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.

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.

client we heart: here comes the bride

Here Comes The Bride {logo by delphine}

Yesterday afternoon I visited Here Comes The Bride in their new location (Mission Valley, right near downtown San Diego, California). I love the new store! They went with a lilac and deep plum theme for the décor, to match the new logo and business cards we designed for them. So pretty! I also spotted, among the sea of white and ivory gowns, a pretty blue wedding gown. What do you think about blue for a bridal gown?

trend: violet

creme de violette -- violet liqueur

Discovered this holiday season: Créme de Violette Violet Liqueur. Delicious straight up or in a chilly vodka martini. Almost too good to be true! I also like this wildflower wine made by J. Lohr, which tastes of violets. Violet is a pretty every day/regular flavor in France; when I was a kid my favorite gum flavors were violet, cassis, and licorice -- none of which I have ever seen in the US. Why are there no violet candies in the US, yet we're plagued with a plethora of disgusting watermelon flavored candies? I'm just sayin...

logo design: here comes the bride

gown by Rosa Clara at Here Comes The Bride; logo and letterpress cards by delphine

Here Comes The Bride celebrated their move to a new location by changing their logo colors from earthy green to their new favorite color: violet. So chic and lovely, yes? Normally I would say that changing your branded logo colors is a big mistake, but in this case I think the new color is more representative of the whole bridal vibe and was the best choice for them.

vintage: floral wallpaper

wallpaper from second hand rose

Sometimes, when I'm feeling especially creatively challenged, I check out vintage wallpaper patterns for a little inspiration. I like the unexpected color combo here: olive, puce, pale seafoam, and eggplant.

wallpaper from second hand rose

This one makes my inner typofile happy.

new from charleston collection: sullivan

sullivan design, new from delphine's charleston collection

"Sullivan," one of the new designs from our upcoming Charleston Collection, is named after Sullivan's Island, the "next door island" to where I grew up (Isle of Palms, South Carolina). I chose the deep marine blue ink because it reminds me of summer nights on the island, and the bright crocus ink is a nod to my mom's favorite color circa 1983!

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.