trendspotting: overprinting

Overprinting, one of the trends I noticed last year at the National Stationery Show (NSS) and New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) is really starting to hit mainstream. I think the overprinting trend was influenced a lot by, ahem, letterpress (okay, okay, and screen printing).

Because every color you print costs money (additional plates, additional passes through the press, more wasted paper), a lot of printers use the less is more approach, and overlap two inks to create a third (i.e. yellow and blue make green).

It’s a technique that can be simulated in flat printed artwork by utilizing the transparency filter in Illustrator, and I’m seeing A LOT of it lately (including in my own work … look for Delphine Christmas cards this year using overprinted text and artwork). 

John even used this technique last weekend while coloring Easter Eggs! He has a lot more patience than I do. I like to color on the eggs with white crayon then let them sit in a single color. Boring, huh? 

I’m excited to head off to NSS next month. I predict a lot more overprinting at the show this year, as well as nautical stripes, anchors, ikat and other patterns pulled from textiles, yellow, yellow, yellow, dark teal, metallics and pennants/flags. 

<<<IMAGES>>> Alphabet print by Ryan Beshar via OhDeeOh   GAP Sale eblast     Overprinted wedding invitations by Erin Jang     Elum thank you card on the cover of Stationery Trends magazine     Easter eggs by John at Delphine. 

bhldn launch

The geniuses over at Urban Outfitters (you know, the people responsible for all your favorite shops: Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Terrain) launched a new concept store today called BHLDN (pronounced Beholden), a bridal boutique.

It’s full of beautiful frocks and bridal accessories. I’m sure you’ve seen sneak peeks all over the blogosphere (so jealous of my friends who got to see the sneak peek in person!), but today the BHLDN website is officially live, and it does not dissapoint.

I grew up surrounded by French women, so it’s no surprise that my lingerie drawer has nary a pair of plain panties. I love all the beautiful lace in BHLDN’s lingerie department.

All photos from BHLDN.

behind the scenes: carlsbad wholesale flower market with adrianne smith

Last Friday I took the day off to help my friend—and favorite florist—Adrianne Smith, prepare for one of her craziest days of the year: Valentine’s Day. We started off bright and early at the Carlsbad International Floral Trade Center, where Adrianne took me on a quick tour of the facility. It was bustling with energy and excitement, and many of the vendors we chatted with had been awake for more than 24 hours straight getting ready for this busy day.

Adrianne pre-ordered most of her supplies, so they were ready at various vendors’ stalls for us to wheel out to the car when we were finished with our tour.

Guess how many flowers we fit in Adrianne’s car? Well, I don’t know exactly, but I do know that if we had picked up one more bunch I may have had to walk home. I even carried some on my lap and A had some shoved between the seats. When we got back to her studio it took three of us about two hours just to unload the car and process all the stems.

I learned so much about the floral industry hanging out with A. Did you know that “fillers” and greenery can cost as much, if not more, than many flowers? She even taught me a few secrets to making a beautiful (and lasting) arrangement: soak floral foam before you cut it; trim stems on an angle; tulips will continue to grow after they are cut, so cut them shorter than the rest of an arrangement; design from the edges in to the center; texture is the key to an interesting bouquet; add water every day so the foam doesn’t dry out.

Isn’t it amazing how buckets of flowers, big sticks, bits of mossy goodness and bunches of wild greens can be transformed into stunning arrangements like this one? It still seems like magic to me, even after spending a day in the studio and watching the process first hand.

I’m in awe of this lady. Thank you, Adrianne, for letting me peek into your world for a day.

Photos by Erika Firm; Floral designs by Adrianne Smith Floral Design

happy valentine's day

photo: delphine

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends. Hope your day is filled with lots of love and kisses.

sweet last minute valentine's day gift ideas

Don’t let Valentine’s Day sneak up on you, boys and girls. It’s next Monday! Don’t freak out though, there is plenty of time to pull it together. Here are a few of my favorite Valentine’s Day gifts:

No. 1} A home made, hand crafted Valentine. Don’t worry if you’re not super crafty: it’s the thought that counts (really)    No. 2} A book of poems, like this collection of Love Poems by Pablo Neruda. Bonus points for memorizing one and whispering it in your loved one’s ear   No. 3} A pretty, keepsake hardback version of a favorite novel (suggestion: something steamy and romantic, like Wuthering Heights).   

No. 4} Sparkling Sofia Blanc de Blanc, in the adorable (and convenient) little pink cans. Bonus if you chill it before giving away, so we can sip it a.s.a.p.   No. 5} Heart shaped box of GOOD yummy chocolate from Chuao Chocolatiers (a local North County San Diego company!). Objectively, heart shaped boxes of chocolate are cheesy and overpriced, but don’t let that stop you. Everyone secretly loves them. I do, at least.    No. 6} It might be too late to order these super gorgous heart shaped pressed cookies (unless you live in Cincy), but it’s not too late to bake a batch at home. Don’t have a heart shaped cookie cutter? Get thee to a Dollar Store or any grocery, where they abound these days.  

No. 7} Flowers. See No. 5. If you live in San Diego or environs, I HIGHLY suggest you give my dear friend Adrianne Smith a buzz to reserve a delightful Valentine’s Day bouquet for your loved one. I will be assisting with the prep, and I will not spoil the surprise, but rest assured these arrangements are lovely, lovely, lovely. They come in two non-red, non-cheesy colorways, and three sizes/prices. Starting at just $30! Bonus: each one has a letterpress love tag by yours truly.

style file: sexy valentine's day outfit

Sexy Valentine’s Day outfit: {1} Sleeveless white blouse with ruffles from Ann Taylor  {2} Pretty pink and nude lace panties from Nordstrom  {3} Diamond heart necklace from Robbins Brothers  {4} Super sexy pink suede high heels by YSL from Nordstrom  {5} Plain and simple, well fitting blue jeans from Levis  {6} Classic pale pink nail polish by Scotch.

I don’t recall ever going out on a date on Valentine’s Day. But if I did, I’d wear an understated, simple and sexy outfit like this. Okay, so the shoes aren’t so understated, but they are classic, right? I reallllly want them. I think the simplest outfit, like classic Levis, a pretty white shirt (with some ruffles for Valentine’s Day) and a great pear of heels, is the sexiest.

Normally I’m totally against any cheesy heart jewelry, but I make the exception for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Tip for the guys: keep it as understated as possible when it comes to heart jewelry. I like the look of a simple diamond heart necklace.

We will stay home for Valentine’s Day. Boring, I know. I’ll probably make some cookies or cupcakes with our son — he loves pink frosting. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

sweet custom kids valentines cards

How cute are these custom kids valentines from Cardstore.com? I love the cute owl one, and I know my son will love the train! What a cute touch to add your child’s photo to make it more personal?

*note the top right elephant valentine card is designed by Delphine : )

color palette: mountain café

For most people, the book on holidays is shut, done, over. But for those of us who design wholesale products, the holidays are never over! In fact, I’m thinking about my next Christmas holiday collection already. I’m taking inspiration from this photograph I shot last week near Angeles State Forest of a cute café. I think the color palette of faded turquoise and reddish-pinkish-orange will be lovely for a series of holiday cards. Peppermint, spruce, cinnamon, ginger and marshmallow — the perfect wintery color palette. I can see the snowflakes, candy canes, cups of steaming cocoa, and gingerbread men dancing across cards already.

happy new year's eve

Hope everyone has a fun, happy and safe New Year’s Eve!

major sale at chronicle

Squeal!!! I just got an email from one of my lovely sponsors, Chronicle Books, letting me know that Delphine-Ephemera readers get 40 percent off Chronicle Books through January 31, 2011. Eeeeek! I’ve shown some faves from my bookshelf (Little Book of Letterpress and Creative, Inc.) and ones I have my eye on above. To get the discount, use the code: CAL40 during checkout and click through to the Chronicle website here. Happy shopping and a big MERCI to Chronicle Books!

candied orange peel gifts

It’s rainy and dreary outside here at the Delphine studio, but inside it’s cozy and warm as John and I package up last minute holiday gifts for friends of the studio. This year we picked oranges from the backyard and made candied orange peels. Mmmm. To make them I peeled the orange skins, blanched them, then boiled them in fresh water for an hour to soften, scraped away any remaining pith, simmered them in sugar syrup for an hour, then sanded them with sugar. Super delicious with a cup of espresso, which is how we plan on enjoying any leftovers.

