Hooray for the USA!

Summer is here. Kids are out of school, work atire is a bit more casual, and weekends are filled with trips to the beach, backyard barbecues, and family fun. June is coming to a close and we are getting ready to kick off July with patriotic spirit!

 

 

 

John Adams was the first to describe how Independence Day would be celebrated in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776. He described "pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations" throughout the United States. Sounds a lot like our modern celebrations... except we tend to have a lot more food and too much to drink ;) And around Steins we of course include flowers!

 

To get into the spirit we've transformed our shop window display (it seems like graduation was there for only a minute) into a patriotic panorama of tried-and-true red, white and blue!

 

 

We draped a flag from the ceiling... which was quite the adventure! Not only did we have to look up proper flag hanging etiquette (the field of stars is to face to the left when viewed from the street when hung in a window) but working a ladder into our tight space was also interesting... Most importantly, no one was hurt.

 

 

 

We dressed our mannequin in a pretty white Summer dress and added a nationalistic red, white and blue sash finished at the back with a big bow and flowing streamers. A couple of long red necklaces, a big patriotic corsage, and a pocket full of flags complete our 4th of July ensamble.

 

 

Our fashionable country chair was upcycled from an old wooden chair that was on it's way to the dump. We painted it and then distressed it to give it a shabby chic look and recoved the seat with an old tattered flag. And what's more American than a simple brown Teddy bear?

 

 

 

We finished the window with flowers and plants, more Americana, some stars and stripes, and... is that Bo Obama? We had a nice time putting together the display and we are looking forward to celebrating the holiday. Now lets see some fireworks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely is the Rose

Rainbow Roses

June is National Rose Month, so to celebrate we wanted to share 30 (one for each day) of our favorite original rose photos taken by us, Stein Your Florist Co.





Orange Roses



Gold Strike Roses

Pink Spray Roses

Sterling Roses

High and Yellow Roses

 

Pink and White Garden Roses

Freedom Rose

We are fortunate to be surrounded by roses, the world’s most popular flower, every day. We import literally thousands of roses each week and tens of thousands during the peak floral holidays of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.





Peach Roses

Not only are they popular, there are over 15,000 varieties of roses cultivated across the world, including ones named for Barbara Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rosie O'Donnell!





Priceless Roses





Roses are valued for their romantic symbolism, but their blooms are also edible and some have flavors like green apples and strawberries.

Black Magic Roses

Cool Water Roses

 Jennifer, Stein’s self-appointed floral Goddess, has sampled more than a few rose petals… “some taste dandelion greens, while others taste like you accidentally sprayed perfume in your mouth. All make [her] throat itchy, even those grown organically.”



Charlotte Roses

During the Victorian era ladies would serve rose petal sandwiches at their tea parties and sometimes even use the petals or flower buds to flavor their teas. Yum!



Sweet Akito Roses

In France, rose syrup is extracted from the petals of roses and it is used to make tasty treats such as rose scones and marshmallows. Our favorite use of rose syrup is in cocktails, figures ;)

Twinkle Bride Roses



Rose hips, the fruit of the rose plant, are a wonderful source of vitamin C. They are sometimes used to make jam, jelly or marmalade. Rose hip seed oil is used in various skin and makeup products. And a particular variety of rose hips has some medicinal uses too, especially in traditional Chinese medicine for stomach problems. Rose hips are even under investigation for controlling cancer growth.



White Roses

Rose perfumes, made from the attar of roses (the oil extracted from the petals), smell amazing and are one of our favorite scents. Who doesn’t want to smell like roses?



Blue Rose Bouquet

Around the flower shop, aside from the occasional petal tasting, we use our roses for artistic and ornamental purposes. In our 125 years in the floral industry, roses have always been our biggest seller. From a single stem for a first date to dozens upon dozens filling vases in the honeymoon suite, roses are simply perfect. Ancient symbols of love and beauty, roses lend themselves to an array of floral design techniques.



Yellow Spray Roses

A final florist tip:  if you receive roses with thorns, leave them; removing the thorns wounds the stem. The more wounds there are, the more likely the flower's life will be shortened.

Blush Pink Rose

"Barking" the stem ruins the vessels that transport water up the stem to refresh the flower and creates an opening through which bacteria can enter. If you must remove a thorn, it's best to remove just a small piece of the pointy tip (and trust us, they can be very pointy). So be careful of those thorns and enjoy the beauty of the rose.

Leonidas "Rootbeer" Roses

Wild One Roses

The world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends. ~Persian Proverb



Advenire Roses



Orange Spray Roses

Green Tea Roses

Classy Cezan

To see more beautiful rose pictures, follow our Pinterest board, Lovely is the Rose.



Blue Bird Roses



Amnesia Roses



Red Intuition Roses



Confetti Roses



Congratulations Class of 2012!

It’s mid June 2012, the weather is getting warm, the sun shines late into the evening, gardens are flourishing, and students are graduating. It’s time for another class of thinkers, doers, dreamers and achievers to take that next step… From elementary school, junior high, high school and college; students are moving forward into bigger and better things!

The last couple of days at the flower shops have been a flurry of activity and we’re not through yet. Local elementary schools order corsages and boutonnieres for their graduates by the hundreds and proud parents come in in droves for dramatic presentation bouquets for their smart students. Our designers have made thousands of fluffy bows in school colors for a last showing of school spirit!

At our Burlington, NJ location, Steins at Sunset Florist, we have transformed our front window display into a tribute to the graduating class. Employees loaned a few key props, like a cap, gown and stole, a diploma, a degree, and a TON of text books, and we put together the rest. Our concept is, that after all the years of studying and hard work it’s time to see the wonderful world you are now ready to be a contributing member of. Maps and globes harken back to all those geography lessons, now put to good use with a packed bag, ready for sight-seeing.

