You who know me personally realized that I’m committed to making it easier for you to share your love and appreciation to the people around you - with flowers, and unique gift baskets. As part of that commitment, I’ve got a suggestion for you - to make Valentine’s Day both easier and more fun. It is, without a doubt, the most stressful romantic holiday - excluding anniversaries, perhaps.

“Valentine’s Day,” I wrote recently in a nationwide press release, “can put a lot of strain on a relationship. Expectations, on the part of both men and women, often run wild.”

My solution is to stretch the 24 hours of February 14th into 168 hours of Valentine’s Week.

Why?

To allow for more creativity, more options in gift giving, and, (as I wrote in the release), “more opportunity to express your love. And isn’t that what it’s all about?”

According to statistics, Valentine’s Day is a procrastinator’s delight, in that most cards, candy and flowers are purchased at the last minute. I agree. And I add, those who wait until the last minute often find their selection is now limited and, in the case of florists, the delivery schedule has been filled. Why not send your romantic bouquet on Monday, February 11th? It’s a wonderful way to start the week and set the stage for a romantic Valentine’s Day. Not to mention, you’ll be her heart’s champion. “She knows you thought of her early and didn’t wait until the last minute to buy her Valentine gift. Besides, your early thoughtfulness will impress her co-workers and win you some “bonus” points for being such a romantic guy! ”Value your heart’s connections with a week-long celebration of love. Valentine’s Week gives you not just 24 hours to “get it right,” but 168 hours to express your feelings.

This year you could start the Valentine countdown on Monday, February 11th, and close the celebration that Saturday or Sunday night, with a romantic evening for two. It’s a win-win lover’s strategy – and I say that from personal experience!

For additional information, contact:
Clay Atchison III
McAdams Floral
Telephone Number: 361-575-2307
Fax Number: 361-575-2557
Email Address: clay [at] mcadamsfloral.com
Web site address: www.mcadamsfloral.com

McAdams Floral was started in 1975. Over 30 years later, the daughter of the founder, and son-in-law, are carrying on the family floral tradition. Now a second and third generation business, the firm remains grounded in Joe McAdams’ original philosophy: “Our customers are our number one priority, and their business is always appreciated.” Visit McAdams Floral online at http://www.mcadamsfloral.com.

Teleflora’s “Diamonds and Roses” sweepstakes on www.DiamondsAndRoses.com for a chance of winning 1 of 1,000 Diamond Pendant Necklaces orthe Grand Prize of a pair of $50,000* Diamond Earrings.

Whitman’s is one of America’s largest and oldest chocolate production companies. Originally a “confectionery and fruiterer shoppe” set up in 1842 by 19 year old Stephen F Whitman on a Philadelphia waterfront, Whitman’s first became popular with traveling sailors and their wives. They would often bring imported Fruits, nuts and coco from their trips back to Mr. Whitman so that he could make the popular European confections people craved in that era. Before long Whitman’s chocolates were popular all along the north-eastern section of the United States.

The first prepackaged Whitman’s candy was produced in 1854. It was a box of sugar plums adorned with curlicues and rosebuds. Whitman then began advertising in newspapers, shortly before the beginning of the Civil War. The business thrived and in 1866 an entire building at 12th and Market Streets in Philadelphia was taken over by the company. In 1877, Instantaneous Chocolates were introduced in tin boxes that became much admired. Whitman’s introduced the perennial popular and still best selling Whitman’s Sampler in 1912. This marked the first use of cellophane by the candy industry. In 1946 Whitman’s helped General Electric to develop a refrigerated display case to prevent melting of the product and extend the selling season through the summer months.

Whitman’s has enjoyed over 160 years of chocolate production since its beginning. It now distributes to 50 company stores and 40,000 other outlets, having expanded internationally to Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For 2008, Teleflora has teamed up with Whitman’s for the Whitmans Chocolate Bouquet by Teleflora. A shiny red ceramic vased braced with golden hearts is filled with roses, spray roses, miniature carnations, alstroemeria……all accented with a 1.6 oz heart-shaped box of Whiteman’s Chocolates.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but roses are the way to her heart. Put the two together and you’ve got a winning combination!

