minted art print giveaway.

When we moved into our house nearly a year ago (where does time go?), I always knew I would have some trouble filling certain "holes" in our decor. One such hole? The large space above the tub in our master bathroom! It took me months to finally decide upon a solution. With the help of Minted, I was able to fill this blank space with something beautiful and perfect for the space!

In case you didn't know, Minted now offers large scale art prints which help make those mysterious voids in your decor history! The print I chose (Savannah Lands by the uber-talented Emily Jeffords) was the ideal solution to our window-less master bathroom. Since much of our bathroom is gray and white, I needed a pop of color without completely overdoing it. I couldn't be more pleased with the final look! (FYI: I chose the 54" x 40" framed print, which filled the space without a hitch.)

Minted is incredibly generous and is offering to give one long distance loving reader an art print of their choosing. The winner will be able to choose one framed print of the size and scale that will fill their "hole" on their own wall -- up to $325! From photography to modern art, there is truly a print for everyone. See their complete collection of fine art here. 

To enter the giveaway, hop over to my Instagram for two easy ways to win! Best of luck! xoxo {av}

Please note: This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States, 13 years old or older. Entries will be cross-referenced. The giveaway will end promptly at 8:00pm EST on Sunday, November 1st. The winner will be shared on the original giveaway post on Instagram. Should you have any additional questions, please email me.

This post was made possible by Minted. In agreement with sharing information about their brand and promoting their products, I was provided with this art print. As always, I only share about brands I truly love and support on long distance loving. Thank you!

minted.com collaboration + giveaway.

Two exciting announcements today on {long distance loving}--and both of them involve my favorite online paper mecca, Minted! When Minted approached me to share more about their amazing collaboration with Every Mother Counts, I was absolutely on board. Every Mother Counts makes it their mission to bring education to mothers around the world about healthy pregnancies and births. To support their incredible mission, Minted is giving 50% of the proceeds from their children's art prints back to Every Mother Counts!
Read through the whole post to find the other way Minted is being generous this December!

{photo via Josh Estey of Every Mother Counts}

If you have an expectant mother, new mom, or favorite kiddo on your list, one of these fabulous prints is sure to be crowd pleasers. The best part? While you're giving to someone you love, a woman in another corner of the world is learning more about safe pregnancy and childbirth. Click here to see the full array of children's art prints which will benefit Every Mother Counts through the end of December!

Seriously--can you believe all this goodness?! I love all the personalization options and color choices. The options are endless! Minted also makes it easy to order the right size with sizing guides for their art prints.

Minted is also thinking of you! They are generously offering one {long distance loving} reader a Minted Grand Calendar. {Amazing, right?} From today until next Tuesday, December 18th, you can enter to win over on Minted.com! If you ask me, this is quite the perfect giveaway as we roll into 2013.

Keep Minted on your radar for those last-minute gifts, especially the special prints which support Every Mother Counts. You will be giving so much more than just a print with your purchase!

Be sure to enter the giveaway here before next Tuesday! Good luck! xoxo {av}

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. I have used Minted for nearly 3 years and love their work.

planner planning.

Am I one of the few people in the universe who still like to keep a paper agenda? I see posts everywhere in the blogosphere about ditching the paper planner for Google Calendar exclusively. Call me old school, but I'm just too scared to make the full switch. Even though I'm a social media fiend, I just love paper. Here are a few pretty planners for 2013 which have been on my radar...

1) Kate Spade  2) Erin Condren  3) Design Darling  4) Lilly Pulitzer
5) Crane & Co.  6) May Books  7) russell+hazel  8) Emily Ley

I've had a Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer in the past, but this year, I'm leaning toward the russell+hazel binder {with the smartdate inserts}. I don't think I'm totally ready to go in the full-on Google Calendar mode just yet. As the most connected and organized folks I know, your two cents matter--so let me know what you think :) enjoy your Thursday--and I'll see you tomorrow for Friday's Fancies!

oh, hello.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know my love of Kate Spade runs deep. I also really adore snail mail, but in today's day and age, I can settle for a really cute email. Paperless Post is my go-to for such goodness--and I've shared my love for this electronic "day-maker" before. They just scored a ridiculous collaboration with the geniuses of Kate Spade...and yes, you can thank me later.

