15 Swoonworthy Velo-Valentines

Just over a week ago, I announced a Give-away for Valentine's Day - inviting readers to submit bicycle-themed Valentines for a chance to receive a beautiful, bright red Bobbin Birdie. Over 70 submissions were made, and I have looked at and read them all at least twice. All were beautiful and thoughtful, and I sincerely thank everybody for sharing them. I would now like to present 15 Valentines that, with difficulty, have been selected as the final entries. They are numbered (in no particular order) and your feedback is welcome. While this is not an outright "readers' choice" vote, your selections will be taken into consideration in the final decision. Thanks for looking, and enjoy!

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1. "Be Mine" Submitted by Park Girl: "'The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets' - Christopher Morley".

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2. "Together We'll Go Far ... On Love & Bicycles." Submitted by Stephen Lee Ogden. 

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3. "Bicroscopic Valentine." Submitted by Jessi: "Portraits sourced from the Commons, Bobbin Birdie bike, and original photograph of silk threads under glass slide, taken with a Nikon 1970's microscope mount. Everything but the silk fibres  are halftoned, because that is how I roll."

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4. "Diamonds are a girl's best friend. But my valentine is a mixte." Submitted by Mindy: I wanted to draw a picture of my bike, because I do love my mixte! The text still works even if you're not familiar with the mixte/diamond frame thing (see what I did there?)."

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5. This evocative poem was submitted by Robin. 

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6. "A day with... is better than a day without..." There is another side to this card, and it is shown here.  Submitted by Willie Bailey. 

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7.  "Hip hoppin' & Bobbin' for you, Valentine!" Submitted by Julie: "My dog, Bonnie, is a little shy and eccentric, and is always the star of our "family" greeting cards. She was going to make a Valentine anyway, but she decided to go with a flashy Valentine theme in hopes of winning her dear mother, me, a pretty new Lady Bike." 

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8. "All I want to do is make tricycles with you." A collage submitted by Michelle B.

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9. "The story, context, high-res sharable files (including vector) for anyone who wants to have fun and make their own for someone can be discovered here." Submitted by nandapocentric.

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10. An embroidered Valentine! Submitted by yn0405: "My entry, inspired by the little Birdie"

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11. "The two things in this world that are true: my sturdy lugged frame and my love for you!" Submitted by LT: "When I read your latest post this morning I thought immediately of my favorite old family photo, so I added a few bits to the photo to make it a vintage-themed Valentine."

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12. A poem submitted by William B. The text reads:

"Said the front tire to the rear
Follow me; I’ll lead my dear.
Round and round we’ll roll together.
‘Cause when you push I steer better.
If miles from here the road’s not fair
We’ll just let out a little air.
I will not shimmy, I will stay true;
That is the promise I make to you.
At dusk, to emphasize our genders,
We’ll slip into some silver fenders.
Your tread is slick; your spokes are fine;
You’ll always be my valentine."

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13. "Sending you...  Love." Submitted by Margaret.

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14. "I wanna ride with you." Submitted by AinsleyW: "Happy Valentine's Day!! Here's my entry, designed specifically in the likeness of mine and my sweetie's bicycles."

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15. Submitted by Audrey W., the poem reads:

"true love

discouraging, tiresome
amassed frustrations
quick release–
escape
restore sanity?

true love, loyal to
youth, to health, to
the beating-
heart

celebrating curves,
bearing pain and
bliss–
eternal"

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So, what do you think? List the numbers of the Valentine(s) that appeal to you in the comments, and your feedback will help determine the recipient. There are no rules by which to judge the Valentines, these things just sort of have to "hit" your love receptors. How much work went into making them is, of course, worth considering as well. The recipient will be announced on Valentine's Day, February 14th. Please feel free to contribute to the comments up to the eve of that date. Thank you everybody for looking, reading and participating. Have a lovely weekend!