What’s “hot” for wedding flowers in 2008 June 25, 2008

So what’s hot in 2008 for upcoming brides to be? Let’s start off by looking at the colours monopolizing weddings in 2007, and see what 2008 has in store for us. In 2007, the “in” colours for weddings were burnt orange and brown hues. Trendsetters are forecasting slightly different colours for 2008. The trends for 2008-2009 were unveiled at the AIFD’s (American Institute of Floral Design) “The Edge of Paradise” Symposium in Palm Desert in the summer of 2007. At that time, with the input from leading floral stylists and floral product designers, they arrived at the 2008 floral forecast.
“Habitat”, now a days more people are earth conscious, being “green” was the new “in thing” for 2007, but it has become even more populate and has dominated the trend market again this year! “Habitat” provides a restful, serene and studious environment that communicates one’s ecological values, respecting the delicate balance between the Earth and its people.
“Nocturne” exudes luxury and opulence with a darker edge. This provocative, urban palette is inspired by haute couture and celebrity culture. Lustrous hues of grayed purples, plums and roses combine in overflowing arrangements that bring together deeply colored flowers with powerful silhouettes.
A tranquil, calming aura floats through “Whisper,” with neutral, hushed tones of creams, grays and blues. Stronger earth tones, such as brown and charcoal, provide a base, and a hint of dusty coral and shimmery copper add punch.
“Nomad” sees bright colours of tribal handicrafts from around the globe populate this trend, from golden oranges and saturated blues to deep fuschias and browntinged reds.
“Chinoiserie” features a midtone color palette encompassing dominant pink-toned reds as well as lighter purples and greens as complements. “Chinoiserie” offers a new take on cultured style and beauty with its exotic sophistication.

So what can brides to be organizing probably the most important day of their lives adopt to fit these new trends without breaking the bank do? Start off by cutting the expensive costs of wedding flowers! The trend among new brides is to buy wholesale flowers in bulk from online sources like Flowers Wholesale (http://flowerswholesale.ca/) and create their own arrangements for that special day. The Do It Yourself wedding is becoming more and more popular throughout the wedding industry. On average, brides spend 8% of their total wedding budget on their wedding flowers. This can mean spending up to $1,000 to $4,000 for flowers alone! Many brides adopting the Do It Yourself wedding flowers are finding it easier to adapt to the marketplace trends, while still adding their personal touch by creating their own wedding flower arrangements.

The joy of ordering wholesale flowers is that they are fresh cut, shipped directly from the grower, last much longer as they are often in transit for less time than florists’ flowers, and the best part: brides can customize their floral design and arrangement any way they please with the flowers that they want.
So brides to be, here is your chance to be “in with the times” when it comes to 2008 trends, and not spending eternity paying off that big day!

Unique Twists on Housewarming Gifts June 5, 2008

It’s that time of the year, with the housing industry booming, many people are buying their first homes. The excitement of such a large commitment is often celebrated with House warming parties, to celebrate the transition into the newly acquired home. Consider alternatives to picture frames, candles, and kitchen appliances that other guests have most likely purchased. Next time you’re thinking of what to buy as a housewarming gift, here are some unique ideas that will please any homeowner.

Personalize it.

ü Is she a coffee lover?

Surprise the coffee lovers in your life with a sensational gift basket containing everything they need to enjoy a luxurious coffee break! Try baskets that contain a variety of coffees or teas such as:

-Espresso Black Coffee
-Private Label Bloomex Coffee
-Napoleon Mozart Coffee
-Pack of Instant Coffee
-Flavored Colombian Coffee
-Ground Espresso Coffee
-Premium Chocolate Bar
-Assorted Chocolate Truffles
-Premium Dark Chocolate Bar

ü Is she a chocolate lover?

For the chocolate-lover on your list, look no further than a decadent basket full of the good stuff. Look for baskets that have gourmet wafer, almonds, chocolate and truffles.

These are just some items a chocolate lover’s gift basket should include:
-Extra Large Box of Premium Chocolate
-Assorted Belgian Truffle
-Large Chocolate Cookies
-Chocolate Classic Truffles
-Milk Chocolate Bar
-Dark Chocolate Bar
-Hazelnut Chocolate Bar
-Premium Imported Chocolate Bar
-Cookies Double Chocolate
-Nut Chocolate Bar
-Assorted Premium Chocolate Cookie
-Box of Premium Truffles
-Chocolate Covered Cookie Sticks

ü A healthy alternative…a fruit basket!

This delicious gift should start with a bountiful collection of all time favorite fruits. Packed full with fresh and exotic premium quality fruits such as.

· Green D’Anjou Pears
· Red D’Anjou Pear
· Fuji Apples
· Strawberries
· Royal Navel Oranges
· Large Pineapple
· Extra Large Plums
· Premium Peaches
· Premium Kiwi
· Branches of Large Grapes
· Sweet Melon

ü Or how about a gourmet gift basket

Try something different like a gourmet basket is filled with truffles, unique tea, cookies, gourmet cheese, crackers, premium chocolate and nuts.

ü House plants are perfect way to give a breath of fresh air

For a new home, consider getting a lovely house plant like a Peace Lily, Schfflera, or Palm Tree. Not only do these make wonderful gifts, but they also are known for cleaning common airborne gases and solvents out of our breathing air, creating fresh oxygenated air.

ü Flowering house plants are always a big hit

Try pink azaleas, orchids, bromeliad or kalanchoe plants. They are very easy to maintain, they last a long time. As well, their blooming flowers will brighten up the new house with colors and scents, giving a warm essence to the new home.

ü Instead of a regular houseplant, why not get a lucky bamboo or bonsai tree?

