Hope everyone's been having an awesome summer. I've been off the grid for the past 3 weeks enjoying weekends away and ramping up on a big new project, which I'll tell you about soon. I'm now back at my desk and ready to write about what's happening in my world.
Those who know me know I'm a die-hard Martha Stewart fan and consider her not only the original Domestic Goddess but also The Lifestyle Expert! Through Martha Stewart I learned about the art of entertaining, home keeping, decorating and cooking. I even learned how to make the perfect roast chicken using Martha's recipe. First printed in 1997 the perfect roast chicken recipe is still going strong. As I mentioned to Martha while she signed my copy of Martha's Flowers I've used this recipe a million times and it always comes out perfect!
I was invited to the Martha’s Flowers book launch at the Kohler New York flagship showroom in May but didn’t crack open the book ‘til two days ago, when I finally had a spare moment. So glad I did because I have received a new learning moment courtesy of Ms Stewart and her co-author Kevin Sharkey, Executive Director of Design at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, in the art of year-round growing, gathering and arranging flowers. Ms Stewart has written over 80 books and this is her 7th gardening book, so you could be forgiven for thinking that she's already said it all. However, for me what started as a quick flick-through became an actual couple hours of engrossed reading. It might just be that Martha's Flowers has arrived at the right moment for me to tackle my final frontier - yes, gardening.
I'm not a gardener and my floral arrangements generally consist of a single type of flower, all one color artistically displayed in one of the many vases I’ve collected over the years. The one thing Martha Stewart and I do have in common is an extensive collection of vases! Reading Martha’s Flowers has opened my world to the many possibilities of not just flower arranging, but the seasons for growing each flower, plus how to cut, arrange and get the most from your arrangement. Inspired by the luscious photos and following straightforward instructions I could actually pull some of this off, which I would never even have considered if not for this timely book.
All photos from Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying
