Friday Favorites (22)

Welcome to our first Friday Favorites for 2022! Friday Favorites is a series where I share my favorite hobbies, books, films, TV shows, style and more!

Can you believe our last Friday Favorites was in October?!? I guess I got so busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas projects it slipped my mind. Well, I have A LOT of favorites to share from our Christmas break and this first week of January. Aptly, this is my 22nd Friday Favorites happening at the start of 2022!

You may remember that I started this series to feature a few of my Friday Favorites – favorite things from home decor to clothes, recipes, and favorite shows. If you missed any you can see them here.

Last January I included my ALL TIME FAVORITES so you might want to check that out, too, here.

This post also contains affiliate links, if you purchase a product via the link I may receive a percentage of the sale. You can read my full disclosure policy here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting my blog in this way.

Okay, let’s talk about all my current favorites!!!

Favorite Way to Spend Free Time

My favorite thing we did over winter break was going on really, really long walks with our dogs. We usually take them for 45 minutes to an hour walk usually but over break we walked for several hours and they loved it.

For those who are new to the blog, both Max and Poppy are rescue dogs – Poppy ( a lab / flat coat mix) is now 11 and Max (we think a rat terrier / maltese) is now 5. They are the best of friends.

We walked on sunny days, on gray days, and rainy days (they’re were lots of them!). I’ll share more photos through out the post but we all really LOVED this long walk to the lighthouse and out to the jetty.

Didn’t the lighthouse look gorgeous with the wreath?

Favorite Books

Over the break I read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I know this isn’t a new book but found it at Savers. Oh my goodness, if you love dogs, you’ll love this book. It’s told from the perspective of Enzo, a dog who wants to come back as a human. It really is a beautiful story and was so sad to finish it. I will sad it made me cry A LOT.

I also made our whole family read The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy. I feel like he’s a modern day AA Milne. His illustrations are whimsical and beautiful and so heartfelt. I sat and read the book in my cozy swivel chair and felt so happy. I honestly think EVERYONE should read this book. It’s what the world needs now as we’re all going through this tough time together. You should also check out Charlie’s website. I found his story so inspiring and love all his art!

I just started reading Cloud Cuckoo Land, the new release by Anthony Doerr. So far it’s really good and very different. I loved All the Light We Cannot See – one of my favorite books.

Favorite Films

We just watched Cruella and it was fabulous. Not what I expected, but loved the set design, costume design, and Emma Stone was fabulous. It’s the origin story of Cruella and has so many twists and turns in it. It’s currently available on Disney+.

Favorite TV

Okay, I’m obsessed with Magnolia Network on Discovery+. I love so many of their shows. I LOVE watching Zoe bake on Zoe Bakes and now follow her on Instagram. She makes it all look so easy and effortless and she’s so genuine and fun. I also love watching In With The Old where they look at a different old home or structure with each episode. My friend Mandi of Vintage Revivals is featured in the first episode. But the show I’m loving the MOST is For the Love of Kitchens and it’s the story of DeVOL Kitchens in England and they look at different kitchens in each episode, as well as, give a look at the artisans, makers, and crafters who create their products from pottery, to hardware, to lighting and fine woodworking. This show is actually making me reconsider what we were planning in our kitchen, but I’ll share more about that in another post.

Luke and I just started watching The Fall on Amazon Prime. It is very graphic and is about a serial killer but we’re hooked and Gillian Anderson is very good in it.

Favorite Exercise

Back in September we ordered a Pelaton Bike. I thought it would be the best way for us to get in shape and also get the boys more interested in exercising. I’m not really a bike rider (I like riding through the woods with the family) but had never done a spin class. I have to tell you guys I love the Pelaton. I love all the classes they have – bike, yoga, barre, pilates, weight training, stretching, meditation and more. I also love the guided rides around Mauii and Savanah!

I love that I can get a full workout in and not even have to drive to a gym or studio! We put the Pelaton on the boys’ playroom and now the space is getting used more than ever. I’ll have to share what that space looks like in an upcoming post.

Favorite Outing

It’s been a long time since we went to a museum. We have a membership the ICA and hadn’t been there for over 2 years because of Covid. We decided to take the boys into the museum and out for lunch. It was so lovely to see art in person again.

I love this installation:

The ICA also has such a lovely gift shop filled with lovely home items and gifts.

Thew views from the ICA are amazing as well:

Such a lovely view of Boston!

Favorite New Art Products

Another day over break we took the boys to Buff’s Pub in Newton Corner, a place we used to go all the time before we had kids! While we were in Newton we went to The Paper Mouse, a lovely stationery and art / craft supply shop. For a long time I’ve wanted to try Kuretake Watercolor Paints. Many illustrators use these paints because they have intense color. I couldn’t wait to come home and play with my new supplies. I got the 12 paint pack of Kuretake.

Above you can see a painting I did of Minot Light. Many people are asking for note cards and notepads of Minot Light so I’m trying hard to create just the right illustrations. I’m not sure if this is it or if I should keep trying. So far I’ve done probably 5 or 6 different paintings. Ha! Ha!

I also bought these Kuretake Pearl Paints that can be used on their own or mixed with colors.

You can see some custom blues I created:

Do you see the slight hint of shimmer! I thought these would be so fun to play with for ocean scenes but also for fish and I’m working on some jelly fish 😉 Maybe I’ll share a tutorial for these soon!

It’s my goal this year to make more time for creating. Painting watercolor makes me so happy and calm. It’s my goal to become a better artist! I know I told you thinks in the post the other day but it’s my goal to create more note cards and notepads for our shop but also to start doing surface pattern design and I really want to write and illustrate a book on living by the coast! So my fingers are crossed and I’m working really hard to achieve these dreams this year! Hopefully you guys don’t mind seeing behind the scenes and progress of art-making.

Well, I think that covers all my favorites! Now, it’s your turn! What are the things you’re loving right now?