The list of the latest Ftd Flowers Coupon February 2016

Up To 50% OFF Anniversary Flowers
Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this Ftd Flowers Coupon and save up to 50% OFF!

25% OFF Select Flowers, Gifts, and Plants
Follow this link to save 25% OFF Select Flowers, Gifts, and Plants at FTD!

FTD 10% OFF Sitewide
FTD offers 10% OFF Sitewide. Automatically Applied!!!

10% OFF Next Purchase W/ FTD Email Sign Up
Join FTD mailing list and get 10% OFF Next Purchase! Subscribe now!

Up To $15 OFF Sympathy Gifts
Celebrate and honor the life of loved ones with Sympathy Flowers, Plants, and More and SAVE up to $15 OFF at FTD!

Up to 25% OFF on Sympathy & Funeral Flowers
Save up to 25% OFF on Sympathy & Funeral Flowers. Save Now!

Under $35 for Flowers
Buy Flowers for Under $35 at FTD. Buy Now!

FREE Chocolate
Get FREE Chocolate with purchase of Select Bouquets. Buy Now!

March Madness Party

March Madness is upon us and it’s time to build your brackets, get your game-day fashion in gear and start your hosting prep!

Theming a party around a large sporting event is one of my favorite things to do. There are so many fun elements that you can add to the table and atmosphere to create an event your guests will never want to leave. March Madness, like the Super Bowl, is a sporting event that everyone can get into! I’m excited to share tips on putting together a March Madness party today with FTD.

Aim for Basketball-Centric

It’s always best to start with your theme and plan other elements of the party around that theme. Create a menu and add a twist by incorporating basketball terminology to the items (like slam dunk cheese dip or nothing-but-net nachos). Do the same with your bar. You might even create a specialty cocktail for your favorite team (Mountaineer Madness).

Add colored paper straws to the bar as another easy way to incorporate team colors so people can show their school pride!

Present a Paper Invitation

An e-vite can lack that personal touch. Instead, create a custom invite to give your guests something tangible. I found an artist on Etsy who created an invite that resembled a game ticket for $15 and printed them at home to keep it cost efficient. It’s also another way to communicate the theme of the party to your guests.

Focus on Centerpieces

FTD’s rainbow roses are a perfect addition to the table setting. They are a fun way to incorporate your teams’ favorite colors and to create a little rivalry! Flowers can be in a vase any day, so have fun with your floral presentation by incorporating the theme of the event.

I took some mason jars from my collection and added mini bouncy basketballs to cover the stems. You can replicate this with any vase or drinking glass. It’s a quick and easy way to display the arrangement, tie in your theme and create height on your table too. I found these orange cheer cones at Party City and the top opening was the perfect size for the arrangement. Stick with a vase with a narrow opening. It will create a fuller look with fewer flowers.

Outsource Dessert

Take the stress off your plate when it comes to the dessert. This is just another way for you, as a host, to enjoy your own party. Everyone loves cake pops and Oreos right? (If not, then they aren’t your friend.) FTD’s dipped rainbow cake pops and Oreos are a great way to add a functional burst of color to the table. Display them on a platter or on a cake stand, to add some dimension to your table. Guests can also enjoy a dessert coated in their teams’ favorite color (this makes for some fun Instagram photos)!

Go for Inexpensive Accents

Complete your table with a few kitschy items that tie back to the theme. I went to Target and picked up somechalkboard paper and a basketball net – all under $10. I drew sideline plays on the chalkboard paper and used them as a fun placemats to be used on the tables. I laid the basketball net under the cake platter of desserts to call it out as my centerpiece. You could use it as a charger under your plates or around a vase to enhance a floral arrangement.

Wrap just about anything with jute or twine. Tie your silverware together or tie your straws to drinks for an extra touch.

Combine it all together and you have yourself a March Madness party!

Happy hosting! (And go, WV!)

Source: FTD.com

Host an Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt

During Spring, my mind is filled with fond memories of Easter! Our traditions include going to church (in a brand new dress, of course) then meeting up with our extended family to celebrate the holiday. We all get together for a meal and an Easter egg hunt. It has always been one of my favorite holidays.

All of the women in my family are creative, and wonderful hostesses, and we take turns hosting everyone. We all truly enjoy opening our homes, paying attention to the details, and making a family gathering feel extra special.

Here are some steps to take when hosting a family-inspired Easter brunch.

Plan the Menu

For a Spring-time brunch, it is best to go with lighter, seasonal fare. It’s beneficial to prep some food in advance. A welcome drink, such as a blood orange mimosa or sparkling mint lemonade, would be fitting for the occasion.

