Mothers Day Flower Arrangement

Mother's Day business brisk in Stamford

STAMFORD -- While his wife was jogging, Harry Singh and his 8-year-old daughter, Sofina, went to Nobu Florist & Events Sunday morning to buy a flower arrangement before taking her for a celebratory Mother's Day brunch in Greenwich.

"We snuck out," Singh said.

Sofina said she appreciates her mother playing games with her and cooking breakfast.

"She took me to the office last week for `Take Your Kids to Work Day,' " Sofina said.

On a sleepy Sunday morning in downtown Stamford, last-minute gift-seekers visited flower shops as floral arrangers were preparing final bouquets and arrangements for delivery to mothers throughout Fairfield County.

Valentin Cluceru, who runs Nobu with his wife, Margaret, said Mother's Day business over the past week has been stronger than in the past couple of years, with a number of people laying out between $400 to $600 for a single order of flowers.

"I don't think it has do with the economy," Cluceru said. "For many people they can't do enough for these women to show appreciation for the love and dedication they've given."

According to a 2011 survey for the National Retail Federation , total Mother's Day spending is expected to surpass $16 billion, including $3 billion on jewelry, $3.1 billion on brunches and lunches, and $1.9 billion on flowers.

The survey found the average person celebrating the holiday planned to spend $141 on gifts compared with $127 last year.

The dining room At Madonia Restaurant and Bar, an Italian restaurant at 1297 Long Ridge Road, was packed Sunday afternoon. Roughly 400 parties made reservations for the 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. brunch hour and the 3 to 8 p.m. dinner seating.

"We're very busy today and this is a good sign for us," Bruno said.

Nicole Kreps, 25, bought an arrangement of roses for her mother, Rose Paolini , at Nobu and wrote a card from herself and her own daughter, 18-month-old Gabrielle.

Kreps said her mother was driving from Milford to eat breakfast with her, and said after a period of rocky relations with her mother they have become close again.

"Today is a big celebration for us," Kreps said.

At Flower Works Inc., a florist's shop on Cove Road, owner Simin Modjallal said Mother's Day is the biggest holiday in his industry, and that this year she hired several extra helpers to keep up with a surge in gift orders.

Three women helped Modjallal tweak more than a dozen large arrangements on tables at the rear of the store to be delivered around Stamford and towns as far north as Ridgefield.

This Mother's Day, Make Her a Flower Arrangement - HGTV.com

If you haven’t gotten your mother a gift, then right now, it is time to discover your inner florist. Don’t be scared. I know, attempting to replicate complicated professionally-designed flower arrangements can be intimidating. Then again, finding budget-friendly flowers and skillfully arranging them into an artful bouquet seems like an impossible feat (for me at least). For this Mother’s Day, however, I’m determined to put together a fresh, spring-style flower arrangement that Mom will love. So can you. (And who doesn’t love flowers?) With less than an hour’s effort, you can present your mom, or the mother of your children, a “handcrafted” arrangement made from simple materials and affordable, in-season flowers. (Keeping in mind that even if your bouquet is far from perfect, she’ll love it no matter what.) Here are five lovely designs with links to easy-to-follow instructions:

Grab a plain pitcher and arrange lilacs, lady’s mantle ( alchemilla