(Inside A Black Apple)

Marguerita Zippula Hate Stopplebeam Propson Waldo

The title of the post is the name of a great-grandmother that I never got to meet. Isn't it wild? I remember chanting it over and over as a girl...She was married quite a few times, by the by (as if you couldn't infer that!).

Well, it was a very tough afternoon, but I finally narrowed down the six names that just really stuck with me. I am, of course, not implying these are the best names. No sir! They are, however, my totally non-objective favorites, for one reason or another. The lengthier names tended to get an upperhand (because, well, it's more name!) even though I absolutely adore many of the beautiful first names that were tossed in...Ava, Stella (my favorite girl name), Anabelle, Suki, Fiona, Bridget, Helena, etc. etc.

In the end, though, it was the elderly farming couple that bowled me over...So, my favorite name(s)...Numero Uno (courtesy of Jennifer):

And the 5 second-place names (all so wonderful, too!):

Courtesy of (in order): Nancy, Melissa, Rita, Emma, and Kate, respectively.

Let me say again how overwhelmingly happy I am at the, well, overwhelming response to a girl's request for some good names. I find it interesting the names that come in and out of fashion...and this list really stirred that interest. This recent return to many names that haven't been popular since the 20's and 30's (Stella? Isabelle?) is really fascinating, and I think, a very happy turn-for-the-better. I was also happy at how many names came up that I already know and love (Amelia, my sister...Josiah, my sweet-pea) etc.

Thank you so much for playing along with me, reading through that sea of stories, memoirs & imaginary children the past few days has really been something special and extraordinary for everyone. To end our little contest, I thought I'd rattle off a list of some of the other names that were wonderful in one way or another...real & imaginary:

Jackalope Ronan Chachkes (!!! almost in the final six)
Claudette Featherbottom
Lazslo Valentine
Tanaquil Leclerc
Aubergine (who wouldn't want to be someone's little eggplant?)
Elsa Ophelia
Alethia
Ampersand (signing everything & would be great...in a Prince-ish kinda way)
Hortense Feathercap
Love Lies Bleeding (What an evocative name for a flower!!)
Ann Argyle Vest (I hope to god that one is real...)
Tallahassee Grimstone
Elliot Orelian
Linda Zipper (something about it...so zippy)
Miette (a favorite character from a favorite film)
Lux Malone
Veronica Guitar
Dee Dee Roxirox (you guys have some pretty amazing alter-egos!!)
Maisie Orla Connaghan
Plum
Talbot Sweetapple
Hattie Ringrose
and
Olive Glass.

I hope that everyone's weekend plans are lovely! I'm going to be squirreling away, working and working so that I can live it up during the big 1-2 punch next week of the 13th and the 14th (my birthday and then Valentine's day!).

Hooray for names! Hooray for imaginations!

(((UPDATED NOTE: I am perfectly aware that Brie is not the French word for cheese, although I do think it would be wonderful if there was a whole "cheese-gang" comprised of Piper Gruyere, Artie Havarti, etc.)))

There's too much love!

That is a title of a favorite Belle & Sebastian song...and is certainly the case around here the last 24 hours! Goodness Gracious, I am absolutely astonished and also so pleased with the general enthusiasm for interesting and wonderful names. To be truthful with you, I was almost afraid when I dreamed up the little "contest idea" that it might be too silly, or dorky.

I was trying very ardently to respond to most of you, but I must confess that I mostly peetered out around comment #200...and at the time of this post, there are nearly 400! Oh my.

SO!
My plan for today/tonight is to "stay neutral", which, happily, corresponds with my clothing choices for today:

welllll...mostly.

Tomorrow, however, I will make up my darn mind.
It will be SO difficult, so to make things a little bit easier on myself (and because, well, I was expecting maybe 30 entries...never hundreds!) I'm going to still have the numero uno favorite...but then I will also have 5 "second place" names. And those 5 folks will receive a surprise print from my shop...and probably a Valentine, too...I'm saucy that way. Valentines all over the place.

Also, I suppose there must be a cut-off point, though I hate to put an end to the good name-bounty...why don't we just say that any comments after # 410 are very welcome (what a resource we've compiled!) but won't be eligible for my very prestigious and utterly un-diplomatic and TOTALLY subjective, but loving, judging.
I will also be preserving that most wonderful arsenal of comments with its own whole category-link on the right side of the page...something like "Wonderful Names" or "I Heart Names", as well as of course scribbling down many for my own amusement/pleasure.

Now I will leave you and go back to the task at hand (deliberation, painting, and Grey Gardens), after just enjoying a wonderful dinner with my sweet friends Andy + Sara (who, by the way, made her own name post in tribute but has disqualified herself from the running...which is lucky for you guys, because Zippy Morocco is almost TOO good). We had this very simple and very tasty soup for dinner...and what a cute site! They let you choose what recipe card size to print out! And they let you adjust the amount of servings. I'm dazzled.

Be My Valentine

This morning I was slicing up strawberries for my cereal (plain Cheerios, thankyouverymuch) and I found this pretty, almost heart-shaped strawberry. Which seems right, in that it is almost that time (next week! my goodness...) and because I wanted to do a little bit in honor of Valentine's day for the blog. So, we have a...

LITTLE BE-MY-VALENTINE CONTEST!
I want to send someone a Valentine package (it's a surprise...but will more-than-likely contain lots of paper-goods, some vintage goodies, some black apple stuff...etc.), and I thought that a fun way to choose the "winner" (of my heart!) would be this:

I have a thing for names. Interesting, pretty, hilarious...just good names. For a short time, I dreamed of collecting names-that-are-also-sentences in a little book. But my list was about 6 people long. So, now I just collect them in my head.
To "enter" the contest to win some Valentine love from me, all you have to do is comment, and in your comment, make sure to include a good name! It can be funny, beautiful, actual, imagined, whatever. It just has to be good. I'll compile a list, and then deliberate about my favorite. Very simply, if your wonderful name is my favorite (I'm sure it will be hard to choose), I will email you for your address and then reveal the winner in a couple of days. I cannot wait to hear some good names.
Feel free to include middle names/initials at your whim.

I've been making paintings:

Bella, 8"x10"x2"

Fox in the Snow, 8"x10"x2"

Tea Time Girl, 8"x10"x1"

(The little simple one at the bottom, obviously inspired by the amazing fabric I've been using in my kitchen lately!)

Happy Wednesday, my dears. I'm on round two of attempting to perfect Nigella's London Cheesecake...that "baking in a water-bath" stuff is so tempermental and persnickety. The good thing with cheesecakes is that even the mistakes are pretty delicious.