Brunch-appropriate, make-ahead menu items can include a green salad with berries, goat cheese, and nuts; an asparagus and parmesan frittata with crispy prosciutto; and carrot cake muffins. For dessert, try chocolate-covered strawberries or these festive cake pops!

Set the Table

To start, get inspired and use what you already have on hand. My inspiration for the table setting and centerpiece began with this basket of purple and yellow flowers, and also my tasseled jute placements. I have learned over the years that setting a table and putting together a centerpiece is improved with layers and dimension. For the individual place settings, I incorporated the blue with the napkins and hyacinth. I believe it is always nice to add an extra token or touch to each person’s place. The chocolate-covered strawberries and cake pops fit the bill! They were dessert and a party favor all in one. If you want a DIY project, check out these fun confetti eggs. Get FREE Chocolate with purchase of Select Bouquets. Buy Now! Click here

For the centerpiece I began with a rustic wooden tray, then layered pieces on top. To go with the flowers, I gathered items from around the house, such as a blue and white kitchen towel and a small blue and white bowl from another room. This white bunny obviously had to have a place on the table as well. Raw wooden pieces were used to add height and another texture to the centerpiece. The look came together with the inspiration behind it all — the flowers!

Always Include Flowers

Any time I host an event, flower arrangements are one of the key elements to my decor. I would have a home filled to the brim with fresh flowers if I could have it my way. For Easter especially, flowers remind us of new life and the start of a fresh season. I adore the colors in this Spirit of Spring basket. Purple and yellow hues are something different from typical pastels. This gorgeous mix of lilies, irises, daisies and carnations comes arranged in a cute, neutral basket and is wonderfully appropriate for the occasion.

Enhance the Theme

Adding Easter-themed touches can be quite simple. Bunnies, eggs, crosses, baskets and bright colors all say “Easter!” Decorate with these easy-to-make string eggs. For the “icing on the cake,” these Easter-themed cake pops add a thoughtful touch to each person’s place setting. Cake pops decorated like a bunny and a chick are sure to add a big smile to a child’s face!

Organize a Fun Activity

Is there anything better than seeing little ones hunt for Easter eggs on a beautiful Spring afternoon, with all of your family together? Last year we had such a fun time watching the youngest kids, in their bright Easter clothes, hunting all through my parents’ flower beds for colorful, plastic eggs filled with tiny treats. If you have slightly older kids and want to wear them out, consider this Easter egg fitness treasure hunt. An Easter egg hunt is a simple, inexpensive way to laugh, get outside and enjoy time with family and friends.

Easter is right around the corner, and I cannot wait to celebrate the holiday! I hope you enjoy your time with family and friends.

The Lawyer Learns Flowers: St. Patrick’s Day Edition

In this, our third edition of “A Lawyer Learns Flowers”, Michael Skaff, FTD’s Design Expert took the day’s theme of St. Patrick’s Day to another level – as most people based in Chicago do. 

If you’d like to read up on our blog post history, please click here for our first post and then here for our Valentine’s Day edition.

As you may know, FTD is headquartered just outside of Chicago and to say that Chicago is famous for its extraordinary celebration of St. Patrick’s Day would be putting it lightly.  For more than fifty years, the city has been dying the Chicago River green, a tradition started by accident.   The city’s bars open early in the morning to accommodate hoards of people dressed up and participating in bar crawls, parades and festivals for families happen throughout the city.  There is no dull moment in Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day – and, neither was there today at FTD, in Michael’s latest lesson for the lawyer on flowers.

I walked into our studio today expecting to see three or four floral products, prepared to make a bouquet.  But, there was a large floral sculpting sheet formed in the shape of shamrock with Aspidistra leaves surrounding part of it.  I wasn’t sure if this was a subtle way of Michael testing what I had learned already in the form of something that quite literally shouted “Good Luck!”

Next to the shamrock were about five different types of flowers laid out before me.  There were shears, there was wire, there were many green flowers – and about 30 minutes to my next meeting.

Michael immediately handed me the wire and taught me to cut one inch pieces that were bent into a shape that could be inserted into the sides of the sculpting sheet in order to hold the leaves.  Low on time and high on efficiency (as we lawyers consistently are), I started asking questions of Michael quickly.

The “sculpting sheet” is a form that floral designers use to create unique shapes for event style pieces.  The sheet can be formed into almost anything and it allows the designer to place flowers into the sheet that will hold form.  Michael cautioned that me to use flowers that last a little longer to account for the lack of water once the flowers are placed – or, if you do need it to last longer, you could prepare water tubes that would be placed in the sculpting sheet.

