studio makeover: the big mess

I just removed all the books from this bookshelf so I could move it, only to find that J has screwed the shelf to the wall! Ugh. He is a bit paranoid about earthquakes.

During the "move" I discovered this gem from my college collection: Ray Gun issue #6:


Cover story is "on the road with Sonic Youth." It also has a story and photos profiling the up and coming stylists Todd Oldham and Mark Jacobs styling "Trailer Park Chic"; a story by Frank Black (of The Pixies), interviewing The Reverend Horton Heat; and an article by Michael Stipe titled "From Los Angeles to Athens, Georgia" (that story has been ripped out, and, I suspect, was on the wall in my college dorm room ... Go Dawgs!). I wonder if all the stores profiled in the story "Record Shopping in the U.S." are still around. I know Lou's Records in Encinitas is still here, and I think Waterloo Records in Austin is still around. But my favorite thing in the magazine is an ad for David Carson Design. "Nail it," his ad says. Love it!

Odd coincidence of note: David Carson lived in Del Mar, California, then moved to Charleston South Carolina; I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, then moved to Del Mar, California.

studio makeover

white ceramic owl and green ceramic "chinese lion" foo dogs from z gallerie

WANTED for the studio (we're planning a little makeover): white ceramic owl and green ceramic "chinese lion" foo dogs (both from Z Gallerie).

merry christmas

stacking tree toy from plan toys

Merry Christmas!

santa is coming! merry christmas

Santa is coming and we are SO EXCITED! Merry Christmas everyone!

glitter home for holidays

glitter home by norma aguilar

How adorable? Seriously, there is no way I can pack this gorgeous glitter house ornament away after the holidays. It's going on my desk for the whole year. Thanks, Norma!

nostalgic for: charley harper

charley harper books, available at SoLo

Most of my elementary school days were spent in Cincinnati, Ohio. I remember going to the zoo and asking the ticket lady for extra stickers ... they were designed by Charley Harper; my mom and I had a whole stash of them. Since then I've moved at least a dozen times, and unfortunately the stickers are lost. But I'd love one of these books (available at SoLo) to fill the void! I love how Mr. Harper was able to convey a peaceful quiet with just a few strokes. Lovely.

custom "swirly" bar mitzvah invitation

Just shipped ... a custom "swirly" Bar Mitzvah invitation for sweet Sacha! We letterpressed this postcard on double thick 100 percent cotton paper in grey and marine blue inks. Can't wait to start on the invitation!

for your little one ...

custom MRS. DOUGLAS notecard from our soirée collection

Our "Mrs. Douglas" notecard is named after my fourth grade teacher. She was the best! No silly stars or useless spelling lists for her class: she was more into gathering seed pods from the playground, writing stories, and listening for bird calls. This notecard is perfect for the little one who is still too young to write a real note ... just have them scribble a little something in the window atop their name. The back has lines on it, so they (or you) can write a proper note.

paper squirrel favors

paper squirrel favors from martha stewart

So after this squirrel post I promise I'll give squirrels a rest for a while. But seriously, how sickingly cute are these paper squirrel favors? I'd write a guest's name on the "log" and they could double as place cards. Almost makes me want to throw a party! (If only it weren't for the cooking and cleaning part!) You can download the free template from Martha Stewart here.

new photocard designs

delphine for cardstore.com

We're thrilled to announce that our newest collection is live at Cardstore.com. Check out our New Year's cards, shower invitations, party invitations and new baby announcements. Most of the designs can really be used for just about any occasion, so look around each category for different color options, etc. To save 25 percent off your order, enter code: SAVE25 during checkout at cardstore.com.

squirrels and acorns

We had a very rare rainy day here in the Ranch yesterday, so we built a fire (yes, Barq, it was in the 60's and we built a fire. That's cold here!) The crispy, crackly fire made me think of fall, which made me think of squirrels ... I'm loving all these. How cute would those felt acorns look on a gift package? And that squirrel ornament would look sweet on my christmas tree!

1. Falling acorns necklace by Luxe Deluxe. 2. Dainty acorn pendant by Luxe Deluxe. 3. Squirrel letterpress journal by delphine (me!). 4. Platinum glazed squirrel ornament by Jonathan Adler. 5. Squirrel ring box by Jonathan Adler. 6. Squirrel nut cracker by Cox & Cox [spotted on decor8]. 7. Squirrel Necklace by Postcards+Love 8. Gifting squirrels holiday notecard by Night Owl Paper Goods. 9. Turquoise felted wool acorns by Lilfishstudios.

holiday craftiness

december craftiness

So far this month I have made turkey pot pie with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, glittered holiday ornaments, braved the Target toy aisles with my almost-five-year-old's list in hand, packaged holiday goodies for the Etsy shop, wrapped and shipped gifts, sent holiday cards, made homemade bath scrubs, and, just yesterday, baked cookies with girlfriends.

december coping mechanism

owls again

Peleda wind-up toys from kidrobot

Owls always remind me of my grandmother, Olivia, who loved owls. She had them all over her house, and now, whenever I see one, I smile. One of my very favorite cards we have ever printed, Owlivia, is named after Grandma Olivia.

december in so. cal.

Summer, uh, I mean Winter in So Cal: 72 degrees and sunny. Sometimes I miss rain, thunder, and hot summer nights in South Carolina , but I never miss the snow from my days in Ohio!

font geek moment: SALE

Santangeli (shown above), and ALL fonts at FONTS.COM are 25 percent off through midnight (PST) 12/11/08! Enter code: SECRET25 during checkout.

grinch

Because I'm not a fan of Christmas carols, reindeer sweaters, fudge, blinking lights, gingerbread, snow or (gasp!) Christmas cards, I'm often accused of being a Grinch. But underneath all my Grinchiness, I'm really a huge softie! I love baking cookies, making handmade ornaments, wrapping gifts, decorating the tree, and watching holiday movies. My favorites is, surprise, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. [btw, you can go on youtube to see part 2 and 3 of the original movie!]

blog love: poppytalk, mixed plate, and the bedlam of beefy!

Many thanks to Poppytalk and Mixed Plate and The Bedlam of Beefy for posting about Delphine! I truly (really truly!) appreciate your kind words and support!

sweet treat: spicy hot cocoa

spicy maya hot chocolate by chuao

It's ridiculous how much I love this Spicy Maya hot chocolate by local (San Diego) chocolatier Chuao. It's seriously spicy: pasilla chiles, cayenne pepper and cinnamon are all blended in with the chocolate. They have another yummy flavor, Winter, that is almost as delicious (and is preferred by my husband and son, who don't like spicy stuff). It blends bittersweet chocolate with ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and pepper. Dreamy is right next door to a Chuao store, and I have NO IDEA how those girls stay so thin because I'd be pigging out on these chocolates every day and washing them down with a hot cocoa!

blog love: ephemera interview

Check out ephemera today to read an interview with me (Erika Firm). Thanks, Marty, for the post! It was a lot of fun thinking about these topics!

woodland

click for the scoop on all items shown above.

One trendy theme that is "so two years ago" is the woodland theme. But it is near and dear to my heart, as we debuted at the National Stationery Show with a woodland collection a few years ago. The adorable sisal owl christmas ornaments shown above made their way into my shopping cart last week (from Target). I'll use them as props for photo shoots, and I'm sure a few will find their way onto the Christmas tree, too.

delphine on ETSY: grab bags

just added to our ETSY shop: a variety grab bag of 24 letterpress gift tags!

kitchen: scallion buttermilk biscuits

With Delphine in the house, a woman who lived in occupied France as a teenager and remembers Nazis marching down her street, nothing is wasted, especially food. A few days after Thanksgiving (or "Thanks Given," as Delphine calls it), when we could not eat one more turkey sandwich, I made this turkey pot pie. I don't normally post about the kitchen, since the most I usually make there in a week is 15 pots of coffee, but last week I made these yummy buttermilk and scallion biscuits. I used them as a topper instead of a crust for the turkey pot pie.

in the press: Stationery Trends magazine

delphine, as seen in Stationery Trends magazine

I tore open my new issue of Stationery Trends magazine last month and was thrilled to find my designs featured twice. Many thanks to the editors for their support!

Holiday codes at Orange and Pear

Jennifer over at Orange and Pear just sent me a code to share with everyone for 20 percent off in her shop. She has a super fun collection of gifts: you can almost blindly point and click and come up with something fabulous. Just enter code: 20off during checkout. Happy shopping. Thanks, Jennifer!

letterpress: dutch door press

"california," by dutch door press

Last May at the National Stationery Show I met the ladies of Dutch Door Press and was smitten with their work. I was browsing Etsy last night and came across their shop. I love their "California" limited edition letterpress print, which is one of a series, "birds and blooms of the 50 states." This print features the state bird which is the California valley quail and the state flower which is the California poppy. (Both of which can be seen in our neighborhood, and both of which inspired some of our collection last year, too!) Available in the Dutch Door Press Etsy shop.

studio peek: samples

Just a few boxes of samples from the studio. There are lots more shelves just like this.

wish list: books

for design book lovers

Just a few books on my wish list this year. I recently checked out this Edith Wharton anthology from my local library. While on my trip to New York in October I re-read The House of Mirth and The Reef, which I found to be a tad on the depressing side. I'm about to start The Custom of the Country, and am biding time to re-read my very favorite book ever: The Age of Innocence. I'd love to add the anthology to my library shelves, as I often turn to Wharton when I'm feeling anxious (and who isn't these days?). I've read The Age of Innocence at least a dozen times since the first time (Junior English class ... thanks, Mr. Kelly!)

The Jonathan Adler book is one I'm itching to read. I really admire how he has taken his passion for his craft and applied it to bulding an entire brand. Another one that has been on my wish list forever is Lulu. I love her use of color and how she integrates fun, play, and her personal life experiences into her art. Note to Santa... Lulu is on sale!

