Welcome to a new and refreshed Friday Favorites! I love sharing what I’ve been loving with y’all, and I’d love to hear things you’ve been loving, too!

1. The Crown

I’ll be honest: many friends and family members have been telling me to watch The Crown for a while. I kept putting it off because I needed to finish Downton Abby, but once I finally finished (just a tad bit late), I decided that I would give this Netflix original a try. I’m not much of a history nerd, but I do love historical British entertainment like Downton Abbey or any BBC Jane Austen adaptation. Here’s a little summary in case you’ve never heard of The Crown: 

The Crown focuses on Queen Elizabeth II as a 25-year-old newlywed faced with the daunting prospect of leading the world’s most famous monarchy while forging a relationship with legendary Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The British Empire is in decline, the political world is in disarray, and a young woman takes the throne….a new era is dawning. Peter Morgan’s masterfully researched scripts reveal the Queen’s private journey behind the public facade with daring frankness. Prepare to be welcomed into the coveted world of power and privilege and behind locked doors in Westminster and Buckingham Palace….the leaders of an empire await. – Netflix

How can you not be intrigued???

Although I thought the first episode moved a little slowly, I was soon hooked as all the drama started happening. I really appreciate the attention to detail, and the acting is phenomenal. It’s definitely not a show to just have on in the background, but it’s definitely one to put on your watch list! It has a high score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes if you needed any more convincing. Like Stranger Things, all episodes in a season are released at once on Netflix. There are only 20 episodes so far, so it’s easy to catch up!

2. The Skimm

A few weeks ago, my coworker introduced me to the Skimm, a daily news update sent to your inbox. At first, I was a little skeptical, as I’m not really into reading the news because I find it pretty boring and I’d rather be reading a new book or watching Jimmy Fallon videos.

BUT since I signed up for it I’ve been pleasantly surprised! It’s a fun way to start the workday and to stay updated on current events. The tone is light and it’s broken down into very manageable chunks, with lots of fun links and humor thrown in. It’s perfect for people who are on the go but still want to stay updated. They also have an app and guides for certain topics if you want to dive deeper.

Sign up to get The Skimm here, and help me become a Skimm’bassador!

Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, which means at no cost to you I may qualify to get some fun swag just for you signing up for their daily email. 

3. Instagram Pillow

One of my favorite ways to start the new year is to pull out my memory jar and read all my memories from the previous year. There are always funny moments I forgot about or great times to remember. Similar to my memory jar, I’ve seen some people use the previous year’s instagram photos as a sort of time capsule, which I think is great because it’s a little more visual! Which brings me to this fun new year project.

I’ve talked about Zazzle’s photo collage pillows before as a gift suggestion, but I thought it would also be so fun to use one of them as a way to encapsulate 2017! It is such a fun accessory to add to your living room or bedroom and it basically takes no effort. There are a lot of options on their website, but I really like this LOVE pillow. Right now it’s $48.15 and with the code ZWELCOME2018 you can get it on sale!

Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, which means at no cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

4. 2018 Printable Calendar

I don’t know about you, but I love a good printable. I was searching for 2018 printable calendars to find a cute one for my desk at work, but they were all pretty bland. THEN I found Short Stop Design’s website. Megan’s printables are so. cute. When I found this fun monthly calendar I had to share it with you all! It comes in both a vertical version and a horizontal version with notes. AND she even included holidays on the calendar. Her patterns are just adorable. Download her calendar here! You’ll just have to scroll a bit to get to the download but it’s totally worth it!

5. HQ Trivia

Y’all. HQ Trivia is sweeping the nation. I’m obsessed with it. In case you’re not familiar with the app, let me fill you in.

HQ Trivia is a live trivia game that happens every day at 9 p.m. EST and 3 p.m. EST on weekdays. And get this: YOU CAN WIN MONEY. That’s right. It’s a free app but if you make it through all 12 questions, you and the other winners share the prize. Lately it’s gone up to a $1,500 pot, and on weekends up to $10,000! Those of you who loved Trivia Crack or Quiz Up will love this game.

Aside from the show’s quirky host Scott Rogowsky, what makes this game great is that unlike many other gaming apps, it’s in real time. Typically 400k log on to the game, and many stay to watch even after being eliminated. While the app can lag at times, it’s a great game to play with friends and family. I guarantee that you’ll get addicted to this game and you’ll soon become an HQT like me. You can download the game here, and while you’re at it, feel free to use my code jessisshort so I can get a free life!