On Thursday the First of July Starbright Floral Design will be featured on the Today Show in the 8AM to 9AM time slot. Our very own Stephen Faitos leads our team in the execution and design of a backyard deck for a couple in Brooklyn… Watch the Today Show tomorrow and see what we are all about!
Visit our website at www.starflor.com to learn more about our organization and the type of work that we do. Would you like to send someone a gift anywhere around the world? CLICK HERE for the gift section of our site or CLICK HERE if you would like to see our online portfolio for events. We would love to hear from you! Give us a call at 800.520.8999 or go on line.
Thank you to all our friends and clients that have made the last fifteen years of Starbright more amazing than we could ever imagine!
Our new designs are here! Introducing the Starbright Exclusives…
We invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com and once on our site click on the giant “G” for gifts. There is an entire section devoted to Starbright Exclusives. (It is listed on the top left). In this section you will see new, modern and unique gift ideas that were created at our own design table.
Apple Lime Ice
These gift selections are not part of a mass catalog that any FTD-type florist can recreate. Rather they are bespoke and created with individuality and to your taste. The Starbright Exclusives section is a line of floral gifts that is available in New York City (within our own delivery area) and in most major markets where we have developed strong partnerships with florists that adhere to the same principles of design and customer service that we do. This is a group of stores that has developed a code of standards that exceeds the typical flowers by wire environment. By placing your flower order with us, you know that your request is in great hands and your gift will always be delivered just as you requested. Click on THIS LINK to see all our unique designs.
What is even more fun, is that as our designs are being rolled out we are giving our clients the opportunity to name the arrangements! Every time we are about to add a design to our collection, we will post the photo on our Facebook page and we will ask our fans (over 1600 at the present moment) to submit their ideas of what we should call each composition. Names have been created like “Purpleberry Lady”, “Orchid Alleycat” and “Apple Lime Ice” and they have all come from our friends and fans.
Exotic orchids, amazing calla lillies, elegant presentations of spring flowers and the most modern presentations imaginable are all there. Have a look at our collection (CLICK HERE) and have a look. We hope you find the presentations to be both refreshing and an interesting alternative to common flowers!
Starbright Floral Design is a leading floral organization in the New York Metropolitan Area with our studio located in the Historic Flower District on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. We have been honored by our audience as the most reviewed florist in New York City (consistently earning five stars), recognized by Citysearch and The Knot as the top florist in New York City for 2009 and 2010.
Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations. It is what we do!
Cheers, Nf
Find us online, give us a call (800.520.8999) or stop on by. We would love to meet you!
Starbright Floral Design was recently named a member of Teleflora’s National Account Program, an elite incentive and loyalty program that is created exclusively for the tom member florists in the United States. This program was created by Teleflora as a way to recognize the top tier florists throughout America and to recognize/support hard work, excellent quality and tremendous customer service.
Starbright Floral Design was founded in 1994 and is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District on 28th Street (150 West 28th Street, Studio 201). Over the past twelve months we have been recognized in several other categories of quality and service – including: The top pick florist in Manhattan for weddings by The Knot and also The Best Florist in New York City by Citysearch for 2009. In addition we are both the highest rated and most reviewed florist on line with over 70 reviews and five stars.
We are very proud of all the awards and accolades that have come our way. None are we more honored of than the oooh’s and aaah’s that are expressed by receiving a gift from Starbright. Give us a call (800.520.8999) or visit our website for worldwide delivery of the most amazing flowers and gifts!
On the 08th of June it was a very special day in the history of hotels and hospitality for New York City. The newest hotel opening in our city took place. The Eventi officially opened its doors with a spectacular opening bash and a party for the press and everything travel, tourism and hospitality. The hotel opened in the center of New York City’s historic flower district and the property naturally has a flair for “everything flower”.
On the opening day, we were involved with many areas of decor throughout the hotel. Here are some examples of what we did:
There was a “Flower Garland” cutting ceremony instead of a ribbon cutting ceremony.
We supplied thousands of flower blooms that were on display in compositions throughout. The lobby of the hotel, the meeting rooms, the suites and even the spa were all decorated…
The front sidewalk of the hotel was converted into a public flower market where the general public walking past the hotel was welcomed with rare seasonal blooms.
The hotel ballroom was decorated with flowers, balloons, champagne and votive candles in the theme of a New Year’s party to depict the start of a New Era in hospitality for New York City and beyond. We want to thank our partners who invited us on the team to be a part of this historic day at the Hotel. The Eventi (a Kimpton Hotel) and M. Silver Associates (msilver-pr.com) the PR agency that we worked so closely with to make so much of this happen and to make it a reality.
