shared work space -- studio in oceanside for rent

Fellow North County graphic designer / photographer Myles McGuinness is looking for a new studio mate. The studio/gallery space is a couple blocks from the Oceanside Pier in the heart of downtown Oceanside, California. You could walk to the beach for your coffee break! Myles would love to share the space with another creative. It’s about $450/mo. If you’re interested, get in touch with Myles directly: fuel [at] 9myles [dot] com. 

Even if you’re not looking for a studio mate, take a moment to check out his work. It will blow you away. His saltwater photos are particularly spectacular.

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.

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!

from the prop closet

Another behind the scenes peek at a photo shoot. This one uses one of my favorite props: rolls of stamps. I have always been fascinated by state flags and I just adore these stamps.

Photo: delphine

from the prop closet

Another behind the scenes sneak peek at a photo shoot we're working on. We found the blue feather in the studio after a traumatized bird was carried in by our cat. I picked up the French change tray at Anthropologie a while back.

photo: delphine

from the prop closet

A little behind the scenes sneak peek at a photo shoot we're working on. I love my star confetti and foil bird props.

photo: Delphine

in the press: reinventing letterpress

Many thanks to Charlotte Rivers for featuring Delphine in her latest book, Reinventing Letterpress. It's an awesome compendium of letterpress studios, and I'm truly honored to be included.

wish list: vintage office supplies

I have a soft spot for vintage office supplies. Truth be told, they need not even be vintage for me to love them. There is a reason why I do my office supply shopping online: so I don't buy up the entire Staples store!

I found all three of these "must haves" for my studio on Etsy. The vintage green clip board would look awesome hanging on the wall in my studio with the day's "to do" items listed. The vintage rubber stamp caddy would be nice to have, too. Right now all my stamps are piled in a giant jar, which is pretty inconvenient (J: this would improve studio efficiency AND look cool!).

Is it just me, or do these vintage paper clips look a little dangerous? I am constantly running out of paper clips (I use them more than staples because my pressman likes to spread proofs out, not have them stuck together). So I neeeeed these, right?

Photos from each Etsy shop. Clip board: Ephemera and More; Stamp holder: Vintage Rerun; Vintage paper clips: DotDotDotShop.

vintage treasure: orange owl bookends

Did you grow up going to garage sales with your mom and aunties? I have such strong memories of being dragged to flea markets with my mom, Aunt Faye, Grandma Bea and Aunt Hop when I was a kid in Ohio. Of course now I would give anything to travel back in time to rummage along side them!

I spotted these terrific orange owl bookends on Etsy the other day in MausHomeVintage's shop. I've mentioned my thing for Owls a few times before (they remind me of my Grandmother). Would love them for the studio! They would feel right at home in my studio (and I NEED bookends). Added to my wish list. Le sigh.

one of those days

The studio is sloooooowly coming together. I feel like the snail (complete with scary monster looming over my shoulder).

photo: erika firm

studio renovation: progress report

See this giant shelving unit? John built it with his own hands. It used to be in our warehouse. I asked him to paint it citron green before moving it into the studio. Believe it or not, that's only about half of the envelopes we keep in stock!

studio renovation

Apologies for the silence here. I've decided to take a break from blogging for a week or so. We're renovating the studio and everything is upside down. Here's a peek at our color palette for the studio. Heavy on the citron and sprout and galvanized ... light on the mai tai and ciel. Yesterday we painted the giant new shelves (16 feet long, 10 feet high) super bright citron! I'm most excited about the possibility of pulling up all the gross carpet. Underneath is concrete, and we're thinking about polishing it. My dream is to pour that super shiny enamel-looking stuff, but for now I'll settle for anything besides the smelly industrial carpet!

to do list: frightening

This is just part of my to do list today. I'm feeling a little anxious. The light is just about ready in the sunniest room of the house, so I'm off to shoot the new greeting card collection. Here are some of the props I'll be using:

photo: Delphine

wish list: letter 'e' vintage sign

You may have noticed I have a thing for "E"s. I know it's a bit on the narcissistic side ("E" is my nickname), but I love them. I have a collection of "E" and "e" signs in my studio and would love to add this cool one I spied on Etsy last night. It would be the largest one in my collection. I think I'd paint it Jade green, a shade just shy of emerald. I've been loving that color lately. (Okay, I've loved that color always). You can check out this vintage E sign in SalvageNation's Etsy shop.

UPDATE: SalvageNation has offered Delphine-Ephemera readers 10 percent off the puchase of the large letters like the one shown here. So you can buy me that "E." Just joking. Sort of. Read their comment below for details.

wish list: retractable fine point sharpie pen

Just discovered retractable fine point pens on the Sharpie website. I really don't know how I can call my studio complete without having a few of these. I've added them to the shopping list for the next office supply run.