell who chose pink and white rhododendrons to make the puff ball skirt of a ball gown

Some Pre-Christmas inspiration from Fusion Flowers Magazine

2011-10-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

These designs where made in the Netherlands

Fusion Flowers

2011-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

This article has some really good ideas, I especially like the idea of teaming up with another business and cross selling each other's products. If customers aren't walking into your store to buy flowers, why not bring the flowers to where they are shopping?

10 Small Business Marketing Tips

| Author: Noobpreneur |

Small business owners have to market their businesses smarter than before these days – With the recession looming with no visible end, every single penny counts. Many small business owners today are bootstrapping and going frugal.

If you are interested in low budget but effective marketing, I have some tips to share you – Here are 10 marketing tips to help you find (more) customers and close more sales, quick:

Don’t advertise like the big guys Unlike us the smaller counterparts, big businesses advertise to build brand name and nurture future sales. We simply don’t have the budget to do so. Instead, DIY your advertising and/or outsource it to low-cost advertising companies, even freelancers. Make sure you always include an offer in your advertising that get prospects to be more inclined to respond.
Always offer lower cost alternatives Prospects simply want to hang on their money as much as they can, as long as they receive satisfying result. They want lower price for the best result they can get. Instead of burning your own business in a price war with your competitors, consider creating a “ight” version of your services or products by stripping out non-essential features that will keep yours appealing to a certain segment in the market.
Alternatively, offer a premium version of your service or product Not all prospects want cheap prices. Many are willing to pay a premium to receive high quality product or service. On contrary to the point above, you can actually combine several products or services into a premium package that is offered at a higher price tag.
Go online You should go online for either promotional purpose or selling your products or services. It’s low cost, easy to learn and easy to do. Blog for your small business enhance your branding, while setting up a website will reach more customers from a rapidly growing number of online shoppers. Don’t forget to use available social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to build a community that can get you marketers and business evangelists.
Try unconventional marketing methods Spy on your competitors, and learn what they are doing in common. If you do your homework well, you may find an innovative idea or two that will increase your profitability while avoiding competition. One idea: Conventional mail box is not obsolete, yet – You can sponsor your local event flyer (ask for an exclusive sponsorship) that will generate considerable sales leads in exchange for a small amount of money.
Use the power of perception to make your business seems bigger Customers perceive the value of your products or services. They also do perceive the reliability and dependability of your business based on certain measures. One of the most common measures is company size. Being a two person business doesn’t make you less trusted than your larger counterparts – Setting up an answering machine system that shouts “professional” will do the trick. One tip: Create many “virtual departments” in it, such as marketing department, IT department or customer service department, and have them redirected to your phone – “Inflate” your manpower from two to twenty in no time :)
Reduce the size of your ads Smaller-sized ads will let you advertise more for the same budget. Plus, short marketing message does perform better than the longer counterpart. This reminds me of Twitter that push marketers to create 140-character marketing message, yet extremely effective :)
Offer giveaways and freebies Nothing is more compelling than giveaways and freebies. Some argue that freebies are expensive. To certain extent, I agree. However, choosing the right promotional products will cut your cost-per-lead significantly, as unique and free items tend to have emotional bait in them – Having your promo product with your company messages in it neatly placed on a CEO desk is viral marketing :)
Do a joint-promotion with other small business Ask non-competing small business owners that serve similar target market to do a joint-promotion. Cross-selling each other products or services will give your customers highly related offers, in which will usually produce more sales than marketing on their own.
Benefit from your relationship with your customers: The power of word of mouth Your existing customers know and trust you – They are your great tangible and intangible assets you already have in your business ecosystem. It’s basically easier to get more business from them than from new prospects. You should “lavish” them by creating special deals – only for your existing customers and make them your PR people – Their endorsement is indeed very effective in term of cost and result than any other advertising campaigns.

The tips, if done properly, will give a better cost-per-lead ratio to your small business.

Original Article

To Groupon or not to Groupon?

2011-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

For our blog this week, we've decided to take a look at a popular service called Groupon.

To find out more about Groupon, you may watch this video.

Here is a video of a CBS story on a Groupon experience.

The summary on the research I did is:

Groupon is not a way make a huge profit off of the coupon itself.

Although you do not have to pay to be put on Groupon, you will only earn about %25 of the original retail value of the product. (So for example - For a $60 dollar retail value arrangement, Groupon will advertise it for $30, then they will keep %50 of that, so in a $60 arrangement you would make $15)

What Groupon does is, it attracts new customers to walk into your shop, and like the salon owner in this video says "Once they come in, it's our responsibility to make them repeat customers,"

We do not endorse Groupon, but I personally believe that it could be beneficial to our local flower shops. After all, everyone needs flowers, so why not try to hook people with this service?