I used our vintage Royal typewriter (a Christmas gift from John 11 years ago — he found it covered in dust in the corner of an antique shop in New Bern, North Carolina and restored it for me) to type labels for the packages of candied orange peel.

I was clickety-clacking so fast that John came in from the next room to tell me, “wow, you would have been a great secretary.” Humph.

 

I packaged the candied orange peels up in cute pale green party favor boxes I got from Michael’s a few years ago (by Martha Stewart). They are leftover from a baby shower I helped plan.

I saved about 3 cups of syrup that the oranges were simmering in. I think it would be yummy added to some sparkling water (or to a vodka martini). Any other ideas on how I can use it?

All photos by Erika Firm ©DELPHINE.

gift guide: for the equestrian

While cleaning up our son’s playroom I came across my old Breyer horses buried in the bottom of the toy chest. Like most little girls, I dreamed of having my own pony. I took riding lessons when I was in first grade, and did a bit of trail riding as a teen, but haven’t been on a horse since college.

I live in a major horse community now (my “village” is called Rancho Santa Fe due to all the horse ranches), and have grown to love the effortlessly chic look all the equestrian ladies have around here. The polo players who frequent the coffee shop aren’t too shabby, either. Major swoon. But I digress …

Here are some gifts the horse-lover in your life will love: No. 1: Horse engravings, pillows and trophy lamp by Two’s Company  No. 2: Red plaid throw from Williams-Sonoma Home  No. 3: Equestrian riding boots (the real deal) by TuffRider  No. 4: Limited Edition Shearling Jacket from J. Crew  No. 5: Vintage Horseshoe necklace from Freshly Fig (Etsy)  No. 6: Antique English Wing Back Leather Sofa from Dispela on 1stDibs  

No. 7 Wouldn’t this Deer lamp look chic with a plaid lamp shade and/or a coat of glossy paint (pale turquoise? red? black? yellow? white?)   No. 8 LOVE these Ralph Lauren glasses. I have a set of them and use them all the time.  No. 9 I love the trend of vintage trophies used as vases. Even better when they’re painted in a fun gloss finish.

wish list: dream studio

I’ve been busy, busy, busy clearing unwanted supplies and furniture out of our studio for our upcoming Warehouse Sale. Which has me thinking about what my dream studio would be like: 

:: 1 ::  I would have this darling letter “e” necklace (ariel gordon) around my neck, for starters. Diamond optional. I’m not picky. Really.  :: 2 :: My boring packaging supplies would be neatly stowed in an industrial rolly cabinet of awesomeness (urban remains) for most supreme organizational bliss  :: 3 :: The world would smell deliciously fresh, like Hamarikyu Gardens by Marypierre (anthropologie) fragrance (and everything I design would be as restrained as its perfect packaging)  :: 4 :: DELPHINE would be spelled out in real vintage enamel letters (urban remains) — and the paper lovers would flock for letterpress delights designed by Delphine — and they would not complain about budgetary restraints :: 5:: There would be an endless supply of gluten and dairy free chocolate chunk cookies (abe’s market) for me to munch on :: 6 :: I would rest a single cheek on a perfectly patinaed vintage stool (urban remains), so as not to cover up said perfect patina whilst working playing on my  :: 7 :: fabulous brand new (or refurbished … I’m not picky. Really.) iPad.

Sigh.

Sigh.

Le siiiiiiggghhhhhh.

wish list: ipad

I know, I know, it’s not a very original wish list item. But I really do wish I had an iPad (and a cute iPad cozy to carry it around, like the felt one above by ccommeca).

Sorry I haven’t had time to work on cool gift guides for the blog this year. I have been busy trying to track down items from my son’s own wish list. This year he assembled a BOOK of items he’d like Santa to bring to him. Topping his list this year: Legos and Hexbugs.

holiday sparkle

May your holidays sparkle!

This weekend I made some giltter Christmas ornaments to help decorate the house this year. Some of which are for sale in mom’s Etsy shop, Sainte Beatrice!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend. xoxoxo, E.