The DIY That Started It All + a Giveaway

Shirt - GAP, Shorts - GAP, Shoes - GAP, Belt - ONE little BELT

When we were first married and living in Seattle in 2009, it was a rough time of life. What should have been our first great adventure out of college - starting Soren's career - was actually not at all what we expected. We were living far away from all of our family in a dark and gloomy place, and we were not getting along. I was depressed and couldn't find a job that related to my major. Soren did not enjoy his job, and neither of us was very happy. It was inexplicably hard on us both. 

Well, eventually I ended up taking a job at GAP Kids, and that job was a sanity saver for me. Our first son Easton was also born. Easton really saved Soren and I both. We loved being parents and that Easton was really our first common interest. Our second common interest came close behind him. 

Because I worked at GAP Kids, I had stocked baby Easton up on tiny jeans, cute onesies, and shoes. When he was about six weeks old, we were getting ready for a church party, and I dressed him in little 0-3 month denim for the first time. It was adorable, but when my husband saw him, his first question was, "Where's his belt?" His little baby jeans had belt loops, and his was onesie tucked in to his pants, which made his waistband look awfully empty. Soren, being the DIY guy that he is, grabbed a brown leather skinny belt from my closet and took some scissors and a drill to it. In just a few minutes, we had our first little belt. And holy cow was it cute! We left for the party and no one, including us, could get over how cute it was to see such a tiny baby in a belt. 

That unexpected little project set in motion the idea for ONE little BELT. I pushed Soren a little bit to go to the leather store in downtown Seattle with me to see if we could learn how to make more tiny belts. That first trip led to countless more trips to the leather store and many, many evenings cutting leather on our apartment kitchen linoleum and pounding rivets on the wet cement of our front porch. We learned a lot in those first few years, and honestly starting that Etsy shop is where all of this began. I started this blog because of OLB, and we wouldn't have Nickel & Suede either without those first lessons in leather. We eventually left Seattle to live near my family here in Kansas City and things have only improved since then.

ONE little BELT was our first venture into being entrepreneurs, and it is still going strong. We still love hand making belts for babies and toddlers. Now that we are self-employed, I can't wait to grow this business and really make it THE place to find the highest quality and best looking baby, toddler, and children's leather belts.

With back-to-school starting and family photos just around the corner, I have a great giveaway for you today. You can win a $60 credit to ONE little BELT! And not only that - I have a coupon for you as well. Use code FIRSTBELT to get 15% off your order and grab a few belts for school uniforms, back-to-school clothes, an upcoming wedding, baby gifts, or just to hold up your toddler's pants.

Enter the giveaway below. Giveaway ends 7/28. Domestic and international entries are welcome. Good luck!

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