flowers

Red, White & Bouqs: flowers for your 4th #bouqlove

- Mel

WHO DOESN’T LOVE FLOWERS?

Most national flower delivery middle men are so disappointing. I see it at work all.the.time — what should be a beautiful bouquet is lacking a certain, ahem… freshness. And then the recipient finds out the price, which makes what should be a joyful surprise into a WHY DID S/HE EVEN BOTHER.

Of course, this is of no fault of the sender, but it certainly ruins a good and thoughtful deed. And that’s why I want to tell you about The Bouqs. The Bouqs (as seen on Shark Tank, O! Oprah Magazine, Forbes, E!, The Today Show, & Popsugar), are changing the flower industry one bouquet at a time. They own their own flower farm — budding flowers in the rich soil of an active volcano. All bouquets are cut to order and sent to your door without the “help” of a middle man. They also help you choose your flowers. The Bouqs also believe in zero waste, which passes on great savings to you.

red white bouq flowers

Their pricing is simple – $40 flat fee for all original size bouquets and FREE SHIPPING. This allows you to choose the bouquet you love without thinking about price!

For Fourth of July, The Bouqs are bringing back their Red, White and Bouq (pictured, beautifully, above) — perfect for celebrating the holiday with red, white, and blue roses. This bouquet is a splendid gift to bring to the Fourth of July BBQ you are attending or to pretty up your tables for hosting.

The Bouqs care about its customers, its employees and in sustaining an eco-friendly environment. You’ll notice how much longer your flowers will last too as their bouquets are shipped straight from the volcanic farm, which only prolongs the Happiness.

Disclosure: this sponsorship is published on behalf of Makerly, to which I received compensation in exchange for posting. All opinions herein are my own. See my disclosure page for more info.

Aroma-therapy: my favorite scents

- Mel

Last weekend, the boyfriend asked me to rank my favorite scents in order. I have no idea how this conversation was even prompted.

I think he was surprised by a few of the (admittedly) ridiculous ones, but I was (am) completely serious:

  • Clean, fresh linens (I cannot STAND when clothing smells like you’ve been sitting outside for too long; adding to that: a linen is not fresh if it has been hanging outside. Just saying.)
  • Lemons (boyfriend also hates when I put them down the drain… but it’s like a fresh burst of citrus tree!)
  • Bleach (no, really; it’s the only way the bathroom is REALLY clean; I relate that smell to cleanliness.)
  • Gardenias (I might have forgotten this in my spouting off, but it’s on the list)
  • Lavender (I DID remember this one; I currently have a bouquet of dried, smashed lavender in my car… perhaps that’s what started the conversation?)
  • Mulling spices (reminds me of Fall and Winter at my grandmother’s making spiced cider)
  • New paper (printer paper, greeting cards, a box of new envelopes, journals… not newspapers or books though. They smell dirty. *smirk*)

So random, right?

Aromatherapy is popular for a reason. Your sense of smell is most closely tied to memory, and the smell of a favorite flower or spice or an old boyfriend’s cologne can be mood changing — both positive and negative. I can often be REALLY sensitive to smells (actually, most of my senses are super-heightened), but the fresh and airy scents help me relax.

And the pungent ones put me into cleaning overdrive — ha!

Weekly Therapy: a little pick-me-up with flower therapy

- Mel

The smell of geraniums is so calming to me. 

And the sight of sunflowers fills me with such happiness. Especially when they’re wild.

I also love purple flowers. These were wild in the garden bed of my new home. I wish that they could be there everyday.

While I don’t unfortunately have my own green thumb, I regularly purchase small bouquets of flowers for myself as a little pick-me-up. Trader Joe’s always has something inexpensive and colorful, and I look to my local farmers markets as well.

What is your go-to happiness therapy?