Look Who's 2...and 40!

Time sure flies when you're having fun. Since I opened Flourish it has been a whirlwind of learning, growing and sampling products. I have to say that my skin has truely never looked better, nor has my shower ever been more stocked with delicious scrubs, soaps and gels. I've had so much fun putting the store together and finding the things you all keep coming back for. I'm on to a new adventure with Flourish with the introduction of lingerie and sleep wear. It is my mission, to find you the most comfortable, sexy, gorgeous and pretty pieces that will help you perfect the art of pampering and lounging.

Please join us in celebrating Flourish's 2nd Birthday and my 40!

I've Been Accused of Being Nicer When I Am In My Pajamas.

I've been accused of many things by my children. When they remind me of how mean I am I reply with a simple sigh of relief knowing that my disciplinary skills have had some effect. When they accuse me of being unfair I know I've prepared them for life . But this accusation is rediculous, or so I thought at first. How dare they accuse me of being nicer when I am in my pajamas. What do I say to this?

As I sat there, trying to justify this accusation, flashbacks of our happy times fail to defend me. Christmas morning, wrapped in my robe. Sunday morning flipping pancakes in my flannels. Sipping coffee on my porch in my cami short-set. Sharing the snuggie on Friday night. I told myself to quickly think of other times. Surely, there are other times. What about birthday parties? Not helping as I recall one of Eden's favorite parties was a pretend sleepover. We all wore pajamas. What about that great party Kean had? Oh, no, that was wear your clothes backwards. OK, maybe not pajamas, but still something were I've drastically altered my style of dress.

So, maybe I am nicer in my pajamas. Why wouldn't I be? There are a chain of events that prelude putting pajamas on. All of which, contribute to a seemingly softer side of me. My state of pajama usually represents one of two possibilites. 1. My day of retail (sometimes hell) has ended. or 2. The day has asked nothing of me. In other words, there is no pressing scheduled "clothes only" commitment.

Let's start with the first possibility where my day has ended. The first thing I do is go upstairs to run a bath and take out my contacts. Despite that fact that I can no longer see, when I look into the mirror the wrinkles that have crept around my eyes have vanished. My hair looks seemingly in place. And for Gods sake, is my skin actually glowing? In my blind state, I look gorgeous. The happy meter just went up.

Feeling good about myself I shed the contraptions that keep everything up, tight and relatively in place and challenge the mirror again. By this point, the mirror has begun to fog up as my bath nears a boil. It appears that I have this very soft, almost flawless siloutte. I don't know, but the combination of steam and my loss of vision appear to give me that soft soap opera glow-very Susan Lucci (I'm too young for her, so how about Kelly Ripa). Things just keep getting better, and I am not even in my pajamas yet.

As I emerse myself in the warmth of the water, carefully placing my merlot beside the tub I let my feet flirt beneath the running water. I do this for about 10 minutes. 10 minutes is what the kids allow me. I can plead for 15, but by that point the blissful effects of the bath will cease to work and I'll just end up cranky. I relish in the 10 minutes that I am granted and let my favorite Sweet Soy Oil soak in. A candle would be awesome, but if I forget to bring the matches up stairs I let this part go.

After the bath, and I love this part, I get to pick which body butter I am in the mood for. Right now I am using my favorite Pure Fiji Body Butter in Mango. The scent alone makes my stomach tickle just a little.

Finally, it's time to put on my pajamas. Now the great thing about pajamas is that all you have to do is put them on. You don't have to match anything. You don't have to look in the bathroom mirror only to realize you need a full front and back view and therefore have to go into the bedroom. You also don't have to model different slippers for youself to see which make your legs look longer or if you should tuck the bottoms in or leave them out. Most importantly, it doesn't matter how your butt looks.

All you have to do is decide how comfortable you want to be and walk downstairs. I have never sat on the sofa in my pajamas wondering if the blue flannel were better than the pink stripe. I am always happy in my pajamas. Oh my gosh, did I just say that?

Well, I guess the kids are right. Aren't they always?

Friday Nights are Flourishing

Introducing Late Night Shopping at Flourish!

Flourish will now be open until 9pm on Friday Nights. Perhaps you are strolling the town after dinner or are simply enjoying the summer weather, don't forget to stop by Flourish for our Flourishing Friday Events. Each event begins at 6pm and ends at 9pm. You don't have to sign up, just mark your calender and stop in. We don't want this to be a secret so please tell a friend!

Flourishing Fridays
6:00pm to 9:00pm

July 17
Just for her/him, Custom blend your own perfume scent and take a free sample home.

July 24
Lavender Lovers, Experience the true essence of lavender. Sample edible treats and body products all made with lavender.

July 31
Summer Fest, We will simply be open during all the festivities in town

August 7
Facial Friday, Complimentary facial evaluations by Jill Lori of Sayville as well as mud mask applications and floral water spritzers.

