New Years Resolutions for 2016

It's that time again, the time of year when we all contemplate our New Year's Resolutions.  What will it be this year?  Promises to lose weight, go to the gym more often, or to quit smoking, usually top the list of resolutions every year for a lot of us.  We try to do our best but every year we take on more than we can handle.  This year can be different, and this resolution can increase your well being and happiness as well as those around you.

BUY YOURSELF MORE FLOWERS!! Europeans have done this for years, they stop by a florist or flower cart and buy flowers for THEMSELVES.  Flowers are not a luxury, they are a staple, just like air and water.  A study done by Rutgers University found that having flowers in the home triggers happy emotions and have a long term positive effect on mood.  Not only do flowers visually stimulate us, they also induce memories through our sense of smell.  A beautifully scented lily wafting through the house does more to alleviate anxiety and depression than one would believe. 

If you don't feel comfortable picking up flowers for yourself, then buy flowers for others.  Nothing gives me greater joy than seeing the faces of people who are receiving a flower delivery.  Receiving flowers is a joy but it is a joy for  the giver as well.  Studies have shown that senior citizens who receive flowers suffer less confusion, less depression and feel a greater sense of community.  What a powerful gift!

So, go out there with your NEW New Years Resolution, adding flowers to your daily life or the lives of those around you!!

Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers Pewaukee

Make it Merry!

 Hosting a holiday gathering for family and friends this Christmas?  Looking for some inspiration to make your table sparkle?  Check out these dazzling fresh designs, sure to impress your guests!

This rustic wooden box overflowing with fresh pine and bright holiday blooms creates a stunning focal piece for any room.  Sprinkle a few pine cones or ornaments around for the prefect finishing touch.  When the holiday is over, the charming wood box can be re-purposed as a home decor accent!

Decking the halls with a touch of cranberries!  Deep reds and bright whites with winter greens are the perfect colors to accent a vase full of floating cranberries.  Add a few keepsake ornaments and you're got a custom flower arrangement that can create a rich look to your home for the holidays.

TULIPS in December?!  Yes, it's true.  Bank of Memories & Flowers has holiday tulips in vibrant red and bright white, sure to warm your heart on a cold winter day.  Let us help you get inspired this holiday season!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Krista Roskopf
~Manager, Menomonee Falls

The Poinsettia - A Bit of Holiday History

When we see those big, bright red blossoms, we can't help but think of Christmas!  But how did these Mexico-native plants that grow larger-than-life end up in cute little pots in our homes in Wisconsin?  Let's step back in time, all the way back to 1828, when Joel Roberts Poinsett brought the first Cuetlaxochitl plant from Mexico to the U.S. for propagation.

Poinsett was the son of a French physician and an avid botanist.  He was appointed as the first Ambassador to Mexico from the United States by President Madison. While visiting Mexico in 1828, he was amazed by these bright blooms and immediately shipped plants to his South Carolina greenhouses.   There, he grew small versions on the large tree-like plants, and gave them to family, friends, and botanical gardens.

The Cuetlaxochitl plant blooms in the winter months in Mexico, when it cools down, which coincides with the Christian holiday of Christmas.  With it's large vibrant blossoms and blooming season, the Cuetlaxochitl plant, now widely known as the Poinsettia, named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, has become the official plant of the Christmas season, and an important botanical crop, creating more than $250,000,000 in annual wholesale revenue for the industry.   The poinsettias we carry at Bank of Memories & Flowers are grown right here in the Milwaukee suburbs in greenhouses!

Today, December 12th is celebrated as National Poinsettia Day, marking the anniversary of Poinsett's passing.  We continue what Poinsett started so many years ago, giving the gift of an amazing plant as a way to spread joy and cheer throughout the season!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Wendy Kaye Walker
Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Erin & Travis

Ceremony:  St. John's Northwestern Military Academy-

                    Noble Victory Memorial Chapel, Delafield

Reception:  Golden Mast, Okauchee

Florist:        Bank of Memories & Flowers - Pewaukee

Month:        October

Erin and Travis didn't want to have the "typical" October wedding of fall colors and flowers.  They chose instead to use bright colors to match their fun personalities.  And they chose to be married in one of our favorite churches, the chapel at St. John's Military Academy.  It's English Gothic stone interior and beautiful rose window makes the chapel a beautiful ceremony location.

Erin selected flowers that would pop, since the bridesmaids dresses were a bright pink.  We designed her bouquet to have lots of color and texture which included pink stargazer lilies, orange mini calla lilies, celosia, and pin cushion proteas, magenta gladiola blossoms, purple stock, lime green button mums and hypericum berries finished with seeded eucalyptus.  Her bridemaids and flower girl carried smaller versions of Erin's bouquet. 

The gentlemen of the wedding party wore a single orange mini calla.  Travis's boutonniere featured an accent of a hot pink spray rose and green hypericum berry.  The mothers and grandmothers wore wrist corsages on rhinestone bands with a mix of orange and hot pink spray roses and green berries.

Because the chapel is so ornate, the only decor the couple chose for the church were pew decorations. Hanging vases of white hydrangeas and stargazer lilies lined both sides of the aisle, tied with bright pink satin ribbons.  After the ceremony, we transferred these vases  to the reception hall at the Golden Mast, where we placed two hanging vases into antique sewing drawers for half of the tables.  We added orange and hot pink rose petals to the remainder of the dining tables and cocktail tables.

We had so much fun working with Erin and Travis and were proud to be a part of their special day.  Congratulations from all of us at Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee!!

Luan Kurriger
Manager, Bank of Memories & Flowers - Pewaukee