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"Martha Stewart's Cookies" will be released in French on December 25th, 2009. This is the first book of Martha's since "Pies and Tarts" to be translated into French. The French title is Biscuits, Sables, Cookies: La Bible des Tout Petits Gateaux. The book has a new cover and will be released in France, parts of Europe and Canada. It is available to North Americans through Amazon Canada. Also, on February 23rd, a new edition of the Everyday Food cookbook will be released with a new cover, shown below.
In the late 1980's and early 1990's, before the first episode of her television show debuted on public television, Martha released a series of how-to videos through Kmart, which today are definite collector's items. One series was based on entertaining, Martha Stewart's Secrets for Entertaining: buffet parties, formal dinner parties, etc. Another series was based on the renovation of the Adams' house in her Connecticut neighbourhood, which she oversaw as part of a fundraiser: Decorative Finishes and Renovating with Style. What's fun about these videos, aside from the glimpses of a long-haired Martha in 80's garb, is viewing the foundation of her business taking shape before your eyes. The formative years of Martha's television show are artfully filmed on these old VHS tapes, with strolls through Martha's various kitchens at Turkey Hill, her dining room, her gardens and her greenhouse. The viewer can see the larger model of her eponymous company formulating. My favourite is the formal dinner party video, which shows Martha in one scene lounging in her dining room wearing her 'formal dress' (a see-through black number with sequins) espousing the virtues of dressing up and entertaining friends at home. It's over-the-top elegance at its best. And it's a good thing. 
Hosting a country luncheon for 85? Having 20 people over for a midnight supper after the opera? Planning a gourmet Chinese dinner for 12? Well, you can't really call yourself a Martha Stewart fan if you don't have "Entertaining" - Martha's groundbreaking first publication (1982, Clarkson Potter) about the fine art of hosting fabulous events. It was really the first book of its kind. It is notable not only for its dozens of original recipes developed by Martha (who at this point had been working as a Connecticut caterer for ten years) but also for its focus on the author's lifestyle, driven by a pioneering spirit, a self-sown, entrepreneurial determination and an uncompromising love of all things beautiful. The book was both loved and despised at the time of its release and is, to this day, a timeless record of Reagan-era pomp and circumstance. The book's large, glossy pages are filled with photographs of tables laden with home cooked dishes, arranged and merchandised to maximum effect on Martha's dining room table, or set outdoors in the orchard, by the pool or in the perennial garden. The glimpses at all of Martha's 'things' are key to the book's allure. We want to see her kitchen and the dishes she collects, not just the food she serves on them. We want to see her antique furniture and learn about where it came from, not just the ingredients in the meals she prepares. It's the quintessential lifestyle book and inspired an entire legion of do-alikes to follow in her footsteps with similar tomes. But Martha was the first. The book has had two editions and both seem slightly dated today. (The proliferation of doilies, eyelet and fussy floral arrangements are too much for the eye to handle at times, while deep-fried shrimp toasts and snow peas with piped cream cheese now look dolefully old fashioned.) Still, it is a must for any afficionado of the Martha Stewart brand, anyone interested in the depiction of the American homemaker and anyone interested in entertaining! 
The warm weather is upon us and it won't be long before we head for the beach, our tote bags stuffed with surf-side essentials. I'm a quasi-collector of fabulous towels (only large beach towels, thank you very much) and many of the ones I have are hommages to various brands and designers: an orange Ralph Lauren towel with the giant pony logo in navy blue, a rainbow Lacoste towel with a giant alligator logo, an Egyptian-cotton towel with large, red embroidered butterflies and a very campy towel with an Erte diva in full-glam apparel. These ones below, part of the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's, would make fantastic additions to my large large-towel trove: a Martha must-have! (Does anyone remember, by the way, those fabulous towels from the Catalog for Living from 2001 with the classical nautical motifs - fish, coral, etc. - beautifully overlaid on plush, dark cotton? Sigh. The towels that got away... I should have ordered one when I had the chance.)
Garden Beach Towel
Tent Beach Towel For Two
Koi Pond Beach Towel
Dahlia Beach Towel
Kimono Beach Towel
Beaded Beach Towel
At the moment, this is my favourite piece of kitchenalia. Boring, you say? Well, practicality and functional design have always won out over opulence and extravagance for me. The North River Server, one of the latest additions to the Martha Stewart Furniture collection with Bernhardt, is without a doubt functional and practical - and beautiful. What I love about it is its versatility. It can be used as a sideboard in a dining room or as an island in a warm Colonial kitchen. Its diversity owes itself to the form and substance. Its top is made of heat-resistant granite, meaning even the hottest of simmering pots can be placed on top of it without the fear of burn marks. Its rugged, hardy surface makes it perfect for kitchen prep, yet it's smooth and elegant enough to hold silver turines, a crystal lamp or a vase filled with freshly cut roses. Nicest of all, the back of the piece is finished, giving it the looks needed to stand freely in the center of a kitchen. Two deep drawers, which come with cloth liners for silver storage, are adorned by sturdy iron hardware and can hold any number of serving utensils. The spacious shelves are ideal for large bowls and platters and adjustable glides make it even more accommodating. 
Martha Stewart now has her own i-Google page, which you can download and save to your desktop. Designed in pretty pastels and decorated with an image of puffy paper pom-poms, Martha's i-Google features all of her favourite online gadgets, including highlights from her website and her blogs, Picasa (a photo-sharing gadget), BBC News for all the latest world headlines, Twitter, Amazon, O'Reilly Radar, CNN and the Financial Times. You can add on as many gadgets as you'd like. The image below is an example of what the Martha Stewart Google homepage looks like:
How adorable are these shirt-and-tie cards? A few simple folds and a little imagination go a long way to create a memorable keepsake.
Paper airplanes never felt so useful! Pre-fold your airplane and then unfold again to write your messages, using the fold marks as guides for your pen. Create a coupon system or an I.O.U. chart letting him know how you'll help make his day extra special.
