Un-mush, wouldja?

What with planning my wedding and all (271 days to go!), I can't help but think about love all the gosh darn time. The thing is though, I've really never been a mushy-wushy, pink hearts and flowers kind of girl. Well, I do have a certain fondness for pink flowers... the ones tattooed on me. So how does a girl express the love without getting all cutesy-poo? Let's see if the Vegan Etsy team can help me out with this one.

Eureka! (And to think, I'm not even in a bathtub.) Here we have Vegan Craftastic's anatomical heart note cards. As she puts it, "What better way to show your love than to give someone your heart? And it's even better when that heart is anatomically correct!" Kala, I gotta agree. As Barbie and Ken showed us all in our childhoods, being anatomically correct really is crucial. This shop will also let you show love for tofu, knitting, and other things - it is, in fact, overflowing with the non-mushy love. When it comes to these note cards, I got it bad - and that ain't good.

Michelle of My Zoetrope gives us a chance to express our adoration of hedgehogs. Apparently mushrooms and acorns also love hedgehogs. I know what you're thinking. Fine, this is supercute, but not in the gross cute way. In the AWESOME cute way! This girl never ceases to amaze me with her imaginative designs. Given that she's a fellow New Yorker, I can't believe I haven't cornered her for a weekend outing yet - so that I can share with her my love for vegan Vietnamese food and ice cream (which doubtless she shares). But... listen - mushrooms, hedgehogs - how long has this been goin' on?

Panda with Cookie offers us up some monster love. No, seriously, love of monsters. Snaggletooth monsters, pirate monsters, and apparently even sometimes corduroy monsters. (Ok, for all of you born before 1980 - seriously people, back in 1985 when your mom was forcing you into elastic wasited corduroy pants and striped longsleeved shirts, did you ever think you'd voluntarily wear either one? Anyway. Corduroy monster = awesome.) These monsters and their various and sundry cronies debuted on the craft fair scene this weekend, so congrats to the PwC empire. Little monster, some might say you have a face only a mother could love... but I can't help falling in love with you.

Now lovelies, check out this superdeluxe offering from The Coma Girl. How hot are these earrings? Well you're about to love them even more: they're hand drawn shrinky-dink! Wait, wait, I've got one more - she calls them "El Corazon". Could it be more perfect? No, not really. Eat your heart out wanna-be glam rockers - this is the real deal. You know, it must hurt to take an arrow through the heart. But the fact is, we are young; heartache to heartache we stand. No promises, no demands. Love is a battlefield.

You've seen this shop in my posts before, because I really just can't get enough of it. And this journal from This Is It! Creations is yet another of their great offerings - a nice deep red paper, a simple scrolled heart, and presto. All the love with none of the sap. All these freakin' wedding magazines that tout "simple elegance" - why aren't they checking out Etsy? This little book would make a great wedding journal, or even a guest book for a smaller wedding. 'Specially if you're wearing a red dress or using a red theme elsewise. Little red journal, there is nothing for me but to love you, and the way you look tonight.

When it comes down to it, the Shirelles said it best:

Everybody loves a lover
Everybody loves me
Oh, yes they do
And I love everybody
Since I fell
In love with you

See? No pink hearts or sappy nonsense or fluffy white anything. Like I always say, when in doubt, ask doo-wop... or possibly the Rat Pack...

Until next Monday,

hearts,
Melissa Bastian