Bloomin' Blog

A Giving Boss’s Day with FSN

October 16, 2013 by Ed Belly Leave a Comment

Boss’s Day was a roaring success at the FSN offices, and for more than just our bosses!

The sales department decided to do something a little different this year to honor Brock and Loranne, the owners of Flower Shop Network. Because our owners are such generous people, the sales department chose to do something that embraced their spirit, something that went beyond the walls of our offices and reached out into the community.

Our local Backpack Food Program collects non-perishable food from the community and businesses in the area and delivers it to local schools, fills backpacks with the collected food and distributes it to children of needy families. This year, as a Boss’s Day tribute, every member of the sales department brought food from home to make a sizable contribution in the name of our owners and sales managers. Way to go, guys!

Here is a photo of the contribution in total. Looks like a lot of meals gathered up there. [Read more…]

Avoid the Hidden Cost of Online Images

October 16, 2013 by Ed Belly 3 Comments

Just like everyone else, I like to spruce up my blog posts and news articles with a few images. After all, who wants to read block after block of text with no visuals to break it up? Nobody, that’s who.

So after I compose a brilliant (even if only to me) article, the next logical step is to search for an equally brilliant image to complement. Easy right? Not exactly. While Google has made things simple by adding an images archive for us to pour through, those images are often copyrighted, and using them without permission could result in some stiff penalties!

Online Does Not Equal Free

Just because an image is posted online does not mean that it is free and clear to be used. Contrary to popular belief, that is not what the law means when it says “public domain”. In this context, public domain means that the copyright has run out and was not renewed or was inapplicable to begin with. It has no bearing on where the image is located or discovered. A photographer who posts his pictures online has just as much right to be compensated for their display as one who sells them in a gallery.

This means that it is NOT okay to right-click any image you see, save it to your hard drive and upload it to your blog or website. If you do, the copyright holder can request you take it down, send you a bill, hire a lawyer to draft a cease and desist order and/or take you to court to sue for damages! And no, attribution* will not save you. Nobody wants to be stuck paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for use of some erroneous image they only snagged because it looked good and helped illustrate their point.

Is There No Such Thing as Free Images?

Do not despair; there is hope! I’m not going to slap your hand and walk away, that’s not how this blog operates. Now that I’ve told you why it’s bad to grab random images, let me tell you where to go in order to find some images you can use. I should first say that these sites are not perfect and it’s possible to run across a copyrighted image here. However, your chances of avoiding them are much better than just pulling something you found randomly.

Also, it is a good idea to attribute back to the site you used at the bottom of your post. Some of these sites don’t require attribution*, but it’s just polite. You should ALWAYS read any disclaimers or policies around the photo or site you are using. They are pretty short, and it will be time well spent.

Free Images Online

morgueFile – Free photos. Need I say more?
Creativity103 – Photos, designs, and videos.
pixel perfect digital – Free stock photography. This site does require attribution*!
Photo Pin – Free photos!
openclipart – Free clip art!
pixabay – An outlet to both share and find free images.
stock.xchng – Free photos!
Creative Commons – This site is a collaborative page for creatives of all types. You can find images, text, and even videos with a varying level of copyright. Creative Commons offers free copyright licenses to creatives who would like to share their work on limited terms.

As you can see, there are plenty of places you can go online to find what you need. It’s true that many of these sites post images by amateur photographers or have photos that the pay sites have already rejected. That doesn’t necessarily mean that these images are bad, but they may not be up to the same level of quality as images for which payment is required. You know the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” Still, there are some good amateurs out there, and every professional started out as one, so don’t discount the option of finding something you can use here.

Using online images is a dicey proposition, but hopefully this post helped you to see some of the pitfalls and provided you with a few options to avoid them. If you have any suggestions or know of another quality free site I didn’t list here, put it in the comments below!

All images are courtesy of morgueFile.

*Attribution is the act of giving credit to the site from which you uploaded your photos. The morgueFile link is an example of attribution.