The number of bamboo stalks signifies good fortune: three stalks signify happiness, five stalks signify wealth and seven stalks, good health

ü Bouquets and arranged flowers

No matter what type of flower it is, they have a way of bringing smiles and happiness. Flowers emit sweet erotic smells which will compliment any new house. The array of colors is endless, beatifying a new home. Trendy and highly admired flowers such as Calla Lilies, Orchids, Sunflowers are just a few that would make a great impression.

Published 2008

New Wedding Flower Division June 4, 2008

Wedding Flowers, a division of Bloomex, was launched in September 2007, when Bloomex management found there was a large market for wedding flowers.

The core strategy behind Bloomex Weddings is similar to that of Bloomex.ca, in that it offers a vast variety of freshly cut flowers, bouquets and flower arrangements at up to 80% off market prices. The site is specially designed to enable the consumer to view numerous styles, colors and arrangement of flowers for their special day. The Wedding Flowers website is easy to navigate, very user friendly, which included a wedding flower image gallery and related information. The site also included advance features such as Designer Collection packages, live support and free flower design consultants available to help in the selection and cultivation of the perfect arrangement.
The Bloomex management team found that in the past the majority of these consumers would purchase from local florists that would offer a modest discount for large orders of flowers, and depending on the size of the order, the traditional florist often would be unable to service the consumer, and certainly would be limited to custom arrangements at such a high volume. As well, many small local florists would deal with several wholesalers for their flowers, some wholesalers being American, which would have the flowers in transit for many days, losing its freshness. As well, traditional florist often require up to a years notice for wedding flower collections.

Wedding Flowers from Bloomex is able to create and deliver your custom orders in as little as 30 days, directly from the fields, to our floral design specialist to your door, just one more way that Bloomex is revolutionizing the floral market to better serve the consumer.

ABOUT BLOOMEX

Bloomex is a national Canadian based floral company, offering various floral and gift arrangements throughout Canada and the U.S. via its online computerized sending system. The Bloomex website acts as a storefront allowing consumers worldwide to place orders online themselves, chat with a live agent or place orders through a 1-800 number. Bloomex is the only Canadian floral company that offers same day delivery to almost any location in Canada, and orders can be placed 24 hours a day.

”Through its harmonized network of growers, and company owned facilities, Bloomex is able to provide fresh cut flowers at significantly reduced costs to the consumer”, says Dimitri Lokhonia, President of Bloomex Inc. “Since Bloomex is Canadian owned, the flowers being shipped to their destination would be in transit for hours instead of days, keeping their freshness and longevity. Wedding flowers have traditionally been a large expense and many couples could not afford real flowers. With Bloomex’s combination of fresh cut flowers, exceptionally low prices and new wedding program, anyone can enjoy premium floral arrangements for that special day and not break the bank.”

Bloomex’s national brand name is able to offer exceptional customer service and quality products that are 100% guaranteed, working directly with the consumer to create the perfect ambiance for their event. Bloomex’s customer centric business structure allows the consumer to deal with one contact, from placing their order to its delivery, reducing the margin of errors associated with middlemen. Bloomex has already launched new and innovative approaches to further ameliorate the growing floral market, by adding such product lines such as wholesale flowers and weddings.

For more information, or to view our selection of assorted products, visit our websites at http://www.bloomex.ca and http://bloomex.ca/wedding/

For further information, contact:

Michelle Robitaille
PR Manager
Bloomex Inc
613-216-0969
publicrelations@bloomex.ca

Is my home killing me? June 4, 2008

How Typical Houseplants Can Help

Almost all plants act as air cleaners, they filter out the pollutants from the air and convert it to pure oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. In our homes, there are several harsh chemical pollutants that inhibit us humans from breathing in fresh clean air, commonly found in today’s homes are benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene (TCE).

Benzene:

Benzene is a colorless gas and is one of the many chemicals that make up gasoline and is found in tobacco smoke, gasoline, inks, oils, paint, plastic, and rubber. A known carcinogen, benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches and vomiting. Leukemia is the form of cancer most commonly associated with benzene exposure. About 90 percent of airborne benzene results from gasoline.

Plants that remove benzene are: Bamboo Palm, Gerbera Daisies, Peace Lilies, Chrysanthemum, Snake Plant, etc.

Formaldehyde:

Formaldehyde has been used in construction and manufacturing for more than 100 years, but only in the last decade have studies linked the gas to nasal cancer in laboratory animals. Formaldehyde is found in virtually in all indoor environments. Many cleaning products also contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde fumes can also cause chronic respiratory problems, dizziness, rashes, lethargy and nausea. According to Dr. Bill Wolverton, senior research scientist at NASA, ”About 15 to 20 plants should completely remove the formaldehyde from an 1,800-square-foot house.”

Research from NASA show that the leaves of certain plants reduce formaldehyde gases up to 80%. Some of these plants are Spider Plant, philodendrons, Peace Lilies, Snake Plants, etc.

Trichloroethylene (TCE):

Trichloroethylene has a wide variety of industrial uses. It is used in inks, paints, varnishes, and adhesives. Plants that remove trichloroethylene are: Peace lilies, Gerbera daisies, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo Palm, etc.

The easiest and most effective way to reduce these harmful pathogens from our house and office air is to have fresh plants throughout. Plants have a much larger role in our world other than “looking pretty”, with the growing increase of cancers and cancer related illnesses, it is our responsibility to take what Mother Nature has given us to combat detrimental airborne gases and solvents from affecting our health further. Let’s all pollute our houses and offices with plants, while helping the environment!

Author:

Michelle Robitaille

Sources: http://bloomex.ca

http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/

Ottawa Ontario Flowers
9 Capella Crt., Unit 1,
Ottawa, ON K2E 8A7