Have you heard about..?

"Ohmygod! That's sooooo hot right now!" 

I'm always amazed how things suddenly become popular or as some might say "so hot right now". Mason jars. Pinterest. The Hunger Games. You've never heard of it, then all the sudden its buzzing and you're either in the know or all "whhhat, owls are cool now!?" WELL... just like I've started doing restaurant reviews, recipe posts and travel ideas, every so often I'm going to throw a "Have you heard about" your way. Sometimes I imagine you'll be all "geez Meri, you're sooo behind the times," but maybe I'll steer you towards something on the cusp of awesome and we can all be hailed as trendsetters together!! So without further a due...

* Have you heard about Downton Abbey?

Image via Pinterest

Downton Abbey is a tv series, (on PBS of all places!) which I just started watching on Netflix. I'd heard some chatter about the show, but it wasn't until a feature in Us Weekly that I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Set on a Yorkshire estate, the show is a "period piece" which follows the lives of an aristocratic family and their servants during the reign of King George V. Think Mad Men of the 1910s. It's surprisingly riveting (even if I can't always understand the heavy cockney accents!) Check it out.

* Have you heard about Fifty Shades of Grey?

One of my girls told me that Twitter is buzzing about this book. She's reading it, her mom is reading it, "everyone" is reading it. Naturally, now I am reading it and though I'm only 70 pages in, I'm intrigued. Far from a literary masterpiece (the prose has a Candace Bushnell feel and it's sexual when it doesn't need to be) there's something about the story that grabbed me from the start. Apparently things are going to get VERY steamy (you've been warned) so we'll see if part 1 of this trilogy is onto something.

* Have you heard about friendship bracelets?

Image via Pinterest

Remember those bracelets you spent hours making at summer camp!? Well brake out your plastic string boxes ladies, apparently friendship bracelets are cool again. I personally love piling on the bracelets and though they've been modernized to include beads, charms and rhinestones, there's still something nostalgic and instantly fun about adorning your wrists with this trend. I've been admiring THESE for a while now (time to make a purchase?!) and if you're feeling crafty, here's a tutorial to make your own!