ETSY PARADE | VALENTINE'S DAY PICKS

i know, i know.  i'm a bit late to the valentine's day shenanigans, but i couldn't help myself when i came across these on etsy.  seriously, the talent blows my mind every single time. and i kinda wish these were sold in stores. the originality is amazing compared to the cliche every year items which pop up annually. how cool would that be :)

i remember being super excited about valentine's day as a kid. mostly, because a day filled with no schoolwork and all play was definitely something to celebrate. and of course, valentines were a big deal back then. sometimes i wished i could buy all of them, from barbie to power rangers to disney princesses. making them was the best part, and so was staring at the aisles and aisles of candy in the local grocery store, taking my pick.

one valentine's sticks out fairly well in my mind. it was fifth grade, and a little classmate of ours was not allowed to celebrate with us. we all gushed in whispers wondering why our friend couldn't join in on the fun. we figured he surely would want to. his personality was bright, always cheerful and always cracking jokes. it hurt our feelings for some odd reason he was not allowed to "party" with us. making sure he did not feel left out, some of my friends and i gathered the valentines we made with his name on them, and snuck them into his locker. it was a wonderful feeling in doing so. it felt like we were deceiving, mysterious little crooks breaking the laws of fifth grade. we did not get caught, and surely enough our little friend was thrilled to find the valentines in his backpack. best.day.ever.

do you have a particular valentine's day quite vivid in your memory?

etsy picks:
one: adorable blue little owls make for one sweet, thoughtful gift
two: for your favorite gem of a person

three: french romantic to the max, perfect wall art
four: make a statement with these arrow and heart earrings. cupid would be proud.
five: will ya? ;)
six: the minimalism of this piece is stunning!
seven: pretty and thoughtful, for the chef of the house
eight: the perfect delicate necklace
nine: the most loveliest cup with the loveliest saying