Kirsten McIlvenna is the creative behind the eco-friendly and unique pieces at Delirious Blue Jewelry! She has spent time in places all over Michigan, and after graduating from Saginaw State University found the first place that felt like home right here in Bay City! Kirsten now lives and works in Kalamazoo, MI but visits Bay City as often as she can. Kirsten grew up creating, and for a while she says it seemed like she would pick up a new hobby almost every year. Then in 2012 when she tried making jewelry, it stuck! Only four short months into her jewelry making adventure she opened her Etsy shop. She recalls that her first sale ever was a pair of bottle cap earrings for $4. Since then, she has put more time, effort, and focus into her small business and now offers over 50 different one-of-a-kind and environmentally conscious pieces in her shop.
We just love the story of where the name of her business comes from too! So much so, that we are just going to quote her story verbatim... "In high school I played French horn in the concert band. During my junior year, we played a song called "Where Never Lark Nor Eagle Flew" which was inspired by the poem "High Flight." Beyond it being a beautiful song that I continued to listen to via my iPod, in it was the most beautiful horn solo, which I got to play. It was the first time I was truly proud of my abilities in playing. At the concert, I heard the poem read for the first time, and I loved it as well. Delirious Blue comes from part of the poem:"
Kirsten is another maker that has been with us since the day we opened, and I am very lucky to be able to call her a personal friend as well. Her absolute favorite part of the process is actual creation, "it's that moment when we imagine a new idea and then get to play and experiment and see it come to life." Speaking of, we are pretty excited to see how this Bay City skyline cuff bracelet turns out! Kirsten works full time as the Communications Director for the non-profit, International Child Care. She also takes classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to develop her skills as a metal smith and is currently in her third semester. Go see Kirsten in person at Kalamazoo Vintage Market, or click below to get your Delirious Blue Jewelry pieces online.