August 14
Margaritaville, We will simply be open for all the festivities in town

August 21
Art Walk, We will be hosting a local artist for Sayville's first Art Walk event

August 28
Mother/Daughter Event, Come celebrate that special bond with our first mother/daughter event. Buy one, get one 1/2 off all night long. Beverages and dessert will also be provided.

When Things Are Simply Meant To Be

Now that I have reached my first year milestone, I feel I have a little bit of Flourish history to share with you. Today, I reflect on how when things are meant to happen, they simply do.

Inspired by the candy counter at the Sweet Gourmet (http://www.shopsweetgourmet.com/) in Sayville, I had this idea to sell soap in much the same way you would buy chocolate by the pound. I envisioned stacks of handmade soaps cut and sliced into tempting bundles and edible scents. Some of my best ideas come to me at the most inconvenient times. So, it goes without saying that this "soap idea" of course proved to be no exception. I would say somewhere between 1 am and 3 am I had an idea to display the soaps bakery style by crafting the soaps into slices of cake, petit fours, tarts, and even brownies. This of course, was just one of the many ideas and visions I was coming up with for Flourish and certainly one that would have to be well researched.

However, when something is meant to happen, it simply does. And that is how my soap cakes came to be. Little did I know that the entire idea, product and resources would simply appear on my mother's dining room table only 2 days later with not so much as uttering a word about it to anyone. There on the center of the table was a beautifully presented basket loaded with fresh cut soaps just begging to be sampled. You see, my mother's friend knew someone who was making handmade soaps and was wondering if I would be interested in them since she knew I was about to open a bath and body boutique. I sampled them, loved them and contacted her almost immediately. During that first conversation I remember being a little reluctant to tell her about my Soap Cake idea but figured, why not? After I described my idea in meticulous detail about how I envisioned the soaps scents, colors and even the platters on which they would be displayed there was complete silence on the other end. I figured she thought I was crazy. To my astonishment and utter dismay she simply replied, "I am a pastry chef who now makes soap". What where the chances of this happening?

Within 4 weeks, I was presented with these exquisite custom created Strawberry Torts, Chocolate Bundt Cakes, Lavender Pies, Brownies and Petit Fours. Basically, exactly what I envisioned one sleepless night.

Fragrance Blending

One of the unique things about Flourish is the custom blending we offer with our fragrance oils. When I was getting ready to open Flourish I wasn't sure how well this would do, so I ordered about 30 different scents just to get started. One year later, I offer over 60 different scents. I can't believe the delicious combinations that my customers have come up with. I have to say that I do have my favorites (Fig & Amber, Apricot & Fresh Ginger, Bergamot, Vetiver & Leather). I knew that this would take off with women, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well it was received by men. Father's Day was particularly surprising. I had one mom who brought her 13 year old son in, kicking and screaming I am sure, to create something for dad. I knew he was reluctant at first, but after a few sniffs of the bottles he really got into it, even coming up with something quite unique for his dad.

Once you create your scent, you then get to select a perfume bottle for a really custom creation. I have traditional apothecary style bottles, bottles with caps and others with wands. Most styles are available in clear, green or cobalt blue glass bottles. If you are really in love with your scent and can't get enough I also have unscented Aloe Hand and Body Lotion and Shea Body Butter that you can blend with your signature scent for fragrance layering.

There is definitely something exotic about custom blending. The process of blending is very personal and magical. There is definitely an art to it. However, it gives even the most self-described "unartistic" person the feeling of creativity.

Our Perfume Parties are quite special in that they are truly unique. Whether it's a birthday celebration, bachelorette party, girl's night out or just for fun, everyone is given the opportunity to create something unique during a one-on-one session. The fun in creating a scent with your friends is in the sharing of your creations. For adults, this includes a night of wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres and raffles, as well as private shopping in the store with a special coupon just for guests. For teens/tweens birthday parties, it's all about being a diva. From the moment you enter Flourish guests are greeted with tossed rose petals, balloons, a white carpet, pink passion punch and cupcakes. While each guest is creating a scent the others can be getting a facial mud mask or nail decor.

One Year Celebration

I can't believe how fast time flies. I remember the day I started bringing boxes through the "coming soon" covered doors. The feeling it gave me was the same feeling I had, and forgot about, when I moved into my first new apartment. The excitement, the planning and setting up. I've always loved setting things up and finding the perfect spot for everything I owned. So, you can imagine the thrill it gave me to see all those empty shelves waiting to be merchandised.

Well, I have been setting up and merchandising for a full year now. I still love all the fussing. Finding the perfect spot for even the simplest item still gives me great pleasure. In celebration of this one year milestone, I threw Flourish a "first birthday party"complete with Cinderella. I invited parents and children in the area to come and help Flourish celebrate. We had balloons, cake, goodie-bags and a visit with the princess for pictures and singing. She was simply enchanting. We even raffled off a basket full of some of Flourish's favorites for a lucky mom to take home.