VaseOff! to Bring Blooms to Children’s Hospitals

Recently, implant
I was the matron of honor in one of my best friends’ wedding. When she was planning her wedding, one of the first things she made a decision on was her flowers. She put a lot of thought into them, and they were beautiful. However I don’t think there’s such a thing as an ugly flower. All flowers are beautiful and I guess that’s why throughout life, through good times and not the good times, flowers are the best way to say the right thing even when you are at a lost for words.

Now that spring has finally arrived here in Philadelphia, I’m ready to start working on my garden. I love including my daughter in picking out which ones will go in our garden and what colors. It’s different every year. I started thinking about how flowers have always been significant through many milestones in my life.

Until the age of five, my family and I lived in a third floor apartment in southwest Philly. When my parents were shopping for our first home, I remember telling my dad I wanted a house with a yard with grass and flowers. Imagine that, just at that young age I understood the beauty of flowers. I didn’t really get to experience anything like that living in that part of the city. Although we didn’t live in a big single house with a big back yard, we did get a row home with a patch of grass in our front yard and I was happy with that.

That is why I wanted to give my children what I didn’t have. We chose a home with a backyard so we have the best of both worlds living in the city. I want my children to run around in the grass and enjoy flowers right outside of our home, things I didn’t get to experience growing up living in the city.

Another time in my life where flowers were significant was when my husband and I started dating. He would always give me a single rose. For the times he couldn’t get a hold of a single rose, he would make one out of tissue. I know it seems cheesy, but I really loved the thought. I actually still have the first real and first tissue rose he ever gave me; that’s how much they mean to me.

I love drying flowers I have received and it allows me to relive the moment when I see them. Now my daughter loves doing the same by always picking me flowers, usually they are dandelions. My car or coffee table is always covered in wilted flowers. It’s messy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I can’t imagine life without the beauty of flowers. I love looking back at proms, recitals, wedding, graduations, the birth of my children and just remembering the beautiful flowers I received. How cheerful they made me feel, and out of all the different types of flowers out there, the person that gave them to me put thought into choosing the right kind just for me. It’s amazing how different flowers can express feelings whether for a happy occasion or sad.

When was the last time you received flowers and the last time you gave flowers?

Linda Vertlieb is the blogger for FrugalPhillyMom.com, a family friendly local resource for deals, events, tips, reviews and giveaways. Linda is a mom to a girl and new baby boy and married to a Philadelphia firefighter.

Recently, implant
I was the matron of honor in one of my best friends’ wedding. When she was planning her wedding, one of the first things she made a decision on was her flowers. She put a lot of thought into them, and they were beautiful. However I don’t think there’s such a thing as an ugly flower. All flowers are beautiful and I guess that’s why throughout life, through good times and not the good times, flowers are the best way to say the right thing even when you are at a lost for words.

Now that spring has finally arrived here in Philadelphia, I’m ready to start working on my garden. I love including my daughter in picking out which ones will go in our garden and what colors. It’s different every year. I started thinking about how flowers have always been significant through many milestones in my life.

Until the age of five, my family and I lived in a third floor apartment in southwest Philly. When my parents were shopping for our first home, I remember telling my dad I wanted a house with a yard with grass and flowers. Imagine that, just at that young age I understood the beauty of flowers. I didn’t really get to experience anything like that living in that part of the city. Although we didn’t live in a big single house with a big back yard, we did get a row home with a patch of grass in our front yard and I was happy with that.

That is why I wanted to give my children what I didn’t have. We chose a home with a backyard so we have the best of both worlds living in the city. I want my children to run around in the grass and enjoy flowers right outside of our home, things I didn’t get to experience growing up living in the city.

Another time in my life where flowers were significant was when my husband and I started dating. He would always give me a single rose. For the times he couldn’t get a hold of a single rose, he would make one out of tissue. I know it seems cheesy, but I really loved the thought. I actually still have the first real and first tissue rose he ever gave me; that’s how much they mean to me.

I love drying flowers I have received and it allows me to relive the moment when I see them. Now my daughter loves doing the same by always picking me flowers, usually they are dandelions. My car or coffee table is always covered in wilted flowers. It’s messy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I can’t imagine life without the beauty of flowers. I love looking back at proms, recitals, wedding, graduations, the birth of my children and just remembering the beautiful flowers I received. How cheerful they made me feel, and out of all the different types of flowers out there, the person that gave them to me put thought into choosing the right kind just for me. It’s amazing how different flowers can express feelings whether for a happy occasion or sad.

When was the last time you received flowers and the last time you gave flowers?

