Imogen again and a few Genevieve combos

I started thinking about how perfect Imogen is. Sound-wise, she’s crisp, clean looking and simply elegant. Sound wise, she’s sharp and pretty. Her color is simply golden and she looks fabulous with the forest green surname, like an Xmas decoration! And on top of that,  she’s Shakespearean, what’s not to love?

I have a few combos for her that really appeal:

Imogen Violet Jane
Imogen Sylvie Jane
Imogen Clio Violet
Imogen Lily Elinor
Imogen Ruby Valentine
and the real oddball: Imogen Ruby Malu

Now, for Genevieve combos. This is how I spent my time last night. Watching Monty Python;  have the whole series (all 46 episodes) and last night was the “Spam” , the Royal Episode #13. “Whicker’s World” (Njorl’s Saga), and “Mr. & Mrs. Brian Norris’ Ford Popular”. So my brain was free to wander while I laughed my fool head off. Yeah, we average about 4 episodes a night  (And I found my head at to foot of the big screen).  😛

Anyway, Genevieve combos:

Genevieve Iris Elinor
Genevieve India Pearl
Genevieve Viola Frances
Genevieve Lucy Elinor
Genevieve Ottilie Jane
Genevieve Sylvie Plum
Genevieve Esme Lily
Genevieve Lily Katharine
Genevieve Mina Violet
Genevieve Carys Primrose

 

 Anyone wanna help me narrow it down?  We each have a favorite or two among these, but I’m staying mum on that for now!  Any thoughts welcome and as always, thanks for stopping by!  😀

Edith, Again!

I’ve been loving Edith/Edie for a good while now and have come up with a good dozen or so combos over that time that appeal to me in one fashion or another. Edith feels starchy and sweet to me, even artsy. The word that comes to mind first when I think Edith? bohemian. Yeah. And I love that. Edith could easily rank #2 if I find the combo that sings to me. All of these do, some in one style or the other but they all sing. Help me decide which one sings best? I’d really appreciate it! Here are the lot of them:

Edith Alice Bertille – the standard bearer. Elegant, luscious and sweet. She’s Barbershop.

Edith Esme Violetta – She’s Opera, without a doubt, Lush and heady.

Edith Rosalie Pearl – She’s a ditty. Sweet and happy.

Edith Malu Violet – She’s a Jungle rhythm. Heavy and full, very, very light on her feet. This one dances too.

Edith Ruby Elinor – She’s a Waltz. Feels very 18th century, to me.

Edith Viola Petronel – She’s musica mundana; universally harmonious. I love the creative vibe I get from her.

Edith Isobel Loveday –  Is Bluesy.  Just feels so blue and gorgeous.

Edith Ruby Pomeline –  Is a whole Orchestra! She’s full & rich. Just beautiful.

Edith Mary Bluebell – is a country tune. Sweet, a little sad but has a rollicking rhythm.

Edith Zenobia Violet –  She’s a Tango.  A little spicy and  sultry. 😉

Edith Romilly Lenore –  She’s a classical piece. She feels very faerie tale-ish to me. Light-hearted but has a dark streak. So lush!

 

 Alright, there’s the different music types I get from each combo,  am I crazy or do you feel it too? At least a little bit?  Maybe?  Any up there that leap out at you as absolutely perfect? I’d love to know! 

 

 as always, Thanks!

Clementine Redux

Working on the thought I barely recalled: Clementine, nn Cleo. Since I adore Cleo and thoroughly like Clementine I figured I should try out some different combos for her, see if anything really jumps out out me. Wanna see? 😀

 

Here goes:

Clementine Portia Clotilde – love the lush feel of this one
Clementine Lucy Isobel – feels a bit expected.
Clementine India Maud – ooh, interesting, I love India and well, Maud’s in contention for first place…
Clementine Alice Elinor – very pretty.
Clementine Eos Faye – No one’s going to ‘get” Eos, but she’s so pretty!
Clementine Mina Alice – love Mina and Alice together.
Clementine India Jane – a bit crisper than India Maud.
Clementine Ottilie Echo – Alright, so Echo’s whimsy. It gets two of my favorite names in there with the whimsy.
Clementine Ivy Agatha – Or maybe Agatha Ivy, either way, Agatha grounds both very nicely.
Clementine Sylvie Violet – Loving Sylvie recently and Violet’s gorgeous and honors.
Clementine Jemima Adele – Love, love, love Jemima andAdele feels light & sweet here.
Clementine Esme Viola -terminally elegant!
Clementine Violet Rosalind – maybe too nature-y all around?
Clementine Agatha Violet – utterly charming, Agatha Violet.
Clementine Edwina Violet – I love Edwina, she’s charmingly quaint. Violet honor, again.
Clementine Lily Adele – Lily honors Grandma, Adele is just sweet. (now if I could just get him to stop saying Adele like they do in “Natural Born Killers…)
Clementine Lilias Pearl – Lilias honors Grandma a bit more circularly, Pearl just charms me.
Clementine Viola Odette – still hooked on those Opera names!
Clementine Maud Elinor – My beloved Maud with Honoring Elinor.
Clementine Alice Grey – Still feeling a bit Steampunkish, this suits the mood. And feels sort of buttoned up and respectable at the same time.  

 

So there you go, along with all my thoughts at the moment. What do you think?  Let me know!

 

As always, Thanks!

Beatrix, Again

I can’t seem to let go of Beatrix, but I am rethinking her combo. Beatrix Poppy Elinor charms me with her upbeat sound and her bright colors but it feels almost too “British” if that makes any sense. But Beatrix, I can’t shake her off. I keep thinking “I hear her a lot online” And that scares me off a bit. I don’t want her to have a dated name, and I’m a touch afraid that Beatrix might. But I like her so! So I’m rethinking middles for her.

Which means,  I’m running a poll at BtN, as usual, and as usual, here are those poll choices;  in case you don’t want to bother clicking.

 Beatrix Elinor Plum – Elinor honors the cousin,  Plum has a luscious sound I just want to be able to say daily!

Beatrix Esme Ruby – Esme for Esmeralda who sounds ridiculous with my surname, Ruby’s for me, my birthstone!

Beatrix Esme Valentine – Mentioned Esme above, Valentine’s for my Pop.

Beatrix Alice Rupinder– Alice should have been my name, to honor thwarted Mom, Rupinder is just a love. I love her feel, her sound and her look. Can’t ask for more!

Beatrix Malu Primrose– I love the sound of Malu (meaning’s pretty awesome too) Primrose is a cousin.

Beatrix Romilly Violet– Finally, Romilly where I would feel more comfortable, Violet for my favorite Auntie on Mom’s side.

 Beatrix Lily Alice – Lily for Grandma Lily, Alice for my Mom again.

Beatrix Oona Pearl– Oona’s a love, I like her swoop, her feel: sleek and Pearl because I like the way it looks and sounds follwing Oona.

and can’t forget to add the standard bearer: Beatrix Poppy Elinor  – Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, the color alone makes me smile. My Uncle Jim thinks Poppy’s for him, they’re apparently his favorite flowers too. And Elinor’s that cousin again.

 

So, should I even bother? Is Beatrix going to be the next to jump upwards? (this is the same problem I have with Clementine, she’s gone from being #1 two years ago, to being #10, and that’s after being #17 for a good while) Anyway, should I worry, or is Beatrix worth it? And which combo do you like best? I’d love to know. Anyone happening along, feel free to add your 2¢!  New voices are always welcome!

 

 Update: Down to three combos:
Beatrix Scarlet Jane
Beatrix Elinor Plum
Beatrix Jemima Alice

Have a favorite here? Let me know, if you’re reading!

