we've moved

we've moved our blog ... please follow us here:
www.delphine-ephemera.com

please remember to update your bookmarks, readers, links, etc etc. thanks so much for visiting!

tech stuff

I'm in the process of switching my blog to a new server ... give me a few days to sort it out. All this tech stuff is making my brain hurt! New posts and big news coming next week. Thanks for your patience!

wish list: books

Last night I did a little updating on my Amazon wish list. So happy to hear that Stephan Sagmeister has a new book coming out soon. I really loved his last one, "Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far."

When I was a little girl I LOVED Ed Emberley's books. I remember I had one where I learned how to make little characters out of thumb prints. Drove my mom crazy because my hands were black from an ink pad for months! I just added this one to my wish list. I think it would be super fun activity to do with my five-year-old.

little peanut: milo

original letterpress birth announcement design & photo by delphine

Congratulations Allison and Aaron on your sweet addition to the family! Next to my own son (of course) he's the cutest little peanut I've ever met.

happy colors

These colors make me happy.

blog love: felt and wire

Check out Mohawk's great new blog: Felt & Wire. If you're a paper geek you'll love it!

glass flowers

Is there anything Marc Jacobs cannot do? He designed these spectacular glass flowers for Waterford. I'm not to keen on the glass flower pot, but the flowers are stunning!

plum desires

plum necklace by Dinosaur Toes on ETSY; plum shoes by Lela Rose for Payless

Plum is such a rich color, isn't it? It can be a little Dynasty when done wrong, but I like the modern take on these goodies with the frayed edges. The necklace reminds me of a crocus. The shoes would look fab with a suit, worn at a Junior League committee meeting ... or equally chic with dark jeans and a black cbgb tshirt. And guess what ... you can have both for under $55.

in the press: Charleston Weddings Magazine

It's hard to explain what this press clipping in Charleston Weddings magazine means to me. Charleston is my "hometown" (in quotes since technically I'm a Yankee: I was born in NYC).

My first great work experience was as an editorial intern at Charleston magazine. Though I was an editorial intern and most of my duties included writing and editing, I found my real passion in the art director's office. Melinda Smith-Monk was so kind to me. She let me watch her work, she let me help out at photo shoots, she let me ask a zillion questions, she let me make mistakes, she let me pick the ink color for a cover, she let me model. And she made me think about a career in design.

All the editors I worked with at Charleston are long gone, and while Mel is still art director, I'm not sure she would even remember who I am (it was many years ago!). I am eternally grateful for the experience of working with such great talent, and it is a supreme thrill to have my work grace the pages of a magazine so near and dear to my heart.

Oh, and the invitations in the clipping were inspired by Charleston, too.

in the press: Green Retailer

in the press: Relaxing Graphics

Relaxing Graphics, by Akiko Taki

We're honored to have been selected by Akiko Taki to grace the pages of Relaxing Graphics, a gorgeous hardcover book by Pie Books (Japan) featuring the best natural style graphics from around the world. One of our custom wedding invitation designs (it's similar to our Meeting Street design) was selected, as was our naturalistic (if you can call a green octopus or turquoise jelly fish natural) marine life series of note cards. The book is full of inspiring designs from top notch graphic designers, and is available to pre-order here (the book will be released in September 2009).

baby shower invitation

Nesting Baby Shower invitation by delphine

I must admit I am not big on showers. All the stupid games, lack of real alcohol (mimosas do NOT count, people), baby chit chat, and oohing/ahhing over burp cloths make me kinda feel bleeech-ick. The only way to make it worse would be to add in singing or charades. But, I DO love my friends, and actually sorta love designing baby shower invites since they're outside my norm and I get to be a little on the saccharine side for a change. This is the invite for my friend Carrie's upcoming shower. (And don't worry, Carrie, I'll be there with bells on).

happy weekend

in like a lamb ...

With all due respect to my readers, family and friends who don't live in San Diego ... I'm loving this So. Cal weather (especially in light of the freak snowstorms in the South).

studio supplies: desktop collator

desktop collator from russell+hazel

One of the things I cannot live without in my studio is this desktop collator from russell+hazel. I keep all my "live job" and "don't forget to do this" files in it on my desk.

baby rhino

baby rhino letterpress card by delphine ... coming soon!

contracts and stuff for freelancers

Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

photographer's toolkit

Lets face it, most creatives do not have a penchant for writing contracts. As a small "creative business" owner who has been around for more than five years, I get lots and lots (and lots) of requests for advice on running the business end of a creative business. I always tell freelancers to HAVE A CONTRACT FOR EVERY JOB, and point them toward the Graphic Artists Guild's must-have book, Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. The book has sample contracts for just about any occasion and will give you great peace of mind as you prepare paperwork for your clients.

