gift wrapped names

With all the holiday activity, I find myself needing to spend my precious, small bit of online time doing some shopping, and recipe and craft huting!   I don't really want my blog to be all about what I'm buying or desiring, but while I'm so busy decorating, shopping and wrapping, I'll have little time to write about much else.  It's all pretty adorable, though, and there are some fantastic names associated!   I plan to share a peek of it all with you each week leading up to the close of the season, and I hope you'll find it entertaining. I've already encountered some pretty neat stories with my gift finds! 

I'm big on creating experiences and traditions based on activities, rather than (or at least in addition to) just getting more stuff; I think the experiences are what make the memories! This said, I certainly remember walking in to see my first cabbage patch doll (her name was Marcella) on Christmas morning. And there were my first pairs of Eastland loafers and Bass oxfords (we called them bucks), which I got on the first year that I stopped getting toys; I felt so very grown up. Anyone else remember how we used to tie the laces of the Eastlands, in those little knots on each side?   

With my own kids, though, I'm committed to buying (mostly) from small, independent makers, or searching for vintage/second-hand items with lots of love left in them.  I love toys that I imagine my kids will pass on to their own children. We definitely have a less-is-more philosophy, aiming for fewer but higher quality toys.  And with higher quality toys, they can be passed from sibling to sibling, too. 

We tried not to describe Nona's toys as "hers" because we knew there would be more children. I unabashedly wrapped up hand-me-downs from Nona for V. June's first birthday. And some of June's newborn clothes will be wrapped up as "doll clothes" for Nona this Christmas morning. But sometimes I just want each of them to have something all their own, things they can each take with them with no doubt as to who loved the treasures most of all.  Nona is obsessed with giraffes right now, because they are "kind of like brachiosauruses but not dead!", and the only bear we have in the house is one to which Nona is very much attached and in total ownership of, so .... 

Raymond the bear (for V. June), and George the giraffe (for Nona) have come home to live with us.  And how pleasing that we don't even need to change their names- I love these names! We will however be coming up with middle names, so I definitely want to hear your suggestions. Nona will likely make up George's, but Raymond's is totally up for grabs! 

 I just couldn't believe my eyes when I found these on Etsy. They're big, hand-made, beautiful, and affordable ($20-$35 range). When they arrived, I was even more impressed. I quickly snapped their photos just now and stashed them away (I write during nap time), and I can say I'm going to miss the little fellows while we wait to open them!  I found them at the Canadian shop The Knit Menagerie, and I almost wish I had taken Oscar the zebra (stripes!), Leon the lion, and Philomena the penguin, too, and stashed them away for birthdays.  Now that would be one well-named animal family, I think, but see for yourself how they look all together in list form!

From today's inspirations:

Raymond

George

Oscar

Leon

Philomena 

What middle names would you put with each of them? Here's my stab:

Raymond Dov 

George Nightingale

Oscar Tobias Wren

Leon Spruce

Philomena Marylove 

(that's a whole lot of love-name for the lone female, but I can't resist it.)

above is is a song my girls love to hear at sleepy time. I'm imagining them snuggling together under a cozy blanket with heavy eyelids, arms clutched tightly around their new friends, and Olöf's sweet voice ringing through our home. Though something tells me Raymond's feet will  be sweeping our floor, as he is dancing with June, with much more frequency than they'll be cozied under a cover. Yep, I can't wait to welcome these little gentlemen into our memories!

(images: mine) 

Etsy names

While cruising Etsy for the holidays, I've been finding some names that catch my eye as much as the designs! We might be seeing a lot of Etsy goodness here on Marginamia for the next few weeks as I busily prepare for the holidays. Without further ado, I present the very well named bunch!

First image: antique, turkish kilim coasters by shop Sukan

Second image: vintage, embroidered chevron wall art hoops by shop, Bylina Studio. This shop is run by Katarina of Barcelona.

Thrid image: gold 'color study' vintage locket, by shop Verabel + Fox. I'm pretty sure the artist is actually named Verabel. You guys know I love a good -bel smoosh that sounds fresh and a bit quirky. I think this one is so, so nice. Add it to Fox and you have a perfect shop name!  

Fourth image: wooden, mountain stacker toy by shop, Imagination kids. The shop is run by Erin, mamma to Eliot and Stella. She makes the most beautiful waldorf toys. We have one of her stackers, and let me tell you, they hold up beautifully. Ours has made it through two of our children's infancies, and it's going to see my grandchildren's, too.  Erin is also writing a book on wooden toy making! 

