in the press: stationery trends first interactive issue

I may be a print designer, but I LOVE interactive magazines. I was super thrilled to be included in Stationery Trends’ very first interactive issue (Early Spring 2011/Pre-NSS). Many thanks to editor Sarah Schwartz and to author Abby Heugel for the cover story: an interview and profile with Delphine designer Erika Firm (moi). Merci, ladies! My story starts on page 26, but the whole issue is packed with paper goodness.

in the press: weddings by the ritz-carlton magazine

Did you know The Ritz-Carlton has its own wedding magazine? It’s beautiful (and no, I’m not just saying that because our monogram wedding invitation was featured in the latest issue). If you’re planning a wedding on the formal side, Weddings by The Ritz-Carlton is full of fabulous, elegant ideas.

I really have warm fuzzy feelings for The Ritz-Carlton, because John and I stayed at their hotel in Palm Springs once (in the middle of summer — HOT!!!) and it was there that I realized I was sharing a fancy umbrella drink with the man I would marry.

Merci beaucoup to everyone at the Ritz for including Delphine in Weddings by The Ritz-Carlton magazine! (issue: January - June 2011).

Photos: Erika Firm 

in the press: ceremony magazine

Ahem … not to brag or anything, but we were featured FOUR TIMES in the 2011 issue of Ceremony magazine. Woot. Many thanks to Adrianne Smith, fleuriste extraordinaire, who included our invitations in two of her tabletop shoots, including the pretty robin’s egg turquoise and purple cover shoot!

in the press: uppercase magazine letterpress issue

I was an Uppercase fan before, but when I found out they were doing an issue about letterpress I was over the moon. Then they contacted us here at the Delphine studio for inclusion in the article! Fantabulous.

Each featured studio donated a stack of prints, which were inserted in the issue for subscribers. That’s our limited edition Valentine at the bottom left of the page. I hope they didn’t give that particular one out—- it was the “makeready” or mistake one used to protect the rest of the stack. If you look closely you’ll see it is printed twice. Oh, well.

in the press: stationery trends names Erika Firm one of "10 designers to watch"

It’s such an honor to be named one of the “Ten Designers to Watch” in 2011 by Stationery Trends!  It’s truly a thrill for me personally, and for everyone at Delphine, to be amongst such great company as Ashley Woodman, Sara Hicks and Jonathan Adler. Many thanks to Sarah an the entire staff for their support. Click here to read the article and learn a little bit about what inspires me, my current design obsession, and my favorite indulgence.

photos by Delphine. Winter 2011 issue of Stationery Trends magazine.

studio sale: magazines

I need to make some space in the studio for actual work ... and I need to raise some cash for new studio supplies (the Apple store is calling my name) ... so I'm putting some of my beloved treasures, including the last two issues of Domino magazine, up for sale.

You can buy the last issue of Domino here, and help me raise some cash for some much needed new studio supplies. I'll be posting new magazines later this week, including all the Blueprint magazines, and old Martha Stewart Weddings magazines going back to 1998. Happy bidding!

in the press: sunset magazine

Before I moved to California I had never read Sunset magazine. Now that I'm a "local" it's one of my favorite reads each month. For those of you who know me, it may come as a shock, but I was quoted in the magazine for something I said on FACEBOOK. That's right. Me, who logs in every 10 months. I promise I'm getting better. I've even started a Delphine Facebook page -- yay!

Anyway, the editors at Sunset asked about post-Thanksgiving meal traditions, and I told them about ours: after dessert everyone gathers a sheet of paper (or a handful of sheets, in some cases ... you know who you are) and writes out their wish list for Santa. This is a serious event. It takes us nearly an hour to get it all down on paper. Some of us (ahem) bring a glue stick and attach visual aides for Santa. The fun part is that we include all the crazy out there things we'd love to have (Mom asks for a vintage Rolls Royce and an around-the-world plane ticket each year) as well as practical things that we need (John asks for socks every year) and things that we would love to have but probably wouldn't buy for ourselves (ummm, Santa, if you're listening ... iPad for moi, pretty please). After everyone is done we nominate someone to read all the lists aloud. It's sooo much fun.

This tradition sparked the idea to print and sell our Dear Santa lists, complete with check boxes, which are for sale here. Happy holidays!

zine love: lonny magazine

Lonny magazine keeps getting better and better. I'm happy that online magazines are filling the gap in the shelter magazine space, and Lonny is my favorite of the bunch. One of the nicest things is that an online magazine isn't really limited by space in the magazine, so they can run longer stories with more pages of photos. Here are a few of my favorite stories from the August issue:

I was thrilled to see a profile on Virginia Tupker, a stylist and home market editor at Vogue. I've bumped into Virginia many times at many many trade shows. The first time I met her I was floored by her incredible sense of style. I remember telling my mom something like "she belongs in Vogue, she is so chic" and my mom (a French woman who knows a thing or two about being chic) told me something like "darling, she works there" and then told me to turn over the business card Virginia had handed me. Every time I see Virginia at The Javits Center (not the easiest place to keep your cool) she looks amazing. But what really stands out is that she is one of the most gracious editors I've ever dealt with. Thanks, Lonny, for offering me a peek inside Virginia's world.

The cheeky style of Ben Brougham's little NYC apartment makes me want to drop in for a cocktail. Something tells me he has frozen vodka at the ready. How cool is that rope pattern wallpaper? The color combo in these shots is one of my all time favorites. One of these days I'll get a client I can convince to go for this quirky color pairing.

My favorite photograph from the issue. Ben Brougham's apartment again.

Rachel Ashwell is back! While I think I'd get bored living with Shabby Chic style all the time (I love color too much to give it up), I still think her style is iconic and inspiring. I especially love how unpretentious her look is.

Have I ever told you what my dream job would be if I weren't a graphic designer? I'd be a magazine editor. When I was a journalism student my plan was to launch my own wedding magazine, so I guess I've always had a thing for the bridal market.

All images from Lonny Magazine August 2010 issue.

sneak peek: martha stewart weddings

Happy Friday, lovelies. I hope you enjoy a fabulous weekend with friends and family. I'll leave you with a sneak peek at a letterpress project I did for Martha Stewart Weddings. It will be in the Fall 2010 issue : )

color i love: electric blue

J'adore the electric blue color that Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing on the cover of the latest Vogue (August 2010). Personally, I think electric blue is the only great thing about the "new wave" revival. How does she manage to always always look oh so chic: polished but not stuffy; on trend but not, you know, trendy; classic and fashion forward at the same time?!?!! Also, I'm in love with her kitchen:

You can read the article about Gwyneth Paltrow on Vogue.com. Photos by Mario Testino

in the press: c weddings magazine

Have you seen C magazine's new wedding issue? It's soooo pretty. Hope they decide to do another issue soon.

in the press: backyard bliss

A few months ago Mary Noble and Adrianne Smith called me needing a bit of help with some menus for an Exquisite Weddings photo shoot. Of course I was happy to design something for them. Timing was critical, so I hand delivered the menus to the location -- the beyond gorgeous Rancho Valencia Resort, which is just down the road from my house in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

I have worked with Mary and Adrianne before, and I know that they are two super talented ladies, but nothing prepared me for the beauty of their tableaux. I felt like I walked into the set of a beautiful movie -- the story of an exquisite, warm, wonderful wedding. Every detail was gorgeous, thoughtful, pretty, and perfect. Mary even "sacrificed" a bottle of real champagne so the set would have those tiny little bubbles that are so dear to her (and my) heart.

You can see more photos in the new issue of Exquisite Weddings magazine. Here are some of the details from the shoot:
Table Designers: Mary Noble, Mary Noble's Classic Weddings,  and Adrianne Smith Morris, Adrianne Smith Floral Design
Flowers: Adrianne Smith Floral Design
Distressed Chivari chairs: Concepts Event Design
Mini Cakes: Michele Coulon Dessertier
Custom Menu: Delphine
Photography: Rippee Photography
Location: Rancho Valencia Resort


in the press: stationery trends

I was excited to see Tessa's quinceanera invitations in the latest (Winter 2010) issue of Stationery Trends magazine. But Tessa was completely over the moon. I loved watching her face when she cracked open the magazine to "her" page. Priceless. Thanks, Sara and Stationery Trends, for that special moment!

in the press: santa barbara magazine

I'm a *little* late posting this one ... many many thanks to the sweet editors at Santa Barbara for listing our letterpress "illuminated initials" (monogram) note cards as a lovely gift for the "feminine and sophisticated" woman on your holiday gift list. (December 2009 issue of Santa Barbara Magazine).

Note: we're nearly sold out of all the 16 letters ... but hold tight: we're reprinting in a few weeks!

in the press: riveria magazine

As a former journalist myself, it was very strange indeed to be on the other end of things (i.e. being interviewee rather than interviewer). But I had a blast hanging out with author Kersten Wehde, author of this article about Delphine [and Mrs. Lillien] in the December 2009 issue of Riveria. [skip to page 68 to read the article]. We chatted about my background in the journalism biz (yes, I really did write an advertorial for a bait shop that doubled as a sushi restaurant), my foray into the dotcom world (more icky advertorial writing), my dotcom crash recovery zone (Esmeralda Books and SoLo), and the little things in life that inspire Delphine collections (vintage teacups, the natural beauty of Southern California, my adorable family). Thanks, Riveria, Kersten, and the fab photog duo of Peden+Munk for capturing this moment for me.