Sprouts! at ArtiGras 2013!

Posted by Sprouts Staff

The 28th Annual ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival was held this past President’s Day weekend in Abacoa, Jupiter. The festival may have had chill weather, but that didn’t stop the thousands of patrons in attendance admiring and purchasing many of the beautiful pieces of art.

Sprouts! has always been proud to be one of ArtiGras’s premiere vendors making special plantable seed paper note cards to commemorate the event. The designs for these cards are taken from the award-winning pieces of art sent into the Youth Art Competition by the school children of Palm Beach County. From the hundreds of pieces sent in Sprouts! chose 12 lucky students to be a part of this year’s ArtiGras plantable seed paper note card collections. Sprouts! graciously donates a portion of their sales proceeds from the event to the ArtiGras Art Education Fund, which supports arts programs in Palm Beach County schools. Sprouts! understands the importance and enrichment art brings to not only the lives of our children, but to all of us.

Sprouts! would also like to send our congratulations to all the rest of the students who submitted artwork into the Youth Art Competition. They are all very talented children and we wish them the best of luck in their artistic pursuits.

We had a great time meeting everyone one who came to visit our booth!

If you missed you chance to buy the two collections of ArtiGras 2013 plantable seed paper note cards, it’s not too late! Sprouts! still has these beautiful cards for sale via our website. Please click on this link to purchase yours!

ArtiGras 2013 – Come See Sprouts!

Posted by Sprouts Staff

It’s February and that means it’s time for ArtiGras 2013! This year’s ArtiGras celebration is set to be the best one to date with artists and craftsmen from all over the country displaying and selling their exquisite pieces.

ArtiGras also encourages young aspiring artist participation by the children of Palm Beach County. Every year the students submit their artwork to be displayed in their own Youth Art Exhibit.

Sprouts! is a proud supporter of ArtiGras and preserving the arts in our Palm Beach County Schools. This our fifth year working with the festival and creating note cards, featuring prize winning student artwork. These note cards will be available for sale in the Sprouts! booth, located in the Youth Art Gallery with a portion of the proceeds from each box of cards going to support the ArtiGras Art Education Fund.

“We are thrilled to continue our involvement with the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival and truly enjoy our part in promoting the youth artists,” says Sharon Quercioli, Sprouts owner and founder.

If you would like to help support keeping the arts alive in our schools, you can purchase your sets of ArtiGras 2013 cards early! Click this link to get yours now!

Along with the ArtiGras 2013 plantable seed paper note cards, Sprouts! will have all of you favorite note cards, door hangers, bookmarks, wine tags and more!

ArtiGras 2013 will be taking place over President’s Day weekend (Feb. 16th, 17th and 18th) at the Abocoa Town Center in Jupiter, Florida. We can’t wait to see you there!

Sprouts! Adds NEW Products!

Posted by Sprouts Staff

During the summer, the creative team at Sprouts! works hard to come up with new and exciting products to launch during the fall. We are pleased to announce the creation of two new coaster packages! We’ve had an incredible response to our plantable coasters, and we’ve expanded the collections by adding Wine Coasters and Inspirational Message Coasters!

These new Wine Coasters are a beautiful new addition to our already very popular Wine Cards and Tags. The coasters complete the collection with their whimsical designs and new fun sayings! Know a wine aficionado? These plantable coasters, tags and cards make a great gift! Click on this link to see and purchase the new Wine Coasters! To see and purchase the Wine Cards and Wine Tags, please click here.

The inspiration for our Inspirational Coasters came from a rather amazing source. Did you know that there was a study done in Japan using purified water with positive words written on the sealed containers? What they discovered when looking at the water under a high powered microscope was the water molecules formed these beautiful almost crystalline patterns. The purified water in containers with nothing written on them had a rather shapeless amoeba-like appearance. Just imagine if our thoughts and words can do that to water! Think of how they affect us! Our Inspirational Coasters were created to keep the positive energy flowing. We believe that the messages you surround yourself with are just as important as what you put in your body. These Inspirational Coasters fill not only your glass with positive energy, but your soul. Click here to see and purchase our Inspirational Coasters.
If you would like more information on Sprouts! or our plantable seed paper products, please e-mail us at info@sproutem.com or call the office at 561-840-8089.

Sprouts! in the Sun Sentinel

Posted by Sprouts Staff

Cindy Ken of the Sun Sentinel writes about Sharon Quercioli and her company Sprouts! Read the story below or click on the link here!

Seeded greeting card business blossomed from passion for environment

When Sharon Quercioli had the idea for a business that was environmentally friendly and engaged in conservation advocacy, the seed was planted for Sprouts! Inc., a greeting card company with products made from seed-embedded recycled paper.

