Let me introduce...

you to Katie, the designer behind Morelle. Katie has her own website, http://www.morellehandbags.com/ and she also sells on etsy under the seller morelle. The talented Katie resides in Greece and has been sewing since she was 10 years old! She's been making these gorgeous handbags for the past 3 years. Katie has been kind enough to let us learn a little bit more about her life. Not only is she crafty and creative, she is generous and will be doing a giveaway to one lucky reader. Read the interview and see below what Katie will be giving away and how to enter.

1. Where are you from?
Preveza, Northwestern Greece

2. Are you currently living in that city?
Yes, I moved back almost a year ago after 10 years abroad.

3. Do you have kids? married?
No, but I've been in a relationship for 5 and a half years. We both want to wait a few more years before starting a family.

4. When did you first learn to sew?
I started sewing when I was about 10. I loved digging into my grandmas fabric scraps and making small things. The first thing I made was a pillow lace heart pillow which I was really proud off!

5. How long have you been making bags/purses/clutches?
Since I got my first sewing machine three years ago. It's not a long time ago but I have made an incredibly large volume of bags since then.

6. Is this your profession or hobby? If it's your hobby, what is your day time job?
It was my hobby but I was able to make into my profession. My favourite part of my job is making new styles which I still get to do on occassion :)

7. Do you sell in any retail stores or other online stores? Which ones?
I have sold to a couple of retail stores over the past year such as Bibelot in Calgary, Canada, Showpony in Seattle, US and Mukavan in Barcelona, Spain. I am also in the process of making my own shop here in Preveza, Greece where I will be selling my bags and maybe bags from other Greek designers.

8. Where do you get your ideas and inspirations from for your designs and color choices?
Inspiration comes to me at random throughout the year. I might see something I like and want to make that into a bag. I also try to stay on top of current fashion trends and try to incorporate these somehow to my styles. As for colors, it depends on what "speaks to me" when I make the selection. I also like to have variety and don't like using the same colors on different collections. I really believe that color is a fashion statement and it's always going to be an important element in my collections.

9. Aside from creating these gorgeous bags/purses/clutches, what do you do in your free time?
I love to cook and read up on food. I'm very into healthy eating and I try to make exciting healthy recipes. I also like to browse shoes online :) Believe it or not shoes is my real addiction!
10. What are your top 5 favorite etsy stores?
hollystalder.etsy.com
larimeloom.etsy.com
persephonevintage.etsy.com
consciousclothing.etsy.com
stephanieteague.etsy.com

11. What is the coolest place you've traveled to?
I have to say it's a small town in Norway called "Moss". It's really not the coolest place but the place I fell most in love with because of it's charm.

12. Do you have an embarassing moment you'd like to share with us?
Hmm, lots of those. But I think the most I felt embarrassed is when I was writing to my boyfriend a message telling him that our landlord is a pig and then sent it to my landlord by accident.
13. What is your all time favorite book?
That changes with time as I read a lot and I get excited about something new every time. I can say that some books that have stayed with me are "Light on Life" B.K.S Iyengar (about the philosophy of yoga), "War and Peace" by Tolstoy (you don't just read that book, you live it) and right now I'm reading a book on nutrition called "Healing with Whole Foods" which I consider the bible of healthy nutrition.

14. Do you have a blog? Can we find you on facebook? Twitter?
Yes!

Blog: http://www.morelle.nl/blog.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/morelle/312375537396?ref=mf
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kgrigoratou

Now, what you've all been waiting for, the

♥♥♥ GIVEAWAY Now Closed ♥♥♥ !

Thanks to everyone who participated!

The winner of this giveaway will win one of Katie's pochettes. Click here to view all 13 colors that are available for the winner to choose from. Below are 9 of the 13 colors available.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ How to enter the giveaway ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Mandatory: Visit Morelle and comment here what your favorite item is.

For additional entries (all must be done with separate comments) ...

• Follow this blog publicly and comment here that you did so. (1 extra entry)
• "Heart" morelle's shop on etsy and comment that you did so. (1 extra entry)
• "Heart" my shop(s) on etsy (I have 3, so one entry for each) bonjourpierre, KHuiePhotography, and girlytwoshoes. Comment that you did so. (1 extra entry)
• Repost this giveaway on your blog, facebook status, or tweet about it and comment here that you did so. (1 extra entry)
• Purchase an item from Katie's website or her etsy site. (10 extra entries)

Don't forget to leave some sort of contact information to claim your prize (i.e. email address, etsy link). Please leave a separate comment for each entry so that the random number generator will recognize it. The winner will be chosen March 24, 2010 at noon PST by http://www.random.org/.

Bonus: winner gets their name announced and shop link posted too ♥