11.29.2012

Inventive Advent Calendars!

When I was young, I used to love Advent calendars. Every Decmeber my mother would bring them home from Marks & Spencer (an English store that sadly no longer exists in Canada) and my brother and I would hastily take them up to our rooms and give them a place of honour on our dressers. Each day throughout the month of December, leading up to December 25th, we would open a little 'window' to collect our chocolatey prize. It was a tasty countdown to Christmas!
 
These days, Advent calendars have become extremely modern and creative! The blogs (and Pinterest) are full of ideas on creative ways to make your own Advent display, many of which are stylish enough to be housed in a kitchen or living room. I've gathered some of my favourites below. All were found on Pinterest, collected from numerous style blogs.
Create a rustic effect by using neutral tones  with pops of colour. On the left, simple brown paper bags have been stuffed with goodies and then hung on thick twine using clothespins. A chalkboard wall hosts the days of the month with a Merry Christmas banner written in chalk. Click here to see how it was made. On the right, a sectioned drawer is stood on its side and then filled with small, wrapped gifts, numbered for the days of December. Created by Jordan Ferney for Anthology magazine. Both calendars create whimsical displays on cabinets.
Remnant fabric has so many purposes. Like Martha, I always save remnants for use in other crafts. Here, small pieces of fabric have been used to create bunting, with each piece sewn to create an envelope with a button seal. This can be reused year after year, strewn across a mantel in place of stockings. I love the festive red fabrics but other colours could certainly be used. By Peppermint Pinwheel on Etsy.
Get creative by repurposing empty containers. On the left, a series of Pringles potato-chip cans have been decorated with festive wrapping and twine and the lids embellished with paper cut-outs and numbers. You could also use the lidded tubes for sale at the post office for this project. (This would be a great craft for kids!) By Queenvanna Creations. On the right, a series of clear jars were painted to mask the secret contents. The various shades of green paint that were used bring festive unity to the display. Use red twine as embellishment and plain gift tags with numbers written on them to denote the day of the month. Created by Brigitte.de.
Here is a style that Alexis Stewart might find very intriguing, with its muted palette and minimalist simplicity! Lidded cardboard boxes are perfectly spaced and mounted onto a painted board using screws. Numbered labels are then printed and wrapped around one side of the lid. When it is time to open the box, cut the label to reveal the day's surprise! Created by Shim & Sons.
Geometric paper orbs in gold, silver and white are hung from the ceiling with decorative twine. Each little 'box' contains a surprise! Created by Sanae Ishida.
Learn how to make this beautiful and unique advent calendar here, via The Marion House Book

11.27.2012

Martha's Countdown To Christmas Has Begun!

Martha Stewart fans are going to love the new original video series, "Martha Stewart's Countdown to Christmas," which will include a total of 17 episodes featuring holiday ideas and projects. The series will be featured on the new video hub on MarthaStewart.com, as well as on the Martha Stewart channel on YouTube and on The AOL On Network. Fans will also have the opportunity to win festive prizes and products featured in each episode through special promotions on Facebook from November 26th to December 17th. The video segments begin with charming scenes of Martha's farm at wintertime and each segment is filmed in her kitchen at Cantitoe Corners in Bedford.
"Every holiday season we try to inspire our readers and viewers with unique, helpful, useful and wonderful ideas," says Martha. "Our 2012 Countdown to Christmas is a series of seventeen videos widely accessible online, which we hope will provide many last minute and original solutions for gift giving, holiday decorating, baking and crafting. We think this series will reach a broad and diverse audience."
 
Each 3-4 minute video will feature Martha as she demonstrates her most treasured holiday traditions-from delicious recipes (candied walnuts, homemade granola) and holiday crafts (handmade stockings, holiday wreaths) to festive twists on holiday cards and wrapping presents. The series also includes decorating tips, entertaining ideas, and creative gift suggestions.

11.26.2012

New Book in January: Meatless

Vegetarian Martha Stewart fans, rejoice! Martha Stewart Living will be releasing their first vegetarian cookbook, titled Meatless. The book, which will be released on January 8th 2013, will contain more than 200 vegetarian recipes compiled by the editors of Martha Stewart Living. The foreword is by Martha Stewart. The book will include a section on how to stock a vegetarian pantry and will provide nine chapters on vegetarian cookery: Small Plates to Mix and Match, Stovetop Suppers, Soups, Stews and Chilis, Casseroles and Baked Pastas, Substantial Salads, Sandwiches, Burgers and Pizzas, Pasta and Other Noodles, Simple Side Dishes and Basic Recipes and Techniques. The book has a Whole Living feel to it and is being released in the post-holiday health-crunch phase of the new year - nicely timed. Since I live with a vegetarian, I'm pretty much guaranteed to buy it. 