Our imaginary graduate’s imaginary school colors are burgundy, blue, and gold (a mix taken from a few of our local schools). We’ve trimmed the cap in bright blooms for an extra bit of fun and designed a presentation bouquet to give to our student after the ceremony. Sunny yellow flowers in the background accent the stole and add a joyful feel with their brilliance.

Globes, maps, binoculars, cameras and a trunk spilling forth with scarves have our student ready to begin life’s next journey. The stack of weighty text books is most definitely to be left behind, a glass head donning the graduate’s cap sits atop them, the mind now filled with their knowledge.

Years of lessons and lectures, friendships and memories culminate on commencement day. Remember that commencement is a beginning, a start, not an end. Tom Brokaw said, “You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.”

Congratulations class of 2012!! You are destined for great things!

Let's Pin!

Pinterest is popping up everywhere… we’ve been hearing about it on tv, reading about it in blogs and magazines, and everyone is buzzing about it at the shop! Well what is it? It’s awesome, that’s what it is!!

Seriously though, according to Wikipedia, Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections and/or 'like' photos. Pinterest's mission is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting" via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing. Pinterest allows its users to share 'pins' on both Twitter and Facebook, which allows users to share and interact with a broad community.

So basically, rather than tearing out magazine pages of the things you love and saving them in judiciously organized binders… Or carefully copying the recipes you want to try into your cookbook… Or even keeping those messy folders of poorly titled favorites at the top right-hand corner of your internet browser, you can simply use Pinterest. Pinterest allows you to organize all the things you love via pictures, which neatly link back to their source, to enjoy whenever you like, as well as, share them with all your friends and online family (and you check out all the cool things they like too).

We have to say, we’re very impressed with Pinterest… Not just with how simple it is to use, but how practical it is in this digital, go- green, social age and especially with how remarkable all the things people pin are! We have seen some stunning photography, great DIY ideas, trendy fashions, and so much more! Well we are not going to let all this awesomeness pass us by!! We have launched our own Pinterest page to share the great things that we love. Stop on by for a visit and let’s pin! Need an invite? Send us an email at steinyourflorist@aol.com and we’ll be sure to send you one, happy pinning!

Shopping Green

Upcycled handmade notepads made
from vintage Monopoly game
pieces by Stein Your Florist Co. 

“Our planet, our home is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated. It seems there's a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it's time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won't wait!”

This powerful statement is from the Earth Day Network, which is committed to diversifying and mobilizing the modern environmental movement. At Stein Your Florist Co. we love the Earth, it gives us the wonderful gift of flowers! This Earth Day, and everyday,  we want to share a few simple shopping tips that are sure to make the Earth happy :)

Complete the loop, buy recycled!



Handmade upcycled greeting card gift boxes
by Stein Your Florist Co.

Recycling is a 3-step process. That’s why the recycling symbol has 3 arrows that complete a loop. The 1st step is collection – that’s when you put your recyclables into your curbside recycling bin or take them to the drop-off center. The 2nd step is manufacturing – that’s when they’re processed into raw materials to make new products. The 3rd step is buying recycled – that’s when you complete the recycling loop. Even better is to buy upcycled products.

Handmade upcycled gift bows made from
magazine pages by Stein Your Florist Co.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. Upcycling tends to avoid manufacturing processes that can be environmentally detrimental and you always get a wonderful product and interesting conversation piece.

Go Green and Buy Handmade!

Upcycled and handmade shirt pillows, reusable
cloth napkins and hand towels, and fair trade journals
covered  in sari cloth scraps by Stien Your Florist Co.

The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production. We love handmade products… we’ve been hand making beautiful flower arrangements for 125 years! Wonder if Abraham and Bertha Stein realized way back in 1887 that they were part of a green movement when they opened Steins…

Handmade flower arrangement in a
recycled glass vase designed with
organic flowers by Stein Your Florist Co.

Go green and buy organic!

Keep chemicals out of the air, water, soil and our bodies. Have a healthier happier life and a more diverse, healthier, greener planet! We love when we get in organically grown flowers and shop for them whenever we can.

Buy air purifying plants!


Handmade terrarium planted with air
purifying plants in a vintage pickle jar
by Stein Your Florist Co.

Indoor air contamination is more wide spread then most people realize! The good news is that NASA studies found that common houseplants were able to remove up to 87% of air toxins in 24 hrs! The recommendation? Use 15 to 18 "good-sized" house plants in 6” to 8” diameter containers for a 1,800 sq ft house.

Shop antiques, collectables, and vintage items!

Vintage pottery at Stein Your Florist Co.

It reduces the impact of big industry’s creation of new items and reuses or repurposes these wonderful treasures, giving them a second life, and keeping them out of landfills. When we cleaed out a location we used to have on Front Street in Philadelphia we found thousands of vintage ceramics and collectibles that Steins bought in the 40's, 50's and 60's. We are now sharing these treasures... woderful pieces from McCoy, Roseville, and Occupied Japan pieces.

Buying fair trade is socially & ecologically responsible!


Fair trade recycled wrapper purse and fair trade
gourd maracas at Stein Your Florist Co.

Purchasing fair trade products helps producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions & promote sustainability. It advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as high social and environmental standards.

Fair trade telephone wire bangles at
Stein Your Florist Co.

We love carrying an array of unique handmade fair trade products from around the world, including Africa, India, Mexico and parts of Asia. We also make every effort to purchase fair trade flowers whenever we can... it's just the right thing to do and the quality is always perfect!

Handmade all natural soy Wickie
Candles at Stein Your Florist Co.

All the products you see in this post can be found at Stein Your Florist Co. and Steins at Sunset Florist. Stop in one of our stores today to see all our awesome eco-treasures!