Martha is Coming to Toronto!

Martha Stewart will be in Toronto on Friday, October 25th, as a special guest at the second-annual Delicious Food Show, which will be held at the Better Living Center on the exhibition grounds in the city's downtown. Martha will  join Canadian chefs Chuck Hughes, Lynn Crawford, Michael Smith, Nadia G and David Rocco as part of the three-day event that will feature cooking demonstrations, book signings and a host of exhibitors from across Canada's food and restaurant industries.

In a statement, Martha said: “The Delicious Food Show is an ideal setting to learn more about the many wonderful food offerings in Canada. I look forward to seeing the best of what the country’s food industry has to offer and sharing some of my favourite cooking techniques with attendees!” Martha will take part in a cooking demonstration in a Martha Stewart Living kitchen provided by The Home Depot and will then sign copies of her upcoming book, Martha Stewart's Cakes. I'm looking forward to going! Click here for more details.

New: Martha Stewart Crafts - Decoupage

I'm sure many of us remember Rosie O'Donnell's frequent visits to Martha's television studios and her insistence on decoupaging everything in sight! It was her favourite project and she even challenged Martha to a decoupage contest. (Martha won - hands down.) Rosie, along with thousands of others - myself included - love the beauty decoupage projects can bring to a room, whether the embellishment is large-scale or small. I prefer small details: a little bit of embellishment on a flower pot or vase, for example.

The art of decoupage now has the help of Martha Stewart Crafts and their new line of decoupage supplies, which will be in Michael's stores soon. This broad line includes 57 products tailored to decoupage artists, both advanced and beginners. Included in the line are premium multi-surface finishes and adhesive formulas, beautifully detailed paper cut-outs, fabric die-cuts, rolled papers, a variety of trims and doilies, and various tools. These new decoupage products were designed to also complement the multi-surface craft paint line. Crafters can use the all-surface paint and stencils to basecoat and embellish decoupage projects, taking decoupage to a brilliant new level. 

Pitcher Perfect

On a recent visit to my parents' home, I discovered two beautiful antique pitchers I had never really noticed before. They both belonged to my great gandmother, who obviously had an eye for beautiful, unique objects. My mother recalls studying all the details in these pitchers as a child and, because of her early interest, she inherited them. The ceramic pitcher depicts a stork standing on a log with decorative lily pads around the base and a series of soaring tulips reaching to the opening of the jug. The stork acts as the pitcher's handle. The glass pitcher has an embossed branch motif with two squirrels frolicking amongst the leaves. Both pitchers were made in Canada in the early 1900s. The glass pitcher was manufactured at a glassworks in Carleton Place, Ontario, not far from where my great grandparents had a farm. Both are treasured family heirlooms and I wanted to share their beauty here.

 

 

 



Eric Pike: New Editor-in-Chief of Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart Living has announced that it has named Eric Pike as the magazine's new editor-in-chief, effective immediately. This came in a news release today announcing Eric (the current brand and editorial director for MSLO) as the successor to the current editor-in-chief, Pilar Guzman, who joined the MSLO team in 2011. She has accepted a position at Conde-Nast Traveler. Eric will be the magazine's fifth editor-in-chief since Margaret Roach stepped down in 2006 and I just know that he is the perfect person to lead this wonderful and inspirational magazine to new heights of excellence. He is one of the earliest members of Martha's original team of editors and he knows this company, its founder and its magazine, inside and out. Welcome, Eric! I can't wait to see what ideas and style changes he'll bring to my favourite magazine! Read more about Eric, below.

ABOUT ERIC:
Eric joined MSLO in 1992 as an associate art director for Martha Stewart Living magazine. Prior to that, he worked as senior designer at Designframe from 1988 to 1992. From 1983 to 1988, he was a designer for Carbone Smolan Associates. Eric has played an integral and crucial role on the creative team at MSLO and is largely responsible for the overall look of MSLO's award-winning magazines and books.

During his tenure at the company, Eric has worked across a wide variety of projects and programs at MSLO, giving him a unique insight and creative perspective. His work has been honored by the Society of Publication Designers, the American Institute of Graphic Artists, the New York Type Director's Club, and the Rhode Island School of Design. MSLO has won four national magazine awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors for both photography and design. 

He was known at the magazine for years as "Father Christmas" because of his superb, award-winning editorial ideas and projects centered on Holiday themes - something Martha Stewart Living became famous for. He is one of the pioneers of Martha's original vision and this new appointment can only mean great things for the magazine.  

The September Issue

What do Japanese gardens, home organization, cheese plates, Martha's flower arrangements and lovely home tours have in common? They are all subjects included in the new September issue of Martha Stewart Living, which arrived in my mailbox yesterday. As in previous years, this is the annual decorating issue, or The Home Issue as it is now called. While the magazine is quite thin, the content doesn't disappoint. Look for it on newsstands soon!

Happy Birthday, Martha!

Each year, on Martha's birthday, I always find myself imagining what she might be doing. Is she at Skylands, perhaps on her Hinckley Picnic Boat, sailing to one of the satellite islands for a casual lobster dinner with friends? Is she at Lily Pond Lane, out by the pool with Alexis and her grandchildren? Maybe at Bedford for a larger celebration under a big canopy with the horses grazing nearby. Whatever she is doing, I'm sure she is content and feeling celebratory. On behalf of everyone who reads Martha Moments, I want to wish her a very happy 72nd birthday today. For the sake of nostalgia, I've posted this photo of Martha taken in 1961 (likely by Andy Stewart) on the New York City subway. She looked great then and she looks even better today! Happy Birthday, Martha, and thank you for all the inspiration.