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!

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.

inspiration: california

california wild flowers

I'm so excited the mimosa trees are just starting to bloom. They are my favorite Southern California tree. I'll take photos and post next week. FYI, the mimosa is a huge inspiration to me ... I have a wedding suite designed after it, as well as a lovely sympathy card. It's also my mother's favorite bloom, because it reminds her of her home town in the South of France.

southern wedding

photo by Zoom-Works; bouquets by Epting Events

As I've mentioned before, I spent many years living in the South (South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina). I've always loved the look of cotton in floral arrangements, and love the Southern tradition of a natural cotton wreath on the door, but have never seen cotton incorporated into a wedding bouquet quite as beautifully as these wonderful bouquets by Epting Events. Marisu, of the superb Athens, Georgia based photography studio Zoom-Works, captured this shot. (BTW, Zoom-Works is available for destination weddings, so you're in luck even if you don't live in Georgia!)

eucalyptus

All around "The Ranch" (Rancho Santa Fe, California) we have thousands and thousands of eucalyptus trees. When the tree-trimmers get going (and, of course, when the trees bloom) the scent is amazing. Unsolicited advice to bath & body manufacturers: Eucalyptus bath oil or body wash would be amazing!

yellow flowers

photos: delphine

I spotted this gorgeous hibiscus outside Dreamy this weekend. Reminded me of our Yellow Flower tote bag.

frangipani

photo: delphine

Frangipani from our backyard. AKA "Plumeria," but I much prefer "Frangipani." Say it: Frangipani. It is impossible to say "Frangipani" and not giggle. Happy Monday!

rose cocktails

photos and Sence Rose Nectar: sencenectar.com

Sence Rose Nectar. How gorgeous is this product? I love the idea of rose flavored cocktails: a little rosy mojito, perhaps? Or a rose & lavender lemonade for a kids party? Beautiful, romantic, delicious. The little bottles are only $4 and would make pretty party favors. I grew up loving the rose scented candies from France that my Tatie (auntie) Marie sent me in care packages, so this flavor is not a stretch for me.

rancho

rancho santa fe photos: delphine

The delphine studio is located in Rancho Santa Fe, California, which we locals affectionately call "The Ranch." People often ask us if it is really a ranch ... the short answer is yes. There are horse ranches, orchards and farms all over the county. We here at delphine don't have any horses or livestock, but we do have a small grove of orange trees. The barn sign is near the center of town; the lemon tree above is a neighbor's (the ground is littered with purple jacaranda leaves).

new poppy journal

photo and journal: delphine

We just uploaded a bunch of new products to our online paperie, including this poppy journal. This journal was inspired by the incredible spring wild flowers that sprung up here in Southern California this year. It is letterpressed using soy-based inks on 100 percent recycled paper.

dahlias

photo: delphine

These prize-winning dahlias are so gorgeous in person that they looked positively edible. Thinking a dahlia series of cards is in delphine's future ... wonder how we can reproduce the ombré look ...

bouganvellia orange

bouganvellia photo: delphine Casbah print Jessie blouse: J.Crew

The orange color of the bouganvellia in the studio courtyard is going to drive our pressman nuts. We're determined to capture this color in an ink! I love the same color applied to this J.Crew shirt, too.

purple

photos: delphine

Purple used to be my least favorite color, so I used my sketchbook to "work through it" and learn to like it. One purple thing I do love: Jacaranda trees.

back yard wonders

It's amazing what you can find in your own backyard!

natural weirdness

photo: waysidegardens.com

This crazy flower is called a Cephalanthus 'Sputnik.' Isn't it fabulously weird??? The spiky flowers are full of nectar, so it's a good way to attract butterflies & bees to your garden. The natural habitat is wet, boggy soil. This sucker is huge: it can reach 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide!

sweet floral wall mural

photos: delphine

When J and I were in LA last week we came upon this sweet & simple floral wall mural. It's so lovely to see public art like this, and refreshing that it was left alone (no graffiti in sight!). The illustrations inspired me to pick up my dusty sketchbook. I love that the painting is inspired by real flowers, but doesn't look like a horticultural specimen.