She's in a collector state of mind

Leslie, a Brightonista from Baltimore, likes the hunt: Her pursuit of Brighton's state charm bracelets started when she spotted the Colorado bracelet in Denver. She wasn't immediately sure if she wanted it. "It was a toss up between that and a different one and that little green backpack charm was the deciding factor. That’s what got me hooked! The charms were so adorable and had such intricate detail," she says. When she learned that Brighton had made 11 state bracelets (see them here), she decided she wanted them all. But how to get them? Each state's bracelet is only carried by retailers in that specific state. "I put out requests to any and all of my friends that I knew were traveling," Leslie says. And with the help of five friends, she got them all! Here's how she did it, in her own words:

My CA bracelet was picked up by my husband's co-worker while he and his wife were vacationing there. My HI was picked up by a guy my husband and I used to be stationed with in CA. My IL was picked up while I was on a trip in St Louis. A friend lived in IL just across the state line and on our way to dinner we stopped to pick it up. My GA was actually purchased off of eBay. I didn’t know anyone heading that way. My AZ, FL & NV were picked up by a co-worker on 3 separate trips while they were traveling for work. My TX was picked up by another co-worker while she visited her family. My DC was picked up during a visit to my local Brighton shop.

And her New York bracelet? "I'm originally from NY and my BFF gave it to me on my birthday," she says. The NY bracelet is her favorite. (Mine, too!)

Leslie said she had mixed emotions once she had the entire collection.

"I was so excited once I got them all but it was also kind of sad too. It was as if the thrill of the hunt was over," she says. "Not to worry though, Brighton has plenty of other beautiful items to chase after and now I'm hooked on the charms. ... Since it doesn’t look like there are going to be any additional state bracelets, I’d like to collect charms for the states in which I have either lived or have visited." Leslie is in the military so that is going to be a lot of states. Good luck, Leslie!