Filed Under: Floral Industry News, Florists Only, Marketing Tips Tagged With: Marketing Tips

All the Leaves on My Gardenia are Dying and Falling Off

October 15, 2013 by Ed Belly Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: All the leaves on my Gardenia house plant are dying and falling off.

The Gardenia’s leaves are turning yellow on the outer edges then turning brown in the middle and falling off. What is the problem and how can it be corrected? – Cleo

Plant Expert Reply:

Cleo,

Yellowing leaves can be a result of many different issues including fungus, insects, nematodes, insufficient light, temperature changes, over-watering or under watering. It can also simply be a result of the natural aging process. The oldest leaves of a Gardenia often turn yellow and fall off. To correctly diagnose the problem, I will need to know a little bit about the plant’s environment.

Is the problem occurring on lower older leaves of the plant?

Has the light, temperature or watering changed recently?

Do you see any webbing or signs of insects on the plant? You might need a magnifying glass to see the insects.

If you could send me a photo of the leaves that are yellowing that would be helpful. Once we diagnose the problem it should be very easy to correct.

Sincerely

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert

Sorority Life: The Perfect Gift for Your Little

October 14, 2013 by Shelbi Raysor Leave a Comment

Bid Day is that happy day when sororities welcome new sisters into their chapter. Bid Day begins a countdown to the most glorious week for all new members, Big and Little reveal! Big and Little reveal comes once a year, and with as many presents as these Littles receive – license plates, t-shirts, jewelry, pass-downs and many more – it’s no wonder they call it Christmas!

It’s easy to spoil your Little before you know her. But I am here to help you do it RIGHT!

Very Special Delivery

One Classy Family [Read more…]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas Tagged With: Giving Flowers, Sorority Gifts

Ask the Expert: What Flower is This?

October 12, 2013 by Ed Belly

Ask the Expert: What flower is this?

What flower is this? The stem is long and slender. The buds are shown in the picture. The piston is short.

Thank you, Hyunmee

Plant Expert Reply:

Hyunmee,

It looks like something from the Malvaceae family, but I can’t be sure with only the flower photo. Can you send me a picture of the leaves and stalk?

Sincerely,

Jamie

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert

Friday Florist Recap 10/5 – 10/11: Fantastic Florals

October 11, 2013 by Ed Belly Leave a Comment

This week showcases some truly brilliant arrangements from florists all across the country! North, South, East or West, it doesn’t matter. Talented florists will express their creativity in the most gorgeous ways! Scroll down to see some of the most beautiful arrangements of the week!

Stunning Wedding Flowers

Wedding Bouquet from Deep Roots Floral and Wedding Design in Grovetown, GA

Corsage from Jocelyn’s Floral, INC in Cedar City, UT

A cascading bouquet from Wilma’s Flowers in Jasper, AL [Read more…]

Filed Under: Floral Design, Florists Only Tagged With: Facebook Friday, Floral Design, Flower Pictures, Sympathy Flowers, Wedding Flowers

Posey Peddler – A Florist Improving Customer Service!

October 10, 2013 by Juli Jackson Leave a Comment

As part of Customer Service Week, (October 7th-11th) we wanted to share with you one of our members who is working hard to boost customer service and sales in their flower shop.

A Local Florist Taking Action

Bridgette Mills Arnold, a 30 year veteran of the floral industry, is the owner of Posey Peddler in Joneboro, Arkansas. The shop has been a fixture in the Jonesboro area since 1998 and serves the local community with custom gifts, flowers, plants and home decor.

Recently Bridgette brought in customer service and sales guru Tim Huckabee of Floral Strategies to conduct a workshop with her employees.

Why Floral Strategies?

Floral Strategies is the only on-site training program in the entire floral industry that teaches critically important customer care skills. This specific training empowers flower shop workers to give extraordinary customer service. As you can guess, this makes for happy clients that keep coming back.

Celebrate The Learning Experience!

FSN visited this bustling flower shop during their training seminar. Check out this video of Posey Peddler’s day with Tim Huckabee.