Here are some photos of the day – enjoy!
Celebrating a New Begining in Manhattan Hospitality!
An Outdoor Flower Market… Starbright Flowers Everywhere!
Amazing Blooms and Blue Skies Over Manhattan!
Cutting the Garland Ribbon to Officially Open the Hotel.
Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com) is a full service floral design studio in New York City. We carry the most amazing seasonal blooms and deliver gifts daily (seven days) up to 8PM. In addition to local flower deliveries, we also handle worldwide flower requests, special events, press junkets, plant care and much more. Give us a call (1.800.520.8999) or visit our website (www.starflor.com) to learn more about our organization and the work that we do. We look forward to hearing from you and to meeting you soon!
Mother’s Day at the Ronald McDonald House is really special. This year it touched our hearts in a very special way. The New York City Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org/nyc) organized a very special Mother’s Day at the Ronald McDonald House in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Moms and kids got to spend the day together. There was fun, there was laughter and it was a very special day. Hearts were touched as only hearts can be.
Starbright Floral Design proudly provided floral decor and centerpieces for the room where food was served and everyone lounged for a lazy afternoon. The real highlight? Every child got a rose to give to his/her mom. For many years now we proudly support and sponsor both of these organizations and we have worked with both very closely. When the LLS called us to ask us to do this event, they did not know that we already work with the RMH and bringing these two groups together was really special for us. We would like to encourage everyone we know to support these two amazing groups that do so much for all of us.
Mother's Day was really special this year!
About Starbright Floral Design – Starbright (http://starflor.com/) is a full service florist and floral delivery company located in Manhattan. Our store, our studio and our offices are in the wholesale flower district on 28th Street and 7th Avenue. We provide same day delivery of flowers everywhere, event decor, corporate and institutional services, etc. Starbright is the most reviewed florist on the web and we have a consistent FIVE STAR ranking everywhere. Please feel free to visit our website to learn more about us, our flowers and the work that we do.
It is rare that you can have this much fun at work! It is even more rare when you can say that the work you do is this rewarding…. About a week ago a bunch of folks from the Starbright team, headed down the block in our neighborhood to a local school and spent some time with some really young farmers and gardeners.
School children at that young age can really change your perspective with the way they see things and their eagerness to learn. The questions they ask and the curiosities that they seek to satisfy. For the rest of the school year they will watch their seedlings grow and their imagination will run wild. Going to the farmer’s market will never be the same for them, the plant that they will help mom water on their terrace, or the impatiens outside their building will have a whole new meaning.
Truth be told this experience has a whole new meaning for us too. Spending the day in the classroom enlightened our team on what the true rewards in life really are. Our hats are off to their teachers who spend so much time and are so dedicated to their daily lives. Thank you for sharing such a moment with us. We were enlightened and we learned more than you can imagine!
About Starbright Floral Design – Starbright is a full service floral design studio and florist. We server the greater New York City community from our hub in the center of the historic flower district on 28th Street and 7th Avenue. For more information on our organization and on the services that we provide, please visit our website at www.starflor.com or give us a call at 800-520-8999. World wide delivery. Amazing flowers, award winning designs and phenomenal reviews online.
For the past several years we have been honored to sponsor a MADRE Event that honors those who do the most for women in challenging situations throughout the world. Below is a description of this years event, the honoree and the organization. To learn more about the organization and the amazing work that MADRE does, please visit their website at THIS LINK. You may also visit our website at www.starflor.com to follow Starbright, send flowers, amazing gifts and learn about the work we do and the events we are involved with.
The event was a tribute to honor Elsa Stamatopoulou, current Chief of the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. At her retirement Mrs. Stamatopoulou has dedicated 23 years of her United Nations work specifically to the advancement of human rights. Throughout her career she has given support to a number of organizations and she has influenced in the implementation of human rights treaties, the progress of rights of the child, of indigenous peoples, education, development and civil society. We are organizing this tribute to thank her for the support she has given to the advancement of human rights, specifically to those of Indigenous women.
Elsa Stamatopoulou was born in Athens, Greece, where she obtained her Law Degree from the University of Athens Law School and entered the Athens Bar Association upon her graduation. She did her Masters studies in the Administration of Criminal Justice, at North-Eastern University, Boston, USA. She completed her Doctoral studies in Political Science with a specialization in International Law, at the University Institute of Graduate International Studies of the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Mrs. Stamatopoulou has received the award of the NGO Committee on the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Eleanor Roosevelt Award of the Human Rights Center and of Voices 21, and other awards from grassroots organizations. Furthermore, as the Secretary of the United Nations Working Groups of the Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission and also of the General Assembly, she has participated in the drafting of the following international human rights instruments: the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples; the Convention against Torture and Other Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities, and the Declaration on the Rights of Persons who are not Citizens in the Country in which they Live.
