Mona aka mamadelic and Michael of tinymeat met on Etsy and below, she dishes on how this crafting power couple fell in love love love! So romantic! You can check out all our Etsy Love Stories too.
Michael and I met on Etsy.com, where we both are sellers. It was June of 2006 and I was browsing the Etsy forums. I saw this crazy little pickle avatar with some really snarky comment posted next to it. I did a bit of snooping around online, trying to figure out just who this new person was. I found that he had blogged about one of my mamadelic bags a day or two before. I took this as a sign. I had to know more about him! I checked out his shop tinymeat. I was intrigued, I LOVED what he was making. So over the next week or so, I watched the forums to see if he was around and always made a point to comment on his posts. We’d banter back and forth. I felt a connection, but had still never really talked to him, so had no idea if he was feeling it too.
Eventually I mustered up the courage to ask him to meet me in the chat room under the guise of asking business related questions. We talked for hours … and not about business. We sent each other links to our pictures in Flickr. Oh boy. I though he was HOT! He thought I was too, good thing! I couldn’t stop thinking about him for days after that chat. I even ordered something from his shop, just so I could have something to hold that he had touched. (I bought this wallet in case you are wondering 
After a few days, we started chatting on instant messenger and then on the phone. Eventually we got to the point where we were both so overwhelmed by the feelings between us that we HAD to meet. I had already planned a trip to NYC (this was in September) and Michael decided to fly down to the city to meet me in person.
I arrived in NYC a few days before Michael. On the day he arrived, he went to his hotel to check in, then came over to the Jacob Javitz Center where I was working at a trade show. He called me to say he was there and I rode up the escalator to the entry. I saw him across a very long room, leaning against a coffee stand. He was so far away from me but I could tell immediately that he was the ONE. I started the long walk over to him. It was very uncomfortable for me. I was crazy nervous and felt like I was on display. I just knew I would trip and fall or something. But I didn’t. I made it over to him and he bent down and hugged me. He was so much taller than I had imagined. I mean, he told me how tall he was, but until you are face to face it’s hard to understand the difference between 5’3 and 6’8.
He was just as he was in the pictures he’d sent me, big and tall and handsome with striking blue-grey eyes. We spent about 10 minutes in awkward discomfort. We tried to make small talk, but it was weird. The fact that I had completely lost my voice the day before and could barely manage a squeak did not help. I finally asked him if we could go out for a walk.
We left the Javitz and started walking into midtown. We spotted a coffee shop and I asked him if he wanted to get a drink. I had tea to help my throat. We sat at a table by a window and started talking. Things seemed to flow much better for us now. It was so surreal to be sitting across from the man I had been talking to online all these months. And in Manhattan of all places, how romantic! Michael made a few phone calls to some friends that we had plans to meet later that night. At some point, the reality of it all sort of overtook me and I reached out and grabbed his hand. I think I squeezed it tight, and maybe kissed it. He told me later that he fell in love with me right then. I told him later that I had already been in love with him for a long time.
That night we went out to dinner with our friends Emily Martin aka theblackapple and KateBlack. We ate at this crazy Japanese place in the East Village. We feasted on takoyaki and bull penis, mmmm. After our meal, we spun our own cotton candy. Emily headed home to watch Project Runway and Kate took us to a bar for drinks. We had a great time with them both. Once we left the bar at 1am, I realized that I did not have a key for my hotel room and could not possibly wake my boss so late at night to get it. I asked Michael if I could stay with him. He said yes of course!
I think I told Michael that I loved him that night. I’d never felt so intensely for anyone. I wanted to crawl inside of him and live there forever, as the same person. I still feel that way. The next morning we went to my hotel and moved all of my things out and over to his. We spent the next 2 days together exploring the city and loving each other. Honestly I think that the way we met and grew our relationship was the best. We got to know each other on an emotional and intellectual level before bringing anything physical into the equation.
The day we left New York, we road in a cab together to the airport. We were quiet and I think a bit sad. I cried as he got on his plane. I had no idea what the future would hold for us or how we’d manage to be together. We spent the next few months flying back and forth to Miami and New York. Finally we saved up enough money and Michael moved down to Miami to be with me. As soon he moved in we began our plan to move to Portland Oregon together. We’ve now been living in Portland for 7 months and could not be happier. We’ve been able to really expand our business since moving here. I feel like with the 2 of us working full time, we can bring it to the next level. We are getting ready to open a retail store in the front of our office and have hired a full time employee. Life together has not been without its challenges, but all in all, it’s been great! Thanks to Etsy for bringing Michael and I together!