Paperless Post and Kate Spade really outdid themselves with this collection. Beyond these beauties, they also have some phenomenal holiday cards! If you're trying to keep it green this year, look no further than Paperless Post. You're also bound to brighten someone's day with this collection :)

Beyond Kate Spade, I adore Rifle Paper Co. and SCOUT'S HONOR Co. for their snail mail goodness.  The best part about actual notecards? There seems to be an endless supply of great designers, leading me to this all-important question:

P.S. Here is all you need to know about tomorrow's Friday's Fancies! You can also find a burgundy bargain round-up from yours truly on Henry Happened. 

pleasant productivity.

Hello again! It's Monday--and per usual, I'm asking myself where this weekend went! This was the first time {cv} and I were both in Providence for a weekend since early November. Suffice it to say, we had plenty to do around the apartment. Though we don't have a lot of photos from the weekend, I do have some from our holiday card madness. With them, I'm linking up with Ashley at  a {little dash of ash} for her Instagram Mondays!

Last year, I ordered our cards from Minted--and I positively loved them. We used one of our wedding photos and it came together beautifully. After taking a few classes at RISD over the course of 2011, I decided to tackle our holiday cards myself! I printed the cards I designed via smartpress.com and was happy with the results :) I decided to print on both sides to maximize the fun photo from our trip to California in May and still share our sentiments on the back. {I blanked out our full names--it doesn't look that weird in real life, I promise!}

The envelopes and labels I chose were from a perennial favorite store--Paper Source. I loved designing everything, right down to the return address labels. More than 200 cards later, I'm happy to report that I'm taking these beauties to the post office to this morning! The best part of it all?! We saved a BOATLOAD of money compared to what we spent on our cards last year. yay!

I love sending and receiving cards, so this project was fun for me, even if it took nearly all of my Sunday. This may be the extent of my crazy crafting this holiday season, but I'm more than ok with that. I haven't decided if I'm going to make designing cards a regular thing, but I'd love to hear what you think! If you sent out cards this year, where did you get them? What type of holiday cards are your favorite to receive? I hope each of you have a fantastic start to this very festive week :) All my love!

paper{less} heaven.

For those of you who don't know about Paperless Post, I'm about to blow your mind. {For those of you who do, sit back and smile!} Back in college, my roommates and I loved sending evites. We would stalk them to see who was or wasn't coming--or who had looked at it and hadn't responded yet ;) When I got my first introduction to Paperless Post two years ago, I was more than intrigued. I got an email with an envelope inside! I soon discovered a website which can best be described as the classy space to send online greetings. I love sending them out for happy hours with my girl friends--and for random occasions when someone just crosses my mind! Here are a few which I am considering for the New Year's Eve party I'm helping to plan while we're back home in Indiana to ring in 2012...

{all invite images via paperless post}

Can't you just feel the embossed letters in that one in the bottom left?! As much as I love paper, Paperless Post is a marvelous way to maintain the festive fanfare of an invitation without the enormous cost {and it saves a load of trees in the process!}. You can even pick envelope liners and other fun little extras to really increase the whole effect! Though I'm someone who saves any card she receives, I know most people don't, so this is also one way to avoid on adding to the waste paper basket ;)

I can't profess that it is free {it's not}, but the costs are down right tiny. You buy coins {25 for $5} and stamps {30 for $5}--and those are your tokens to send your pretty little electronic envelopes. {One thing to note: the more you buy, the cheaper it gets...so I tend to invest $20 or so every time I replenish my supply}. To me, it's totally worth it to bring a smile to someone's inbox...rather than just another email about today's deal on eBay. Hope this little introduction at least indulged your inner "paper geek" ;) Have a great Thursday--and I'll see you tomorrow for a Holiday Party round of Friday's Fancies!

blossoms aplenty.

I lived in DC for six glorious years. When {cv} and I finally landed jobs in the same state, it meant I had to say goodbye to the city I knew so well. This is the first year since 2004 that I haven't seen the cherry blossoms in their full glory. I'm aching to see those gorgeous blooms--especially on a bright sunny morning when they reflect on the Tidal Basin. sigh.

Last year, we got married during the last weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Though the blooms were a bit past their prime by April 10th, I blame it on the ridiculously hot weather the weekend before our wedding. No complaints from this bride though: I was happy to have a sunny day in the mid-60s rather than a sweaty day in the 90s!

