Six Sweet New Baby Flower Bouquets

Aside from trying to make up to your wife after you forgot an anniversary, the arrival of a new baby is one of the most common excuses to send gorgeous fresh flowers! The little bundle's skin is rose-petal-soft … their toes furl like green tendrils, and some of the time they have the same gorgeous perfume. Yes, only some of the time! Today we are celebrating new babies through flowers, and looking at our favorite online flowerbaskets for new arrivals.

We love this Blue Horizons online flower bouquet because of the strong colors -- flowers can be seen as a feminine gift, so if you want to celebrate the little boy and treat his Mom at the same time, this is the way to do it! It's a mid-range bouquet, and while the greenery is quite long lasting the lilies and irises are a little softer -- order it when you know they'll be arriving home!

This flower bouquet is presented in a sweet glass baby block, which makes for a handy way to keep hospital keepsakes together, like birth tags, cord clips and first photos. It is made up of delphiniums, tulips and carnations, and you can get both the block and the flowers in a pink selection as well as blue.

The flowers won’t last forever, but the bear will be an adorable reminder of their beauty! This online flower bouquet includes chrysanthemums, roses and asters, arranged in a gorgeous, flowing way. It is big on looks, but little in the price department -- one of the most affordable new baby bouquets available.

Another way to keep the memory of the flowers long after they have gone from the vase, the cute, sturdy and lovable wooden elephant doubles as a toy for the baby later on. The bouquet utilizes white roses, white button spray chrysanthemums and assorted greenery. You can get the elephant in blue also.

Are you ordering flowers before you know the gender of the baby? The Sunny Smiles bouquet is a great alternative to the usual pink and blue. The bright yellow tones in this online flower bouquet provide inspiration, energy and notes of sunshine when it is needed most … on first sleepless nights and in a hospital bed.

After the Flowers Have Gone: How to Make a Rose Facial Mask

Fresh flowers are such a treat -- but while there are a few things you can do to extend the life of your cut flowers, they always seem to come and go so quickly! If you've recently received a bunch of roses, or roses among your fresh flowers, look at ways to keep enjoying their heavenly perfume and gorgeous softness beyond when they start withering. Here's how to make and enjoy different formulations of rose petal facial masks for different skin types.

Rose petal, oatmeal and honey facial mask

Blend 1/8 cup of rose petals with 1/3 cup of oatmeal, 4 tablespoons of honey and a teaspoon of rose water. Clean your face before applying the mask -- spread it over your face and neck, and relax for half an hour. It will wash off with warm water. This will make enough for several masks, and you'll need to store the rest of the mixture in the fridge and use it within a couple of weeks. Not only have your fresh flowersbeautified your home, but they've beautified you also!

Rose petal, strawberry and yogurt mask

Rose petals make for a soothing addition to this quite astringent mask. Add 1/8 cup of rose petals to 1/4 cup of strawberries and 1/4 cup of either natural yogurt or sour cream. Use fresh strawberries -- they have many more active compounds than frozen ones do. Wash this off after fifteen minutes.

Banana, rose, honey and lemon mask

Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Fresh flowers like rose petals have also been added to food for centuries. This facial mask uses 1 banana, a tablespoon of honey, a few drops of orange or lemon juice and 1/8 cup of rose petals.

You'll notice that most of the facial mask recipes call for only 1/8 cup of petals. This means that one flower delivery bunch can make quite a few different masks! Mix up the recipes and share them out among your friends -- spread the love, just like your fresh flowers did in the first place.