Jewelry Pick of the Day - Handcast Resin Hair Accessories

07/29/2009

We've decided to add a new column to our blog for you called the "Jewelry Pick of the Day." Yeah, it's a bit cruel and unusual to keep you waiting for our new fall line to debut, so we'll remedy that by featuring new creations that will soon be for sale online and in our boutiques across the U.S. See this as a "sneak peek" of what we're currently excited about in the world of iram-inal.

The first item: Hand-Casted Resin Hair Accessories

we are truly amped about our latest endeavor into the world of "chemistry" using liquid polyurethane resin to make fantastic creations. when we stumbled upon these vintage nickel-free brass barrettes, we had to grab them up. Featuring a wide variety of designs, from translucent, transparent and opaque solid colors, to beautiful mod-inspired print designs, you'll find our "bird on a wire" barrettes (and more!) on the website starting in September. Email us at sales@iraminal.com with any questions you may have about this fab product!

Come One, Come All.... Sidewalk Sale Trunk Show at Charm this Weekend

July 8, 2009

This weekend, the MBA Allstar Game is being held in St. Louis, MO. Yuppers, that's quite the big event for me and my sis's good ol' hometown. It is anticipated that thousands of people will flock the streets of downtown to see the game and their favorite baseball players in all of their glory.



While you're downtown, we highly recommend you stop by Charm Boutique (313 N. 11th Street, ST. Louis, MO) to visit a slew of very talented local designers who will be selling their wares in a joint sidewalk sale/trunk show in conjunction with fantastic stores UMA (better known as the store that has the coolest everything) and the restaurant voted 'the best breakfast in STL, Rooster.



Find sales on jewelry, home goods, good eats, the newest designs from iram-inal and more this Saturday from 10am - 5pm. See you there!

Boutique Announcement - Sole Shoes and Accessories

06/25/2009

We are proud to say that you can now find our jewelry at Sole Shoes and Accessories in the Edgewood Shopping Center in Inman Park (Atlanta)! This beautiful boutique is a place that we've had our eyes on for some time now. Their reputation in the designer community is impeccable, and as a designer, you always seek to partner with stores that offer fashion-forward design and are business-minded at the same time.

The owner Abigail, and store manager, Crysta, are top-notch, and constantly seek to provide their customers with the most current designer apparel, fashion-foward jewelry and shoes. I can guarantee you that you will find shoe and clothing selections that you will not be able to find anywhere else in Atlanta, and just for that, it's worth the trip alone.

To find out more about Sole, you can visit their website at http://www.soleatlanta.com/, or (even better) visit them in person at 1245 Caroline Street, Suite 1, Atlanta, GA 30307.

Taste of Central West End.... Fun, Lots of Sun, and the Best Customers EVER

June 15, 2009
This year, we had a booth for the second time at the Taste of Central West End Festival in the hip and happenin' CWE area of St. Louis.

I (Malene) drove into a horrendous and violent tornado-warning storm storm (what we like to call normal summer weather in the Midwest) while commuting from Atlanta to St. Louis for the festival. Because every radio station in ears-length was screaming out the fact that a tornado was on the ground - and that I was driving right into the heart of the storm at night - I surged on and did not let the rain dampen my spirits and hoped for a great weekend (okay, I'm completely lying... I was scared out of my mind)....

scary St. Louis weather (seriously, ya'll)

I had thoughts of turning around and stomping right back to lovely Atlanta (where we only have to worry about the heat wave), but persevered. I arrived safely in St. Louis two hours after my scheduled arrival time and kissed the ground when I arrived at Mari's house.

Mari did this festival by herself last year, and realized it was an extraordinarily busy event. With the success of last year, we decided to give it another go with the two of us this time around.

our booth at the festival

Despite the scary commute to St. Louis, the weather over the 2 and 1/2 day festival was FAB-U-LOUS, and the customers came out in droves. Admittedly, were placed in quite an odd area off the main drag of vendors, but were placed toward an exit area, which resulted in a great flow of buying customers.

standing room only!

Anyone who has ever worked a festival knows that it's a trying, tiring effort that that takes all the strength you can muster. This particular festival went from 11am to 11pm every night, so we needed help just to make it throughout the day. We're thankful to have wonderful friends and family who are always willing to stop by and help. Big "ooo-ooooh's!" and hugs to our mama and great friends, Mike, Cara and Liz. We can't thank you enough.