With the disaster in Japan, the cherry blossoms are a fabulous reminder of what beautiful things their country has to share to share with the world. In keeping with that idea, I remembered the beautiful paper I always enjoyed seeing in the windows at Paper Source in Georgetown. When I hopped on their website, I was happy to see they were holding a fabulous promotion for the relief efforts in Japan:

{image sources: top row: left - right ~ bottom row: left - right}

Aren't those papers gorgeous? If you purchased a few sheets, how would you use them?


If you've never had the chance to see DC in full bloom, try to make the visit at least once in your lifetime. It's worth the trip! I'll just keep dreaming of our next spring visit to Washington...and living vicariously through my DC friends and bloggers! Happy Tuesday! xoxo {av}

paper {anniversary}.

{love struck calendar - days of the week calendar - blurb} 

Though I really can't believe it, we are roughly three weeks from our first wedding anniversary!

{cv} and I discussed that our first anniversary is also our "paper" anniversary, if you go by the traditional standards. I was bummed to discover that the sapphire anniversary wasn't until the 45th or the emerald anniversary until the 55th! Maybe we could break the rules a little bit down the line...God-willing, we'll both live to see 2055 and 2065, but there are no guarantees--right? ;)

Making the choice on what to get {cv} is proving to be quite difficult and I wanted to enlist your help!

Should I create a photo calendar with photos from our first year of marriage? 

Or should I do the same with a photo book? 

Can't wait to hear your thoughts! I loved all your input yesterday on IKEA! Just so you know: your comments make me smile all. day. long. Have a wonderful Wednesday! xoxo {av}

If this post has you itching to make a calendar of your own, don't sweat--you can!

psst...are you new to {long distance loving}?See our wedding in Martha Stewart and Southern Living!

signed. sealed. delivered.

In one of my earliest posts, I professed my love of Minted. Many of you are no stranger to this lovely website, but to those of you who are, you're in for a fantastic surprise...

...because I'm hosting a Minted giveaway!

{minted.com}

Yes, that's right. You can choose up to $35 worth of goodies from Minted. 

I mean, who doesn't love personalized stationery?

Click here to see all the lovely wares you could win!

{This includes anything you see under one $ on the left side bar!} 

Here are my current personal faves...

{Gramercy Personalized Stationery by The Social Type}

{Little Letters Personalized Stationery by Jennifer Love King}

{Paris + Vintage Ribbon Personalized Stationery by Emily Ranneby}

But their skinny-address labels are hard to beat too...

sigh. I want it all!

Want to know how to win??

initial entry: follow {long distance loving} on Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin 

and comment on what you'd choose from minted.com

You can enter a few other ways too! For each extra entry you complete below, be sure to add a new comment to this post so you get every opportunity to win!

extra entry #1: follow @luvfromafar on twitter + tweet about this sweet giveaway {here's a shorter url: http://tinyurl.com/ldlminted}

extra entry #2: include this giveaway on a future blog post {and post that link in your comment}

extra entry #3: participate in Friday's Fancies this Friday and/or next Friday {this means you could potentially add two entries if you participate both weeks--you can find the logo on this post!}

Here is the fun bonus: For anyone who hops over to {long distance loving} and mentions in their comment that you sent them, you're setting yourself up to win too! If random.org select a new follower you sent, you'll win P.S. I Made This..., a book I blogged about a few weeks ago. 

Just so you know, this fab giveaway ends on Superbowl Sunday {February 6th} at 12:00pm EST.  It's open to readers everywhere! Yay! I'll announce the winner on Monday, February 7th! Email me with any other questions.

Thank you all for your infinite amount of love and support this week! I started blogging because I thought it would be a good outlet, not expecting all the love I get on a daily basis from my faithful followers :) You are the best!

Thank the snow storm hitting New England for this earlier than expected announcement...

no class for me tonight! Off to get caught up on all of you! xoxo {av}

minted love.

Today, I am tackling our holiday cards. I ordered them in early October via minted.com, with the encouragement of a 20% early bird coupon. We ordered our rehearsal dinner invites and our thank you notes through their website earlier this year...and let's just say, I was in love from the start.

Screenshot from the minted.com homepage

I love all things paper--and after seeing our names in letterpress, I can dream of the day I have enough funds to use letterpress all the time! Until then, Minted cards will be a sublime substitute. Their customer service is impeccable--and the final products keep me coming back for more.


So, off I go to address our cards! I don't want to spoil the surprise for my friends and family with revealing the cards before they receive them, but I promise to post them soon! I hope ya'll have a wonderful Saturday :)