sweet hearts: valentine's day cards

letterpress valentine cards by delphine

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

christmas wrapping paper

delphine for isabella smith

I was making a list of things I'd like to print this year, and holiday wrapping paper is near the top of the list (after another letterpress calendar). Last fall I designed this one for Isabella Smith and it was sold in Europe and Scandinavia through her stores/catalog/website.

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!

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.

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.

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!]

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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?

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.

in the press: C magazine

delphine, as seen in c magazine

We're extremely honored to be included in C magazine's holiday issue again this year! Our delphine 2009 letterpress calendar was chosen as one of their hot and "chic" picks for holiday giving.