77 comments
Sign in to add your ownjascamille says:
Aww, so cute!!!
4 years ago
smeeta says:
OK, that is the sweetest thing ever! :D
4 years ago
qwynwyn says:
Oh my gosh, that's such a touching story! Heart!
4 years ago
nydampress says:
best. love. story. ever. !
4 years ago
jessicajane says:
seriously....this story made me teary!!! you guys are perfect!
4 years ago
rubygirl says:
Such a great story! And we're so happy that Mikey and Mona decided to start the next chapter in Portland.
4 years ago
ArtMind says:
And they lived happily ever after... Great story! :)
4 years ago
twolefthands says:
this should be made into a movie, how romantic and sweet!
4 years ago
locallibrary says:
oh mydeargoodness. Adorable. Congrats!
4 years ago
heidiburton says:
Just when you least expect it... ♥ so sweet!
4 years ago
jewelera says:
I seriously could not hold my tears, I loved yor story, and really appreciate you guys for sharing it with us. Mama wrote it sooo deep from her heart, and I could feel it in me the whole time I was reading it! I really hope you both will be as happy as you are now for the rest of your lives... (((hugs)))
4 years ago
lpdesigns says:
Oh, that is so sweet!
4 years ago
DownToTheWireDesigns says:
Ha! I can't believe you pulled the, "Oops! I forgot my hotel room key..." trick! That's gutsy for the first date! Though probably no more gutsy than eating bull penis... I am happy that things are working out for the two of you. The next time I am in Portland, I will let you know (and you can do the same when you venture north). It would be fun to meet and have a beer.
4 years ago
UglyKitty says:
So THATS how it happened ;)!
4 years ago
Slowshirts says:
Wait a minute, is "Pounce" actually the new etsy singles button?!...cause I want to met a hot man off of etsy!
4 years ago
spacemonkey says:
love this. i cried.
4 years ago
spacemonkey says:
love this. so sweet.
4 years ago
smushie says:
and like the rest of the world, i cried too. ridiculously cute, seriously, ridiculous. p.s. i am going on the forums right now...tee hee
4 years ago
spacemonkey says:
oops. did I mention I love this and I cried and so sweet, ha ha. also the shoes together so sweet.
4 years ago
ElegantSnobbery says:
Oh man, this is one romantic story! How exciting for you both! Hooray for Etsy!!
4 years ago
ileana says:
Unbelievable story! That is really romantic. I hadn't thought about Etsy as a way for people to find love, but I guess now it's another thing it can put on its resume! I'm happy for both of you :)
4 years ago
pancakeandlulu says:
oh, I am a little verklempt...talk amongst yourselves...
4 years ago
TeenAngster says:
verklempt! ha! love it. so cute.
4 years ago
lilpequito says:
oh my gosh, this brought tears to my eyes. what a wonderful story, and so candidly told. thank you for sharing. here's a toast to you guys, always!! =)
4 years ago
art4friends says:
i very much loved reading this! :D
4 years ago
CatherineMarissa says:
Oh so sweet - I enjoyed reading this.
4 years ago
jrevolution says:
OK, you're bringing tears to my eyes... this is SO SWEET! Thanks for sharing this story... all the best to you both!!
4 years ago
TrashedClothing says:
Oh my gosh. You guys are so cute. I want to hug you both! My bro is 6'8" and his girl is 5'3". It makes me feel warm and fuzzy!
4 years ago
vozclothingandart says:
best story ever- and the shoes got me! :)
4 years ago
prisma says:
This has got to be my favorite Etsy Love Story so far~! So so cute & romantic!! :D
4 years ago
FizzyHabit says:
Wow, this story made my day! Best to you both!
4 years ago
GumballGrenade says:
Oh so sweet! I just love this craft love story!
4 years ago
plantgirl says:
What a great Valentine's Day Love Story!
4 years ago
pulpsushi says:
Yay! Etsy Couple of the Year!!!! :)
4 years ago
ficklefaerie says:
Geez guys, this story brought tears to my eyes!!! Good tears :)
4 years ago
TheSingingBird says:
I love this love story!!! perfect gift to your fellow Etsians on this day! ♥Thanks :)
4 years ago
spaceoddities says:
awww, so sweet!
4 years ago
selflesh says:
Pure sweetness!!! You two are super cuties. xo >s
4 years ago
sheridesthelion says:
so so cute!
