It's a Good Thing

One-third of a year. That’s what it took, I guess, to clear my mind, gain some much-needed perspective and enjoy some free time. One-third of a year (four months) to come to terms with what this blog is all about.

When I left, I was in a strange state of mind and could not really express – even to myself – what I was feeling about the blog. It was a mix of frustration, trepidation and even some anxiety stemming from a reaction that I had not expected. I wasn’t sure how to proceed and so decided not to proceed at all.

But I have to tell you that I have missed you! I miss all of the great people who continue to visit this blog even in its time of slumber. I still have thousands of hits a week, still have hundreds of followers and still get emails from people who miss the blog. Obviously, you’ve not gone anywhere, so why should I?

Rest assured, I have missed those of you who left wonderful comments and sent special emails when I said goodbye four months ago. And I have missed Martha too. That’s why Martha Moments is coming back.

Two exciting new books on the horizon: Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts on September 27th and Martha's Entertaining - the much anticipated follow-up to her 1982 authorial debut, Entertaining - on November 1.

I think Martha Moments is a great site, a fun resource for fans and collectors of the brand, such as myself, and a great place to meet like minds. I know I have met so many amazing people from all over the world through the blogging experience and that is something I want to continue: people who love Martha and what she does, most notably the themes of domestic arts she supports in her magazines. Fans of the Martha Stewart brand are, in the end, all connected by a great sense of curiosity, a love of creativity and an understanding of home – and everything that beautiful word entails.

Based on what you have told me, I’ve realized now what you need and want from Martha Moments. These facets, to the exclusion of almost everything else, will be the focus of the blog going forward:

You love to hear news about Martha's upcoming projects, books and product.

You love the archival quality of the blog: documenting Martha's history and the history of her company for posterity: her magazines, her houses, her various projects and endeavors.

You love the links to Martha Stewart resources and information about where to find her products.

You also love the little sprinkles of me that I put into the blog, whichis so flattering: my own Martha Moments, which can be described (somewhat obscurely) as moments in my life where the influence or energy of Martha is felt. Each time I find myself thinking, “This is so Martha,” or “Martha would love this” it is worthy of a post: an excursion to the country, a visit to a flea-market or a great store, a wonderful garden, etc.

I may not blog quite as often as I once did, due to the constraints on my time, but I think most of you will be pleased with what I will have to offer. (There are always those people out there who insist on leaving ugly feedback, but thankfully that’s what the delete button is for!)

I want to look back on Martha Moments and feel as though it met its mandate, certainly. But more than that, I want to look back and know that it was a fun place for you to visit: a repository of informative and exciting ideas, a portal to the bigger sphere of Marthaness, a library and archive of ventures and adventures in her world – and mine.

It’s nice to be back everyone! Stay tuned!

This August watch for a series of wall calendars, engagement calendars and postcard calendars from Martha. Created in partnership with Te Neues, the calendars will be based on some of Martha's core-content themes: gardening, cooking, crafts, collecting, etc. They will include templates and/or recipes.