Good Things (Best of Martha Stewart Living) (Paperback)

~ Martha Stewart Living Magazine (Author) "The traditional etiquette of entertaining has evolved to include a few new rules: Relax, be creative, enjoy the planning and the party..." (more)
Key Phrases: scam binding, metal snips, floral wire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Martha Stewart's decorating ideas are deceptively simple. The materials are readily available and the instructions are easy, masking the sophistication it takes to realize the simplistic beauty of a plain white plate with a single maple leaf as a place card. "Good Things" is what Martha Stewart calls the "easy tips" segment of her television show, and, in fact, all of the tips in this book are remarkably easy (at least, in comparison to some of her other projects). Martha's potato, sweet potato, and onion latkes are remarkably good, and are particularly recommended for those who may still doubt whether they can match Martha in their own kitchens.

Product Description

Culled from the best of the "Good Things" columns in Martha Stewart Living magazine, this book offers a varied selection of wonderful crafts projects, recipes, hints for home decorating, organizing, and gift-giving. 200 color photos.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (April 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517886901
• ISBN-13: 978-0517886908
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #20 in	Books > Home & Garden > Expert Advice > Martha Stewart
  #27 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Flower Arranging
  #67 in	Books > Home & Garden > Interior Design > Style

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Projects are elegant and simple, yet make a statement., September 11, 1999

By A Customer

For any Martha Stewart fan, a must. This is a collection of her easiest projects, yet they really pack a punch. Try giving someone a gift wrapped in a paper bag tied with raffia and a fall leaf gift tag with their name written in gold ink. Faster than all that tape and expensive paper, and just see how impressed they will be with such a simple statement. The book is full of ideas like this. And they can be translated from one use to another. (You never entertain and use place cards? Try those ideas for gift tags.) The book is slightly overpriced for a softbound volume, but it it worth it not having to wade through three years of Marth Stewart Living trying to remember what issue that pilow project you are thinking of was in.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Martha, June 10, 2001

By	BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In the introduction to this book, Martha Stewart defines what she and her staff consider a "good thing". It must be uncomplicated, useful, aesthetically pleasing, interesting, pertinent, unusual, and done with materials that are easily found. I would say that about 75% of the projects in this book meet those criteria as I would apply them.

The book is well organized into seven sections: entertaining, cooking, celebrating, giving, gardening, decorating, and homekeeping. I found useful ideas in each section - some sections were better than others for me - but even the ones of lesser interest to me were still lovely to look at. At the end of the book, Stewart includes a source guide for most of the materials used in this book.

I especially liked the kitchen tips (in the cooking section); the easy instruction for handmade soaps; tole painting on tin buckets; and the organizing hints which included record-keeping.

Some of the ideas did not appeal to me at all (like gluing live ivy leaves along the edges of a tablecloth, making a linen table-sized mat, making linen basket liners, and constructing wraps for bottles) but then again, they were fun to look at!

The beautiful arrangement of this book and its photos made it worth buying.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The literary bon-bon from Martha, September 20, 2001

By	A. ODonnell "Amyred" (Houston, TX (USA)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book puts the best of the best right where you need them. I have used this book so many times I can't even count. My apartment is a testament to Martha Stewart, and when I buy a house, it will be even worse. I can't tell you how the dishwashing soap bottle just improves the look of the kitchen, not to mention using the concentrated stuff and diluting it with water saves money and the environment. Just so many things, I can't count. . .little things, that make it go a long way. See also Good Things For Organizing, which gave me four things to use the night I got it.