Consumers can “toss out” their Sprouts! holiday, sympathy, anniversary or birthday cards, by planting them instead. Flowers later sprout from the discarded greetings.

Consumers can purchase coasters, plantable favors and tags, craft paper, postcards and doorknob signs and create plantable events like bridal showers and fundraisers.

Quercioli launched the West Palm Beach company in 2004 after researching and experimenting with a variety of ingredients to find the perfect blend of seeds and papers.
Quercioli is a long-time entrepreneur and promoter of green initiatives.

She owned a business recycling inkjet and laser cartridges and old cell phones. To promote the business, Quercioli created fliers and handouts using her handmade seeded paper to grab attention. She designed and sent seeded holiday cards to clients, and after overwhelmingly positive feedback, she decided to form Sprouts!

The business concept is a vision of her passion for gardening and all things environmental and nonprofits, she says.

In recognition of her business and community outreach, Quercioli won Small Business of the Year for Northern Palm Beach Chamber in 2009; she was a finalist in the Go Blue Awards in 2010 for Loggerhead Marinelife Center. Quercioli also received Women of the Year in 2011 by the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber.

The drill-down:

How do you make a profit while being charitable? I’ve built several successful companies over the past 25 years by building them from the heart instead of just the rational processes of the brain.

On the business side, one recent example of how I implement this approach was at a business luncheon. I introduced one of my products: Wish Sprouters. Participants wrote a positive word on the paper that described the person they were sitting next to and then exchanged the papers to take home and plant to watch their flowers grow.

On the fundraising, charity side, such as at an educational school presentation, we give children a plantable heart. Each child writes a wish or dream on the Sprouter. This heart-centered approach can be summed up in just a few words: love your business enough to want to share it.

In this economy how do you sustain the business and social engagement? When it comes to inventory, we have partnered with a local charity to store our paper. Regarding workforce, utilize interns to be able to sustain business operations. High schools students participate for a work/study program.

We increased marketing efforts to become more visible in the community. During these difficult economic times, many companies stop their marketing campaigns when really what they need to do is be selective and implement creative marketing techniques. It’s important to use this time to educate the community about our products and how they can be used in effective and environmentally responsible marketing campaigns.

Regarding charity donations, we have created personalized pages on our website to promote the customized products for various charities that we support.

How will social media affect your industry? As the digital revolution brings more people together, it makes the connections between them more impersonal. Anyone can “like” a business on Facebook and “friend” someone thousands of miles away. But if you really want to let someone know you care about them, you give them something tactile with which to remember you. That’s where our plantable cards and products come in as a unique niche. They’ll never forget where the card came from as they watch their flowers grow.

Sprouts! weaves social engagement into its business model

1. We have a Green Gossip Newsletter every month that discusses our new products, various topics on fundraising or charities and what eco-friendly shows or events we will be attending.

2. We have a blog on our website, pages on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

3. Sprouts! has a column in the Our Wonderful World green digital magazine, that promotes our products as well as raises environmental awareness.

4. Engage youth and nonprofits for fundraising events, the arts and the community to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Details: Sprouts! Inc., West Palm Beach, 561-840-8089, sproutem.com, facebook.com/sprouts.cards, Twitter: @SproutsInc.

Ckent@tribune.com 954-356-4662. Twitter @mindingyourbiz

Celebrating Mom

Posted by Sprouts Staff

This is the woman who taught you that patience pays off and that gratitude is always appreciated. She is the lady who would drop you off at the mall on the weekend and give you a few extra dollars for a snack at the food court. She’s the one who grounded you for lighting the fridge on fire (how on Earth did you even do that?), but still forgives you later exclaiming it needed to be replaced anyway. She’s the someone who would always fight for your best interests and make sure that you were cared for. She is the one who could make you feel special in a way no one else ever could.

Mom: we all have one. Some of us call her mom or mommy; sometimes we call her aunt or auntie, others might call her grandma or granny, and a few might call her Mrs. So-and-So. Regardless of what you call her, that special lady (or ladies in some cases) means the world to you. She has given you the tools, guidance and love to help shape you into a wonderful person.

This Mother’s Day (May 13th), show your mom how grateful you are for all that she has done for you. Here is a list of green ways to show her how much you care!

1. Send her a plantable greeting card for Mother’s Day. Sprouts! has all kinds of cards and gifts for mom that grow into wildflowers when planted. Visit www.sproutem.com to see what they have to offer!

2. Instead of taking her out for dinner, go to your local green market to buy supplies to make her dinner. Making dinner is a more heartfelt gesture and you’re using less gas by staying at home! For a list of farmer’s markets in your area, visit www.localecopia.org/markets.html.

3. Create a poem/work of art out of junk mail and old magazine clippings. It may sound a little hokey, but if you’re creative enough you can make something truly awe inspiring for her wall.

4. Want to give her jewelry? Versus buying something new, visit antique stores and buy her something vintage. Vintage jewelry is still the big fashion trend, and it’s still recycling, but on a high-end scale.

5. Clean her house. I can’t think of one mom who wouldn’t appreciate help making her house sparkle. Just make sure you are using a green sustainable clean. Thieves makes a cleaner distributed by Young Living Oils and is one of the best natural cleaners on the market. To find out more, visit www.youngliving.org/owwmedia.

No matter what you do for you mom this Mother’s Day, make sure you let her know how much you love her.

***

(This article is courtesy of Our Wonderful World Magazine, May 2012 Issue. Click here to view in Our Wonderful World Magazine!)

If you enjoy reading about going green, you can find out more by visiting www.owwmedia.com and reading free issues of Our Wonderful World Magazine.

Come Join Sprouts! at ArtiGras 2012

Posted by Sprouts Staff

Come visit Sprouts! this Feb 18th, 19th and 20th at our booth in front of the Youth Art Gallery at ArtiGras 2012!!!

Sprouts is playing an active role in this year’s ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival by printing beautiful note cards featuring the prize-winning artwork of local students.

The ArtiGras 2012 note cards will be available for sale in the Sprouts booth, located in front of the Youth Art Gallery. A portion of the proceeds from each box of cards will go to support the ArtiGras Art Education Fund. “We are pleased to continue our support and involvement with the ArtiGras Arts Festival and especially our work with the student artists of Palm Beach County,” says Sharon Quercioli, Sprouts owner and founder.

If you would like to support the ArtiGras Art Education Fund by purchasing a box of cards CLICK HERE!

For more information about purchasing cards to help support the Art Education Fund, please email us at info@sproutem.com or call us at 561-840-8089.

What is ArtiGras?

From its humble beginnings at the North Palm Beach Country Club to its current ranking as one of the premier fine art festivals in the United States, the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival has always stayed true to its purpose - to promote cultural arts in Northern Palm Beach County in a family friendly environment. ArtiGras will celebrate its 27th Anniversary, February 18th, 19th, & 20th at Abacoa Town Center in Jupiter, FL.

Sat. & Sun from 10am to 6pm and Mon. 10am to 5pm.

Directions & Information

Click Here for Directions
Click here for more information about ArtiGras!

Sharon Quercioli Named Northern Palm Beach Chamber 2011 Woman of the Year

Posted by Sprouts Staff

From Left to Right: Dr. Jean Wihbey, Sharon Quercioli, and Ed Chase

(West Palm Beach) The Women in Business Council of the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce presented Sharon Quercioli, President of Sprouts!, Inc. with its 2011 Woman of the Year Award. The presentation was made at the Council’s annual award luncheon at the renowned Jupiter Beach Resort on Tuesday, October 25. The prestigious gathering included some of the most high-profile business and community leaders of Northern Palm Beach County.

The Women in Business Council presents its annual Woman of the Year award to the outstanding leader and female entrepreneur who has attained the highest level of professional excellence in the Northern Palm Beach County community. The recipient is an exemplary model of strength, passion and devotion to all in their business and personal life.

The four finalists consisted of Maria V. Davis, Town Manager of Lake Park; Janet Harris-Lange, President of the National Women in Business Owners Corp. & Agenda Dynamics Inc.; Esther LaBovick, CFO of LaBovick Law Group; and Sharon Quercioli, President of Sprouts!, Inc. (www.sproutem.com), the West Palm Beach-based manufacturer of plantable seed paper products that was named 2009 Small Business of the Year by the Northern Palm Beach Chamber.

Dr. Jean Wihbey, Provost of Palm Beach State College, led off the event by giving a compelling presentation on leadership in which she discussed the finer points of being a woman in a leadership role. Following Dr. Wihbey’s presentation, Sharon was announced as Woman of the Year. During her acceptance speech, Sharon gave thanks to the Women in Business Council, Betty Ann Baker, Executive Director of Healing Touch Buddies, Inc. who nominated Sharon, her friends, business associates and dedicated staff. Sharon congratulated the other nominees and dedicated the award to all women whose perseverance allows them to sail through even the roughest of waters.

