Martha Stewart Living

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Amazon.com Review

Even if you will never make a "gourd candle" or a "Fortuny-inspired tablecloth," Martha Stewart Living can't be beat for its wealth of ideas concerning what Martha calls "good things." A crafter for craft's sake, and an obsessively organized woman (just look at her personal calendar, included in the first few pages), there is no concept or task that is too mundane for Martha. Like Martha herself, the magazine is impeccably organized--recipes and decorating instructions appear with full-color photos, each filed in their own sections of "cooking," "keeping," "crafts," "home," and "collecting." Learn to slip matched sets of bed linens into one of their pillowcases for easy and convenient shelving, make washcloth mitts, and coordinate mismatched towels with decorative ribbon. A whiz at flower arranging, dinner parties, card and sewing crafts, and decorating, Martha covers and conquers all areas of the home--plus weddings, baby showers, and holidays. --Daphne Durham

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Martha Stewart Living is for discerning, quality-conscious readers. It celebrates the simple things people do in their everyday lives: gardening, entertaining, renovating, cooking, collecting and creating. We encourage our readers to dream, then show them how to realize their dreams.

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Product Details

• Format: Magazine
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Publisher: Martha Stewart Living
• ASIN: B00005NIOA
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
This magazine subscription is provided by Synapse

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as out-of-touch as she's made out to be, March 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Martha Stewart Living (Magazine)

Many people find themselves either daunted or turned off by the mention of "Martha Stewart." I find many aspects of the magazine surprisingly accessible, however. For example, I taught myself how to make jam several years ago based on step-by-step instructions in one of her magazines--something I'd never seen anywhere else. Now you may be thinking, "Right--like when do I have time to make jam?" I don't have time to make jam anymore either--but although there are certainly "snobby" aspects to the Martha Stewart empire, I credit her for actually being more down-to-earth than most people give her credit for. Making jam, for example, wasn't as difficult and out-of-reach as I'd made it out to be in my mind. Her recipes aren't that outlandish--as, for example, you're likely to find in Gourmet or Food and Wine. Certainly, one can be cynical and criticize Martha for sentimentalizing the idea of the Home--but on another level, I find that she reminds me to slow down and invest energy in this place I call my Home. No, I can't tackle all her projects--but they aren't as ridiculous as they've been parodied to be. Her step-by-step instructions are excellent.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars style for the masses, July 17, 2004

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Martha Stewart Living (Magazine)

This is a fine magazine with truly scrumptious recipes if you're into the kitchen/food thing, home ideas that one can actually use (or that will inspire one to do something similar), and exquisite photography, usually quite stark and simple, of ways to enhance the aesthetic beauty of one's life.
One can serve a plain meal of soup and bread, and make it look like a feast, if you get into Martha's way of looking at things, and it does not take a spending spree to have a "Martha Look". Her basic table settings tend to be white china (one can use mix and match white plates from the local thrift store), clear glass, and colorful fabric...add some well shaped twigs in a glass vase for a centerpiece, and voila ! you have a table that could be shown in this lovely magazine; a rule for "The Look" seems to be the absence of clutter.

Of the regular monthly articles, I like "Ask Martha", which solves problems posed by readers, from health issues to how best to clean your eyeglasses, to "How can I get the coating on my chicken to stay in place when I am frying it ?".
"Clip-Art Craft" is another I appreciate, where in the August '04 edition for example, there are attractive templates for postcards, which one can copy onto card stock, glue a 4 x 6 photo to, and send to your friends. It's another grand idea from Martha !
You'll find articles on antiques, pets, gardening, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and much more, and on the last page, the yummy "Cookie of the Month".

Martha Stewart has brought style and good merchandise at affordable prices for those of us who are budget conscious, but like nice things. I have bought her bedding, and her bathroom accessories have graceful shapes and are an excellent value, and this magazine is one of my favorite aspects of the "Martha industry". The Patricians I know are not usually kind to Martha, but Proles & Plebes like me tend to greatly appreciate her.
Martha, we're going to stick by you through thick and thin !

79 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened Martha?, March 22, 2002

By 

h - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martha Stewart Living (Magazine)

I have been subscribing to Martha Stewart for ages. I love her TV show...and while I think she is a mildly obsessed person to take on all her tasks, I have learned many valuable tips from her magazines. I consider myself a pretty crafty person and I owe alot of great ideas to the Great One.

These past two years however, I have noticed a huge change in the quality of her magazine subscription. In the beginning, she devoted many pages to crafting and collecting, a few pages to great recipes and gardening...but now all I see anymore are expensive ads. Literally, her magazine has grown into a very hefty 40% ad content. I give her credit for choosing elegant and high style ads as sponsers, but as I flip through the pages ALL I notice now are designer, perfume, clothing, and bedding ads. I sometimes wonder if amidst all the new crafty and quickly blooming Martha-style versions of her own creation, if she needs more and more money from these sponsers to support the turn-out of her subscriptions. And yes, I have begun to leaf through some of these new "good things" take-offs. Many are great and do not have all the clutter of unwanted ads. I think, for myself, this might be my last year with Martha...it's time to try something new(and a lot less expensive). As a true fan though, I still highly recommend her fabulous TV show and her published books on cooking, gardening, and crafting. You will find no annoying fillers in her beautiful, harcover books.