Glue Stick Cozies

No, friends, your eyes do not deceive you. An ingenious crafter at etsy.com (lavenderlizard) has come up with the perfect solution for keeping your gluesticks warm: knitted gluestick cozies in Martha's signature blue. With winter's approaching chill, be kind to your gluesticks and keep them out of frost's way! Crafted in 100% cotton yarn, the two cozies also come with a button closure and a keyring attachment for easy portability. Great for hanging on a keyring or on a hook at your craft table. The set ($15) includes the Martha Stewart Crafts gluesticks, which are in desperate need of warmth.

Smaller cozy measures approximately 3 1/2" (9.5 cm) high and 1 1/2" (4.3 cm) across. Smaller glue stick is .28 oz (8 g).Larger cozy measures approximately 4 3/8" (11.7 cm) high and 1 3/8" (4.1 cm) across.Larger glue stick is .78 oz (22 g).

This craft is high camp. For the crafter on your Christmas list who takes their projects just a bit too seriously, this funny little gift is the perfect remedy.

Pomegranates

In recent years, I’ve become enamoured of pomegranates. And I’m not alone. Everywhere, it seems, there is pomegranate: from juice to soda, facial scrubs and bath oils to scented candles and wreaths. It was only after I bought my first box of six that I realized they were a favourite among just about everyone in my family.

My father’s Lebanese roots meant he had lots of exposure to Mediterranean cooking growing up, and pomegranates (native to Mediterranean regions) were no strangers to my grandparents’ kitchen. Even my British grandmother on my mother’s side enjoyed pomegranates as a child, recounting how she and her sister used to use their little knitting needles to get the juicy seeds out of their tough casings.

I love the look of pomegranates as much as I love the taste, which is strong and slightly sour. Their robust round shape, large size and pretty crowns – not to mention their lustrous ruby tones – are just so beautiful. I had to photograph them before using them:

One pomegranate yields about two cups of seeds.

Personally, I like to eat the seeds on their own, but they can be used in all kinds of unique ways, from juice to garnish, from desserts and salads to main dishes. Below are some facts about pomegranate preparation and a yummy recipe for cucumber and pomegranate salad, a common blend in the Middle East.

POMEGRANATE PREPARATION:

NO MESS METHOD
Cut off the crown then cut the pomegranate into sections. Place the sections in a bowl of water then roll out the arils (juice sacs) discarding the peel and pith, leaving just the arils in the water. The water reduces staining and contains the peeling process. Strain the water through a strainer to catch the arils and proceed to use them as desired.

TRADITIONAL METHOD

Cut the crown end off a pomegranate, removing with it some of the white pith. Lightly score the skin in quarters, from the stem to the crown end. Firmly yet gently break the sections apart, following the score lines. Bend back the skin and gently scoop the seed clusters into a bowl; remove any pith.

FANNING METHOD

Cut the pomegranate in half vertically. With the cut side up, make 4 equally spaced cuts 1 inch long and 1 inch deep. Hold the pomegranate half, cut side down, over a deep bowl and pull the fruit open but not apart, using equal pressure from both hands. Holding the pomegranate half, cut side down, in the palm of one hand, whack the top of the fruit with the back of a large spoon. The seeds will fall out.

JUICING METHODS:

JUICER METHOD

Cut the fresh pomegranate in half as you would a grapefruit. We recommend using a hand-press juicer to juice a pomegranate. If you use an electric juicer, take care not to juice the membrane, so that the juice remains sweet. Strain the juice through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Caution, pomegranate juice stains.

BLENDER METHOD

Place 1-1/2 to 2 cups seeds in a blender; blend until liquefied.Pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Caution, pomegranate juice stains.

ROLLING METHOD

On a hard surface, press the palm of your hand against a pomegranate and gently roll to break all of the seeds inside (crackling stops when all seeds have broken open). Pierce the rind and squeeze out juice or poke in a straw and press to release juice. Caution, pomegranate juice stains. NOTE: Rolling can be done inside a plastic bag to contain juice that leaks through the skin.

Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or 1 tablespoon dried mint

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon angelica powder

1 long seedless cucumber, peeled and diced

Seeds of 2 pomegranates

1 fresh lime, peeled and sliced, with inner skin removed

In serving bowl, combine ingredients and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For an extra kick, crumble feta cheese on top.

Did you know that Spanish Padres are credited with bringing pomegranates to California? They grew them at missions some 200 years ago. Today the San Joaquin Valley, the heart of California, is the only concentration of commercially grown pomegranates in North America.

A Beekman Holiday

Dr. Brent Ridge, a contributor to Martha Stewart Living, and his partner, writer Josh Purcell, are well ensconced in their upstate New York farmhouse for the upcoming holiday weekend. But they're also busy preparing for that OTHER holiday just over a month away and are overseeing the production, packaging and shipment of their goat's-milk soap and hand woven linens, which make beautiful gifts for purveyors of the handmade. You can read their blogs and order their products at http://www.beekman1802.com. Among the lovely inclusions this year:


I intend on treating myself to this soap soon. Being a December baby (the 27th) I feel compelled to bathe with this intriguing December soap, which is described as having the inviting scent of a warm kitchen with hints of vanilla and ginger. As always, it is handmade from the milk of the Beekman goats, who graze freely on the land and drink from the waters that once made Sharon Springs one of the most famous spa destinations in the world. The soap uses the highest percentage of pure goat milk possible in each bar. You may notice a faint layer of ash on the bottom of the soap, which washes away with first use. This ash affirms the bar is made from pure goat milk using non-chemical methods. I've used the soap myself and I love it, but I'm especially eager to try my 'birth' soap.


Speaking of birth, the Beekman store now has a new line of baby goods, including soap for baby as well as these beautiful, heirloom baby swaddling blankets. Usually woven with dark blue wool, Brent, Josh and the crew have adapted an overshot weaving technique for use in this textile, which is 100% cotton. While there are nearly as many methods for swaddling an infant as there are cultures who practice it, the blankets come with a set of instructional diagrams to get you started with your swaddling cloth: perfect for the new mother or those expecting. Patterns include Hollyhock, Dyer's Broom, Pale Indigo and White.A beautiful gift box of 12 soaps. Each 3.25 oz bar is individually wrapped and presented in a 9"X12" red cedar tray, made of sustainably harvested wood. Choose either unscented or one of the seasonal scents.

New letterpress holiday stationery was designed and handmade by Brent and Josh on a 19th Century letterpress at Foxglove Printers in Sharon Springs. Each card was run in a limited edition and is signed & numbered by both of them on the back cover. The first, entitled "Unwrap. Play." is printed in crimson on a heavy cotton rag stock. It features an antique plate illustration of various 19th century toys - just like the ones William Beekman would have carried in his mercantile. The second, entitled "Star." was inspired by a lone pine tree that stands near the Beekman barn. The design, from an antique plate, runs off the edge of the card as if the reader is looking up to find the "star" atop the tree. Both cards come in a wrapped set of 10, with envelopes, and each measures 3.5" X 5." Order these soon to send them out before the holidays.

Framed Postcards

When my elderly aunts moved from their home to a new retirement facility in September, my father and I were charged with the responsibility of moving their furniture and getting the house ready to sell. It was an arduous task that took more than a month to complete. Among the tasks was cleaning out the basement and going through their storage items. One of the finds was an enormous box filled with my Aunt Ann's collection of postcards - ones she had received from friends abroad or ones she had picked up on her own travels as souvenirs. My aunts had truly travelled the world: Egypt, Greece, England, France, Italy, Spain, the Caribbean, all over the US and Canada, Lebanon, Israel, Mexico... Their friends had obviously travelled too, given the huge assortment of postcards we found, covered in stamps from all over the world.

When my Aunt Ann told me she didn't want the postcards anymore she offered them to me. I jumped at the chance to have them!

I've since framed a selection of the black-and-white ones and mounted them over my desk in my home office. You can see the results below. Many of the postcards are dated from the '50s and '60s. The oldest one received was to my great grandmother, Mary, in 1941 from a relative of hers in Lebanon. These are treasures!

I framed the faces of the black and white postcards in one frame and, beside it, the written-on backs of postcards in the other frame. I like seeing the fancy stamps and all the different styles of handwriting from pepole I never met who wrote to my aunts. One of them is from a member of the Canadian Senate.

Some close-ups of the postcards: from glorious architecture in Russia to a simple motel bedroom in Florida.

Different scrawl from different people from all over the world makes an interesting collage.

Holiday Recycling Craft

If you have some extra copies of Martha Stewart Living magazine lying around, you may be inspired to use them for crafts. One seller on Etsy.com (BellyBuzz in Houston) has done just that by fashioning gift bows and package filling out of the pages of a past issue.

Each bow is handcrafted from a different page of the magazine - in this case the February, 2008, issue - and is finished with a peel-and-stick adhesive backer. The bows can be continuously reused because of the sturdy brad in the center of each bow. The bag also comes with a hefty filling of shredded packaging using the pages of the magazine.

Each bag has 9 custom bows and the package filler. They are placed in a cellophane bag and topped off with another part of the magazine

I personally think it's a brilliant craft idea! I've used the pages of Martha Stewart Living as wrapping paper and stationery before, but nothing quite so impressive as this. She also works with magazines like Esqurie, Wired, Vanity Fair and Vogue. How perfect for the magazine afficionado on your list.

Martha By Mail On Display

In the December issue of Martha Stewart Living there is an "Object Lesson" on silver candlesticks. It inspired me to dig out my Martha by Mail Hotel Silver candlestick set (of three) and polish them up for display again. They were given to me by John Small, creator and founder of Savemartha.com, as a parting gift. Many of the Martha by Mail items were not available for shipment to Canada, sadly, so I cherish the MBM items I do have, many of them gifts, including a leather-bound "Good Things" journal given to me by my friend Kenn. It's probably my favourite item. Other items I have include some of the Burleigh ware, including a very nice soap dish, and the famous tin of 18 Araucana egg soaps.

They look so nice all polished up. The third one in the set (much smaller) is kept on a window sill.

I took three of the egg soaps and displayed them in an antique silver mustard dish. I miss Martha by Mail!

Dreamers Into Doers

On Wednesday, Martha Stewart will present the winner of the Dreamers Into Doers contest, which was launched by her company in June. Women entrepreneurs from all over the country were asked to enter for a chance to win $10,000 to further develop their companies. Out of thousands of entries, the contest has now been narrowed down to 11 finalists and the winners will be announced on Wednesday's episode of the Martha Stewart Show. The grand prize winner will receive the afforementioned prize money, a lifetime of free vacations from Wyndham Vacation Ownership and a trip to New York to meet Martha and be featured on the show.

I think this contest is a wonderful example of a company giving back by continuing the pioneering legacy of its founder. Martha turned her dreams into a reality and she knows as well as anyone who worked their way to the top that it didn't happen without a lot of help. The fact that MSO is helping these great women further develop their entrepreneurial ventures is inspiring and exciting.

Visitors to marthastewart.com also had their say and could vote on their favourites. I've chosen mine:

*Patricia Fragen of Naperville, IL: Normal Moments Inc.

After watching her 16 year-old daughter fight against and eventually lose her life to cancer, Patricia wanted to help parents going through the same ordeal. Patricia's organization provides supportive services like housecleaning, lawn care and more to parents with critically ill children, giving them the time to spend more 'normal moments' together.

*Tabitha Geary of Richmond, VA: Tabitha Geary LLC

Tabitha was thrilled when her mother took on the overwhelming task of organizing her photographs and momentoes into charming memory books for each of Tabitha's five children. Each one was custom made to suit the child it was given to. Thinking she might not be the only one who needed "memory organization" assistance, Tabitha started her company to help families organize and preserve their most treasured memories in professionally-designed memory books.

*Amy Jaffebarzach of West Hartfort, CT: Boundless Playgrounds

To honor the memory of her son who died of spinal muscular atrophy, Amy started Boundless Playgrounds as the first national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities create playgrounds where children with and without disabilities can play and learn together. There are now more than 130 Boundless Playgrounds in more than 20 states.

Good luck to all 11 finalists. They're all worthy.


UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS TO AMY JAFFEBARZACH FOR HER BOUNDLESS PLAYGROUNDS PROJECT. AMY WAS NAMED THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

Holiday Downloads

In the December issue of Martha Stewart Living there is a whimsical article on making old-fashioned holiday candy (peppermint sticks, candied citrus peels, toffee, chocolate bark, almond nougat and pecan clusters) with the long, complicated recipes printed at the back of the magazine so that they don't interfere with the food-porn photos. To accompany the recipes, the genius designers at the magazine and the masterful webmasters who run marthastewart.com have created the pretty packaging for anyone to download and use to wrap these classic confections. Simply visit http://www.marthastewart.com/december-crafts to download the clip-art wrapping and labels and to read full instructions on how to make the containers or affix the paper labels to store-bought boxes.

Step-by-step instructions can be found at marthastewart.com for the handling and use of the download clip-art and labels. The wrapping patterns for the fudge and chocolate-dipped marshmallow cookies, above, are inspired vintage designs that come in red and green.

Materials lists and printing techniques are also found along with the download links.

Bedside Merriment

The arrival of the December issue of Martha Stewart Living is always an event for me. It represents the culmination of the year for my favourite magazine and I tend to judge this yearly issue the most harshly because of this. It's the peak of Martha Stewart Living's annual offerings and it ought to be the best showcase of the imagination and creativity of the people who make the magazine happen. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. There have been December issues in the past that have blown me away and there have been issues that have left me feeling more than a little underwhelmed.

I'm happy to report that the 2008 holiday issue is a dream come true!

It is filled (and I mean filled) with new ideas - ideas that feel fresh but that still manage to pay tribute to the classicism and elegance of holiday issues past. Crafters, I think, will be especially pleased with this issue. There is a lot on offer here, including wreath making, soap making and crafts for setting the holiday table and for making decorations and ornaments.


Cooks will be pleased with more cookie recipes (although I'm personally over the whole cookie phenomenon) and delicious old-fashioned candies. The cooking segments in this issue, though, are not as plentiful as past issues have been, with more of a focus on crafting and decorating, which I love. Cooks have the special Holiday issue (Seasons Eatings) to turn to for their favourite recipes, not to mention a new cookbook to explore.

The new issue looks so happy on my nightstand. It will remain there for weeks, I'm sure, as I pore over it, absorbing all the details.

A lovely article on using vintage green ceramic ware for festive decor.

Learn how to make old-fashioned holiday candies and visit marthastewart.com to download the pretty vintage packaging and labels you see in the photos.

A story on growing and displaying the beautiful amaryllis flower. This harkens back to the old holiday issues of Martha Stewart Living I cherish.

Come on over to Martha's Bedford estate for a Christmas carol party in the new music room at her newly restored Summer House. (You will also be able to download Martha's personalized songbook shown above on the right page at marthastewart.com.)

Using doilies in all kinds of festive ways! Who doesn't love a good doily?

Martha Calendars

In recent years, Martha Stewart Living subscription services have been offering calendars as free gifts to those who renew their subscriptions or give gift subscriptions. I received my 2009 calendar yesterday for giving a gift subscription to a friend. I have three years worth of the calendars and I believe I sold the 2006, 2005 and 2004 calendars on eBay. These are not available anywhere else, so their rarity level is quite high. Other free gifts from Martha Stewart subscription services have included small "Good Things" booklets and, of course, the ubiquitous canvas tote bag emblazoned with the Martha Stewart Living masthead. Recently, they were offering a digital copy of the first issue of Martha Stewart Living.

The calendars are beautifully designed and printed on high quality glossy paper with photographs from the magazine. The days of the week have helpful seasonal hints, similar to those found in Martha's Calendar column, as well as "Do You Know?" facts and figures for each month. At the front of the calendars are letters of thanks from the editor-in-chief. At the back is a helpful template with spaces to put the phone numbers of close friends and relatives, emergency numbers and a section of measuring equivalents.

The covers almost always have a photo of a floral arrangement from the magazine.

The 2009 calendar opens like a book. It was advertised as a desk calendar, but I think I prefer the vertical, hanging version.

Let's Take a Walk

November is one of my least favourite months. In Canada, there is nothing special about the eleventh month on the calendar, whose birth stone is Topaz and whose signature flower is the chrysanthemum. There is no Thanksgiving for us this month. (We celebrate that holiday in October.) The only real special day in November for Canadians is Remembrance Day on November 11th, which is to honour Canada's war dead.

It's cold. It's damp. The coloured leaves have fallen and now slowly turn to mucky brown piles around town, like a dirty carpet waiting for the clean snow. We all shuffle around in mourning under gray skies and drizzle remembering men and women who have died in war. Sigh. It's not exactly a month filled with cheer.