The event was held on the 21st of April, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Church Center for the United Nations, where we hope to have a very special gathering with her friends and colleagues.
A vase of mixed spring flowers with the right message, says it all...
It is impossible to count the number of calls we get where someone asks us to prepare a bouquet for a business associate, a loved one, a friend in need of a cheer and everything goes as planned, EXCEPT when we ask “and what would you like the card to say?”!
Dumbfounded by the thought of writing a card, our client will say something like: “I don’t know… Love, your husband Mark” (like the recipient is likely to have two husbands and the clarification by name will eliminate the confusion! Or we get – “You do this all the time, write something for me!!”. There are countless scenarios to the above vignettes that we encounter daily.
Dear Client: It is the message on the card your inscription that makes the gift all the more memorable. Even IF you are a terrible writer (I submit there is no such thing), you can still think of something clever to say. The problem is that we don’t plan the card. Flowers are a spur of the moment purchase or a MUST DO like Valentine’s or Mother’s Day and we place our order without putting thought into the card. Yes the flowers will perish; but a well said card, a clever card, will be saved forever. A well thought card will make the scent and the colors of your flowers last a lot longer in the person’s mind. Years from now, you will get one of these: “Honey, I remember back about five years ago when you sent me those really special flowers when I was feeling down…” She does not remember the flowers as much as she remembers your words that remind her of the flowers and the way they made her feel.
Your card can be something as simple as a date from the past that leaves the person wondering of the significance… until you tell them. It can be cleaver humor like “I love you but I am going to beat you!” sent the day before a competitive tennis date. Or if you are a hopeless romantic – go ahead and spill the beans. Let your card say what spoken words cannot.
It is far better to send a small token gift of flowers with a meaningful and memorable card than it is to send a big “over the top” bouquet signed “your husband”! So take some time think about your special moments, think about what is cleaver to say and then say it! A card without flowers does not say as much. Flowers with a mediocre card, will keep you out of the doghouse. Flowers with a really special message that is in words that are yours, will tidy up the whole package in a really nice bow and make the occasion super special! It is the stuff that heroes are made of.
All of us at Starbright will always stand ready to help you with your gift selection and even to help you write the card. The more information you give us about what you want to say and the more thought you have put into the occasion, the more can help. It is all about how enthusiastic the WOW or the Thank You are after the flowers get there and how long the mood lasts!
A bit about Starbright: We are a full service florist and floral delivery service. We occupy a loft space in the wholesale flower district on 28th Street in Manhattan. Within our own delivery area we create all our own arrangements by our master designers. In other locales throughout the US, we have partnered with selected florists that stand by the same code that we have. It has taken us fifteen years to build our list of partners and we stand by each and every one. This gives us the ability to bring you custom made floral creations in Manhattan and beyond. We can be reached at 800.520.8999 or on the web at www.starflor.com.
Citysearch selected us as the #1 florist in Manhattan for 2009 and The Knot recommends us as the top selected shop to have for your wedding in New York City. What makes us particularly proud of these accolades is that we live and work in a town that has many really-really good florists! Of course, our work is only as good as the next bouquet we send for YOU! We hope to hear from you soon and we will help you write the card!).
Here we are again, this time we will talk about a great houseplant. The yucca. It is a lush green plant that generally grows on a bark. It is found outdoors in the Southern California type of climates but is also a great houseplant pretty much in any climate or environment.
The Yucca is a very easy plant to take care of and you should give it with confidence even to those that do not have much of a green thumb. It will thrive in almost any office environment, home or apartment. Here are a few simple tips that you should know about the plant you have or that you are thinking of buying:
It loves the sun! A yucca will thrive in direct sunlight. The sun promotes the growth of the plant. By its very nature the Yucca is a slow growing plant. In a not-well-lit area the plant will remain green and it will not lose it lushness. However, it will not grow much at all. If you want to see your plant grow, give it sun!
If you can, take your plant out of doors in the summertime. Leave it in a back porch, a balcony or even a fire escape. If you cannot do this, the plant will be fine. But it does love basking in the sun. By the same token, because the Yucca recognizes the seasons, if at all possible, give it a chillier than room temperature environment in the wintertime. By no means am I talking about freezing!
Most people kill their houseplants by over-watering! Do not bother your plant every five minutes with water and nutrients! The top layer of the soil must be completely dry before you add water.