I was really pleased to hear that John Mireles, a fabulous local (San Diego) photographer and business coach, has a website, Photographer's Toolkit, geared toward helping his fellow photographers with "business stuff." Advice on marketing, sales, contracts, and business in general is aplenty on the site. He also lists free resources that are helpful to any creative, not just photographers.

things i heart, but first purchased because of the packaging

Honestly, I haven't bought this lip gloss by MOR just yet ... but it's on my list. Available at ShopDreamy.com. I love all the colors, but the apple green is my favorite, of course.

i heart paper

design by delphine; photographs by Vallentyne Photography

I'm so pleased to announce that we were chosen as this quarter's featured letterpress studio by Strathmore! I was honored to design their call for entries for the Strathmore Show graphic design contest, and was really happy to have a chance to work with their beautiful new thistle logo, which was designed by the uber talented Marian Bantjes.

delphine at the national stationery show

delphine will be exhibiting at the National Stationery Show! Mark your calendars: May 17 - 20, 2009. We'll be in booth number 3327. See you there! Meanwhile, if you'd like to get a reminder postcard with our booth number, please contact us at the studio by emailing info [at] delphinepress [dot] com. Thanks! (this show is open only to the trade).

designing moms: booklist

Check out my new post over on Designing Moms today about S's favorite book, "The Caboose Who Got Loose." I'm so honored to be a part of this wonderful new blog!

i heart orange ...

... and this super bright handbag by Marc Jacobs. It's available at Neiman Marcus.

fleur de lys

The fleur de lys (or fleur de lis, in English) motif is near and dear to my heart because of my French roots. Fun fact: when my mom became an American citizen she wore fleur de lys earrings! I took the photo in San Francisco on my last trip. I can't remember the building, but I do remember it was a column and I love the watery celadon background color paired with the stone.

snapshot

Here's a quick snapshot from the writing desk in my bedroom: home décor magazines, remotes, The Lion King dvd, and a toy gun. Oh, and a (warm) beer. Wonder what this says about me?

orla kiely at target

orla kiely at target

What do y'all think about the new Orla Kiely stuff at Target? I feel sort of eeeeehh. Underwhelmed. The quality is nice, but the patterns are a bit too Brady Bunch? I wish she had done the straight up stems pattern ... now that I would get excited about. I overheard a woman telling her daughter, "look, it's like dishes from Grandma's old kitchen." Agreed? (I am).

Am I being too harsh?

dreaming of champagne in Paris

I've been dreaming of Paris lately, which inspired this little montage.

The dress (which I could never wear because I'd be afraid to sit down in it, but love) is by Alice & Olivia. The gold J. Crew heels remind me of a pair I love to borrow from my Mom (she's had them for more than 30 years). The triple coil earrings are from GirlProps.com. The champagne is Perrier-Jouet. And the Roost Golden Berry champagne flutes (which I LOVE and want sooooo bad) are available at Dreamy.

designing moms unite

I am so excited to announce the launch of designing moms! It's an online space where creative moms can unite. The blog is Cat Seto's lovely, wonderful idea and I am so honored to be one of "the" designing moms regular contributors.

The blog will cover where being a mommy and creativity intersect, including stuff like fun projects to do with (or for) your kids, decorating kids rooms and parties, favorite baby and kid "stuff" (including baby gear and kids toys), and favorite kids' books. We'll also try to tackle heady subjects like balancing work/life/family. But we're all about having a good time.

I hope you'll check it out, and please feel free to email me or the designing moms with story ideas or wish-lists for what you'd like to see covered. Come visit and be creatively distracted with us!

lunch table: la boulange

photos by delphine

One of my favorite spots in San Francisco: La Boulange. The exterior of the building is so inviting with its bright leaf green accents. I love that they stenciled the name onto the building with paint: they didn't have to spend a lot of money on expensive signage to create an effective storefront.

things i heart, but first purchased because of the packaging

I'm not proud of it, but I admit that I *sometimes* purchase a new product solely because of the packaging. I bought a bottle of St. Germain soon after the product launched last year because I was intrigued by their print advertising and brilliant graphic design (check out their website to see what I mean). When I picked up the bottle in person I was sold ... it's heavy and gorgeous, and it reminds me of the Guerlain Shalimar perfume my grandmother Delphine wears. I do remember thinking, well, if the liquor is horrid I can use the bottle in my bathroom for bath salts.

The elderflower liquor is my new favorite. I like it best as a "flavor shot" in plain club soda in a tall glass with ice. It's also excellent mixed with champagne, and is a great after dinner drink served straight up. Plus it looks pretty on the table.

wish list: e's poster

letterpress e's poster by French Press

I don't care if it's slightly narcissistic ... j'adore (and I'd love to own) this "E" letterpress poster in my studio! French Press makes lots of other letter posters (hand-set wood type letterpressed on their Vandercook, no less), but I humbly submit that the "E" is the best letter in the alphabet. Check out their sweet ETSY shop.

party on a plane

Mood lit cabins. Seriously. John and I flew Virgin America to San Francisco. Upon boarding the plane I felt the need for a wicked cocktail and suffered an "am I cool enough to be here" moment. 

After an initial shock (a fellow passenger tried to text me via the screen on the seat back in front of me) ... loved it! If they had a nonstop from San Diego to New York I might betray my beloved JetBlue.

studio props: fabric backdrops

Monday I went prop shopping with my photographer friend Jessica for fabric: Jess was looking for backdrops for her baby and maternity portraits, and I was looking for backdrops to match the upcoming 2009 stationery collections.