Once we finished the leaves, we started placing the dianthus into one section of the shamrock.  A little field of greens.  We followed that up with the green carnations.  We cut them down to about three inches and packed them in tight, leaving no view of the sheet.  Michael reminded me to fluff the carnations since spreading out the leaves would fill the designated space better.  I smiled.

The orchids were next and a bit trickier for this trainee.  The orchids were not as dense as the previous two flowers and so, we had to start with a lower base layer, followed by a second taller later that we created by using placing the flowers on some wire that gave them height before inserting them into the sheet.  For each orchid, we spread the leaves a bit to give the flower a fuller feel and to, again, cover the sculpting sheet base.  Then, we moved on to the green roses.  I’ve actually never seen or noticed green roses before, but they were very pretty.  They are featured in this product on the FTD website here.

With that, we had finished the petals of the shamrock, but we were not done.

Michael had chosen a very fitting “Bells of Ireland” to finish the stem – a fitting choice for our holiday theme.  Michael cut the long stalk right above each flower and we could easily push the thicker round stem into the sheet.  Voila!  A beautiful shamrock!

But something was missing.  Sitting back, as designers do, to look at the finished product, I could see that Michael wasn’t yet satisfied.  I looked over to our Paralegal / Photographer, Carrie, and shrugged, thinking that it all looked pretty good to me – and looked back in time to see Michael rush off to the refrigerator.  He reappeared with one final touch – an Ornamental Kale Flower – and rushed by me to place it in the center of the piece.  Like a painter who can’t stop with the final touches, so was Michael with this lovely flower shamrock.

This turned out to be a perfect and unique centerpiece for your St. Patrick’s Day party – or my party, now that I’m throwing one simply so I have a place to show off this masterpiece.

Some information on the more unique flowers used in this piece are below:

Miniature Cymbidium Orchids

Colors:  A wide range of colors

Locations:  New Zealand and Holland

Duration:  Long lasting cut flower

Other Information:  Popular forms have about 10-12 blooms per stem

“Bells of Ireland” (Moluccella Laevis)

Colors:  Yellow-green

Locations:  Native to Turkey, Syria and Caucasus

Duration:  Long lasting plant

Other Information: Considered a lucky symbol and, although commonly thought to be from Ireland – are not!  These plants can grow to 2’-3’!

Ornamental or Flowering Kale (Brassica Oleracea)

Colors:  Whites to pinks, purples to reds

Locations:  Native to western coastal Europe

Duration:  A plant that can be grown indoors

Other Information:  These are great for winter since they can survive in low temperatures.

To shop the FTD collection for your St. Patrick’s Day, please visit here. Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this Ftd flowers coupon 50% off and save up to 50% OFF! 

International Women’s Day: What is It? And Why Do We Celebrate It?

As we get closer to March, murmurs about International Women’s Day begin to pop up.  Do you need to know more about it and what it means?  We are here to help you out!

What is International Women’s Day?

Every year International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th.  This springtime celebration began in New York City in 1909 as National Women’s Day, and it was created to recognize the continual advancements made by women at that time.  As more progress was made in women’s rights, the holiday was spread internationally. In 1913, March 8th was officially declared as International Women’s Day which we are still celebrating today. 

How is International Women’s Day Celebrated?

Every country celebrates International Women’s Day a little bit differently.  In certain countries, such as China, Vietnam, Russia, and Bulgaria, the day is celebrated as a national holiday which, for some, means women get the day off work!  In other countries, it is celebrated as a day that men take the time to honor the women in their lives, some of which give flowers and candy.  Unlike Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, which is generally celebrated to show the love and appreciation for significant others and mothers, this day is about taking the time to recognize and appreciate the women in your life.  This could mean an old teacher, coach or instructor.  It could be one of your managers or mentors throughout your career.  Whoever it might be, this is a great day to set aside to recognize how special and important they are in your life.

How can I celebrate International Women’s Day?

Amid all of the national holidays we seem to recognize like, National Smile Day or National Eat a Croissant Day, we need to take the time to really recognize the important ones like International Women’s Day.  Here are a couple ideas for how your can recognize all the women in your life.

