LondyLoo Giveaway!

Friends.. Meet Katie Kelly of LondyLoo! Katie and I attended the same church for a few years, and her husband and I even worked together in the church's daycare center.  They now have a beautiful and growing family and Katie started up LondyLoo, her brand of amazing headbands, which she now sells on her Etsy shop! I'm so excited to be bringing you this giveaway, I drool over her headbands all the time! Let's get to know Katie and Londyloo, first...

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Well I'm 24 and I was born and raised in New Jersey (South Jersey that is). I absolutely love it here, not necessarily because its the most beautiful, but because its home and were my family lives. I am one of 8 kids and I have 3 nephews and 1 niece. My husband's from Seattle, Washington and we met in Virginia Beach at a friend's wedding. (We have a great story!) I'm due on February 28 with our second child Beckett James. Our first child, London Grace, is 17months right now. She is a wild handful, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Along with being a mom, making LondyLoos, my husband and I are the Creative Pastors at an awesome church called True North. (www.truenorthnj.com)
 

2. How did Londyloo start? I started making headband to control my daughters wild hair when she was first born (plus its pretty hard for someone to mistake your baby for a boy when they have a big flower on their head lol) After I made a few people kept asking me about them. I had mom's ask me to make some for their daughters, but I also had young adults asking me to make them. So I started just making a few and I thought why not call them LondyLoo (a nickname I call my daughter often). I don't have much of a business brain so I made most of them as gifts, but after presser from my 2 sisters I started selling them at a local boutique. Then I discovered the wonderful world of Esty... and thought why not. I still sell a lot off the site, although I'm try to switch that so all of my sales go through the site.

3. How long have you been interested in designing, specifically headbands? I have always loved anything to do with design, crafts, and art..just ask my mom... she always had to clean up the messes. I made doll clothes and purses, drew fashion designs, rearranged/ decorated my room 100x as a kid. So I never really new where is was all going to take me when I got older. But being a creative pastor I get to be creative with graphics and video and with LondyLoo I get to get my scissors and sewing kit out. The sicissor and sewing kit part is what I love the most.  I've just been making headbands for a little over a year, and I love it! I make all different styles, some are very me and some aren't something I'd wear myself, but I want to have something for everyone.
 

4. Where do you get your inspiration? Hmmm... of course I have some blogs that I love .... www.designspongeonline.com, oncewedd.com and now Finders Keepers blog! If I'm creating a custom headband I get my inspiration from the person ordering it (I do headbands and matching onies for little girls birthday parties). Another way I get inspired is just walking around the fabric store.... I LOVE the fabric store. My favorite aisle is the button aisle, makes me smile just thinking of it!

5. What is your process of creating your headbands? I start out sitting in our families favorite chair in the living room (we all fight over it... even my 17 month old!) I pull my huge bin and bags of craft supplies around me and start messing around with fabrics. ( I like to be in the middle of everything.) I do everything by hand, I don't like using hot glue or anything like that. I want to make sure they won't fall part after a few wears. The only thing I use my sewing machine for is the label on the back. When I'm done making a headband or two there is a huge mess around me... partly my fault, partly my daughters, she pulls out all my fabrics and wraps herself up in them. ( I'm glad I have a very patient husband!)
 

6. What has been the most challenging part of being the owner of LondyLoo? The most challenging part of LondyLoo is finding time to make headbands. I try not to make them when my daughter is awake (because of the mess and needle, buttons and beads are everywhere) Sometimes I get orders for the same headbands and I never really get motivated to make more than one of the same kind. I get bored making the same ones, thats why most of them are one of a kind.

7. What do you do, besides creating headbands? Besides working for and being really involved with church, I love decorating. My husband and I bought a real fixer-upper for our first home so we have been slowly working on making it our own. It's a slow process since the money I wanted to use for decorating had to go to serious things like new water heater, new ac and fun stuff like that. But I love searching for new finds I can fix up at thrift stores or craig list.
 

8. Where do you see yourself in ten years? Gosh 10 years... Well I'll probably have a few more kids (I want to have a big family). Most likely still be working for (might not be as much since I'll be having more children) and definitely involved with True North Church. I have no idea where LondyLoo will go. I'm happy where it's at now, its manageable and gives me an outlet for my creativity. I'm glad people are enjoying the headbands, because I really enjoy making them.  

Katie made this absolutely beautiful headband, just for you guys! To win, just leave a comment below with your email address.  It's as simple as that! Good luck everyone, and be sure to enter by Thursday, February 11 at 9:00p.m! And please check out the LondyLoo Etsy shop!