Fifth image: bear softies by Lithuanian shop Adatine. Adatine is made of friends Leva and Elena . I love the story and meaning behind the shop name: Adatine means 'pincushion', which they describe as,

--"a useful thing and also an inspiring partner for the Muses to come."

Sixth image: the puffin circle scarf in Youthful Sage (double meaning here = clever, and apropos given that a lot of us are going to be eating a ton of the spice over the long weekend) by Yokoo Gibraan. More names you'll find on her hand knit creations: Europa, Calisto, Plum, Barley and Vermont. Moons, edibles and states I love! 

From today's inspirations: 

Katarina (Kitty, Kit or Rina tickle my fancy!)

Erin

Elliot 

Stella

Sukan

Adatine (pincushion)

Leva

Elena

Fox

Verabel (a divine smoosh)

Yokoo

Sage (I like the double meaning of the name. It seems to serve both meanings for the scarf, too.)

Europa

Calisto 

Plum (I obviously love this one.)

Barley (This sounds like a name to me. could be a new nature name for some!)

Vermont (Monty. We've seen various other state names, so why not, if that's your thing?)

Some combos I like from today's pack:

Katarina Calisto (Kit or Coco)

Europa Adatine (Pia)

Verabel Yokoo

Leva Sage

Barley Vermont (this name is dying to be a character in a short story)

For more Thanksgiving inspired names (beyond Sage and Plum), perhaps visit my food names post, and spice names post!  And please link to your posts on Thanksgiving or November names, as well! 

Big plans for the long weekend? 

What are you most thankful for this year, top three? 

My top three, as of right this second (I'm writing at night, just after putting the girls to bed):

--I got to snuggle Nona to sleep tonight. This is rare because I still nurse June to sleep each night in my bed, so Daddy usually reads to Nona and gives her a snuggle in her bed. I've so missed our nighttime snuggles since little sister came along, but I don't want to start Nona in the habit of falling asleep in my bed again when she's doing so great at sleeping in her own room.  Tonight I just wanted her near, though, so me and my girls headed into my big cozy bed while Daddy enjoyed a free night. I got to feel both of them snuggled into my body, one on each side, falling peacefully asleep. Four year olds don't let you stop too long to admire them during the day, so I got to admire my sleeping sweat pea for a nice long time, just like when she was baby, and really reflect on how grateful I am to have her with me.

--I'm so happy for all the blessings of my friends this year: new babies, companies, new homes, awakenings, marriages, clean bills of health after illnesses, and beautiful creative successes. And I'm thankful for the new friends and contacts I've made since starting this blog!

--I'm particularly reflective this year on how lucky I am to have had such wonderful parents. I'm also so, so grateful for the tremendous love and supportive community they knew in their friends, which was created and nurtured from all the love they gave to everyone around them. What a wonderful example I will carry with me and pass onto my children! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

(all photos courtesy of the Etsy shops they link to)

splashes of black

That's artist Juhl Hansen (and her paintings) above. Needless to say, I'm a fan--of her work, her house, and her name. I love how she uses space and color in both her paintings and her home.  I think her's is clearly one of those cases where her home is totally what you'd expect after seeing her paintings.  It all just makes sense together.

Her summer home was featured in the danish magazine Boligliv.  It's a black house! Can I tell you how long I've wanted a black house?  I think I must have seen one in a story book as a child.

My dream home, since you didn't ask? A black house with white trim, the inside done mostly in warm whites with lots of wood and children's art.  I want a house full of kids running around in one large, sprawling space. We've no need for nooks and crannies!  I want to watch the girls swinging indoors, riding their tricycles round and round the sofa while I set two giant tables and two wee ones with mix-matched plates, treasures collected from the forest, and flowers from the garden for a dinner with friends. We'll be watching everyone's latest travel adventures and special family moments on vimeo through some apple device that sends online films and photos through a projector to a wall-- does this device exist yet?-- before heading outside to count stars, sleeping babies tucked snugly into slings, and tuckered-out little ones lying peacefully on warm blankets, the sounds of ukeleles, banjos, and the crackling of a cozy campfire lulling them to sleep.

but back to Juhl's house...

love how she throws in tiny touches of black, while still keeping everything really light, soft and warm--not a super easy feat. It's bold, but it's not overpowering and looks really fresh and modern. My mother always told me that every room needs some black in it. I think I might agree. And the black chair above looks awfully similar to our Svan Highchair, which is a highchair that adjusts through various stages, ending with a standard seat height.  I think I'm painting ours black after seeing this. It will be our lone black chair, because doesn't this look so wonderful?  Thanks, Juhl!

