The Best Bits: My June 2025 Favorites
The Best Bits is a monthly series where I tell you what I’ve been up to! What I’m doing, media I’m loving, and products I recommend! Here’s a fresh batch of favorites for your reading pleasure!
READING | The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
This was my book club pick for the month and it was a fun read! The story takes place at a villa in Italy during two timelines, modern day and the 1970s. You learn early on that there’s been a murder, and a multi-decade whodunit unfolds. I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to fans of mystery novels, or those who enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six!
WATCHING | Pride & Predjudice (2005)
After watching this movie, I have no idea how I’d gone my whole life without seeing it! I was an English major in college, but Jane Austen was never something I got assigned to read, and I generally avoided books I’d assumed were full of flowery language and overly fussy dialogue. That leaves me with a Jane Austen shaped blind spot in my literary repertoire, but at least I can now say I’ve seen and fully LOVED this film. I sat down to watch it with 6 of my best gal pals and we giggled and squealed our way through it. Best movie viewing experience I’ve had in a long time!
WEARING | Cotton Skirts and Dresses
I wearing all cotton, all the time right now. It’s just how things gotta be in the summer! Polyester? Oh honey no! Old Navy, Gap, Pact, and Life is Good are my go-to stores right now. If it’s hot where you live (which it probably is, thanks to the recent heatwaves) get you some airy, breathable cotton and thank me later! 100% or nothing!
EATING | Torta Della Nonna
This cake is something I stumbled across when searching for an italian dessert to pair with The Villa for my book club meeting. It was reminiscent of a cake I’d tried when visiting Italy last year and I was excited to try it at home! While it wasn’t a dead ringer from the cake we had in Florence, my stateside Torta Della Nonna was a hit and paired really well with the book!
INDULGING | (everyone else with) So. Many. Photos.
David and I did an engagement photo session early in the month and it was our first time in front of the professional lens together! I’ve always been a bit camera shy, but our photographer made us feel at ease and it was really nice to get practice for our wedding day! Speaking of photo shoots, I think I may have had more photos taken this month than ever before, as the gals on my bachelorette trip took a million pictures of me too! It’s been a bit of exposure therapy for me as someone who dreads the “let’s take a photo!” part of any gathering.
ADMIRING | Garden Clogs
I’ve been eyeing Gardenheir clogs this month, and even though I already have two whole pairs of crocs, I still can’t shake the desire for something just as ugly that does the same job. What’s a shoe loving gal to do?
OBSESSING | Wedding Cake Toppers
I’m not sure how many folks out there have shopped for a wedding cake topper recently, but truth be told it is slim pickins out there. Almost every “contemporary” wedding cake topper out there either veers into uncanny valley territory, or is a literal 3D printed bobble head version of the newlyweds-to-be. I scrolled through what felt like thousands of etsy listings, rejecting dinosaurs with hats, custom funko pops, sparkly acrylic signs, and the tired “bride drags groom as he tries to get away” figurines. Once it felt like those options had been exhausted, I took a look at vintage options. Those were a lot more our style, but many had quite a bit of damage, questions of lead exposure, or were just crazy expensive. Then, my old friend eBay came into the mix and I found my solution. I scored a brand new, unpainted bisque bride and groom figurine made from a vintage mold. I got the smallest detail brushes I’d ever seen and got to painting as soon as it arrived. I ended up avoiding the tiny details like adding definition to the eyes, but I am so happy with the way it turned out!
CELEBRATING | The Best Bachelorette Trip Ever
I’ve mentioned this trip a bit in this post already, but I had the privelege of traveling with some of my closest friends to the Catskill Mountains for a long weekend getaway! We booked an absolutely gorgeous AirBnB in the Hudson Valley and spent a few days exploring, hiking, shopping, and most importantly having so much fun together. I couldn’t help but reflect on how lucky I am to be surrounded and loved by these extrordinary women. We all laughed until we cried, tried something new, got tons of fun photos, and left with great memories from the heart of the woods.
What are your favorite things this month?
Be sure to leave a comment and check out other monthly favorites posts here!
