trend i love: chevrons

I just can’t get enough of the zig-zag o-riffic CHEVRON trend. I am counting down the days and saving my pennies for the Missoni for Target collection next month. I call dibs on any tote bags at the Encinitas store!

DETAILS: //1//Blue Chevron wedding invitation by Delphine for Wedding Paper Divas    //2//Gray chevron bedding from Urban Outfitters    //3//Blue herringbone glass from Artedona    //4//M Missoni chrochet knit dress    //5//”This Side of Paradise,” by Fitzgerald    //6//Missoni tote bag    //7// Customizable yellow chevron iPhone case    //8// Yellow herringbone glass from Artedona    //9// Yellow Chevron wedding invitation by Delphine for Wedding Paper Divas.

inspired by lovely lace + big partnership news!

Lately I’ve been exploring softer, more romantic designs. A random paper doily found in the bottom of a kitchen drawer inspired the new romantic lace doily wedding invitation I designed for Wedding Paper Divas.

That’s right! In addition to all the new designs we’re releasing this month in our new Delphine wedding album, we’re also launching a partnership with Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas! I’m super excited about this new partnership. We worked with the Tiny Prints folks to help design a new hybrid letterpress-digital wedding invitation.

What does that mean? Well, the design-y part (in this case, the doily motif) is letterpressed on pretty cotton paper, and the text (the part you customize) is printed flat/digitally. My collection of Delphine for Wedding Paper Divas wedding invitations launched with a few designs last month. Check back often, as the collection will be filling out soon.

DETAILS: //1// California rustic wedding, photo by Wildflower Photography via Style Me Pretty   //2// Lace doily “Soothing Crcles” wedding invitation by yours truly, Delphine, for Wedding Paper Divas   //3// Stunning lace dress by Lela Rose   //4// Cotton and antique lace dress by Sestra Moja  //5// Picture perfect lace wedding cake by Sweet and Saucy   //6// Rustic salvaged wood tiered serving tray from Restoration Hardware   //7// Queen Anne’s Lace necklace from BHLDN   //8// Lace dancing shoes by Badgley Mischka from Nordstrom

NSS 2011 recap

I’ve returned from a whirlwind trip to New York for the National Stationery Show (NSS). Although I didn’t exhibit, I still managed to run myself ragged … running to meetings, parties, dinners, impromptu conferences, snapping photos, taking notes, making friends, planning future projects & events. I had a great time, except for the part where I was sick and the part where I was stuck on a loooong flight home, ill, on my birthday : ( 

It will take me a few more days to decompress (and catch up on actual work), but meanwhile if you’d like to read about the show, I highly recommend these sources:

Oh So Beautiful Paper: Nole has the very best roundups on all the new stuff! It’s like going to the show without having to step foot in the Javits Center yourself. 

Brooklyn Bride and Mom Inc. Daily have fun recaps of the 7th annual NSS meetup. 

I am also working on a series of graphic design trend report posts from NSS (think Ikat, overprinting, neon, gold, watercolor) and the first one went live today on Creative-SoCal.

Thanks for understanding as posts are sporadic the next week or so as I recover from the show and my illness. Special hugs to all of you whom I met at the show who mentioned to me that you read my blog. I truly appreciate your support!

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. 

haute off the press: charleston stitch

Haute off the press: our Charleston Stitch party invitation, printed in sand ink. The invitation was originally designed for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, and is named after my “hometown” of Charleston, South Carolina.

One of the fabulous things about digital/flat printing is the opportunity to flood the background of a design with a solid color, and knock out the text (the white is the paper, not white ink). I really love this soft, neutral, romantic color palette for weddings, and hope it doesn’t fade away as a trend too quickly.

invitation color palette: mimosa yellow and sky blue

Early 2011 wedding invitation color combination trend report: blue and yellow! Yay!

In 2010 we printed purple wedding invitation after lavender wedding invitation after aubergine wedding invitation after lilac wedding invitation … I am the first to admit that purple is not my favorite color, so I have to say that I am thrilled to see this purple color trend starting to die down.

Last year we printed a ton of purple for wedding, like this Meeting Street invitation.