11.25.2012

Festive Winter Urns

Decorative winter urns are quite ubiquitous in Canada this time of year, where the season is long, cold and often colourless. Many homes here in Toronto have entrances that are flanked by urns filled with winter greens, branches, berries and ornaments to bring some holiday cheer to the landscape. It's always exciting to see the various designs. Creating the arrangement is quite simple to do and the effect is long-lasting and merry, making the project well worth the effort.
Start with a wide-mouthed urn. This will allow for greater surface area. Fill the urn with earth and then begin to plug it full of cut branches. Cedar, white pine, balsam, spruce and boxwood are good choices for the greenery. You can also use magnolia boughs for texture and colour and, for fragrance, sprigs of eucalyptus. Think horizontally and vertically, creating a wide base with fanned-out greens and then building upwards, considering height and dimension. The most attractive winter urns are pyramid in shape, echoing the silhouettes of Christmas trees. Decorative elements can include ribbon, pinecones, Christmas ornaments, artificial fruit, dried flowers and silk flowers. Here is an excellent how-to with easy step-by-step instructions and advice on what materials to use. I've collected some of my favourite and most-inspiring images of winter urns to share with you, below. Many are from Canadian Gardening magazine and Canadian House & Home magazine. 
 

11.21.2012

Happy Thanksgiving From Martha Moments

There is so much to be thankful for in our corner of the world. Even though we here in Canada celebrated Thanksgiving in October, I think any opportunity to say thank-you and express gratitude for the peace, love and bounty in our lives should be siezed. Watching the news lately has really been an education in how fortunate we are to live in a part of the world that is so blessed in so many ways, from the relative peace we enjoy each day to the abundance of our natural resources. Promise yourself that you will say thank-you to everyone who provides a service for you this weekend, from the cashier to the gas attendant to the waiter. Say thank-you and mean it. Promise yourself that you will not only enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner but that you will consider its value and how blessed we are to be able to have convenient access to such delightful foods and to share it with those we love. Finally, promise to do something for someone else - even if it's as simple as holding the door open for the person behind you or smiling at a neighbour. I would simply like to say thank-you to everyone who reads this blog. Thank you, also, to Martha and your fabulous team. You continue to inspire! You have all made my world a little brighter. Thank you! And Happy Thanksgiving!

11.18.2012

Last, But Not Least

Yesterday, at the grocery store, I saw the last stand-alone copy of Everyday Food peeking out at me from the little newsstand at the checkout counter. I got so nostalgic for this happy little digest that I think I might have actually sighed out loud with a triste little frown on my face. As you've heard, the magazine is shutting down its newsstand distribution and subscription services. Five issues of Everyday Food will be printed in 2013 as supplements for Martha Stewart Living subscribers. In other words, they will be 'special issues' from now on. Those with existing Everyday Food subscriptions will receive Martha Stewart Living magazine instead. Everyday Food will transfer its content online, promising more video how-tos and all the same great recipes we've come to expect.
I picked up this last newsstand copy and brought it home with me. It is a great little holiday issue: easy, fun and informative with lots of great recipes that ramp up taste while saving time. That's always a good thing.
 I still remember sending in my subscription card for this new and exciting magazine in 2003. At the time, I was still on my crusade to "Save Martha" as she underwent trial and wanted to support the company any way I could. Little did I know how much I would actually come to love this digest and rely upon it for weekend dinners with friends and family. That's the first issue, shown above, which I still have a copy of. (It will only increase in value now that the magazine has shut down, so hold on to it, collectors!) I was also always a fan of the multi-coloured stripes along the spine of the magazine. I thought it was such an ingenious and 'happy' little design motif.
STOCK UP: Fans of the magazine can still turn to the three Everyday Food cookbooks that were issued by Clarkson Potter. I have a copy of each, and my favourite is the first one, "Great Food Fast." It's bookmarked in several spots: salmon nicoise salad on page 66, coconut shrimp soup on page 186, delicious vegetable sides on page 247. For dessert, try roasted fruit, grilled chocolate sandwiches or molten chocolate cakes. This volume is also stocked with basics, from classic vinaigrettes to spice rubs to classic herb sauces, such as pesto. The other two books are wonderful, also. If you're calorie-conscious, the ''Light'' book will seriously help you make smart decisions in the kitchen without sacrificing flavour.

11.16.2012

Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 11 (November)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! I'll be raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue. Here is my selection for November.
MY FAVOURITE NOVEMBER ISSUE: 1998
Information. That is what I most love about the November, 1998, issue of Martha Stewart Living. There is so much of it contained in this beautiful volume. Every page offers something useful, something interesting, something factual and something inspiring. The front half of the magazine imparts helpful holiday strategies, such as a week-by-week countdown to the holidays with a checklist of what needs to be done. There is also a guide to getting pots and pans perfectly clean, preparing and organizing your desk for holiday correspondence with a perpetual calendar to record birthdays and anniversaries. There is even a guide to beautiful handwriting! We learn about trivets: their history, their uses, their materials and designs. Want to know how to make the perfect pie crust? Well, that's here too! We also learn about what drinks to serve before dinner. We don't just learn about what to serve and how to prepare these cocktails, but how and why these 'apertifs' whet our appetites before a large meal.