As a kid, I always hated November. I wanted to "fast-forward" it to the spot on the calendar I enjoyed most: December! December means Christmas (and all the fun leading up to it), my birthday two days after Christmas and New Year's Eve, two days after my birthday! It's all so blissful. There is just the sad matter of November to get through...

So, in order to make myself less jaded about this month, I decided to force myself to enjoy at least one day. I was determined to find beauty. A day at the cottage was just the thing. So, come and take a walk with me through some of my usual hiking trails up at Sunday Lake and let me know if these November snapshots make the month any more alluring. I hope so! They do for me.

This little vignette of twisted drift wood and rock by the water was full of texture and vitality.

The leaves on the trees have now left a carpet on the ground, but there is something majestic and elegant about the bare, outstretched branches of the trees.

The signs of decay are bittersweet also. This old, decaying birch tree has obviously been home to all kinds of little forest creatures. Everything has a cycle.

On my walk I came upon a beautiful marsh. When the wind blew there was only the sound of the hissing marsh grasses and the subtle clatter of the bare branches above my head.

This tree had a section of its trunk that reminded me of a face. Notice the eye, the eyebrow arch and the side of the nose.

Because it is hunting season here, I bedecked Molly with all kinds of little fluorescent ribbons, just in case a wayward hunter mistook her for a small bear. And believe me, given her size, that would not be an outrageous assumption. I think she looks quite festive!

I spotted this beautiful butterfly sunning itself on a tree trunk. The temperatures today were in the high 60's and there were all kinds of little insects around.

A beautiful, majestic pine tree reaching to the blue sky. It must have been at least 100 feet tall.
The moss on the damp forest floor is still luminescently green and soft. There are still little ferns clinging to life and add a lush counterpoint to all the brown, gray and yellow around.

A milkweed looks completely painterly, with one little seed pod desperately waiting for a gust of wind to carry it away.
A fallen hemlock had turned a reddish-brown, which looked like an amber/caramel in the sunlight.
And speaking of sunlight, it gave us a glorious sky as it left us for the day, at around 4:45 pm.

PS: A big congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama! The world has sighed a giant sigh of relief today. Like 70% of all Canadians, and 3/4 of all nations around the world that were surveyed, I am thrilled with the results this morning.

Martha Stewart Gift Baskets

New this year from Martha Stewart and 1-800-Flowers.com is a series of gift baskets, cookies and food trays for the Martha fan on your list. Three gift basket combinations, two snack platters and a tin of bakery-fresh cookies make up the new Martha Stewart line. The tin of twenty cookies comes with recipe cards for each of the varieties and the Martha Stewart's Cookies book. The cookies come in a blue tin emblazoned with the Martha Stewart logo. Prices for the new food gift line range between $50 and $109.

Ever want to escape to Skylands, Martha's house in Maine, and have a leisurely breakfast overlooking Seal Harbor? Of course we have. This may be the next best thing. The Martha Stewart Breakfast in Maine Gift Basket contains buttermilk pancake mix, maple syrup, scone mix, cinamon bun mix and wild blueberry Maine jam in a woven Nantucket hamper. All of the food was made by Stonewall Kitchen, Maine's leading producer of specialty and gourmet foods.

Another gift basket celebrates the afternoon tea ritual with all the trimmings. The Martha Stewart Afternoon Tea Gift Basket also comes in the Nantucket hamper but contains earl gray shortbread biscotti, a tin of assorted pastillines, a jar of white clover honey, plum butter, Eastate Tea (Golden Assam and Lovers Leap), rock candy stir sticks, traditional scone mix and almond French twists. This artisanal all-American cheese sampler arrives in a Nantucket woven basket tray with an assortment of American snacking cheeses, handmade crackers, and a lush fig preserve. The tray includes blue cheese, old cheddar, Gran Queso, Beecher's handmade crackers and Dalmatia fig spread. A deluxe edition also includes dry Jack cheese, goat cheese, and an assortment of nuts.

The Martha Stewart Sweet and Savory Snack Tray also comes in the woven Nantucket tray and a nice mix of treats. It includes trail mix, candy-sweet berries, cheese crisps, dark chocolate almonds, mixed dried fruits and pistachios. A deluxe edition includes cashews, espresso medley, gummy bears, hot and spicy nut mix and jumbo dried pears. Visit 1800flowers.com/marthastewart for more information.