Linda Vertlieb is the blogger for FrugalPhillyMom.com, a family friendly local resource for deals, events, tips, reviews and giveaways. Linda is a mom to a girl and new baby boy and married to a Philadelphia firefighter.

Last Spring, tadalafil
my son ran up to me outside with a small yellow flower in his grip. He had a huge smile as he thrust his hand in my face. Though it was just a dandelion he realized, medicine
at the age of 2, disorder
that flowers make me extremely happy.

I fawned over the flower saying how pretty it was and pretending to smell it. He spent about 15 minutes picking me more until I had a whole bunch. I brought the flowers home and put them in a tiny vase next to my kitchen sink, and every time I looked at them, I was brought back to that beautiful sunny day and the memories that were made.

Last year, the Society of American Florists (SAF) started a series of online floral design challenges to showcase the creativity and talent of florists. Each VaseOff! Challenge held a specific theme — wedding, beach, and Christmas — with four florists from across the country competing in each challenge to be the fan favorite.

The next VaseOff! Challenge is particularly exciting to me. SAF challenged four new florist contestants to design a Mother’s Day arrangement.

The assignment: They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are personal maids, chefs, nurses, chauffeurs, bank machines, tutors, organizers, cheerleaders and confidants. And that’s all before dinner. You may mistake them for superheroes, but we just call them mom. And that’s why every May, we devote a day just for them and everything they do. Nothing expresses feelings better than flowers, so for this Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge, SAF asked its florist contestants to create arrangements designed to appreciate, pamper and celebrate the busy on-the-go mom. 

The Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge contestants are:

• Chelle Gerhardt of Shirley’s Flowers Inc., in Rogers, Ark.
• Rowena Johnson of Rochette’s Florist, in Farmville , Va.
• Tom Kenison of Crossroads Florist in Mahwah , N.J.
• Beth McCampbell of Bloomtastic Flowers and Events in Columbus, Ohio

These talented contestants have submitted their floral works of art, and SAF is putting the finishing touches on the pages where we can view their masterpieces. Their designs will be posted right here on this blog and we will be invited to cast our vote to help select the winning design. Voting will be open April 22 – May 6. Their designs surely will inspire all of us to give admiration and love to all the mothers in our lives — your mom, wife, mother-in-law, other relatives and friends — this Mother’s Day.

I love my son’s dandelion bouquets with all my heart, but I can’t wait to see what the professional florists create! To make sure you don’t miss out on this Mother’s Day challenge, Like www.facebook.com/AboutFlowers and follow http://twitter.com/flowerfactor to stay updated.

Alicia Peiffer is the mom of two preschool-aged boys. She blogs at Making Time For Mommy about parenting children with Special Needs, causes she supports and products she recommends. She is the coordinator of cbSocially for Collective Bias where she spends her days immersed in social media. She enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, drinking Starbucks and list making.

Recently, implant
I was the matron of honor in one of my best friends’ wedding. When she was planning her wedding, one of the first things she made a decision on was her flowers. She put a lot of thought into them, and they were beautiful. However I don’t think there’s such a thing as an ugly flower. All flowers are beautiful and I guess that’s why throughout life, through good times and not the good times, flowers are the best way to say the right thing even when you are at a lost for words.

Now that spring has finally arrived here in Philadelphia, I’m ready to start working on my garden. I love including my daughter in picking out which ones will go in our garden and what colors. It’s different every year. I started thinking about how flowers have always been significant through many milestones in my life.

Until the age of five, my family and I lived in a third floor apartment in southwest Philly. When my parents were shopping for our first home, I remember telling my dad I wanted a house with a yard with grass and flowers. Imagine that, just at that young age I understood the beauty of flowers. I didn’t really get to experience anything like that living in that part of the city. Although we didn’t live in a big single house with a big back yard, we did get a row home with a patch of grass in our front yard and I was happy with that.

That is why I wanted to give my children what I didn’t have. We chose a home with a backyard so we have the best of both worlds living in the city. I want my children to run around in the grass and enjoy flowers right outside of our home, things I didn’t get to experience growing up living in the city.

Another time in my life where flowers were significant was when my husband and I started dating. He would always give me a single rose. For the times he couldn’t get a hold of a single rose, he would make one out of tissue. I know it seems cheesy, but I really loved the thought. I actually still have the first real and first tissue rose he ever gave me; that’s how much they mean to me.

I love drying flowers I have received and it allows me to relive the moment when I see them. Now my daughter loves doing the same by always picking me flowers, usually they are dandelions. My car or coffee table is always covered in wilted flowers. It’s messy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I can’t imagine life without the beauty of flowers. I love looking back at proms, recitals, wedding, graduations, the birth of my children and just remembering the beautiful flowers I received. How cheerful they made me feel, and out of all the different types of flowers out there, the person that gave them to me put thought into choosing the right kind just for me. It’s amazing how different flowers can express feelings whether for a happy occasion or sad.