This coming Valentine’s Day, Telelfora will promote its Diamond and Roses Bouquet and Diamond Cut Bouquet with the Diamond and Roses Sweepstakes. Customers that purchase those bouquets for their special Valentine, will get a chance for their reciepient to win one of 1,000 diamond pendants….or an even more exciting prize- a $50,000 pair of diamond earrings.

Here’s how it will work: each Valentine reciepient will receive a Diamond and Roses Sweepstakes game piece add by the Teleflora florist to each Diamonds and Roses Bouquet and each Diamond Cut Bouquet sent out. The recipient of the bouquet then goes to DiamondsAndRoses.com and enters the code from the game piece to find out if they are an instant winner of one of 1,000 diamond pendants. The will also be automatically entered into a drawing for the grand prize of the $50,000 pair of diamond earrings.

Naturally, the sweepstakes will make the Teleflora Valentine Flower Bouquets wildly popular….so be sure to order your Teleflora Diamonds and Roses Bouquet and the Teleflora Diamond Cut Bouquet early!

The “Painter of Light” recaptures the warmth and joy of Christmases past with this stunning hand-painted chapel. Nestled in radiant flowers, glowing with a soft light, is a magnifcent gift that will bring lasting joy.

 I have attached some better pictures of the Thomas Kinkade Country Chapel Bouquet by Teleflora, the detail on this Thomas Kinkade collectable County Chapel is very good. Look at the hand painted detail on the people…they measure less than 3/4″ in height!

 As in past years with the other Teleflora exclusive keepsake designs from Thomas Kinkade, the Teleflora Country Chapel Bouquet is a perfect Christmas gift.

I had gotten a call from a customer that was curious about the detail in the Teleflora Gingerbread House Bouquet, especially the description on the home page of www.GingerbreadHouseBouquet.com. I relayed that…Yes….the “hand-painted detailing looks like real candy” and that it is a great Christmas Holiday keepsake container, especially if they collect gingerbread houses. Here are some close up pictures that I took of the Teleflora Gingerbread House container, you can better see the detail in the candy. Anyway, I believe you will see that this is one “sweet” Christmas bouquet container!

Thomas Kinkade is not only Teleflora’s best-selling artist, but the most collected living artist in the world. Coming from a modest small-town background, his luminescent, inspirational paintings reflect simple pleasures and values.

While still living in his hometown of Placerville, California, Kinkade spent one summer on a tour doing sketches with a friend, which turned into a best-selling instructional book, landing both young men jobs creating background art for the animated feature film Fire and Ice. It was during this time that Kinkade began to experiment with light and explore the imaginative worlds that would play such an important part in his future work.

For a time, Kinkade earned his living as a painter, selling his originals in galleries throughout California. In 1982, he married his childhood sweetheart, Nanette, and two years later they began to publish his art.

A devoted husband and doting father to their four daughters, Kinkade strives to lead a balanced life, committed to family values. He creatively fills his works with “love notes” by hiding the letter “N” in his paintings as tribute to his wife, Nanette. His daughters also find their own messages of love from their father as their names and images often appear in many of his paintings.

Thomas Kinkade has been recognized not only for his art, but also for his philanthropic efforts. The Thomas Kinkade Foundation serves and supports non-profit organizations focusing on children, humanitarian relief and the arts. Kinkade’s involvement in such organizations, along with his appearances on the award-winning news broadcast 60 Minutes, as well as Good Morning America, is testimony to the fact that his artwork is touching the hearts of millions worldwide.

Awards and Recognitions
Thomas Kinkade has received many awards for his works, including multiple National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED) awards for Artist of the Year and Graphic Artist of the Year, and his art has been named Lithograph of the Year nine times. Most recently in 2004, he received a special award from NALED recognizing him as the Most Award Winning Artist in the Past 25 Years. In the course of his fulfilling life, he has met with the Pope, U.S. presidents, celebrities and other well-known dignitaries to convey his hope-filled, life-affirming message.

Through the years, Kinkade’s artwork has inspired a number of highly successful Teleflora bouquets. His most recent offerings are for the holidays: Teleflora’s Thomas Kinkade Hurricane Bouquet, featuring a hand-painted cottage modeled on his Memories of Christmas painting; and Teleflora’s Thomas Kinkade Christmas Tree, a permanent tree.