The back of the issue is a veritable cornucopia of inspiration and atmosphere: the Macy's Day Parade serves as the backdrop to a celebratory dinner in a turn-of-the-century Central Park apartment;  we are introduced to caramel preparation and many elegant and delicious ways to employ this sticky confection in desserts; there is a truly fascinating article on collectible silver serveware and a lulling, magical feature on something as simple and ethereal as candle light. Tartan, one of autumn's go-to fashions, is brought indoors and tailored to fit the trimmings in dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms, bringing that luxe English feel to each of the spaces. Everything about the issue says Thanksgiving without actually saying it, which is a sign of true editorial skill: the themes, the colours and mood of the photographs, the richness of the recipes. Everything works together so perfectly, page to page to page. Below are images from the issue.

 
RUNNERS-UP
Choosing the November issue was actually very hard, since I have several favourites. The 2000 issue is wonderful. The cover alone made it a contender for Best November Issue. Only Martha Stewart would have a 50 pound solid chocolate turkey on display at her Thanksgiving party! The 2002 issue is beautifully informative and inspiring with an emphasis on family, collecting, preserving and crafting. And the 2006 issue is a nomination courtesy of David Bondarchuck, who demanded it be included this month. It is one of his favourite issues and upon looking through it at his suggestion, I have to say I concur with his assessment. Martha hosts Thanksgiving in her stables at Cantitoe Corners with stunning results and the issue is otherwise filled with festive and inspiring how-tos. Happy reading!

11.14.2012

Tablesettings by Martha

Few do it better: those grand, visionary tablesettings we dream about each time the holiday season rolls around. Martha Stewart has been 'table dressing' professionally for decades now, first as a homemaker, then as a caterer and finally as the world's leading lifestyle authority, through columns, books, magazines and television shows.
With the holiday season about to launch in just a week, I wanted to showcase some of the spectacular table settings Martha has created recently at her homes in Bedford and Maine. (Perhaps, at a later time, I will highlight some of her tablesettings from past holidays, from the Turkey Hill days, to illustrate how her design aesthetic has changed.)
 
These days, Martha styles her tables in a relatively simple but no less inspiring fashion. Among her trademarks is a long row (or runner) of fresh flowers, potted plants, gourds or candles - or a mix of objects - that stretches along the length and center of the table. While she is not averse to using tablecloths, she rarely employs them. When she does, she always opts for those that are tailored specifically for the table she is using. She is also a big fan of symmetry and balance.
 
Similarly, she rarely uses placemats, opting instead to keep the placesetting free of material, aside from a luxurious linen napkin. In some of the photographs below you will see that she has used large damask napkins as placemats, opened and angled to create an area for the placesettings. Most of all, Martha always uses her vast collections of rare china, glassware, flatware and decorative accessories, mixing and matching them to make her table uniquely hers. Nearly all of the centerpieces are harvested from the grounds of her farm, whether they are gourds from the garden or cacti from the greenhouse. We have all, at one time or another, dreamed of having dinner at Cantitoe Corners, Lily Pond or Skylands. Hopefully these photos from The Martha Blog and her book Martha's Entertaining will inspire you to create something magical for your holiday table this year.
 For a Thanksgiving placesetting, Martha used early flatware and a turkey-patterned set of early English Staffordshire china. Loose groupings of gourds, potted geraniums and candles form the centerpiece.
 For big crowds, Martha uses her "Brown Room" for entertaining. This room was originally a tractor garage, adjacent but somewhat detached from the main house, accessible only by the kitchen and a side entrance. It has plenty of space for several long tables, most of which were custom made to fit the dimensions of the room. The chairs were also designed by Martha.
 
 Martha designed a beautiful, marble-top table for the Brown Room, which can be separated into two. Here, she has split them apart to create a more intimate gathering.
 This is a formal placesetting. The dinner plate is at the center and can be layered with chargers to denote the various courses. The napkin at the center of the plate is a welcoming and elegant touch. The bread plate is located to the left with its own butter knife. Above that is the salt cellar. The flatware around the plate is placed with the first course utensils on the extreme outer edges (soup spoon/salad fork) then a fish course then the main course. (As a diner, one should always begin using the outermost utensils first and work inward as the meal progresses.) Above the plate is the dessert spoon and the dessert fork. The stemware is for water (glass directly above the knife) white wine (glass to the right of the water glass) and red wine (the largest glass.)
Recessed behind some of the panels in the Brown Room are vast shelves of Martha's glassware and silverplate. Much of it is antique European.
 Martha had a logo created for her farm: a large, stylized sycamore tree. (Cantitoe Corners is known for its sycamores and the property was once called Sycamore Farms.) She uses the logo on personal menus, such as the one above.
 At Skylands, the style is similar. This holiday table is intimate and festive, nestled into one corner of the dining room. It is decorated with Fitzhugh china and red glassware. The effect is simple, symmetrical and elegant - never overdone.
 The long, faux-bois table Martha had commissioned for Skylands is used in the dining room for a Burgundy dinner party. Wine bottles, pillar candles and long vines of grapes are used as the rustic centerpiece.
 Martha had a similar menu commissioned for Skylands, using a stylized map of Mt. Desert Island and Seal Harbor as the embellishment.