We also had the pleasure of neighboring with a fellow jewelry designer named Melissa. Her jewelry was also chunky and funky, and she had a good weekend overall. Spending time with her and her parents was great fun.

our beautiful mama modeling our necklace and ring

the brains and the brawn for the weekend, our friend, Mike

our booth neighbor and fellow jewelry designer, Melissa

The biggest advantage of doing festivals is that we get to meet our buyers in person. There's no better test of your product and marketing efforts than seeing how your own product presents itself in the face of the potential buyer.

I'm proud - and unabashed - to say that our customers are the BEST new business owners could ask for... they're always honest in their assessment of our new designs, and are happy to give recommendations (and plenty of compliments) on our lines as a whole.

As it says in the liner of this entry, we also have the most fly and cutest customers ever! From indie, to sophisticated, to conservative, we create designs that look great on all. The best part?

Our oh-so-cool customers allow us to take photos of them wearing their purchases! If ever you visit our website - http://www.iidesigns.com/ - and are unsure whether or necklaces will fit right on your frame, or whether they're too big for you, just take a look at these lovely ladies wearing some of our creations:

yellow jade woven necklace

rust recycled palm wood woven necklace

green recycled palm wood double woven necklace

gray agate slab single strand necklace

It was a fantastic festival full of great music, great food, and great people. We look forward to seeing you all next year!

The 2009 Indie Craft Experience - Beehive Style

05/31/2009

This weekend heralded the 2009 Indie Craft Experience Festival in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. For the first time, at the ICE Festival, 12 talented designers from the Beehive Co-op joined together to create one big "mega booth." While sales were slower than last year, the ultimate result was a day of fun filled with lots of light, laughter and learning.

I.C.E. Patrons braving the heat Our Beehive "Mega Booth"

For this link, I'm going to give some shouts out to my fellow designers, and give you links to their websites so you can learn a little more about them and their wonderful products.

Brandi of Just Add Honey

Hazel Studstill of HJ Designs

Carrie and Sara of Brightshop

My booth, shared with uber-talented designers and friends, Shannon Edwards and Tasha Hussey

My boothmate, Shannon Edwards of Shannon Lynnette

My other wonderful boothmate, Tasha Hussey of Tasha Hussey Designs

Amy Leff of Throwing Stars Jewelry and Julia Farrill of Red Bird Ink

Julia and Amy shared a booth with the inimitable Arwen Fine of A. Fine Shirt

Alejandra Dunphy of Alejandra Dunphy Designs

An old Beehiver and friend, Wendy Burnley of Bella Bee

I encourage you to check out each of their sites. Their products are well made, handmade, and are local! Shop away!!!

Boutique Announcement - Daisy Clover Boutique

05/01/2009

We are so ecstatic to announce that we are now selling our wares at the fabulous Daisy Clover boutique in downtown Webster Groves, MO. This shop is simply one of the chicest that we've had the pleasure of selling in, and we're pleased to reach an entirely new line of customers through the store and its diligent owner, Natalie.

If you're ever in downtown St. Louis, I highly recommend you take the short drive to Webster Groves to check out the store. With a huge collection of high-end jeans, dresses from emerging and hard-to-find designers, and great sales, it's a destination shop you just can't beat.

You can learn more about the boutique at its website - http://www.daisy-clover.com/, or visit the store at 8146 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, MO 63119.

Announcement! Trunk Show at Mezzanine - May 9th, 2009

April 13, 2009

Model wearing iram-inal necklaces from Mezzanine's lookbook

On Saturday, May 9th, we will be holding a trunk show at one of our favorite boutiques in St. Louis, Mezzanine. Owners, Paul and Anna, always go out of their way to make sure their boutique is filled with the most eclectic collection of fashion available. With many selections from both known and emerging designers in New York and L.A. (and states sprinkled inbetween), we are ecstatic to be affiliated with such talented designers in such a cool shop.

Also, the selection in the store is to die-for.... the store always carries a full-range of items, from jewelry, shoes to apparel. You can shop on the Mezzanine website for the newest items carried in the boutique, as well as find some great savings. Our favorite picks right now:

we could scream for these Report Signature raffia pumps

the stylish woman can never go wrong with this Mara Hoffman pencil skirt

This elegant mini-dress by Love Yaya can be worn as a shirt or a dress - and it's only $48!

Voile is chic in this great dress by Travota Jeribacao

Come out and see us on the May 9th to find our latest designs.... we will have our recycled/repurposed gold brass line (great for a party or a night out with the girls), along with our traditional semiprecious stone woven collection and our recycled wood woven necklaces and cuffs.

We'll also have a selection of our chic new resin filled rings. For more information or to shop 24 hours a day, check out Mezzanine's site at http://www.mezzaninewearables.com/.