When was the last time you received flowers and the last time you gave flowers?

Linda Vertlieb is the blogger for FrugalPhillyMom.com, a family friendly local resource for deals, events, tips, reviews and giveaways. Linda is a mom to a girl and new baby boy and married to a Philadelphia firefighter.

Last Spring, tadalafil
my son ran up to me outside with a small yellow flower in his grip. He had a huge smile as he thrust his hand in my face. Though it was just a dandelion he realized, medicine
at the age of 2, disorder
that flowers make me extremely happy.

I fawned over the flower saying how pretty it was and pretending to smell it. He spent about 15 minutes picking me more until I had a whole bunch. I brought the flowers home and put them in a tiny vase next to my kitchen sink, and every time I looked at them, I was brought back to that beautiful sunny day and the memories that were made.

Last year, the Society of American Florists (SAF) started a series of online floral design challenges to showcase the creativity and talent of florists. Each VaseOff! Challenge held a specific theme — wedding, beach, and Christmas — with four florists from across the country competing in each challenge to be the fan favorite.

The next VaseOff! Challenge is particularly exciting to me. SAF challenged four new florist contestants to design a Mother’s Day arrangement.

The assignment: They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are personal maids, chefs, nurses, chauffeurs, bank machines, tutors, organizers, cheerleaders and confidants. And that’s all before dinner. You may mistake them for superheroes, but we just call them mom. And that’s why every May, we devote a day just for them and everything they do. Nothing expresses feelings better than flowers, so for this Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge, SAF asked its florist contestants to create arrangements designed to appreciate, pamper and celebrate the busy on-the-go mom. 

The Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge contestants are:

• Chelle Gerhardt of Shirley’s Flowers Inc., in Rogers, Ark.
• Rowena Johnson of Rochette’s Florist, in Farmville , Va.
• Tom Kenison of Crossroads Florist in Mahwah , N.J.
• Beth McCampbell of Bloomtastic Flowers and Events in Columbus, Ohio

These talented contestants have submitted their floral works of art, and SAF is putting the finishing touches on the pages where we can view their masterpieces. Their designs will be posted right here on this blog and we will be invited to cast our vote to help select the winning design. Voting will be open April 22 – May 6. Their designs surely will inspire all of us to give admiration and love to all the mothers in our lives — your mom, wife, mother-in-law, other relatives and friends — this Mother’s Day.

I love my son’s dandelion bouquets with all my heart, but I can’t wait to see what the professional florists create! To make sure you don’t miss out on this Mother’s Day challenge, Like www.facebook.com/AboutFlowers and follow http://twitter.com/flowerfactor to stay updated.

Alicia Peiffer is the mom of two preschool-aged boys. She blogs at Making Time For Mommy about parenting children with Special Needs, causes she supports and products she recommends. She is the coordinator of cbSocially for Collective Bias where she spends her days immersed in social media. She enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, drinking Starbucks and list making.

Last year, prescription the Society of American Florists (SAF) started a fun series of floral design challenges to showcase the creativity and talent of florists. Each VaseOff! Challenge held a specific theme — wedding, there beach, and Christmas — with four florists from across the country competing to be the fan favorite.

To kick off 2013, SAF is hosting a very special Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge with four more talented florists creating arrangements to delight the busy, on-the-go mom. What makes this challenge so wonderful is that SAF has partnered with four children’s hospitals across the country:

• Seattle Children’s Hospital
• Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia
• Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa

Like past VaseOff! Challenges, the floral designs made by the florist contestants will be displayed here, and voting will be open from April 22 – May 6, 2013. Because of the charity element, four mom bloggers were chosen – myself included – to help promote the challenge and encourage readers to get family, friends and online communities involved to reach a total of 5,000 “Likes.” If this goal is achieved — and I’m confident it will be — florists and bloggers will deliver vases of flowers on behalf of SAF to patients and their moms at the partner children’s hospitals.

I’m proud to be a part of the Mother’s Day VaseOff! Challenge because, as a mom, I know the importance of flowers and how they can make even the darkest day a little bit brighter. One of the toughest jobs in the world has to be taking care of a sick child — the strength these families have is immeasurable, and I look forward to bringing smiles to these deserving moms.

Stefanie Fauquet is the owner and editor of the mom and lifestyle blog, MommyMusings.com. For the past seven years, she has shared her adventures of life, food and travel — basically all of her favorite things — with readers near and far. Stefanie is mom to an 8-year-old daughter, and she resides with her family in the Tampa Bay area.