Let's talk about her name!

I read that Juhl is mostly a surname, which after making it's way to the US most often gets pronounced 'jewel'. But it's correct pronunciation is 'Yule'.  Yep, as in yuletide.  I wonder if she was born around the holidays.  Some sources say the name also has similar roots as Julia, meaning 'youth'.   Both meanings are nice associations, and I love it's spelling and pronunciation.

 Additionally, her work has me focusing again on the name Painter.  

And lastly, there's my dream home, which her own sommerhus calls to mind for me with it's bold exterior and carefully placed and celebrated splashes of black throughout. This has me looking to names inspired by black.  My absolute favorite is Sable, but let's also look at some more!

Dark names:
Sable (Sable is so rich and lovely, simple, bold -- virtually every wonderful feature that a name can have.)

Odile (the black swan)

Brenna

Ebony

Jetta

Lela

Ilta (Finnish for 'evening') 

Soiree

Evening 

Jet 
Raven
Midnight
Night
Duff
Imoo

Black 

Additional names from today's inspirations:
Juhl
Julia
Painter


Using only today's names, I love the following pairings:
Julia Odile
Sable Imoo
Ilta Juhl 

As always, my sources may be flawed on a few names, so please do let me know if I've got it wrong! 

I'd love you to link to your posts relating to dark names in the comments. And I've done a very short list because I want to hear more from all of you! 

What are your favorite names inspired by the color (or non color) black?

Do you use a tiny bit of black in every room?

Tell me about your dream home! 

(images: magazine photos, all the rest)

of flames and leaves

   Above are some photos that personify Fall for me. I'm looking out my window now as I write, watching a leaf shower while my children nap. I almost want to wake them to watch the floating leaves with me. almost.  I haven't seen leaves this pretty in a long time. I sure wish people would let the lovely leaves just stay put for longer than half a day (or half a second) before blowing them to smithereens. After years of island living, Fall is one of the things I have been most happy to welcome back; it's my antidote to missing the island we called home for a good chunk of my adult life. It's my favorite season, I think. 

When I look at this campfire print (pictured above) by Danna Ray, I can smell all the smells of fall: the tobacco barns of my youth, the bonfires, the mix of wet fallen leaves and conifer needles, freshly washed flannel, cider with bourbon, and cloves.  This all reminds me that I've been dying to try this scent by Anne at MCMC Fragrances, called Hunter (on it's way! yay!)  Anne has a thoughtful story behind each scent, often related to memories (love that!) and this one seems to call Fall's name, as well as Harrison's (Hunter). Her perfume shop also happens to be one of the most interesting websites ever, you guys. Her story about becoming a perfumer is so inspirational, and I plan to give it some more attention in another post! 

And with this talk of the smells and foods of fall, can't you imagine some tasty chili and pumpkin stew in the pots above from the shop, blue flower vintage?  I'd slip on these vegan moccasins (I discovered them here), wrap up in this blanket and drink apple cider straight from these jugs (all pictured above). 

Have you guys been reading the Wiksten blog?  Jenny has been posting previews of her latest collection of beautiful dresses over the last few weeks. Her new and improved shop opened Monday evening, and the beautiful, black Lissa dress, pictured above, is was amongst the garments for sale (sold out fast!)  Jenny is carrying special pieces from various makers in her shop, and everything is up and going.  It seems the Wiksten tree is giving us a shower of Autumn lovelies, too!

 (photo by John Allen)

And speaking of more Autumn lovelies, I'd like to make an Autumn name list.   I dedicate today's list to my favorite Fall imagery, scents, tastes and sounds. Here's to Fall as it passes by so gracefully. I'm going to start with those names that require explanation because they have no obvious connection to Fall--they just feel (or look, taste/smell) like Fall. And I can't wait to hear your randoms, too! So from least to most obvious (and please forgive the random extra spacing between some of these; blogger is really acting up!): 

Tobias -- I'm starting with the one that requires a bit of explanation.  I grew up in TN and every fall my town smelled like tobacco barns, which do not smell like cigarette smoke. My brain likely just links the similar sounds and spellings. Simple as that. But when I read or hear this name, I smell the barns and taste spicy, tangy bean chili (tobassco sauce?)....and I love it.  Here's a very interesting post on namberry about how synesthesia affects the name-lover. I find it so, so fascinating that so many name lovers who commented also report having synesthesia! Any neurologist readers who care to take up this connection?


