branded by delphine: bixby and ball

I'm super excited for co-owners Melissa Anderson and Betsy Bracken, co-owners of the fabulous new shop Bixby & Ball, in Solana Beach, California. The shop is all about the Coastal Lifestyle. They're celebrating the grand opening of the store this weekend, so if you're in the neighborhood (the Cedros Design District) stop by for some awesome shopping!

Here's a peek at some of the goodies I designed for them. We chose a really "East Coast" dark navy and green color combo, perfect for the tone of the store, along with a classic vintage font and a modern ampersand (that sort of reminds me of an anchor ... and has little balls on the ends, like the "Ball" in the name of the shop). I hope you like it, too.

My favorite part of their branded look is the big sign above the door (I was so excited to see it that I totally forgot to take a photo).  I'll remember to bring my camera when I visit later today, so I'll post photos of the shop next week : )

branded by delphine: sweet paper

I'm thrilled for sisters Julie O'Brien and Theresa Anderson, as they celebrate the opening of their fabulous new stationery store, Sweet Paper, in La Jolla, California.

Coming up with the logo turned out to be the easy part. One part sweet (but not saccharine), one part strong (but not tough), one part frame (but not heavy) ... established in 2010. Done.

The difficult part was agreeing on a color palette fit for a darling stationery shop a few blocks from the beach. After long discussions and lots of ideas (lilac! aqua! turquoise! navy! yellow!) we landed on beautiful melon and warm sandy grey for the color palette. I absolutely love how it turned out. I'd love to hear what you think. And I'd also love it if you would visit their store in La Jolla when you're in the neighborhood. You won't be sorry!

We letterpressed all of the business cards and stationery (of course) in beautiful melon and grey inks, and added a signature pattern to the back of the business cards. To finish off the look, all the corners were rounded. Sweet, don't you agree?

all design and photos ©Delphine

can't wait for bixby & ball

I cannot wait for Bixby & Ball to open its doors. It's going to be goooood. More sneak peeks to come soon.

Lulu

images from Amazon.com

Yesterday CC showed me this gorgeous gorgeous book when I was visiting her at SoLo: Lulu, by Lulu De Kwiatkowski. Upon return from The National Stationery Show this will be my first purchase. I look forward to a lazy day in a lounge chair, with a big, tall, alcoholic beverage and hours to pour through this book. I love visiting SoLo. CC always fills the shop with inspiring treasures.

studio wish list

photo: delphine

Yesterday I went to visit CC at her fabulous shop SoLo and fell in love all over again with this "coffee table" in Jennifer Price's corner of the store. It is perfect for my studio: great paper storage. And it would go great with the steel/glass garage door that I covet.

more biz

photos from DWR

I saw this Nelson Swag Desk at the Design*Sponge/DWR event last night. I love this grown-up's school desk!

Also at the Design*Sponge Biz Ladies Meetup:
Billie and Tootie of Reform School were adorable. They have been friends since High School and seem to really be enjoying their relatively new life as Reform Schoolers (the biz is about 2 years old). Someone asked why they continue having a storefront, if their webshop pulls in more money. It was refreshing to hear them say that it's "not about the money, it's about doing something we love and being fulfilled." I admit that sometimes the business part of running delphine can get me down, and I have to remind myself how fortunate I am to be running a CREATIVE business.

Tanya Aguiniga also spoke, although I had a tough time hearing her because my friend Torri kept cracking jokes in my ear! Tanya just finished working on an installation in the new children's museum in San Diego, which I cannot wait to visit! She has one of the best logos I've seen in a long time.

I also ate lots of cupcakes (thanks Sara!) and truly enjoyed a night off with Torri, who kept me laughing all night long. This morning we're off to show the new Marine Life line of letterpress cards to a few stationery buyers in LA, then we have to head back to San Diego because I am press checking one of my new designs.