Winifred :D

Winifred’s been on my mind for a few days. It’s my newest Auntie’s name (well, she’s been married to Skip for 5 years now, so new is a relative term…) and I like her very much, even though I only email with her and talk on the phone about once a week (someone needs to keep tabs on flaky Skip). I really like the sound of Winifred and find the possibility of Winnie to be most enticing. 😀   I could even pop in a Freda occasionally, I would think. 🙂   So, I’ve definitely been tossing around combos and have settled with this bunch as being most pleasing but cannot narrow it any further.  I’ll be posting them in a poll later on but for now, they’re just here. And here they are:

 

Winifred Elinor Plum
Winifred Romilly Violet
Winifred Ruby Katharine
Winifred Lily Alice
Winifred Esme Ruby
Winifred Carys Irena
Winifred Esme Ghislaine
Winifred Esme Loveday
Winifred June Kathleen/Winifred Kathleen June (I like this both ways!)
Winifred Poppy Esmée

 

What do you think of Winifred? Like her, hate her, love her? Think it’s insane to be thinking of Winifred these days? Maybe she’s ready for a comeback?  And, if you’d be so kind, which of the above combos do you like best and why. I’d appreciate it very much!  Thanks!

Edith, revisited

I’ve spent the last two days thinking about Edith. I’m completely charmed by her right now. I’ve also been rethinking our standing combo: Edith Alice Bertille. I mean, I really like the light, airy feel of Edith Alice and the solid thump of Bertille at the end. But maybe Edith needs light all the way around? I can’t decide.  Must be too much eggnog!  😉

So I’ve come up with a few more possible combos:

Edith Violet Belrose – Belrose is yet another family surname, fits the “theme” I’ve got going. But not sure about flow.

Edith Malu Violet – I just like the sound of Malu and Violet honors. I like that Malu also feels really airy and lightens up the whole combo very nicely.

Edith Lily Angelina – Lily honors and Josie suggested Angelina, so I figured, why not? (She’s so into the mouse ballerina!)

Edith Ruby Elinor – Ruby’s for me! and Elinor honors.

 

How do these stack up against Edith Alice Bertille? Which do you like best (and why, if I may inquire)?   Or should I just give up on Edith as a possible sister to Josephine?  C’mon, talk to me! 😀 

 

 Updated to add Poll link. Right now, EABM,  EMV & ELA are tied, ERE is leading EVB by 1, as of right now. 

 

As always, Thanks!

The Middles

I thought I’d talk a bit about those names that you always see in my middle spots and why they’re there. It seems as if the same ones show up again & again and that can be tedious to  see over & over again.  At least, that was the thinking at the beginning of this post, I have no idea where this is going yet.   Now, onto those names!

 

The guys:
Edward/Edgar – I have two Uncles named Ed-, One married into the family (Edgar), one was born into the family (Edward).  I liked Edgar better than Edward, as far as Uncles go but like both names pretty much equally.

William/Willem – William is the family name, I have had several cousins with this name. Willem is my “MIL’s” Pop’s name, I found out recently.  Never thought to ask her parents names before this past summer. Duh. 😀

Arthur – One of my favorite Great Uncles on Pop’s side.  The sweetest guy on earth (next to my other half, that is).

Barnaby – He’s in the middle because we both like him very much. We allow ourselves one name that doesn’t honor. I’ve got him in a combo up front too. Which seems apt since we both do like him enough to do so.

Balthazar – Great Grandpa on Mom’s side. Father of my Babci and her 12 brothers (and one sister who died at 2). Mighty awesome dude with some really great stories. I like it enough to use up front but he’s wary of Getty. So in the middle he goes.

Henry – His Grandpop. I like Henry but not enough to use him up front. So in the middle he goes, again.

John/James – One of the other half’s middle names. James is the other.   He’s not fond of his name but like James & John. That’s why they’re on this list.

Valentin – My personal favorite of The maternal Great Uncles. Balthazar’s boys.   And he backhandedly seems to honor my Pop too, Valentine’s Day was his birthday and I’ve been  thinking  it’s a grand way to honor my Pop who hated his given name.

 

The gals:

Lucy – This is what my Mom wanted to name me, or Alice. She called me Lucy about 80% of the time anyway. I like the way I feel when I say Lucy. As Lucy though, I think she’s too short to stand well next to big sister Josephine.