• A quick text message to your closest friends and acquaintances is a perfect way to show your recognition and appreciation to have them in your life.
• Flowers are always symbolic of your gratitude and appreciation for those who have had a major impact on your life. This symbol brightens their day and encourages them to keep on going and inspiring others like they did with you. Here are some bouquets that might help you get started! Check out Fdt flowers 25% off and to save 25% OFF Select Flowers, Gifts, and Plants at FTD!
• Get together with a group of women and attend a local Women’s Day event. Here is a calendar from the International Women’s Day organization for events in different countries.
• Can’t make it to an event? Take the time to find a way to help those women still fighting for their rights.Donate to International Women’s Day or Participate in their discussions using the hashtag #womensday
• Host your own Women’s Day event. Get all of the women in your life together to celebrate each other!

Crunch Time: Last Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas

You’ve never been one to go overboard with Valentine’s Day celebrations. But if this is your significant other’s favorite holiday, there’s no excuse to skip celebrating it, even if you forgot to plan anything until the very last minute.

Here are a few Valentine’s Day ideas to help you pull off the perfect date for your sweetheart, with minimal lead time.

If You Have … 3 Hours

Scour the Internet to find a local concert or another type of live performance to take your date to for the evening. Start your search with off-the-beaten-path live music venues, theatres and comedy clubs to have the best chance of still finding tickets (it is the biggest date night of the year, after all). It won’t be easy to procure last-minute tickets to any big name bands, so get ready to step outside of your comfort zone and enjoy a new experience with your Valentine. The outing to see a local play, small-town comedian or participate in a coffee-shop open mic is sure to give you two something to talk about for years to come.

Sweeten the deal by checking out FTD’s same-day flowers options in your area. Order a bouquet of her favorites by 2 p.m. and select same-day delivery, then breathe easy. Celebrate and honor the life of loved ones with Sympathy Flowers, Plants, and More and SAVE up to $15 OFF at FTD! Visit at here

If You Have … 2 Hours

If cooking at home isn’t your thing, you probably want to celebrate the holiday out on the town. But of all days, you cannot expect to go to any of the greatest restaurants without a reservation. And securing a reservation will be no small feat. Take advantage of the technology at your disposal and use one of the many restaurant reservation apps to get that coveted table.

The Reserve app, created by the founders of Uber and Foursquare, and currently available for use in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston, allows users to nab a table at the app’s list of the top restaurants based on desired time frame. The only catch? Reserve charges a $5 booking fee and availability isn’t guaranteed.

Another option is OpenTable’s last-minute booking option, Hot Tables, which alerts you as soon as a table is available so that you can take advantage of someone else’s cancellation in real time.

If You Have … 1 Hour

Your Valentine has been dropping hints about wanting a spa day for weeks. But since it’s too late to fit that in today, stop by her favorite spa and grab a gift card to cover an entire day of pampering.

Then recreate a mini spa experience at home in celebration of the holiday. Pick up one of her favorite celebrity gossip magazines from the grocery store and snag a new color of nailpolish for her to try. Whip up one of theseat-home facial recipes and draw her a warm bubble bath.This thoughtfulness is sure to hide all indication of procrastination.

If You Have … Less than 1 Hour

You are in crunch time. Your Valentine just texted that he’s on his way to your place and you completely forgot to plan anything special. Speed dial your favorite takeaway restaurant and order in a feast of all of your favorite items. This isn’t the time to skimp; get a little bit of everything to make the spread look over-the-top for the illusion that you actually planned ahead.

For the setting, head outside for a picnic under the stars (weather permitting). No matter how much you have to bundle up, with a little wine and plenty of candlelight, this can be the epitome of romance.

If dining al fresco is out of the question, create a picnic environment indoors. Enjoy dinner on a blanket spread across the living room floor. A bonus: a warm, crackling fire close by.

The Lawyer Learns Flowers: Valentine’s Day Edition

As many of you know, Michael, FTD’s VP of Floral Design and I, one of FTD’s lawyers, launched a blog series where he teaches me the basics of flowers. FTD offers 10% OFF Sitewide. Automatically Applied! Click here

In this, our sophomore effort at blogging and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Michael took things to a higher level with the flowers he expected me to learn.

I took one look at the flowers Michael laid out before me and thought he was expecting a lot.  Perhaps I had performed well in passing his first quiz, perhaps he just liked these flowers, in any case, this week would be a test – and, I suppose I was up for the challenge.

We had decided to take some photos for our post and ventured down to the studio we have here at FTD.  I immediately realized that this would become a crash course in making an actual bouquet. This is what I learned.

Michael laid out all of the stems for the three flowers in front of me on a small wooden table along with some shears, a few vases and some twine.  I stared at him.  He explained that first I would have to remove the leaves from the stem.  By the time I struggled through one stem, Michael had made it through 5-6 and had a neat pile prepared for the bouquet.  He looked down at my progress, smiled and laughed at me.