I always love to hit the back room/remnants at We R Fabrics to find treasures. After sifting through bolts and bolts and bolts of 1980's country club tapestry, we did come up with a couple of winners, but the experience left us wondering where we could find a proper game of tennis and a white wine spritzer. Of course we found tons of things we loved in the front of the store, including some bright and modern Duralee prints, but it seemed like everything we picked out was $49 per yard!

So we headed to Yardage Town in Encinitas, where we scored with some super bright and fun prints from their remnant table. After a while we had to cut ourselves off ... "step away from the chili pepper fabric." The fabric I'm most excited about is the faux bear fur that Jess bought as a prop for infant photo shoots. Can't wait to see what cute baby photos Jess comes up with!

delphine on ETSY: vote for us

Ooooohhhh ... so happy to be featured on ETSY's The Storque blog and on their poll to see "which lovey dove item is the absolute cutest." Of course I humbly suggest that you vote for delphine STUDIO! Merci beaucoup for all your support. Please visit here to vote.

baby elephant

(1) Coming soon to Cardstore.com: new baby elephant birth announcement photo cards by delphine! (2) Super soft blue baby blanket with little elephants by Dwell for Target. (3) Adorable baby elephant (love those ears!) sculpture from West Elm. (4) Elephant (and hippo and snail) ceramic banks by Dwell, available at Velocity.

mimosa and blue iris

I'm a long time fan of Pantone's 2008 color of the year: Mimosa. And last year's color of the year, Blue Iris, is starting to grow on me. I've been looking for a tote bag large enough for my laptop (most laptop bags are so ugly! why is that?) and think this mimosa yellow tote from Target might do the trick. I'm also loving the sweet yellow t-shirt from Anthropologie. And I picked up this blue iris cardigan over the weekend to match our upcoming NSS booth ... can you guess the color scheme for the new collection???

dreamy party

Dreamy party tonight. Dreamy is located in the Lumberyard in Encinitas, Calilfornia. See you there!

font geek moment: young finesse

young finesse by doyald young, available at fonts.com

I am loving this font (though the name reminds me of shampoo).

public art and press room visit

photo by delphine photo of the macarthur muni station

Last week John and I had a chance to visit with the super fabulous Cardstore.com peeps in Emeryville, California, and get a tour of their facilities. We loved seeing their press rooms, their fulfillment/shipping center, and their fun loft-like workspace. The press rooms were pretty quiet (we visited in late afternoon), but we were told that all the presses run nearly 24 hours a day around the holidays in order to keep up with all their orders! We were also beyond thrilled to find out that one of our holiday photo cards was one of their top sellers this holiday season.

One of the greatest moments of the tour was seeing their Heidelberg press, which they have converted into a die-cutting machine. It was completely surrounded by bright yellow safety bars. Our tour guide seemed wary of the machine and gasped when we told him that delphine uses the same type of machine to letterpress (only without all the safety modifications)! Many thanks to Matt and all the peeps at Cardstore for the fun tour!

inspiration: california

photos by delphine -- San Francisco, California

inspiration: neighborhood flowers

photos by delphine

Sometimes inspiration is in your own backyard. I took these photos in my neighborhood last week. The hot pink, lilac, violet and mimosa will show up in the upcoming delphine collection of floral letterpress note cards.

fabulous

I received this award from Star, author of the sweet blog Curious Mess, where she blogs about what inspires her, and "arts. crafts. recipies. stuff." She also has an etsy shop full of lovely goodies. Thanks for the props, Star!

So, I'm supposed to share my 5 addictions with you and choose 5 people to give the award to.

Here are my 5 addictions:

1. MAGAZINES: I always thought I'd be a magazine editor (I studied magazine journalism in college--even have a masters degree in it!). I have more magazines in the house than 10 people could ever read in a lifetime.
2. The color GREEN: It has been my favorite color since I was a child. While I like any shade of green, my favorites are in the lime/citron/chartreuse/spring family. I like this color so much that most people who know me call these shades of green "Erika Green."
3. FISH TACOS: I could eat these every day. In my opinion, fish tacos are the best reason to move to Southern California.
4. EMAIL: How did I ever live without it?
5. BRAVO: Oh, how I love thee, Project Runway/TopChef/TopDesign!

And here's who I'm passing the award onto. I'm a huge fan of:
1. Cat Seto
2. Christina Said
3. BACE
4. Jose Villa
5. Broadway Paper

inspiration: california

far west fungi

Yesterday John and I strolled around the Ferry Building (San Francisco, California) while killing some time between meetings. I loved seeing so much great graphic design in one place. (and the food and goodies looked delicious, too). The Far West Fungi stall was by far my favorite stall. Beautiful and interesting goods, amazing merchandising, and welcoming vibe overall. J does NOT like mushrooms, so I had to quickly snap a few photos while he powered by. We are taking the ferry tonight, so I will to sneak back while J waits (I think I can bribe him with a gelato) so I can buy some infused oils to take home for my dad. I bought a little surprise for my Mom at the Miette confiserie.

sweet hearts: valentine's day cards

letterpress valentine cards by delphine

We've just listed some limited edition letterpress valentines to our Etsy shoppe!