It’s that time of year again.

When star-crossed lovers meet. When couples re-kindle their flame. When Johnny tells Suzie he loves her. When Tom Hanks met Meg Ryan on the top of the Empire State Building. When flowers are delivered to your girl at work. When we eat too many boxes of chocolates. Yes. It’s almost Valentine’s Day!

I’ve never been a grump about Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it’s because I’m an optimist. Perhaps I’ve just always loved love. Bobby says it’s because I like getting presents. And while that may be true, I just look forward to Valentine’s Day every year.

This year, however, I discovered Etsy. And, well…I’ve gone a little crazy. I love the fact of investing in small businesses and encouraging unbelievable and talented creative minds to pursue their dreams and create! People invest in my small-business, so I love being able to give back and spread the love. Love. Oh yea, Valentine’s Day. So, in honor of the great holiday of love, I wanted to share with you some of my Etsy (and some not-so-Etsy) finds to get you in the spirit! Each picture has a link above it to the associated website for credit AND so you can go forth and purchase for yourself!

P.S. I love Valentine’s and snail mail. If one of yours just happens to be sent to me, I wouldn’t be upset. Just sayin.’

And speaking of love, I still have some dates open for 2010 weddings! Please contact me at Melissabphoto@gmail.com to get more information.

Enjoy!

Jenrotert on Etsy. One of my favorites!

So sweet! These are printable at home, just buy the copyright! By Pinecone and Lola on Etsy.

Hello! Lucky has some super whimsical and vintage-inspired cards.

J’adore! I am inheriting an old-fashioned tandem bicycle once I can figure out how to get it down here. I plan on using it for props for photo sessions! This card by Satsumalynn on Etsy.

This might be one of my favorites! By LouellaPress on Etsy.

And for those of you who are a bit on the cynical side… by Owlyshadowpuppets on Etsy.

Perhaps if not a gift for your Valentine, this would make a fabulously stylish Wedding Present! The tree comes in all different colors. They have some more cute designs like this one, too. By SilhouetteBlue on Etsy.

I love, LOVE this idea for a wedding instead of a guest book. What do you really do with a guest book anyways?! This one can be framed and kept as a sweet and clever keepsake. Guests dip their thumb in ink as a “leaf” on the tree, then sign their name next to it. Cute! By Lovliday on Etsy.

And for all of you planning brides out there, here are some of my favorite blogs for wedding inspiration:

Ruffled Blog – Everything Wedding!

Paper Crave – Paper Ideas

Green Wedding Shoes – Southern California Wedding Inspiration

Grey Likes Weddings – Colors, decorations and more!

DIY Weddings – For the Do-It-Yourself Bride

Minted.com – Eco-Friendly Paper Designs

Calligraphy & Design – Fabulous Calligraphy for Wedding Invites

Happy Hump Day!