4 years ago
licalee says:
I remember when you guys were trying so hard to get together. I thought it was really generous of so many in the etsy community to get together and help finance the whole thing. It was really great to see people pulling for Mona to get out of her marriage, making listings tagged "for mona" and giving donations. I swear there were hundreds of them at the time! Here's Tinymeat's thread to help Mona out of her relationship! It's how they saved up the money to be together! http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=38764
4 years ago
licalee says:
well that didn't work so you can copy and paste this and take out the space after "http" to see how the love started! http ://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=38764
4 years ago
licalee says:
OOPS! it does work. I'm tired :) Congrats on finally getting together you guys!
4 years ago
beadifulthings says:
That is such a sweet story. :-) It made me remember when my own honey and I fell in love.
4 years ago
siiri says:
What a lovely story!!!
4 years ago
ornametal says:
So sweet...I feel all warm and squishy inside! :D Just the best love story... Where do I sign up for one? Heehee!
4 years ago
whitemetal says:
Awesome :D! Can totally imagine that story played out in a movie lol
4 years ago
saralagace says:
Oh that is soooooo romantic!! Thanks for sharing, it's such a comforting love story!
4 years ago
CarolinaCottage says:
Lovely story - so romantic and passionate.
4 years ago
MayaBella says:
So sweet! I love it!
4 years ago
MayaBella says:
I just read the through the post put on by Licalee! O my word! What a crazy time you have had. I had no idea! Im so glad things are on the upswing for you!
4 years ago
MissPurl says:
Yeah!
4 years ago
EyePopArt says:
Awww, you guys are adorable. Portland is proud to have you here!
4 years ago
magpiedc says:
that story is so sweet it makes me want to cry!
4 years ago
littleputbooks says:
:D Yay MonaMeat! Viva la you guys :)
4 years ago
sweetmixcreations says:
What a wonderful story!
4 years ago
Majestyinc says:
That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard! Ok.... come on boys... I'm pretty cute... Come and Tiny Meet Me.
4 years ago
Paikesejanku says:
This is fantastic story! I`m so happy for you, even I don`t know you.
4 years ago
KittenCottage says:
That's the sweetest story! Congrats to you both. I love the way things that are meant to be, be.
4 years ago
miriam says:
simply beautiful =)
4 years ago
bogARTstudiogallery says:
i LOVE love stories that are real!!! It's raining out, the blues are my best friend now, then finding your story, so sweet, so miraculous, so inspiring... congrats!
4 years ago
bogARTstudiogallery says:
Forgot to say, perhaps love happens to mee to on etsy :^)
4 years ago
Art2ArtColorado says:
what LittlePut said! and Viva la TinyDelics!
4 years ago
birdie1973 says:
wow! i'm weeping with joy! great love story.
4 years ago
FishInTheC says:
OHhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! That story is soooooooooo adorable! I'm so thrilled for the two of you!!! :o)
4 years ago
georgiamiss says:
Awww.. your story is so sweet. Thanks for sharing ;)
4 years ago
greentrims says:
Wow, I got a little teary-eyed. How sweet!
4 years ago
youmeyou says:
Thanks for the sweet story....xo!!! You two are amazing and made me break out the tissue!!!
4 years ago
moofoo says:
miracle
3 years ago
fifilapin says:
wow, what an amazing story!
3 years ago
LushPunk says:
awww this is the best story ever! I love how his hands and shoes are so much bigger than hers - so cute :D
3 years ago
sweetbe says:
just loved this. and every day when i see my tinymeat passport case -- sketches of photo booth pics done in black sharpie on white -- i love it too. (it's out on display -- as the work of art it is.)
3 years ago
OrionStars says:
awww yay!! I remember those chat days!!! Even in CHAT you were glowing with excitement mama!!!! I'm so happy for you :)
3 years ago
CutNGlue says:
How Sweet!! I never read The Storque. I am glad I stopped by today just for this story.
3 years ago
Julzevi says:
A most wonderful story....the best.
3 years ago
Junkartist says:
that is the best story ever especially considering how few men are on etsy... nice one.
3 years ago
OrionStars says:
There are a lot more men on etsy than you think ;)
3 years ago
santosleather says:
Such a touching and amazing love story ! That is fantastic that you found each other. Finding your soul mate is so hard now a days ! I am one of the lucky ones, I found mine 20 years ago this year (when we were 15 years old). Together, in love and strong, we have 2 wonderful children (5 and 4 years old)! We work together at the leather shop, he is the best ! Its great to hear such romantic stories !
3 years ago