Lily/Lilias – Lilian was Grandma. She went by Lily to one & all and called me Lily too. Lilias is just the Scots version that goes better with my surname.  I dislike the intense popularity of lil- so they go in the middle, where I can enjoy them but not share them often.

Alice –  She goes into the same category as Lucy. Even though she didn’t call me Alice very often, it still feels familiar and most definitely reminds me of Mom.

Elinor – I like her but not enough to actually use it in front. She honors a cousin of his that even I knew as a kid.  She died very young and I still miss her.  It’d be morbid up front too, for me.

Frances – Was Mom’s name.  She forbade me usage on a girl but She’s been gone so long (she died the same year the boys were born, but earlier in the year), I don’t think she’d begrudge me honoring in the middle, I hope.

Ruby – is a roundabout way of honoring me! It’s my birthstone. I love rubies too, more rare than diamonds, more precious too. Again, she’s unbalanced next to Josephine but works beautifully in the middle.

Esme/Esmée – Is the Barnaby of the girls list. We just like her. I prefer the streamlined Esme, he prefers the more obviously feminine Esmée. So I try out both variations to see where they’d fit best.

Violet – My lovely  Aunt. Well, sort of. I always called her Aunt Violet, she always answered to it. And always wondered why the older cousins & mom called her Val. But long after her death I find out her name was actually Valeria or Valeriana. The latter is on her BC the former on her SS card. And Violet is on her death Certificate!  I always remember her as Violet though, so Violet is what goes in the middle.

Kathleen – My younger sister. She’s a darling and I love her to pieces. She’s childless by choice and 39 so I doubt she’ll have any herself in the near future. I thin it’s one of the freshest forms of Kate around right now and love it because it’s her name.
 
Pandora – only shows up in the middle because it’s my “MIL’s” name. (I put mil in quotes because we’re not married and she’s not technically my mil, but  we’ve been together so long it’s like she’s unofficially so). A lovely, unassuming woman. She stepped right in when my Mom died and took over for her. Made  me feel safe again. Even though its usually “dead to be honored” around here, she means so much to me, I’d love to see her face  when she realises it’s for her. We’re not telling her beforehand.  I love it and would use it up front but the myth rather bugs me. So in the middle she goes. Where she’s safely honoring.

 

 And those are mine.  Any you like? Dislike?   What names do you find only “fit” for middle use? 

Ottoline again

I’m still loving Ottoline. I know she doesn’t appeal to the masses but I don’t care. I love it. And if I love it, she will.

My long standing combo of choice is Ottoline Alice Marigold. I love it but I’m waffling a bit on the whimsy. Ottoline’s different; is adding Alice Marigold going to make her miserable at 16? Marigold means something enough that she charms me and maybe that, being known to her will help her to like it too.

 On those maybes, I thought maybe I should rethink Ottoline combos. So I went to my notebooks & lists and re-found:
Ottoline Lucy Maud. I like proper Maud next to dancy Lucy and I like them both next to frilly Ottoline. (yes, I know they’re linked, literally). They’re beautiful together, why not use them again, especially if they mean more than the literary connection to me?

I’ve also come up with two polls worth: Ottoline 1  & Ottoline 2 .  (if you feel like voting)

 

I like these best from both polls:

Ottoline Ruby Adele
Ottoline Ruby Elinor
Ottoline Lucy Maud
Ottoline Elinor Rose
Ottoline Carys Elinor
Ottoline Alice Marigold
Ottoline Ivy Frances

As you can see OLM & OAM are still in there. But I was tossing around those little names that float around my family (Elinor, Frances, Maud) or just mean something to me (Ruby, Alice, Ivy, Rose, Marigold) and the few that just appeal  (Adele, Carys).

 

Like I said, I know Ottoline is not something that very many people like at all. But try to be open minded. 😀  Which of these do you like best? Or should I just stick with Ottoline Alice Marigold?

