Martha's New Flower Service with BloomsyBox.com

This week, just in time for the holidays, Martha launched her new flower-delivery service with BloomsyBox.com, one of the leading mail-order floral services in the world with operations in Holland, South America and the United States. The farm-to-table delivery service sources its blooms directly from the farms where the flowers are grown and they are shipped to your door from there - no middle man required!

Martha's service will begin by specializing in roses only but will expand in 2019 with more floral varietals. Martha's service is subscription-based and can be used for yourself or given as a gift: the subscriber can purchase a monthly, 3-month, 6-month or annual subscription with roses delivered each month in one of three bouquet sizes: small, medium and large. The delivery is limited to the contiguous United States and the rose bouquets are single-type only: no mixed bouquets at this time.

The bouquets come in three different sizes: small, medium and large, as shown in the photo above. (You can also use single stems from the bouquet in smaller vessels).

WHAT TO EXPECT:

When you subscribe to the service, here is what you will receive. Each month, a bouquet of roses in the size you've selected will arrive at your door, seven days from the date of purchase. The rose varieties have all been selected by Martha and sourced from sustainable farms. The blooms ship directly from the farms.

Your bouquet will arrive securely hand-tied in a specially designed Martha Stewart BloomsyBox. Inside you'll find a booklet of Martha's care instructions, plant food and tips for arranging and displaying your flowers. You will also receive information about your specific rose variety.

Each variety was picked at the peak of freshness and is unique: some may still be in bud form. With patience and care, you'll enjoy the blooms for a couple of weeks as they slowly unfurl.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you order now through December 31, using code BLOG10 you will receive 10 percent off the subscription! CLICK HERE to learn more and subscribe.

The December Issue

Always anticipated by readers for its bevvy of inspiring ideas and recipes, the December issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine is something of a balm during this busy time of year. Year to year, the ritual changes: sometimes I will read it in bed while it snows outside; sometimes I will make a cup of tea and sit by the lamplight taking in all its details. This year the ritual changed again: I poured some eggnog (with nutmeg, of course) and sat at the dining room table, which is currently playing host to my amaryllis flowers, and slowly read it from cover to cover.

What I like about this year's issue is its total lack of pretension and its insistence on not forgetting what makes the magazine great. For example, when I saw that one of the main features of the magazine contained a shopping guide I was surprised that my reaction was not disappointment. It actually felt fresh to me and, if I am honest with myself, I was curious what the editors of this magazine recommended for Christmas. Let's face it, few of us have the time to make all of our gifts. So, it was nice to have some stylish gift ideas to ponder.

For those who do like to make all of their gifts (and I know you exist!) the entire Good Things section is devoted to handmade crafting and baking for the holidays, as is much of the Good Living section. Both sections feature a link to marthastewart.com/holidayhandbook where you can download all of the instructions and recipes for the projects and treats in these sections.

There are several extraordinary holiday menus to try in the issue: all of the recipes look delicious to me and I'm most curious about the chocolate eggnog creme brulee! (If that sounds too 'out there' for your liking, there is an entire spread on festive desserts).

All in all, it's a very nice finish to the year, I feel. It was a great year for the magazine, in fact. Stay tuned for my annual review of the issues coming sometime in December.

Martha's New Everything Pressure Cooker

Martha Stewart has just released her first cooking appliance! The Martha Stewart Pressure Cooker is an 8-quart, seven-in-one stainless steel appliance that can make anything from yogurt to soup to dessert. It is currently being sold on QVC. You can order it and watch Martha demonstrate the device with QVC host David Venable by clicking here. It is also coming soon to Amazon.

The appliance is currently on promotion for just $100 at QVC.com. The cooker includes an 8-quart stainless steel tri-ply pot, which can also be used on your stove top. There is a wire rack, a rice spoon and a measuring cup also included. It uses 1,200 watts of total power with 14 digital, preset cooking settings for easy programming: manual, slow cook, saute/sear, yogurt, rice, multigrain, meat/stew, poultry, soup/stock, steam, bean/chili, cereal, delay, and keep warm. It measures approximately 13.5 inches high, 15.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches in diameter. It weighs approximately 13 pounds and comes with a 39-inch long cord. It also comes with a limited one year manufacturer's warranty.

If you don't already have a pressure cooker, and are interested in trying one, this one might be a good place to start: reasonably priced, and with preset cooking programs it seems very user friendly.

Martha Stewart and Aerosoles

Aerosoles, the American women's shoe company known for its devotion to comfort and style, has partnered with Martha Stewart to design a line of shoes and boots. The complete collection will be unveiled this coming spring, but Aerosoles currently has two styles available from the Martha Stewart line for preorder. Inspired by the style of classic equestrian riding boots, the Fairfield and the Bridgehampton are based on some of Martha's favourite footwear. They are rain resistant and each pair comes with a memory-foam insole for extra comfort. Diamond Flex soles, which are standard on all of Aerosoles shoes, also help with comfort while walking by dispersing friction away from the foot.

Martha is shown wearing her newly-designed Fairfield rain boots.

These knee-high pull-on rain boots are inspired by classic riding boots, complete with buckle details around the ankle and calf. They are pull-on and fully lined. The heel height is one inch. The shaft is 14 and three quarter inches. Made of synthetic materials. They retail for $95 US.

The Bridgehampton is an ankle-high pull-on bootie, perfect to slip on during those drizzly fall days. Inspired by riding style Chelsea boots, these boots are designed with a medium-wide sole for extra comfort. The heel is one inch and the shaft is five and a quarter inches. Made of synthetic materials. They retail for $79 US.

Click here to preorder and to view Martha's personal selections of her favourite Aerosoles styles.

The November Issue

I've been happily enjoying the November issue of Martha Stewart Living for over a week now. And even though Thanksgiving in Canada has long since passed (we celebrate on the second Monday of October) the ideas contained within this issue are inspiring me for future fall projects and cooking sessions. The cover, first of all, is beautiful. It is reminiscent of covers-past with that perfect blend of rustic and modern; the colours are ideal, the styling of the image is superb and it just feels right.

Inside, the well of the magazine is bursting with deliciousness, savory, sweet and otherwise. A feature on pies had my mouth watering and my interest piqued: each of the pies is a modern variation on an old classic and, again, the styling is gorgeous in this feature. Two home features felt like a bonus to me! In one we visit the home of a young couple who moved to Maine recently to get back to a rural way of being and, similarly, in another feature, we visit the home of baker and cookbook author Jessie Sheehan in rural Connecticut. Both features feel authentic and offer some very nice ideas for decorating and cooking. A garden feature takes us to a beautiful arid garden in California for a nice change of pace and the front of the issue (Good Things, Good Living, etc.) is chockablock full of inspiring and practical ideas for Thanksgiving and the fall season. I'm really enjoying this year's issues! How about you?

Martha's Flowers: Deluxe Edition

For those of you who really loved Martha's latest book on flowers, you might want to consider adding the new deluxe edition to your collection. Or, you can add it to your Christmas list! With a different cover image and larger dimensions (about one inch taller and one inch wider) than the original book, it makes for a more sumptuous read and is sure to become a collector's item. The book is out today and can be ordered on Amazon.

Martha Stewart Living at Dubois Farms

Join the editors of Martha Stewart Living magazine for a day of apple-picking and "Good Things" at Dubois Farms in Highland, New York, this coming Saturday (October 13) as part of the annual Fall Fun Festival. Entrance and parking are free and the event is open to people of all ages. The farm is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about the farm and to find directions, visit duboisfarms.com.