Sharon’s poise in the face of adversity and personal trials these last few months, during which she had to endure the loss of her beloved brother, revealed her steadfast commitment to family, friends, business associates and community.

“One of my true passions is giving back to the community through charitable organizations and by mentoring women, men and children. I’m honored to have been named Woman of the Year and want to thank the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber for this prestigious award.”

Hanging Around During the Summer

Posted by Sprouts Staff

Finally, the summer is here and in full swing! You thought this was going to be a peaceful summer, but guess again. The kids are home from school and guests are frequently coming and going. On top of that there are the cookouts and other assortment of summertime functions; how is one to keep up with it all?

One cute and clever way to help you keep up with the on goings in your home is to leave door hanger messages on your doors. Remind your kids that even though they are home from school they still need to rise and shine to enjoy the day. Let your houseguests know in a playful manner that although they are guests you are not their personal butler or maid during their stay. Inform any visitors about not over feeding your pets or letting them out of the house. Door hangers tell everyone pertinent information in a lighthearted way without making you seem like the bad guy.

More than just reminders, door hangers can also incite an evening of fun and adventure. Let the family know your taking the night off to spend time with the girlfriends or leave messages of encouragement for the kids. Looking for a hostess present to bring to the neighbor’s cook-off party; a door hanger is a simple yet thoughtful gift. With the many uses of door hangers, your summer is sure to be less of a nightmare and more like the peaceful dream you desire.

Need a place to purchase some door hanger messages? Sprouts!, the plantable seed paper company, has dozens of eco-friendly door hanger options. Please visit http://sproutem.com/category/Plantable-Door-Hangers to see all the varieties of messages they have to offer. Have your own idea? Sprouts! can create custom door hangers too! Email info@sproutem.com for more information.

This article was featured in Our Wonderful World Magazine, Florida’s leading green digital magazine! To see this article in the magazine please click this link. To find out more about Our Wonderful World Magazine, please visit http://www.owwmedia.com.

Sprouts! Has Some Fun at Downtown in Bloom!

Posted by Sprouts Staff

Downtow in Bloom - Downtown at the Gardens

Downtown in Bloom - Downtown at the Gardens

May is the month for summertime fun and no one has more fun than the Sprouts! Team.

This past May 14 and 15 Sprouts! participated in Downtown in Bloom at the upscale Downtown at the Gardens shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens. Downtown in Bloom featured a colorful array of floral and outdoor displays, including painted pottery, garden sculptures, water-themed landscape displays and, of course, exquisite flower arrangements.

The Busy Sprouts! Booth

The Sprouts! booth was bustling with a crowd of intrigued attendees who were new to Sprouts! plantable seed paper cards and products. Our plantable goodies caused quite a stir among the crowd and we made many new friends. Among them was our basket winner Dianne Merill of Diva Di. We’d like to thank all of the people who participated in our drawing and hope to see you again at our next event.

Keep an eye out for our e-newsletter, Green Gossip, with news about our upcoming events, green articles and information about our latest green products.

For more information about the products featured at Downtown in Bloom, please visit our website at www.sproutem.com or you can contact us via email at info@sproutem.com

Palm Beach State College Eissey Campus Earth Day Poster Competition

Posted by Sprouts Staff

To kick off the celebration, the school sponsored an Earth Day poster contest, which drew quite a bit of attention. There were numerous entries on display in the library during the month of April. The Eissey campus requested a few local green business moguls to serve as guest judges to review the posters on Thursday, April 22.

Sharon Quercioli, Dana M. Nelson, Rebecca Swafford, Stan Bronson, Dr. Jean Wihbey

Dr. Jean Wihbey, Sharon Quercioli, Dana M. Nelson, Rebecca Swafford, Stan Bronson

Among the judges was Sprouts! very own Green Goddess herself, Sharon Quercioli. Sharon, along with Stan Bronson, Executive Director of the Florida Earth Foundation, Dana M. Nelson, LEED AP BD+C of Skanska USA Building Operations and Dr. Jean Wihbey, Provost of Palm Beach State College, chose a piece created by Palm Beach State College student Rebecca Swafford of Palm Beach Gardens as the winner. The judges felt Rebecca’s art truly embodied the spirit of Earth Day in Florida and would be a fabulous design to use in conjunction with Palm Beach State College’s Earth Day 2012 Celebration.

Rebecca Swafford's Earth Day 2012 winning Poster

Some of the other activities that occurred during the Earth Day Celebration included a demonstration of hybrid vehicles, cookies bake by solar power, a beautifully crafted turtle sculpture made completely out of recycled materials created by Joseph Lacke and a display of how much paper is being used at the campus in 28 days.