 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Clementine

I’ve liked Clementine for a long while, three or four years, at least.  And I’ve tried a whole host of combos to try to compliment her.  Clementine Lily Elinor is the standing combo. I like that her initials would mimic her first name: CLEM.  But it took a long time to get to her (and I’m still not entirely taken with the combo, someone sell it to me!)

Here’s some of the predecessors:

Clementine Lila Elspeth
Clementine India Alice
Clementine Lily Ariadne
Clementine Frances Isobel
Clementine Alice Isobel
Clementine Isobel Maud
Clementine Maud Leonora
Clementine Rosalind Maud
Clementine Lilith Zsofia
Clementine Lucy Aurelia
Clementine Lily Agnes
Clementine Lucy Elspeth
Clementine Rosalind Verity
Clementine Alice Maude
Clementine Juno Axelle
Clementine Beatrix Lily
Clementine Louisa Maud
Clementine Juno Viola
Clementine Violet Maud
Clementine Lucy Kathleen
Clementine Lily Matilde
Clementine Lucy Maud
Clementine Lucy Annabel
Clementine Ariadne Grace

 

And those are just the winners from the polls!  I’ve probably run through a thousand combos trying to pair Clementine up. She’s tough to pair. Nature names sometimes look silly next to her, and other things are too ornate, she’s pretty frilly herself.  I think Clementine Lily Elinor is sleek, rather polished and works well as a set. Lily isn’t too ridiculous next to fruity Clementine and honors Grandma Lily/Lilian too  (Clementine Lilian’s too L heavy for me).   I’m afraid Clementine’s going to get hot soon, so I’ve  kind of pushed her down my lists a good bit. What do you all think of Clementine?  Do you think she’s going to jump up the charts a fair bit or no? Should I move her back up into a working position or keep her down? And if I move her back up, who should I take off the list? Give me your thoughts, any & all are welcome! 

 

 As Usual, Thanks a million!

My Ee – girls

I’ve been trying to figure out how to narrow my girls list and thought, well, I have three girls on my lists that begin with E. I think they’re all awesome but figure I really need to narrow it to one. It’s a start anyway.  Here they are:

Edith – My charmingly strong and regal one. I’ve mentioned my love for medieval names before and here’s one example. I love her history. Her sound is simple and crisp and like all E names, she’s yellow to me.
I have two combos for her I utterly adore and cannot decide between:

Edith Alice Bertille
Edith Lucy Valentina

Euphemia – She looks heavy, yes, but say her: u-FEE-me-ah; so light and fluffy, like an angel cake, her yellow is deeper, definitely very cakelike. I like that her strength is in her look but not her sound,very, very much.  I only have one combo for her that charms me completely:

Euphemia Elinor Glory

Eulalie – Another light as air baby, u-LAL-ee. She doesn’t look as heavy as the other two Ee girls but she’s got the same ending as my surname and I waffle on whether she’s usable at all. I really love her sound though. And her yellow is the most delicate next to Elinor’s. (the sunbaby on the left is Eulalie’s shade).

 

This picture just makes me think of her:

And her lovely combo is: Eulalie Frances Madelief.

Would you help me decide? 

Thanks!

 

Lucretia Redux

Much to my surprise, Lucretia has been up for discussion all of today. Lucretia as been one of my loves for a number of years thanks to her luscious color and soft, silky texture. Lucretia Ruby Elinor has been our top combo for at least the past four months, which is rather long for me. (only Ottoline’s combo has stood longer than any before bestowing upon a child)

So we flipped through the lists to see what appealed this time. Here’s what did:

Lucretia Elinor Maud
Lucretia Elinor Valentine
Lucretia Elinor Minu (I’m so in love with Minu, she’s Persian and means ‘heaven’ awesome!)
Lucretia Ruby Iris
and Lucretia Alice Calliope has crept back on.

Of course, I can’t shake Lucretia Ruby Elinor either!

I ran a poll earlier today, and I know what won over there. I also know which one we prefer. What I’d love to know is ‘What do YOU think of them” and “which one do you like best”?   Would you mind telling me?  Thanks!