The gingerbread house comes from the fairy tale of Germanic origin; Hansel and Gretel.

Hansel and Gretel are the children of a poor woodcutter. Fearing starvation, the wood cutter’s wife (variously called the children’s mother or stepmother), convinces him to lead the children into the forest and abandon them there. Hansel and Gretel hear her plan and gather white pebbles to leave themselves a trail home. After their return, their mother again convinces the wood cutter to abandon them again; this time however, they can only leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the various animals of the woods eat their trail of breadcrumbs causing Hansel and Gretel to become lost.

Lost in the forest, they find a house made of bread…with later versions calling it gingerbread, with sugar windows, unable to resist it they begin to eat it. The inhabitant of the house, who is an old woman, invites them in and prepares a feast for them. The table is covered in a white lace and filled with candy, pancakes and other sweets. The woman, however, is a witch who has built the house to entice children to her, so that she may fatten and eat them. She cages Hansel, and makes Gretel her servant. While she prepares to cook Hansel, she orders Gretel to fetch her candies and fats to force feed Hansel. Unable to do anything Gretel weeps bitterly and does as she’s told. Days pass by and Hansel has grown very very fat as she wished. She exclaims, “Hansel is so plump I can taste the juices!” she tells Gretel to climb into an oven to be sure it is ready to bake; but Gretel guesses that the witch intends to bake her, and tricks the witch into climbing into the oven, closing it behind her.

Taking jewels from the witch’s house, they set off for home to be reunited with their father, whose wife has since died of evilness. “Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness.”

For a 2008 Christmas arrangement, Teleflora has created the Gingerbread House Bouquet. The bouquet is in a hand-painter container, shaped and decorated like an old-fashion gingerbread house….with detailing that looks like real candy. This delectable ceramic gingerbread house container brings sweet memories of Christmas past to Christmas present. The Teleflora Gingerbread House is an enchanting gift… perfect for all ages.

Teleflora, a Thomas Kinkade Company licensed keepsake distributor for florists, has issued the following statement;

September 27, 2008

We have just been notified by Lionsgate Studios that the schedule for completing Thomas Kinkade’s Home for Christmas has been experiencing unexpected delays over the last several weeks due to a number of factors including music rights clearances and final editing. These delays, in turn, had the effect of seriously impacting the time available for the studio to develop and deploy quality promotion and marketing to support the film and gain strong word of mouth and awareness. Consequently, after much discussion and debate internally, Lionsgate has decided that in order to ensure maximum success for the movie, the best decision is to re-schedule its release date.

Re-scheduling a movie is commonplace in Hollywood, and if this were a typical movie the result would likely be a move of two to three months. However, because it is very much a Christmas Movie Thomas Kinkade’s Home for Christmas will be scheduled for the 2008 holiday season.

Although we are disappointed that we will not be able to share what is a truly wonderful film this Christmas, we believe, given the facts of the situation, that the decision is indeed the best one for the ultimate success of both this movie and future Thomas Kinkade Media projects.

To bring you up to speed, The Thomas Kinkade Christmas Cottage Movie (AKA Home For Christmas) was originally scheduled to open November 30, 2007 in 2,000 theatres. The Christmas Cottage is a charming holiday movie, brought to you by Lions Gate Films, stars Peter O’Toole, Marcia Gay Herden, and Supernatural/Gilmore Girls star Jared Padalecki to play Kinkade. Inspired by the early life and art of the renowned painter of lights, the movie is the story of how a small community and an aging mentor stepped in and helped lead a community into aiding Kinkade’s mother in saving her house. Along the way, Kinkade found a decisiveness he had previously lacked and discovered his art ability leading up to his “painter of lights” gifted talent.

It is reported that Lionsgate Films has made a three picture deal with Thomas Kinkade to re-create aspects of his live as movies. Lionsgate has already launched development of a second Kinkade project but is keeping the details under wraps.

Teleflora is offering a Thomas Kinkade Christmas keepsake, Thomas Kinkade’s Country Chapel bouquet, for 2007 and is speculated to have a Thomas Kinkade Christmas Cottage bouquet keepsake for 2008