Barnaby ('Barn'... need I explain?)


Clove --My first fall at college smelled like clove cigarettes, because everyone was smoking them. Man, for someone who hates smoke, I sure have some pleasant-ish associations with tobacco products!


Virginia -- no idea why this feels Fall to me. It also feels very Summer, but then, like names, I also think a lot of songs are toss ups between feeling like Fall or Summer songs, usually folk songs.


Nydia


Ernest --literary images of pipes and tweed?


Crispin 


Scott 


Aubrey --I hope to see this one back on more boys again. I think it could actually be the Bread song that makes it feel like a Fall name to me. I have an old album of my mom's, and on the cover the boys are all in corduroy, standing in Fall leaves..of course! And before you tease me for my love of Bread, and yes, I absolutely love them, some really super artists did a tribute album some years ago, which I highly recommend, especially for Fall (or Summer).


Carole --even though it should totally link to the holidays... feels Fall.


Saskia --feels so spicy, also a bit winterish to me.


Sibyl


Naomi 


Talulah


Henri --A lot of H names have a Fall feel for me.


Henrietta


Hava


Hazel --Beyond being an H name, she reminds me of hay and barns, and she feels spicy, even with her tree roots.


Hazlitt


Haze


Harvey


Harvest

Garner

Potter (for some reason I associate many crafts with Fall and Winter, perhaps the vision of my grandmother quilting on a crisp fall day, or of a weaver on the porch in a thick, hand knit sweater is responsible for the association. Do yo guys sew, knit, pot, or create more in the cooler months when you're indoors a bit more?)

Weaver


Loom

Spindle


Thimble

Satchel

Wicker (see Bewitching Name's post on this one!)

Pendleton (blankets)

Tartan 

Opal

Moon


Moonstone


Luna


Ayla


Goldmoon

Golden 


Goldfinch


Demeter (goddess of the harvest)


Aluma
Afra (connections to deer and earth)

Artemis (deer, earth, moon)

Woodlark (perhaps the only time you could use the word 'wood' in a name. this one works)

Plume

Kindling 

Flame


Ember

Cider

Saffron

Fennel

Brown

Siena 

Auburn

Roux 

Rust

Rustylark 

Tawny

Crimson

Garnet

Topaz

Chrysanthemum

Cedar

Maple


Oak


Matsuyani (Japanese for 'sap'. found here...so neat.)

Orchard

Leaf

Rustle

November

September

Autumn

and from today's inspirations:
Jenny
Anne
Ray
Danna
Harrison
Hunter
Blue

What are your favorite fall associations? Any names those bring to mind for you? I must say, I'm a bit more interested in the seemingly random or personal associations for you all.  Do some names (like some songs, perhaps) just seem to feel more Fall like for no obvious reason?  

When my girls wake up from their naps, we're putting on our boots and going out for a walk, so they can wave back at all the twinkling leaves. I hope you all  (for those of you having Fall this time of year) get to get out in them today, too. Yep, absolutely my favorite time of year here!  

(images: by John Allen via Wikstenmade, via Manimal, via Danna Ray, via Blue Flower Vintage. all images linked to above)

such jewels

Odette New York (top photo) has recently released her new collection of jewelry, Athene Divinus.  She also has a collection called Minerva Divinius.  I could live in her jewelry, and I love the names she chooses. Her blog is pretty fantastic, too.

Eerie basin (second photo) carries fantastic vintage pieces. Some are rather elaborate deco pieces, and some are quite minimal. I have tended over the years to go back and forth between the two styles, so several of my sweet spots are tickled here. The ruby and turquoise rings above can be found on their blog.  And what a beautiful name this shop carries! Eerie may not be suitable for a human, of course, but  I would love to catch the story behind it's selection!

Speaking of deco pieces, the ruby and diamond ring (third photo) above is lovely, right? It may be found in shop, Luxe Deluxe. And the handmade, eco-friendly diamond rings (fourth photo) by shop Tula Jewelry have certainly gotten my attention, as has the name of the shop, of course.

