etsy excitement.

After the overwhelming response from my post on state necklaces, I thought I'd "send a conversation" to the etsy artists to know how much my readers loved them. A few hours later, I get a reply from Rachael--the incredible designer behind sudlow.

She said my new blog header helped to inspire her to create this beauty of a piece 
{which I promptly had to purchase}...

{Long Distance Love Customizable Necklace by sudlow}

After perusing her profile, I discovered Rachael is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate, which just so happens to be where I take my design classes. {Granted, I'm just taking night classes...she is a full-blown graduate! Big difference!} Yay for the web making connections :)

Rachael was kind enough to offer {long distance loving} readers 

free shipping in the month of February. Yes you read that right!

All you need to do mention you're a reader of {long distance loving}.


Look at a few of her other pieces...

{Custom Shape Cufflinks by sudlow}

{Shot Through the Heart Lariat by sudlow}

...the original, in any state you wish...

{Custom State Necklace by sudlow}

Make sure to stop by Rachael's corner of etsy soon to claim your free shipping! She's super speedy in her response times and incredibly helpful too. I was so happy to hear back from all of the other artists I contacted! Etsy truly is a friendly {and inspiring} corner of the internet--which I'm sure many of you already knew.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! 
I'll catch up with all of you soon :)
xoxo {av}



DISCLAIMER: I am not receiving any sort of payment or incentive to feature sudlow. I simply liked her work and wanted to feature it. If you want to be featured on {long distance loving}, please click here for more information.

a little tribute.

I've always had a "thing" for the United States. Though I grew up in Indiana, I spent many days on the road with my parents--be it driving back and forth to South Carolina to visit my grandparents or searching out Civil War battlefields. It should have come as no surprise to my parents that about halfway through my sophomore year, I transferred into the American Studies program at Georgetown. After all, it was my mother who instilled in me that love of American history.

After I finished my "AMSTUD" degree, I stayed in DC for my full-time job and also worked weekends in a precious boutique. I constantly found myself discovering new designers {and new ways to break my budget}. One such budget-buster was the Maya Brenner jewelry which made its way into our store. The pieces we received featured different states, like New York or California--and I soon discovered you could order it any any state you wished. Though I desperately wanted one of her necklaces, I had to pay the rent...and have been dreaming of them ever since.

I hadn't forgotten her magnificence, but when a few of her beauties resurfaced in this month's issue of People Style Watch, my interest was peaked again.

{Colorado - maya brenner designs}

{Indiana - maya brenner designs}

Along with Maya Brenner's beautiful pieces, they featured Kris Nations...a considerably less expensive option {though the final look is a bit more funky, but still very fun}.

{California - kris nations}

Knowing the wealth of wonderful jewelry designers on etsy, I thought it would be goofy not to check that crafty mecca for some other comparable pieces...

and I'm so happy I did!

Take a peek at my etsy finds:

{US - sudlow jewelry}

{ok, France isn't in the States, but I love it - lucky troll}

{North Carolina - boneofart}

{Texas - applechampagne}

{North Carolina - ginnae}

{Pennsylvania Pride - arieltelsa}

The current winner for my affection? The designs from tru.che. Stevie, the designer, is also a native Midwesterner...

and her etsy profile had me screaming to buy some of her pieces.

With our current port of call in Rhode Island, this little beauty may need to find its way to my neck soon. The best part? The tru.che designs are a third of the cost of the silver designs from Maya Brenner. SCORE.

{Rhode Island - tru.che}

That's my little tribute to state pride...and my new blog header!

Can't wait to announce the winner of my Minted giveaway tomorrow morning...

keep your eyes peeled for that! Until then, go enjoy the Super Bowl--

or just the commercials ;) xoxo, {av}

P.S. Your unending blog love continuously makes. my. day.

Don't forget...my line is always open!