Mother’s Day is only 3 days away and I’m feeling overwhelmed thinking of a gift. Of course this is a flower blog and what else could be on my mind? Today I picked up a gorgeous orchid plant for myself (don’t tell). It looks perfect in my living room. But now for my mom…

1800Flowers is running commercials on tv with some of their Mother’s Day flowers and I fell in love with this one. Most of the time Mother’s day arrangements are the same thing you are used to seeing, but this new bouquet is refreshingly unique. It’s also affordable.

It’s called Tote-ally Mom™ and instead of a vase it comes in a beautiful tote full of flowers. Prices start at just $30. I love it. Plus the tote is made from canvas and she can reuse it (she will want to, it’s so stylish). So to me this gift does double duty.

One of my favorite things to do is to find a vase or holder that is unexpected, not the usual clear vase you always see. I also don’t want it overly frilly or unique, because that doesn’t fit my style (or my mom’s). This fits the bill. Your mom will love it (so will mine). And when you see her with the tote later in the year it will remind both of you of your mother’s day gift. I’d pack my lunch for work in mine.

The tote comes with the following flowers: roses, alstroemeria, daisies, poms, waxflower and pittosporum

I can’t wait to see her reaction!

1-800-Flowers.com is tapping into mom blogs and doing blogger outreach with their “Summer of Smiles” campaign. The campaign involves asking bloggers to review 1800flowers (sending them free arrangements).

The bloggers are not only getting a flower arrangement but they are also asking readers to enter to win a bouquet to give to someone they want to bring a smile to. The promotion ends July 17, 2010.

Thrifty Mom said:

Win It: I encourage you to bring a smile to everyone around you and to help one lucky Thrifty & Chic Mom reader will win a $50 GC to 1-800-Flowers.com so they can bring a smile to someone they care about. To enter tell me who you want to send flowers to.

As with most blog promotions, it involves a giveaway:

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.

* Friend me on Google Friend Connect (right side bar)

* Blog about this giveaway with a link back.

* Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me @ThriftyChicMom. Copy and paste: Bring a smile to a friend with flowers, win a $50 GC to 1800flowers from @ThriftyChicMom http://tiny.cc/s6qg5  #giveaway (you can do this once a day!)

* Email a friend about this giveaway with a link be sure to CC me thriftyandchic (at) gmail

* Become a fan of Thrifty & Chic Mom on Facebook

* Enter another current giveaway on Thrifty & Chic Mom, simply tell me which one and what comment # (you can do this once)

* RSVP and join in my Live Giveaway party on Monday at 10 PM EST

They also had a  “Be Justin Bieber’s Valentine” sweepstakes and he had his own signature “One Less Lonely Girl” bouquet which had red intuition roses. He  serenaded the lucky girl as he gave her the flowers.

Starting July 1, 2010, customers can submit who they would like to send a smile and why and be entered for the chance to win the Happy Day Bouquet(TM). No purchase necessary to enter or win.

For more information on the “Summer of Smiles” sweepstakes visit www.1800flowers.com/smile.

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• Flower Delivery Facts From an Online Florist (florist-review.com)

With a flower delivery service you can order flowers online and have them delivered anywhere in the USA that has a physical location (no PO Boxes). You just need a name and address. You can have flowers delivered to a home, apartment, place of work, a funeral home, etc.

Many online flower delivery websites contract with local florists to fulfill their orders. Others have their own growers and stores. Some online florists are more transparent about this than others. There are advantages to both.

When you place an order online, the website may tell you that your order will be fulfilled by an “affiliated florist.” This means that your order will be transmitted electronically to a local florist. They will arrange your flowers and deliver it themselves. So even though you order from a wire service like FTD or Teleflora, the flowers may be delivered by a local company. This is good because the flowers will be fresh and if there are any problems you know who to go to.

The wire services provide the networks for independent shops and facilitate the transfer of orders nationally and internationally. This helps allow a seamless, speedy method of delivery of fresh flowers around the world.

Be aware that your flower arrangement may not look exactly as you expect based on what you saw online. That’s because most arrangements you order online include a photograph that represents the type of arrangement that will be delivered. This is not an exact image of the exact arrangement. The florist will try to deliver an arrangement as close to the picture as possible. The more exotic or precise the picture, the less likely your arrangement will look like it. Having worked at a florist we always did our best to match what the customer ordered, but sometimes we couldn’t do it for the price or else we didn’t have the particular items in stock.

Some online florists have their own distribution centers across the country and they ship all orders directly from these sources. The flowers may be coming from another country. Just remember that even if your order is sub-contracted to a local florist, the website you order from will accept your payment directly. The web site owners pay a fee to the online store who referred them and pay them for your order.

Here are some florists we recommend who offer flower delivery:

JustFlowers.com

USA Florist

If you’re like a lot of us you’re looking for a deal this Valentine’s Day! 1-800Flowers has one for you! It’s free shipping on your order.You don’t have much time left now to order flowers in time for Valentine’s Day. My favorite gift is dinner out and when we go to the table, to see fresh cut flowers already there. I think it’s very romantic.

Generally speaking I don’t like anything too fancy – just a dozen red roses no babies breath. However, this Martha Stewart arrangement is so classy that I would forgo my usual taste in favor of this beauty.