Here are some more metals, beads, stones; and painted, potted and woven pieces catching my eye:

Image one is a necklace by Juliet Groman of shop Digoyo, and she sculpts and glazes each bead herself.  The bracelet in image two may be found in shop Orange is the Sun (love).  Image three is by Erin Lightfoot of the shop, Light Footprints (clever). The necklace in image four is by Chelsea Lawler and is called "three little birds".  The fifth is a necklace by Spanish artist, Victoria, and may be found in her lovely shop, alongside many other beautifully painted pieces. The raw amethyst ring in the sixth can be found here. The beautiful woven necklaces in the second to last photo are by the lovely Kate Miss of For Me, For You, and will be in her shop very soon! The last photo is a beautiful necklace by Marisa Howard, an artist who was recently featured in the ever wonderful Etsy blog. 

Pretty stuff, huh? It's no surprise that there are such beautiful names to be found by looking to stones and metals.  I know I've not listed them all, either. Please chime in with your favorites, too!

names inspired by jewelry:

Jewel 

Stone

Geode 
Gem
Gemstone (you guys know how I feel about the smoosh lately!)

Bijou

Almodine

Ophira

Alumina

Gemma

Ula

Opal (our second could have ended up being an Opal. I was convinced she would be for about a month)

Diamond 

Yahaloma (diamond)

Ruby

Garnet

Saphire / Saphira 
Serpentine

Emerald

Amethyst 

Cameo
Goldstone

Agate

Topaz

Tourmaline

Peridot 

Iolite 

Turquoise 

Jasper

Beryl

Citrine

Carnelian 

Coral

Lapis

Rumi (Japanese for Lapis)

Onyx 

Moonstone (another smoosh that could work with a very vintage/classic, buttoned-up first name, I think)

Sanidine

Pearl

Perle

Perla

Peninah

Margaret 

Rita

Flordeperia 

Shinju (japanese)

Helmi (finnish)

Silver

Argene / Argenta (silver)

Bronze

Copper

Rust

Rosegold (a smoosh I can't resist)

Gold, Golden

Aurelia / Oralia

Orinda

Ora / Orla

Pazia

Tawny

Gilda

Alloy

Osmium

Ore

Gallium

Deco

Smith

Porcelain 

Additionally from today's inspirations (and just as divine as the precious stones):

Odette 

Athene

Minerva
Divinius

Luxe

Tula

Juliet

Victoria

Chelsea

Erin

Lightfoot

Marisa

Howard

Sun

Bird

And I just can't resist today-- there are so many beautiful shop and artist names, that I'd love to do some name combos with the stones and metals:

Odette Aurelia 

Rumi Minerva

Helmi Athene

Howard Carnelian 

Tula Rosegold

Juliet Porcelain 

Gallium Lightfoot
Opal Luxe

Sun Margaret 

Please play along! You can certainly look beyond the list here; how would you pair the names? What's you favorite stone or metal? Any jewelry you've been eyeing online?  And please feel fee to link to your post in the comments if you've written on jewelry inspired names! 

Happy Monday!

bird name for baby

Who could forget the iconic Swan dress that Bjork (mom to Sindri and Isadora) wore? I also love this quote of her's on being with children. Swan, Bjork, Sindri and Isadora is a pretty awesome set of names, too! Back to the dresss-- it sure ruffled a lot of feathers, but it's no wonder we want to emulate birds, they're beautiful! And who hasn't dreamed of flying?

For more mixing of the avian and the human, check out these prints by Australian, Catherine Campbell of the shop My Folk Lover. (below)

I love this feather print by Danna Ray of Grounwork:

And I'm absolutely crazy about Leah Duncan's creations.  I have her pillows and tea towels on my wish list for the holidays.  I would be sad to see her 2011 calendar leave my wall if 2012 versions weren't already available here and here. Plus, the prints at the top of each calendar page can easily become 4 x 6 prints for framing, so you don't have to part with them at the end of the year. Leah also makes these terrific bird prints!

I love Canadian, Kate's, blog.  She recently had a baby girl, Alice Mae (such a pretty name!) Alice's nursery might just be one of my favorites ever.  Kate also makes beautiful, soft animals. Her Etsy shop, Tiny Warbler (love this bird name name, too!) is such a jewel.  Here are a couple of her soft birds:

Speaking of fantastic bird softies, Tel Avivian, Timor Cohen, makes the loveliest, eco-friendly birds and fills shop TIMO Handmade with so many other  lovelies, as well.  Recycled materials can yield such pretty things. I'm also so, so fond of the mice in the shop!

I'm loving these hand-painted, porcelain feather plates and small cups that Tuscon ceramic artist, Vanessa Villarreal has in her shop right now. 

And these mugs by Ricki Oltean can add such a pretty splash of bold color to your kitchen shelf. This design also comes on a portable, glass coffee cup with lid! There was never a better time or reason to replace that plastic one! 