FSN Members: CLICK HERE to login & learn more ways to improve customer service and sales with specific tips from Tim Huckabee.

October Newsletter: “Boo”-licious Fun!

October 10, 2013 by Ed Belly Leave a Comment

Say “Boo!” to someone special this year! Halloween is creeping ever closer. How are you celebrating this year? Treat-or-treating with the kids? Dressing up for a costume party? Or cuddling on the couch with a spooky flick? However you spend your All Hallow’s Eve, be sure to share the enchantment of one of the best holidays of the year with flowers! Florists produce all manner of holiday-themed items and Halloween is no different. From the living pumpkin vase to the eerie, spiderweb-enhanced arrangement, there is no end to the wonders they can produce. So this October 31st, remember that Halloween home decoration and setting the tone for your blow-out costume party have to start with a phone call to your local florist. Happy Halloween!

Bring On The Pink In October!

This month you might notice things turning a little more pink than usual. That’s because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Wearing and sharing the color pink is a way to raise awareness and express moral support to women with breast cancer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Newsletters Tagged With: Boss's Day Gift Ideas, Floral Industry News, Florist Spotlights, Halloween Flowers, Newsletters, Sweetest Day Flowers

Ask the Expert: What Plant is This?

October 10, 2013 by Ed Belly

Ask the Expert: please identify this plant.

Found at our neighbors house. We live in Colorado, and it attracted bumble bees. Intriguing plant!

Plant Expert Reply:

Dani,

Thank you for submitting your plant Id question to the Bloomin Blog. I apologize for the delay in my reply. I think the plant is a type of Cerinthe – maybe Cerinthe major. Please take a look at the plant in this picture and tell me if it looks similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cerinthe_major.JPG.

If not could you get a close-up picture of the flowers and the foliage?

Thanks

Jamie

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert

A Halloween without Flowers? Spooky!

October 10, 2013 by Ed Belly Leave a Comment

Halloween is the best time of year for scares, but trying to celebrate this annual homage to fright without mood-setting florals? That’s downright spooky! Flowers should be an integral part of any Halloween celebration, and I’m going to give you three exciting reasons to head out to your local florist right now!

3 Reasons to Find a Florist for Halloween

The ‘Mum’kin – That’s right folks, a living pumpkin filled with mums. Or, for the slightly more daring florist, a living pumpkin covered with mums!

Once you’ve seen it, you’ll realize that no Halloween party can be complete without one of these floral masterpieces. And if you’re attending a Halloween party, the mumkin makes the perfect hostess gift!

Set the Dark and Scary Mood – Flowers are not only capable of providing that spooky visual decoration we all crave on Halloween, they can also provide a distinctive scent to titillate the nostrils!

Your local florist will know exactly what flowers to provide for the look and smell you’re trying to achieve. Want flowers that look dark and brooding? Can do! Need some blossoms that smell musty or dry to set off your haunted house? With enough notice, even that is possible! There is no end to the exciting effects you can achieve with a little desire, creativity and a phone call to your local florist!

Halloween Themed Fairy Garden – For those of you who only use florists on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter, you may be unaware of your local florists ability to create artistic and amazing arrangements unconnected to those holidays. One of those creative arrangements is called a fairy garden.

This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but the most common is to use a potted plant and arrange small furniture and other items under the leaves so that it appears fairies use the plant for a garden. Think of it as a type of diorama. Now imagine using tiny tombstones, wispy, cotton ghosts and a miniature iron rail. Oh yeah, Halloween party gold!

Halloween is full of candy, laughs and all-around fun. And if there’s one thing that florists know, it’s how to help their clients have fun! So when going over your Halloween party list, don’t forget to contact your local florist. They will have some spooktacular ideas to ensure you have the best decorations in town!

Not sure where to find your local florist? Click here and we’ll help you find one!

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Holiday Info Tagged With: Halloween Flowers, Halloween Party, Holiday Flowers, October Flowers, October Holidays

A Giving Boss’s Day with FSN