He handed me two stems that I grasped tightly – too tightly.  “Well, don’t crush them,” he joked to me, looking directly at my death grip hold I had on the flowers.  The first flower looks a bit like a Picasso painting to me – either that or an elephant or something else entirely? Smile.  It’s exotic and tropical features stand out especially in winter in Chicago and it’s waxy finish make it almost look fake.

“Now, take stems and position them in a circle, add one stem and twist,” he said.  I stared back at him, a little lost, but I had no choice but to try and put this bouquet together.  “Heavier flowers and stems toward the bottom, lighter smaller flowers in the middle and toward the top.  They can’t all be at the same height.” I tried to hand the bouquet back to him to let him complete it, but no luck.

I hadn’t fully appreciated what went into making the perfect bouquet before this experience.  The selection of the flowers, the color of the flowers, the right fillers, the relative size of the flowers to each other and to the vase, the right vase and the right height were all important considerations.  I had always randomly put stems haphazardly in a vase, which now explains why they ended up looking so sad.

While I was listening to Michael explain the process, I struck by the considerable thought, care and attention to detail it really took to put together a bouquet.  Making things look simple and beautiful takes an enormous amount of time and care.

As we continued, I wasn’t sure how this particular combination of flowers would turn out, but I had faith in the man that casually mentioned to me that he had assisted in designing flowers for two inaugurations and an academy awards show.  He mentioned this with such subtlety that it took me a full second to comprehend what he had said and I had to clarify, “like, as in, the Obamas and the Oscars?”

“Well, yeah,” he said.  I was definitely in over my head.

We continued adding flowers to the bouquet and I continued my death grip until he convinced me to “loosen up” my grip.  A statement not altogether unfamiliar for a lawyer to hear.  Michael showed me how to tie the bouquet, measure it against the height of the vase and place it properly in its final perfect position.  Voila! A Valentine’s Day bouquet.

If I can do it – you can too.  If you want to see these particular flowers in FTD’s bouquets, take a look at the links included below or contact one of our many local FTD retail member locations.  And you can see Michael featured on The Daily Buzz here.

Dendrobium Mokara Pink Orchid:

Colors:  Pink

Locations:  Southeast Asia

Other Information:  Place these in water immediately.

Celebrating Galentine’s Day with Bows & Sequins & Corals + Cognacs

Not that you need a reason, but Valentine’s Day is the best excuse to celebrate your friendship with your very best gal pal. While the holiday is traditionally known for over-the-top gestures of love for your significant other, toasting to your most prized female friendships is becoming increasingly popular. A day of attention for your BFF instead of your BF. While Galentine’s Day might get a girls-rule-boys-drool kind of rap, it’s really not the anti-Valentine’s Day by any means. Ladies celebrating ladies, no matter your marital status!

Take a cue from blogger buds Jessica (of Bows & Sequins) and Hallie (of corals + cognacs). Jessica and Hallie’s friendship blossomed while they were living in Chicago in 2012. A few years later, they’ve both made the move to New York City and have a friendship that feels more like family. This duo is well versed in party planning and having a great time!

While dinner, drinks, and dancing is always a viable option, Hallie and Jessica opted to celebrate from the comfort of their own apartments this year. (Does anyone else remember that scene from Sex and The City? “I’ll be right back to take you and your girlfriend’s order.”)

There isn’t much needed for a fun, festive set-up at home. Fluff some flowers, open a bottle of wine and embrace the sugar high! Mix up a custom cocktail, celebrate with champagne, or relax with a bottle of red wine… It’s your choice. Chocolate covered strawberries, however, are a must-have! (And they taste even better than they look!) Candy hearts are a great choice, too. Even if you’re not planning eating them, stringing phrases together after a glass of wine can be quite entertaining!

Romantic red and white roses tend to be the Valentine’s Day favorite so these gal pals opted for a more colorful arrangement instead. Shades of pink and purple feel a bit more young, fun, and festive! (And they make for great Instagram photos, too!)

After you’ve cracked open a bottle and have successfully fueled your sugar rush, put on a laugh-out-loud movie, pull up a DIY project from Pinterest, and enjoy a night with your bestie!

Whether you’re single or coupled up, a simple, sparkly (and reservation stress-free) party setup is the perfect way to celebrate the amazing women in your life. Cheers! 

Shop this flowers at Ftd.com and Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this Ftd flowers coupon and save up to 50% OFF!