When you do water the plant, pour the water slowly so that it does not drain straight through the pot. You want the moisture to seep into the soil and become very moist. So watering your Yucca is a slow process. Stop watering when your plant’s soil cannot absorb any more water and drops of water start coming out the bottom drain of your pot.
When you have watered your plant, leave it alone until the top half inch is granular. How long this will take and with what frequency your plant will need to be watered depends on your environment. In dry/warm rooms the plant will need to be watered more often.
Transplanting your Yucca (from the greenhouse or florist’s plastic pot) into a decorative pot. Because the Yucca tends to be top-heavy (do to its leaf structure), you need to maintain a low center of gravity so that the plant does not tip over. To accomplish this, you will need to select a heavy clay pot or a ceramic pot.
Next, make sure your pot has good drainage. The bottom layer of the pot should be either broken clay fragments or about two inches of gravel. This will permit the excess water to run through. It is also a good practice to put a screen above the gravel and below the soil. This will ensure that the soil and the stones do not become one (and potentially a cement mixture!).
That’s about it for your Yucca! Sit back and enjoy!
A Word About Starbright Floral Design: Starbright is a full-service florist and floral delivery service. We are located on 28th Street in Manhattan (between 6th and 7th Avenues). Our studio is on the Second Floor at 150 West 28th Street. Besides offering worldwide delivery of flowers, plants and all types of related gifts; we are also a premiere florist for events, corporate accounts and weekly flowers. Users of CitySearch.com voted Starbright the Best Florist in Manhattan for 2009 and The Knot selected us as the Wedding Florist in Manhattan too! To learn more about us, the type of work that we do and investigate your inspirations, we invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com. See you there!
Every season has its flowers. There are flowers in wide varieties all year long. But springtime is really special. Sure with greenhouses and with easy air transport from countries that are in seasons opposite our own, flowers in all varieties are available virtually year round…
BUT, let me draw an analogy – Have you ever tasted the difference between a vine ripped tomato and one that came from halfway across the world? Fruits and veggies are most enjoyable when the come from small local growers and when we enjoy them when they are really in season! Strawberries and watermelon don’t really make much sense in December. Do they?
Flowers are the same. NOW is the time to indulge and to really enjoy your flowers. For the next three months there are so many varieties that are in season, so much to enjoy and such a plethora of colors and scents that you will overdose all of your senses in an elixir of life!
Window shop any florist, take an early morning stroll on 28th Street and take it all in at the NYC Flower District (should be a historic landmark) or better yet stop by our studio at 150 West 28th Street (www.starflor.com); and this is some of what you will see…
Tulipalooza is here!
Tulips in just about every imaginable color… They will be around until early May. If the springtime is unusually brisk, then they will last a little longer.
Flowering branches. YES flowers growing on real branches! Dogwood, Cherry Blossom, Quince, Forsythia, Plum and so much more. These trees first bloom a flower and then a leaf. Natures gift to our homes is this timeless beauty that is enjoyed in every design style that truly transcends time. Again, they are weather dependent, but flowering branches should be around for about another two to three weeks…
Peonies are about to make their grand entrance into our homes! In their peak, the season will last about six weeks and they are so fragrant! The local varieties are available in light and magenta pink, deep burgundy and white. Catch them while they are around. The best peonies are grown in the North and South Carolina and we are about to get our first shipment. No need to reserve, there will be plenty to go around; but don’t blink! The season IS short!
Lilac (grown on a bush) will show up and make a grand entrance in the late springtime too. This is an extremely fragrant flower that everyone loves. The most popular color for lilac is lavenderish-purple. They do also come in white.
Anemones, sweet pea, mini calla lilies, roses (in amazing pastel tones) and so much more are coming too! We hope you enjoy them all. They are the protagonists of the season. The first sign to put away the Winter Blues! These are the flowers that will make us all smile and let the sun shine upon us.
For me? After the lilacs bloom, it is motorcycle season! It may be the beach, the jet ski or a hiking trip in the Shenandoah Valley that you have to look forward to. But unless the peonies come and go, your summer fun is on pause. Open your heart and let the spring shine in! My favorite time of the year…
A few words about us: Starbright Floral Design is a premiere florist located in New York City. We are in the Historic Flower District on Manhattan’s 28th Street in a second floor loft. Most of the work that we do involves sending flowers and gifts delivered in Manhattan or anywhere else! Visit our gift-giving catalog to see what you can send. We are also experts at executing corporate and social events. A peak at our event portfolio and you will be able to gain a broader perspective on the depth of our organization and they type of work that we do. Whenever we could be of service, whenever we could answer a question, or if you would like to simply take in the colors and scents, we would love to hear from you. We can also be reached by phone at 800.520.8999. Happy Springtime!
Blooming Thoughts 