The Valentine In Black

As I was soaking in the tub this morning, dreading the walk through the snow to work, the radio was beating me about the head and neck with the fact that Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  In years past, this made made me snarl out of spite because of my failed attempts at dating.  Heck, a couple of years ago, I had the pry the fact that yet another man I'd been seeing had lost interest in me out of him mere days before the holiday.  Not that I was expecting to be showered with perfume and roses, but it seemed rather cowardly to go to ground in an effort to avoid the problem.  For that reason, I was happy to remove any vestigial obligation he felt towards me by burrowing in after him for the truth.  


Since then, I think I'm started to look at the holiday as a reason to push an obligation of a gift for no reason, or to overeat.  I'm not soured on love, but I don't put it in the same mental box as kitty cats and shimmery dreams.  I never have, really.  As a young adult, it was verboten to any and all boyfriends to call me by a nickname like honey or sweetie pie.  Their melody coated the back of my throat with syrup and made it hard for me to swallow.  I never doodled my first name combined with my crush's last name, or paged through wedding magazines, daydreaming about "my perfect day".  I do have the capacity for love, but without the ruffles or the lace that Hallmark has prescribed.
  
I had these spiky sorts of thoughts in my head as I was goofing around on facebook the other day and ran across a post from one of the local alternative clothing companies I'm a fan of.  For Valentine's day, rather than selling plush heart shaped anything, they'd designed a whole line of special edition spiked collars.  Now there's a gift I can get behind.  It's no secret I'm attracted to the noir and the macabre.  I'm a rough edges kind of girl.  So, to see a clothing company cater to that kind of attraction caught my attention.  Plus, you know, it's local.  And I'm all for keeping the money here in town.  

If you're like minded about love not being a Disney princess only emotion, give them a look.  Their collars are 100% leather and come in varying widths.  They have some with lace, plenty with a heart shaped lock, and lots and lots of studs and spikes.  If you're not a collar kind of person, they offer bracelets as well.  For those who don't have the same love of leather I do, I know I've seen t-shirts for sale at some of their booths at local exhibitions.  You can find them (and photos of their inventory) on facebook and on their website - www.dominikat.com.  And if they ask, tell 'em Ephemily sent you.

Love and Bruises,
~E