Your little one might want to enjoy some pretend coffee or some real fruit tea with you.  Melissa Brown of Etsy shop, Cedar Pocket (how fantastic is this shop name?) had this in mind when she made this wheel-thrown mug for a two year old.  Gotta love pretty, mini cups for mini hands. Nona would drink this up. 

 How great are these  hand thrown mugs and egg cups (egg cups!) by Manchester shop, Fishink, made with Norwegian artist Tone Von Krogh?

And I'm loving this awesome wooden mobile by 

German shop snug studio (not to mention their bear, cloud and bus shaped wooden cutting boards!)

And finally, some jewelry!  Here's a vintage brass bird cuff by A Common Thread- shop:

 feather necklace by shop Dear June (love the name! and the scarves there, too.):

And that wraps up my collection of bird inspired art for Marginamia's official bird week! I hope our readers outside the U.S. enjoyed seeing artists from your necks of the woods. Etsy is a quite a place, yes? You have to love an international community of makers! 

Now lets talk names!

Wednesday I did a guest post over at Nameberry (so much fun!) There is one particular category from my post on bird names that I really want to talk about some more.   I mentioned Meadowlark there among several others that all share a particular element. Meadowlark, like Maryanne, is a smoosh. Maybelle, Annabelle, Marilou, Rosevine (which I suggested recently in a  consultation)-- all smooshes. 

Sometimes smooshing involves pushing two words together to form a completely new word (Greystone and Rosedew, for example), so the practice might not appeal to some for that reason alone. Other smooshes come to us pre-smooshed, like Lovebird and Goldfinch, so they couldn't be considered by anyone to be misspellings. And yes, I think they still qualify as examples of a smoosh if they come prepackaged as such. What do you guys think? 

 I definitely count myself a fan of a good smoosh.  And bird names are a smoosh lover's dream. I won't re-list all of the ones I talked about on nameberry, but here are some extra examples (some pre-packaged smooshes and some smooshed together by me): 

Goldfinch

Snowfinch

Mountainfinch

Rosefinch

Greenfinch

Songlark 

Sandlark

Sunlark

Skylark

Woodlark

Rustylark

Shorebird 

Seabird 

Blackbird

Lovebird

Songbird

Bellbird

Hummingbird 

Baywren

Nightjar

Feildfare 

Monday I interviewed bird house artist Jenn Wong, of Wongers, and I love her idea of taking names from a genus of birds (or the class, itself-- Aves) as well as individual species.  And while I don't really keep up with celebrities too much, my favorite celebrity baby name of the year was definitely Agnes Lark Bettany. Agnes Lark is perfection. It checks every box for me, really. So combining my love of the lark and Jenn's idea, here are some genus names of larks and finches that I think sound lovely:

Lullula

Aleamon

Alauda

Eremalauda 

Calandrella

Galerida

Loxia (finch)

And more names of bird species:

Brambling

Barbet

Crane

Downy

Dipper

Eagle

Falcon

Hawk

Inca

Kinglet

Kokako

Minla

Munia

Myna

Ouzel

Petrel

Plover

Pipit

Sibia

Swiftlet

Tern

Teal

Tawny (Owl)

Vanga

Yuhina

Still longing for more bird names? I mean, who could have enough of them, really? I haven't been the only one talking about bird names, lately:

Brittish Baby Names gives a lovely and in depth look at crows, doves, eagles, falcons, larks, sparrows, swallows, seagulls and all the names they inspire here. Usoa, Akos, and Ezio, for example, are such pleasant finds!

Bewitching Names gives us a detailed look at a word name relating to birds. 

And again, here's Nameberry's original 2008 post on the topic, the 2011 post, and their list of birdies. 

What do you think, readers? Would you use any of these? What would you put with them? Any more bird name posts out there that I'm missing? I'd love to add them! Any favorite birdies flying from the hands of makers? 

This was absolutely one of my funnest blogging weeks ever!

An extra thank you to Jenn Wong of Wongoers. I've been excitedly holding her wonderful interview for weeks so I could group it with the other birdie posts for one happy flock. It wouldn't have been bird week without it!  Thanks, Jenn!

Thank you to Linda and Pam at Nameberry and, of course, all the lovely berries for having me over this week! 

And thanks to all of you readers for sharing in the fun and tolerating my many bird puns! I'm such a geek with this topic, I tell ya.  I'll see you all next week.

 Happy Friday!

And Happy 11/11/11! 

(bjork image)