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Welcome to Friday Favorites, a weekly series where I share interesting articles, books, fashion finds, recipes and more!
Good morning friends, happy Friday! Are you ready for the weekend? I have a busy weekend planned packing. It is hard to believe but after almost 1 year we(by we, I mean contractors) are finally ready to start our kitchen renovations. Demolition starts on Monday and that means lots of packing and moving furniture. I hope that your plans are much more exciting. I have lots to share with you today, so grab your beverage of choice and settle in for a nice long Friday Favorites post.
Friday Favorites No. 485 from Simply Delicious, Cath Kinston, Inspired by Charm and More
Food
I love a good sandwich, although I rarely make one at home. That might have to change now that I found this recipe, Easy Healthy Vegetable Sandwich.

Image Creme de la Crumb
Fiesta Lime Chicken Rice Foil packs look easy and delicious.

Image Inspired By Charm
This strawberry basil martini brings together two iconic flavors of summer.
Fig, peach and blackberry coffeecake, yes please!
Interesting Articles
Vintage Typewriters Are Reassembled into Amazing Metallic Bird Sculptures by Jeremy Mayer
Embroidered Bird Brooches Use Thread Like Paint To Recreate Our Feathered Friends
Found: The ‘How to Draw’ Books Pablo Picasso Created for His Daughter
A History of the Smile Through Art, Culture and Etiquette
Making High School Less Exhausting
35 novels to read this summer.
Why Travel Could Be Extra Sticky This Summer
These Penguins Are the Cutest Thing You’ll See All Day. And Soon You Can Visit Them
Why Are Dolls Houses So Appealing?
No, You’re Not Going Crazy – Package Sizes Are Shrinking
If you have a trip to Italy planned be sure to read this post, you might want to add Puglia to your list of sites.
Loved 11 ideas to borrow from Cotswold Gardens.
Books
I love Cath Kinston and am a huge fan of the photographer Christopher Sykes. In fact I had the pleasure of meeting him and hearing about his time photographing The Rolling Stones among other stories, while we were both guests at a friends summer house in St. Jean de Luz, France.
Designer Cath Kidston is famous for her high-street brand and nostalgic floral patterns. In this book, she invites readers into her own home to talk about patterns, color, décor, and more. Room by room, she gives an illuminating tour of her Gloucestershire house, pointing out interesting style choices and snazzy materials. From charming picture frames and fireplaces, to vintage patterns and rugs that tie the room together, Cath Kidston’s personal style and interiors vision shines through. Along the way she shares decorating ideas, tips, and tricks for turning a house into a home. Perfect for fans of her designs, this part-interiors book, part-memoir is beautifully photographed throughout by Christopher Sykes.
Venezia
If you like Venice, you will love this new coffee-table book Venezia that is coming out in July.
Photographer Federico Povoleri is a native Venetian and knows his hometown like almost no one else. With his black-and-white photographs, he captures an atmosphere of the lagoon city that is usually lost in the buzz of the tourist crowds. His experiences and knowledge of the city allow him to capture motifs that we seem to know, and yet show Venice to us in a new light. His book of photographs becomes a wistful declaration of love for his hometown and a warning of the creeping destruction that threatens this unparalleled beauty.
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village.
Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work?
Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.
Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.
Book Lovers
One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
I have Before the Coffee Gets Cold on my list from my library, have you read it?
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than 100 years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee – the chance to travel back in time.
Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.
Heartwarming, wistful, mysterious, and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally best-selling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?
Just ordered Jane’s Patisserie.
I discovered Janes’ blog months ago and after drooling over all of her scrumptious desserts decided to order her cookbook.
JUST A REMINDER
You can find all of my book recommendations on “My Bookshop” Pinterest Board
Finds
Father’s Day is Sunday, and Ugg Slippers make a great gift. I have these slippers(women’s version) and love them.
I am a dress girl, and I love this pink smocked dress, I actually have the blue and white flowered pattern and the lilac flowered dress in the same style. They are so comfortable and they are $19.00!
Comfortable and stylish flutter sleeve top.
This tote is a splurge but it is beautiful!
If you would like to see more of my “Finds”, visit My Daily Finds
DON’T FORGET WEEKEND MEANDERINGS
I hope you enjoyed my Friday Favorites and that you found something to make, to read and to enjoy.
Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for “weekend meanderings” with Kim and Juliet.
Have a wonderful weekend friends, be safe and enjoy some summer fun!

PUGLIA is LOVELY as all the buildings are WHITE!
VENICE is an ABSOLUTE MUST and I did the AGELESS STYLE POST TWO POSTS AGO ON PAOLA who lives in ITALY and has spent a LOT of time in VENICE talking with real VENETIANS.IN fact I have a chit chat I have not listen too yet she does very informative lessons on ITALY and its HISTORY!You can sign up for her classes.
MY HUSBAND LOVES THOSE UGG SLIPPERS!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE PACKING!
I pinned a few of these recipes to try later. I want to try the salmon and the foil packets.
Brenda
Happy Weekend Brenda, let me know how you like the recipes! Have a wonderful weekend.
The kitchen project will keep you busy
It will indeed! Hopefully it will go smoothly.
Please post more fashion tips and examples, like your Navy, blue and white posting. I dress in the same classic fashion and really loved the ensembles for this post.