To read more about the pros and cons of Groupon click here

Also, here are some examples of other florists Groupon deals.

I hope this was helpful to you in determining wether this service is something you could benefit from. If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to ask!

Hope everyone has a great week!

- Eki Flowers Team

Receive $10 for filling out this 5 minute survey!

2011-10-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Please take a couple minutes to fill out and submit this survey about your latest Eki order. Make sure to give us the invoice number so we can make sure we are all on the same page. (No pun intended)

Your opinion is very important to us.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Flower bucks will be physically given to you by your sales person after you fill out this survey.

They must be signed by an Eki member and be used within the expiration date on the back.

Flower bucks must be used towards your next purchase.

The advantages of online advertising

2011-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

By: C. Jeanne Heida, Yahoo! Contributor Network
May 10, 2011

I'm an "old school" landlord whose idea of advertising a rental unit used to be an eye-catching ad in the local paper and an attractive sign in the front yard. While this type of marketing was effective in the past, today's young adults are more inclined to search for rental properties through online postings and social networking sites.

When one of my rentals came up vacant last week, my son suggested I advertise online using Craigslist instead of the newspaper. Craigslist is a wildly popular site that features discussion forums and free classified ads; a sort of on-line community that brings buyers, sellers, and potential roommates together from across the country.

I'm glad that I took my son's advice. Thanks to his insight my rental property was leased within 48 hours of posting my ad on Craigslist. More amazingly, I had over 25 inquiries in just the first day alone, including one from as far away as Texas.

Advertising online means that you can begin marketing your product immediately instead of waiting several days (or weeks) for an ad to show up in the classified section of the local paper. Here's a run-down of the other advantages I discovered in advertising my rental property using a social networking site:

-- No or minimal cost to advertise. Most sites are free to join which can turn into free advertising for the business owner.

-- Photograph bonus. Photographs are expensive to reproduce in print publications but are all but free online. (Sites that blend advertising & networking may have limits and/or charge a nominal fee for photographs.)

-- No word limit. Prospective tenants want details and the more the better. No word limit means we can include all those extra selling points in our postings.

-- A URL that can be shared. Online ads generate a URL, a link that we can post on other social networking sites to increase exposure of the product.

-- Simplified communication. Posting rental listings online means that questions, requests for more information, applications, and more can all be handled conveniently by email.

-- Reaches. The web reaches a market beyond the local newspaper. For prospective tenants looking to relocate, they'll tap into resources like Craigslist and other sites for a geographic listing of available properties for lease.

-- Paperless. Advertising online has the benefit of being completely paperless. Instead of printing multiple sales brochures, rental applications, and sample leases to pass out to prospective tenants, everything can be emailed which reduces waste as well as cost.

Advertising an apartment or rental on a social networking or other web site won't work in all situations, especially if your clientele includes empty nesters and retirees. But if your target market is the "under 30" crowd, you'll discover (like I did) that social networking sites will be the first places they look for rentals, roommates and more.

Original Article

4 More ways to get foot traffic to your retail store

2011-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Ways to get foot traffic to your retail store

By Jeff Wuorio

Computer mice may click, letters may be addressed and stamped, but there's still only one time-tested way to help ensure the success of your retail business.

Get customers to walk through your front door.

Driving foot traffic to a bricks-and-mortar store may seem something of a lost art, but it's no less critical to the health of your business than it ever has been. Here are seven tips to get your front door swinging.

4. Have a sale. Old fashioned? Maybe. Still, nothing beats the lure of something that's less expensive for a limited amount of time. And, while the idea of a sale may seem a bit blasé to some, technological advances have made sales events more potent than ever before. For example, if you maintain a database of customers, contact them via an e-mail newsletter to let them know of upcoming sales events and other promotions. To further boost foot traffic, urge them to pass along your e-mail to others. That's not only effective but exceedingly cost efficient, as you're not dropping money on mass mailings that only saturates the uninterested. "Offers that come with a sense of urgency are always effective to get customers to come to stores," says Irene Dickey of the University of Dayton's School of Business Administration.