So what is replacing it, you may ask? Well, I think it’s a little too early to identify a sure wedding color trend, but we getting more than a few sample kit requests for yellow and blue combos. I love this combination — it’s just so HAPPY and perfect for a summer wedding.

Our HIBISCUS wedding invitation, letterpressed in blue and mimosa inks.

Yellow also looks great paired with charcoal grey, doesn’t it? This is our Etienne save the date with a freesia yellow background.

We’re also seeing lots of light pink and muted metallic sample requests, which I think is just the dreamiest, most romantic color combo for a wedding. We’re working on getting a photo shoot together, so I promise more photos of these new trends in wedding invitation color combos very soon!

wish list: nautical tote bag

photo: Old Navy

I get the warm fuzzies for tote bags. And you guys know I adore anything nautical and chic (I’ve posted about nautical trends several times before). When I spotted these anchor tote bags on Old Navy (one of my fave spots to pick up clothes for my 7yo son who is growing like a weed, by the way) my heart skipped a beat. The anchor! The cool rope handles! The nifty leather details! The only thing that stopped me from buying one is that I cannot decide which color. I like them all. Which one do you like best? 

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.

haute off the press: chrysanthemums in aubergine

The leading color trend for 2010 wedding invitations here at the Delphine studio was aubergine purple. About half of the invitation orders we processed this year used some shade of purple. In design trends, our CHRYSANTHEMUMS design was one of the most popular designs this year. Normally I’m not much of a purple-lover, but I really do love the way this aubergine and crocus Chrysanthemums wedding invitation turned out.

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.

stripes (yes, again)

So you may have noticed I have a thing for stripes. I'm seeing them everywhere lately. Usually they just show up in "Resort" collections, but this year they are lasting into winter. These four are some of my favorites: Top left: Stripe long sleeve shirt from Chance; top right: stripe wool sweater from Target; bottom right: stripe cardigan from Aerie;  bottom left: stripe hoodie from J. Crew. 

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I really am not sure what I would store in these jars (from Target), but somehow I know I need them for my studio. I know numerals are a bit trendy right now. But I don't care. Love them!

a top ten Pantone color for Spring 2011: Coral Rose

Now that New York Fashion Week is just about over, PANTONE has released its report of the top 10 colors for Spring 2011. One of my favorites is Coral Rose. I think Carolina Herrera showed it best:

I just love Coral Rose paired with gold. Super sexy, right? With this fabulous coral Carolina Herrera gown, the right fancy lipstick (by YSL) is mandatory, as is a classic cocktail (Cosmo, anyone?). I couldn't resist the cheeky but glam koi handbay (by Judith Leiber). The whole orangy-gold look reminds me of vintage lustreware (bowl from my personal collection of goodies).

wish list: summer showers

One of the things I miss the most about living in the South is hot summer showers. The kind that come on quick in the late afternoon. Oh, how I used to love walking on the beach in the rain. Of course in South Carolina it was way too hot to wear wellies in the summer (I was usually barefoot or in Kino sandals). It rains so rarely here in Southern California that I don’t even own a functional umbrella anymore. While all the goodies shown above are on my wish list, mostly I just wish for a simple walk in the warm summer rain. I don’t think I’m cut out for this dry weather.

Shown above: 1. Carnival umbrella from Fishseddy 2. Sailor knot rope necklace by The Vamoose 3. Chic navy tank from Madewell 4. Reversible yellow tote (the other side is yellow/white stripes … LOVE) from LandsEnd (!really!) 5. Navy wellie boots also from LandsEnd

I’ve been so inspired by this nautical thing lately that I designed a new personal stationery design called Newport Stripes. It’s live now on the site in our personal stationery section. You can switch out the anchor for another motif (like a star or a birdie), and change the stripes, colors, fonts, etc etc etc.

Here’s the same design in a different color palette — printed for my bff’s daughter’s very first trip to overnight camp:

color palette: brooklyn flea

A visit to Brooklyn Flea last month inspired this color palette full of hipster-ish hues, including Rayblack, Brooklyn Yard, Schoolbus yellow and Hipster Red. I saw quite a few people in Brooklyn wearing vintage keys around their necks and think it will be a jewelry trend in the not so distant future here on the west coast, too.

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