If you have a design lover on your holiday shopping list, any of these books would score well: Adler for the entrepreneur, Lulu for the artist, Domino for the friend who is forever moving her furniture around. Ethan Frome is great for a teenager (it's FULL of serious angst!); and anything by Cormac McCarthy would be appreciated by someone wishing to get in touch with their an inner-cowboy.

in the press: Ranch & Coast magazine

We are "stoked" to be featured in the December issue of Ranch & Coast magazine. (Hey, we are in So. Cal, after all!). The editors mentioned ordering custom letterpress holiday cards from delphine as their "Green Tip of the Month." We're tickled green! To see some our other recent press please visit our "as seen in" section on our website.

sketchbook peek: metallics & navy

Here's a peek at my sketchbook. Earlier this summer I was working through an obsession with all things navy and ultramarine blue--paired with distressed, vintage looking dull metallics. These colors and motifs are finding their way into the new collections we're working on for 2009!

delphine on ETSY

delphine is now on Etsy! That's right ... we finally got a few free hours to get our act together and post some items in an Etsy shop. Our delphinepress.com shop will always be the best place for our standard letterpress items, but check out www.delphinestudio.etsy.com for more limited edition and one-of-a-kind items.

Why an Etsy shop? Sometimes when we print a job for a client and there is a little room left on the press sheet, we'll sneak a fun project on there for ourselves. It's a great way to test out new inks, new fonts, run experiments, and, well, just play a little. We'll post our best results on Etsy so you can take home a little piece of joy from the studio! Take a look and let us know what you think!

logo crush: chromalab

chromalab

Grace has a nice post about Chromalab and their wacky cool bright furniture on Design*Sponge. When I visited Chromalab I was smitten with their logo! It would be a nightmare to letterpress (each color would be a new pass through the press), but it's perfect for 4 color or digital printing, and really represents the colorful concept of their "lab."

holiday treat

from amy atlas events

Look how pretty something as simple as a custom label on a chocolate bar can be when displayed en masse. Personalize each bar with someone's name, or a holiday greeting, and stuff a stocking for a sweet surprise! Love this idea from Amy Atlas Events!

wedding photography favorite

vallentyne photography

This photo by Heather Moreau of Vallentyne Photography is one of my all time favorite wedding photographs.

glitter ornaments

photos: delphine

I, and my entire house, are glittered top to bottom, but I did manage to finish making glitter christmas ornaments for the handmade ornament exchange over the weekend!

client (and store) we love: orange & pear

all gifts shown available at orangeandpear.com

When Jennifer came to me asking for help with a logo for her new business I was intrigued. She promised a "fresh perspective on gift giving." Interesting, but possible?. She said her favorite colors are green and orange. Yes, yes. My favorite, too. Go on. Please add shades of grey, she said. No more brown ... happy dance. She said it would be the END of boring hostess gifts. Hmmm. Really? She was so sincere, so lovely, so darn NICE. So I spent hours sketching and playing with type, tweaking and improving, until I designed a fun, sweet, colorful logo for her. I had a blast working on this logo with her ... all the while I had yet to see nary a peek at her website, which was still in the works.

But guess what? She delivered!!! Not a one ordinary gift to be found on her site-- everything is carefully curated. Perfectly wonderful. It's the end of boring hostess gifts for real! Yay! Congratulations, Jennifer, on the successful launch of your shop: Orange and Pear.

handmade holiday ornaments

martha stewart crafts glitter

Since I signed up for a handmade holiday ornament exchange a few weeks ago I have been trying to decide what to make. I'm not quite sure what I'll make yet, but I'm fairly certain it will involve glitter! Last year I made a 3-d paper snowflake, and I may do that again. Or perhaps a paper cone filled with candy. I'd love to make some felt animal ornaments, but I think that would take too long and I need to make a bunch. Do you have any other ideas?

SALE on party goodies

delphine for ForYourParty.com

Great news: a special sale just for delphine fans at ForYourParty.com: 15 percent off your $50 or more order! Customize napkins, matches, stir sticks, gift bags & boxes with delphine icons for a super chic party this holiday season. Enter code: DEL08 at foryourparty.com during checkout {offer expires Jan 15, 2009}

shoe sale

shoes: j.crew

J'ADORE yellow shoes. I have a pair of yellow moccasins that are completely worn out, yet I continue to wear them. These chic pumps from J.Crew (along with ALL their shoes) are 25 percent off today and are screaming to get into my wardrobe. Enter code SHOESALE at J.Crew checkout. Offer ends 11/19/08.

holiday party goodies

delphine for ForYourParty.com

Have a holiday party to plan? Remember it's the little details that make all the difference. Take some time to make a music play list that includes some fun but classic holiday tunes (please, no alvin and the chipmunks!), decorate your front door with a fresh swag of yummy smelling pine, and place extra side tables in every room so guest have somewhere to set down their drinks.

At ForYourParty you can use delphine graphics to adorn napkins, match books, stir sticks, gift bags and other party goodies. ForYourParty is offering free shipping now through January 15, 2009: just enter code HOL08 at checkout.