herbs and spice make everything nice

Clever Nettle is an Etsy shop run by Anja Louise Verdugo, of Portland Oregon. She sells vintage and hand made clothing.

this is a 1980's Yukiko Hanai skirt. that fabric! that name! it has pockets, y'all.  pockets!

Vintage 90's "Spring Garden Violet" skirt. and...

1950's Golden Rose Emerald Leaf skirt

 These are but one example of the nearly pristine vintage shoes she carries.

Anja Louise also keeps a lovely blog with fantastic photos! I learned here that she also designs and sews clothing, and makes patterns.

There are some really pretty names linked with this shop, from the shop name, to the shop owner's name, to the descriptions of the clothes and their designers.                                                       

Have you seen Rue magazine?  One thing in their "About" really resonated with me:

"great taste comes in many forms: the fringe of a carpet, the pull of a drawer, the lines of a sofa, the curve of a smile."

The flow of a name? What say you, Rue?  Something tells me with a name selection like Rue, you would say, "absolutely."   Taste in words (names) and tastes in the world of design often echo each other, don't they?

Further, the executive editor is Anne Sage, a spice name!

 (image1 image2 image3)

Also Check out Etsy shop, Carrot and Coriander.  

These are great for just a splash of that vintage acid-wash.

                                                                         

Finally, I present the beautifully named, Vetiver. Such pretty songs from this band!

Nettle, Rue, Coriander, and Vetiver are certainly some of the more appealing spice/herb name selections. These four names can hold a post on their own, but of course, I want to present a larger list of similar names.  I'll start with my favorites from the herb shelf and spice rack! I'll also reach for some plants used medicinally.

Herbs and Spice make names nice:
Nettle 


Rue 


Yarrow 


Vetiver 


Saffron (Saffie) 


Coriander


Minthe (variations: Mint, Minta, Minty)


Myrrh

Clove 


and the rest of the lovelies:
Anise


Amaranth


Annona


Anon


Ati


Betony


Basil (Bas)


Belladonna


Caraway


Cardamom  


Cassia


Endive


Ginger (nickname for Virginia)


Hemlock (yes, it's poisonous if ingested, but do you plan to ingest it? Do you plan to ingest your child? Wouldn't Juniper, Holly, Laurel and the like make us sick if we ingested those?)


Juniper


Kyo (ginger)


Lavender


Paprika


Pepper


Pilu


Mallow


Marjoram


Myrtle


Mulberry


Noni


Rosemary 


Salvia


Sorrel


Sage -- what I love about this one is the double meaning. My dad always called me the "Sage from the West", because I was studying philosophy (and lived west of him), and through his teasing, I heard what I thought would actually be a beautiful name!


Thyme -- I actually love this for a sort of double meaning, too, though thyme and time are spelled differently. When we were pregnant with Nona, a friend of ours joked that we should name her Thyme Bomb,sort of poking fun of my love of unusual names. I thought the joke was a clever one, and I kept it to myself that I actually liked Thyme.


Sabola


Woodrose 


Additional yummy names from todays post:


Anne


Sage 


Anja


Louise


Clever


Spring -- I love this as a nature name for both the season and the body of water, double duty!


Garden -- I love this one.


Violet


Golden (Goldie) -- so love it


Rose 


Emerald (Em, Rem, Remy) 

Leaf 


Yukiko (Yuki, Kiko, my own nickname growing up!)

What do you guys think about herb and spice names? 

I leave you with this fun, summery song by Vetiver. Have a listen while summer lasts. Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

O Girl! Beyond Harlow, Marlo, Willow, and Shiloh

 Arrow scarf by Wikstenmade. I love everything Jenny Gordy does:  her blog, her fabrics, the silhouettes (and every detail, really) of her garments, this scarf.  And? and it's name! (photo courtesy of her blog, and taken by Lena Corwin)

Stunning bag by Me & Arrow. and it's name!  (photo courtesy of Me & Arrow.)

Who doesn't love this haircut on the lovely Mia Farrow? oh my, and those adorable freckles! 

India Hicks with her Domino(photo courtesy of her website). What a stunning portrait. I'm crushing on her name, and her father's middle name--Nightingale (which I've toyed with using to honor my own mother, as a sort of homage to her middle name, Gail).

Elle as Cleo. I'm sold on this girl and her acting chops.

      I have made no secret of my love of names that end in -o (or the -o sound) for little girls.  I don't find them to be at all masculine or even terribly unisex sounding. I found my youngest daughter's name by looking specifically for names and words (in many languages) that end in -o.  

Some of these are a bit surname-ish but pretty, none the less. The surname trend gets a bad wrap, and I understand why, but just "Is it pretty?"  I think with all of the following names we can safely answer, "Yes!"  

My current favorites: 

Valo -- of course. 

Arrow -- so pretty to say.

Echo -- love the meaning, the story, the sound.

Clotho -- this is the Greek equivalent of my oldest daughter's name, Nona.

Hallow -- looking for a new faith name? you found it! 

Billow -- love this nature name. 

Yarrow --this is one special plant name

Indigo

Farrow -- such a beautiful sound to utter, and I love the color it represents. there is the pesky relation to pigs, but who in the world knows that?  

Calypso

and the rest of the lovelies: 

Bow -- as in bow and arrow or the musical bow.

Cello

Meno -- Plato's book, itself. the character might not make a great namesake

Belissimo -- a beautiful middle. We use Bella, so why not?

Doe 

Morrow

Sparrow  

Vallo -- this spelling means 'fortress'.

Cielo

Snow

Meadow -- I never watched the Sopranos, myself, and I think fewer and fewer people will have this association, especially people our children's ages. I remember getting teased at school (gasp! and I'm fine),when I was four, for "shooting J.R."   Yes, from the show Dallas. Kristen shot J.R.  It's a faint memory, and only with me still because I freakishly remember everything, not because it had any impact. you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?  Exactly. 

Soprano -- ditto above

Brio -- does the toy company bother you? 

Cameo

Kahlo --surname, but after a very cool female artist.so pretty.

Clio -- I will never tire of it. 

Domino --nn Dom or Mino. 

Sappho -- I guess some are bothered by her story, but why? Are we really still there? please say no. beautiful name and connections!

Juno -- I wouldn't let the popularity of the movie character deter you. This is your daughter's generation, not yours. Only cinephiles know movies 15-25 years older than they are, so even if it is related to the film for them, it'll be cool points for kiddO and her vintage film name. Not to mention her goddess relation.

Io

Hero

Avo -- I had an Aunt Avo (long a), and it was her given name. We seriously considered this one. Fantastic alternative to Ava.

Fallow 

Margot -- I'll have a butterscotch sunday, I guess.

Yoko -- for the musicians

Nico -- ditto

Isabeau

Keiko 

Doro -- fantastic nn for Dorothy or Dorothea.

Gallo -- wine connection? Someday I will tell the story of how this became a name for me. It involves Joanna Newsom, but it's not for today. 

Laylo -- my beautiful musician friend's name. and yes, she'll be profiled. 

Rocio -- 'dew'. so pretty.

Umeko -- love the Plum association, obviously.

Coco -- I don't care if this is getting more used; it's lovely and a great nn for so many other lovely names: Cosima, Cosette, Colette

Beau

Flow or Flo -- as a nn for Florence or Flora, or just on it's own

Rowe

Ro -- nn for Romilly, Romilda, Rimona('pomegranite'),Ramona, Rowan, Romance, or Rosamond.

Did I leave anything out, you guys? Do you have any favorites?  I can't wait to hear from you all!