over inflated ego?

so, i'm going to explain to you my mental process about a minor issue that has been gnawing at me in the back of my brain, [which could be scary, or obnoxious, or embarrassing] because i want your opinion. feel free to stop reading now...

if you're still here and have been a fellow reader, do you remember this card? if you've not been a FAB 5* or FAB 5 ink** follower since 2008-this was, what i thought, an original idea. i, like everyone else, am inspired by others' work often and take ideas from the internet etc. and either imitate the idea straight up or try to add my own touch in some way. i do not claim complete ingenuity for most of my ideas. and for this card creation, i had seen many a valentine similar to this one which led to my own idea of photo shopping a picture of my son to look like he is holding the inserted tootsie pop. 

so follow me here, recently i went to a friend's website and saw the same idea featured for her readers. please note, this did\does not bother me. she said right up front she was inspired from someone else and was in no way trying to take credit for it. but what it did do was get me googling. i was curious, has this been around and i just never saw it? 

what i found was that this idea has exploded over the internet in the past two years or so. [i have been out of the blogging loop for the past year. babies do that.] it's like a february blog virus. BUT google did not bring up any blogs or websites that had done this before 2010. and, ahem, i posted it here on this modest little blog in 2008. [insert smug self-satisfaction here.]

let me also add for your consideration, my blogs do not get much traffic. my little corner of cyberspace consists mostly of myself and close family and friends. BUT my blogs have always been public and according to my site meter i do get random visitors on a daily basis. i also passed this valentine out to my son's preschool class and my sister to her kids' classes the following year. all it takes is one well-trafficked blog to spread the photo lollipop valentine disease, no?

so tell me. did I start a valentine revolution, or what? no really, tell me: "Faith, it's totally a possibility. you are the next Martha Stewart!" [you know, if she wasn't the epitome of making others' ideas her own] or "Faith, your bravado is embarrassing." you can even comment under "anonymous" if you're afraid of hurting my fragile ego. go ahead. be honest.

if i was to believe that i was this valentine pioneer, i wouldn't be saying that i think everybody should now place ©FAB5ink in the corner of their valentines, or that i want to hear cha-ching! every time it gets used, or that they should start printing my face on mugs and t-shirts. BUT at the very least, it was a good idea whether i was the only original creator or not.  right? just looking for a little credit right here, right now. that's all.

if the general consensus is that this is an unlikely case and that i should be embarrassed, then i will delete my shameful post and go about my business with my tail between my legs.

*formerly Me and the Boys

**formerly FABled INKlings

you're so vain-carly simon