To take advantage of this deal go here:

Free Shipping or No Service Charge on Valentine’s Day gifts at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM!

Internet Retailer just reported that 1-800-Flowers is the first online retailer to launch a store on Facebook. Already they have over 3,000 fans. 1-800-Flowers gives discounts through the fan page. They also have a birthday promotion going on right now.

Here’s the story:

1-800-Flowers debuts the first online store on Facebook

The online floral retailer 1-800-Flowers.com Inc., one of the pioneers of Internet and telephone-based retailing, has launched the first online store on Facebook, the social networking site says. The shop at Facebook.com/1-800-Flowers lets customers shop and complete purchases without leaving their Facebook page.

“Facebook is redefining the social web, a cultural and social phenomenon that has changed the way we connect with one another,” says Jim McCann, CEO and founder of 1-800-Flowers.com. “In 1992, 1-800-Flowers was one of the first businesses to embrace the Internet and in 1994 we were the first merchant of any kind to transact on AOL. Fifteen years later, we are extremely proud to again be the first this time in launching a retail store inside Facebook, a bold step in unlocking the tremendous marketing potential of social media.”

The retailer`s Facebook store had been up for almost a month for a beta test, but the official launch today caused a huge outpouring of consumers and regular customers expressing their interest on Facebook as well through Twitter and blog posts, McCann says. “The number of visitors to our Facebook page tripled since yesterday,” McCann said after today`s launch.

Although 1-800-Flowers has the first online store on Facebook, other retailers also use the social networking site to promote sales. Sears Holdings Corp. says it allows shoppers on its Facebook Campus Ready page to make purchases without leaving Facebook, and other companies, including Hewlett-Packard Co., let visitors to their Facebook pages click through to their branded retail sites to shop and make online purchases. But 1-800-Flowers is the first to launch an online store on Facebook, a spokeswoman for Facebook says. The floral retailer uses a software application from Alvenda that lets Facebook visitors shop and complete purchases on 1-800-Flowers.com within a Facebook page, says Alvenda CEO Wade Gerten.

Alvenda’s technology, which the company refers to as a shoplet, is also used to let consumers shop e-commerce sites from online ads placed on third-party web sites. When 1-800-Flowers used Alvenda shoplets in online banner ads for Mother’s Day this year, it realized a 41% increase in sales per ad impression compared to banner ads without a shoplet, the retailer and Alvenda say.

“We believe the majority of future online sales will happen off-site,” Gerten says. “Alvenda enables customers to shop with brands wherever they happen to be; whether they`re on YouTube, a favorite blogger web site, or now Facebook. With innovative brands like 1-800-Flowers.com, Alvenda is moving commerce forward to unique touch points.”

The floral retailer’s Facebook page, at Facebook.com/1800Flowers, includes a “Shop!” button in a navigation bar that activates the retailer’s e-commerce window. By keeping shoppers on Facebook while they shop on 1-800-Flowers.com, the retailer makes it easier for them to post and share comments about their shopping experiences with friends, the retailer says. 1-800-Flowers also makes special offers on its Facebook page to encourage visitors to register on Facebook as a fan of the retailer, a step that lists 1-800-Flowers.com on the visitor’s personal Facebook page.

Future versions of the retailer’s Facebook store will offer additional social features, including birthday calendars and group gift-giving options, 1-800-Flowers says. McCann says the retailer expects to eventually roll out additional Facebook stores for its other retail floral, gifts and food brand

The spokeswoman for Facebook says the 1-800-Flowers store is a good example of what the social networking site expects to see from online retailers. “We’re seeing brands do more and more interesting things with their Facebook Pages,” she says. “1-800-Flowers” online store is a great example of a business trying new things. Facebook Pages can be a unique and interactive way for businesses to communicate and engage with consumers.”

Gerten adds that Alvenda is currently working with three other online retailers, including two within the top five online retailers as listed in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, to launch online stores on Facebook.

Fall is the biggest Birthday season for 1-800-Flowers and many other online florists. That means it’s time to send birthday flowers. Besides birthdays there are many other great celebrations happening in Sept/October that you should keep in mind.

• Grandparents Day is Sep 13th
• Rosh Hashanah is Sept 18th
• Yom Kippur is Sept 27th
• Bosses Day is October 16th
• Sweetest Day is October 17th

You can send gifts starting at $24.99, with same-day delivery available for many of the gifts.

Valentines Day Flowers from Just Flowers

1-800-Flowers just released an app for iPhones, which is pretty savvy. Just in time for Valentine’s Day from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, one of the largest online florists. Called the “Mobile Gift Center app” it provides iPhone and iPod touch users quick ordering of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM flowers and gifts.

The application is updated daily. It gives product descriptions, full-color images, exclusive offers, and special promotions. Here’s where to find it:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303142365&mt=8

or go to 1-800-Flowers home page and click on the link.

I just wrote about how shoppers are looking for deals this Valentines. Are you looking for a deal for your Valentine? How about this?

1-800-FLOWERS.COM is running a special that is affordable for any budget:

Buy 12 Roses, get 6 FREE
Get a FREE red glass vase
+ FREE Fannie May® Gourmet Chocolates

All for $29.99 – Expires 2/11/09

Get the