5. Host a seminar or workshop. Boosting foot traffic doesn't even have to involve a direct effort to sell a product or service. These days, education is every bit as important, as consumers want to know how to get the most out of what they buy. And that makes in-house seminars and workshops powerful weapons to build foot traffic. To illustrate: If you own an accounting firm, offer free tax-cutting workshops. Sporting goods stores can consider a variety of events, from strength training clinics to nutrition seminars. But, no matter the actual event, publicize it to the hilt. "Promote the event via in-store signage, social media, fliers, ads and press releases," says Segal. "Home Depot does it and so does Williams-Sonoma. And look at how successful they are."

6. Follow up with your contacts. Even the best-planned promotional event is of little import if you fail to leverage the initial contact. Keep encouraging foot traffic by staying in touch with customers. Let them know about events that may otherwise attract little attention. Encourage them to pass along the news with friends and neighbors. "A great event is only half the battle," Smith says. "If you want consistent foot traffic, you have to follow up, then follow up some more. Send them offers, special announcements or anything you can think of to get them into your store."

7. Emphasize customer service. One advantage that a bricks-and-mortar store has over mail-order and Internet competitors is a personal relationship with customers. Special events can be terrific in building foot traffic, but what keeps customers coming back — and spreading the good word as they do — is the product knowledge and enthusiasm that can only be conveyed face to face. Things may be cheaper on the Web or via the post office, but getting to know your customers and what they value can trump those handicaps. And, in turn, can build a steady stream of foot traffic for the long haul.

- By Jeff Wuorio published on Microsoft Business

3 Ways to get more foot traffic to your retail store

2011-10-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ways to get foot traffic to your retail store

By Jeff Wuorio

Computer mice may click, letters may be addressed and stamped, but there's still only one time-tested way to help ensure the success of your retail business.

Get customers to walk through your front door.

1. Have a grand opening. Planning on opening a business in the near future? Make Day One as big a deal as possible. Provide food, offer door prizes, and serve up other enticements and entertainment to make the day memorable. And, while you're doing it, keep tabs on who shows up. "Nothing is as powerful as a grand opening to attract customers," says Robert Smith of Robert Smith and Associates, a Rockton, Ill., public relations concern. "But, once they arrive, you should collect their names and addresses or ask for their business cards."

2. Plan on holding other promotional events. Just because your business has been up and running for a while doesn't preclude celebrations that attract foot traffic. Any promotional event that draws attention can be effective. Look into an in-store raffle or giveaway, and advertise the event as widely as your budget will allow. If yours is a business that can somehow connect with a local celebrity — say, an author or sports figure — having him or her on the premises can bring in clientele. But, no matter what you do, make it sufficiently fresh and appealing. "Promotional events have to be really exciting and different; otherwise, people just won't come," says Rick Segal, author of The Retail Business Kit for Dummies.

3. Make your business newsworthy. Foot traffic on the day of an event is one thing. Attracting business beyond that 24-hour window is something else again. That's why it's important to leverage media whenever possible. For instance, donating a portion of the day's take to charity can win a flattering article in your local newspaper. Taking a completely different tack, investigate whether a radio station would be willing to broadcast live on the day of your promotional event. The key is to grab the attention of customers who can't make it in at that particular time. That drives foot traffic in the future. "The more creative the event, the more likely that a newspaper will write about it," Segal says. "And that makes it all the more likely that customers will read about it and come check it out."

- By Jess Wuorio published on Microsoft Business

Flowery product of the week

2011-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

LilaJo Etsy shop

Check this beautiful handmade Gardenia hair clip!

Fresh flowers are always our favorite... but this adorable flower is a great option!!

Wedding Inspiration

2011-09-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

Thank you Sarah at Floral Designs by Sarah for sharing these awesome pictures with us!

These beautiful arrangements were created using Eki flowers!

“When I'm inspired, I get excited because I can't wait to see what I'll come up with next.” - Dolly Parton

The joys of living in Atlanta

2011-09-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is for anyone who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, has ever lived in Atlanta, has ever visited Atlanta, ever plans to visit Atlanta, knows anyone who already lives in Atlanta, or knows anyone who has ever heard of Atlanta.

Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turnaround and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina .

All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and include the phrase, "When you see the Waffle House." except that in Cobb County, where all directions begin with, "Go to the Big Chicken."

Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be confused with:
Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Lane
Peachtree Road
Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree Run
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Commons
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Corners
New Peachtree
Old Peachtree
West Peachtree
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard

Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home. If you ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.

Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke's is the only soft drink they drink there so don't ask for any other soft drink unless it's made by Coca-Cola. Even if you want something other than a Coca-Cola, it's still called Coke.

The gates at Atlanta 's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are about 32 miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear sneakers and pack a lunch.
The 8 a.m. rush hour is from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The 5 p.m. rush hour is from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 pm. (Don’t forget the lunch time rush hour!)

Friday's rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2 a.m. Saturday.

Only a native can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is " pawntz duh LEE-awn." (Haha this is my favorite! )

And yes, they have a street named simply, "Boulevard."

The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days and it's on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and beer.

I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta which has a posted speed limit of 55 mph but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from getting run over and is known to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."

Don't believe the directional markers on highways: I-285 is marked "East" and "West" but you may be going North or South. The locals identify the direction by referring to the "Inner Loop" and the "Outer Loop ."

If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually be going southeast.

Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta . Just go to one of the interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road.

The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip.

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia .

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a couple no one has seen before.

If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites. If you notice a vine trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu.

It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy.
"Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store) - also can be pronounced "Fixinta".

Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're 2 years old.

"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
"How's Momma-nem" means: "How's Mother and all of the other children and other members of the family doing?"

- Anonymous writer

Sent to us via an email forward.

Flower product spotlight

2011-09-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Shabby Chic Flower Pillow Ruby Red Dahlia on Aqua Pillow Cover. This Pillow makes a Beautiful Accent Piece for any room! Perfect for Baby Girls through Adults. ~Flower and Cover can be made in just about any color, just contact seller! Ruby Red Flower is 3D and made from High Quality Premium Felt. Flower measures about 11"-12" in diameter and it about 3" tall. Pillow is made out of 100% Cotton. Cover made to firmly fit a standard 14" x 14" Pillow Form. Envelope Style Back, sewn firmly with extra overlap to ensure perfect fit, and no sag. ***INSERT NOT INCLUDED*** Contact seller if you would like to purchase one of our forms, extra shipping costs will apply. Can be made in larger pillow cover sizes: Pillow Covers for 16 x 16" Standard Pillow Form: $32.00 Pillow Covers for 18 x 18" Standard Pillow Form: $36.00 This Decorative Pillow Cover Removes with Ease and is Hand or Spot Washable and lay flat to air dry or tumble dry on low. THIS ITEM IS MADE TO ORDER PLEASE SEE SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CURRENT TURN AROUND TIME! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ See Shop for Other Options! Looking for a different color(s) just ask! Can be made in just about any color! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Thanks for Checking Out BedBuggs Boutique! This design is the sole property of BedBuggs Boutique and is protected internationally. YOU MAY NOT IMITATE OR RECREATE OUR DESIGNS. All violators will be prosecuted! © BedBuggs Boutique

The California fresh cut flower industry

2011-09-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

"More than 75 percent of domestically grown flowers come from California. The industry directly supports more than 10,000 jobs in the state, and contributes $10.3 billion to the U.S. economy."

The Californian.com, 9/1/11

Read the article here

Check out Eki products this month in "Groom" magazine.

2011-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Rande Miller from M&H floral designs for your wonderful work and for sharing this with us!

We love seeing your work!

Flowery product spotlight

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Simple Shapes Etsy Shop

Try out our order hotline

2011-07-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

We are always looking for better ways to serve you. Our order hotline, is our newest way to help facilitate communication with our customers. Need to tell us something real quick? Have a question? Our order hotline relays the message back to us immediately, and in approximately one hour you will receive your response or confirmation. No need to stop what you're doing to hunt down what you need or to write an email, just give use a quick ring and rest assured we will respond within an hour. (During regular business hours)

Who we think will LOVE our order hotline:
Customers that need to give us a quick message, like to add or remove something from their order.
Customers that have questions about their current orders.
Customers placing small orders.
Customers asking about a products price, or availability.
Customers that work outside of business hours and want to communicate with us.
Customers that have a request or question for the truck route or our warehouse.

So give us a ring, and let us know what you think!

What's in our cooler this week?

2011-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

These white Phaels are simply BREATHTAKING!
If you would like to have your breath taken away, please order one week in advance :)

SUMMER SPECIAL!

2011-07-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

Tired of the same old greenery?

2011-06-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Try some of our Chilean greenery !

Check out this ROSE jam we found at Buford Farmer's Market

2011-06-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Wacky, huh?

We are so psyched about the purple vandas we got in this week!!!

2011-06-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

What bride wouldn't LOVE these?

If you'd like to see these Vandas in your stock - let us know for next week!

Check it out!

2011-06-06T14:14:00.001-07:00

No standing order required, just pre-order when you need 'em!