I hope you've had the chance to listen to my latest podcast, "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey." It's a very special hour reminiscing about the creation and development of the magazine that launched my brand. If you haven't, please do - it's available now on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Earlier this summer, I invited Isolde and Gael to join me at my Bedford, New York farm, to recount some of our fondest memories - how we crafted each shoot, tested each recipe, and chose each cover. Living put an emphasis on beautiful visuals and timeless ideas. It was a huge effort, and I had a team of extraordinarily talented individuals to help make it all happen.
Here are just a few photos showing some of our past Living covers and behind-the-scenes moments over the years, enjoy. And please take some time this holiday weekend to listen to "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey."
This was our very first issue of Living. It was on newsstands in the winter of 1990. This photo of me was taken on my porch at my Westport, Connecticut home, Turkey Hill.
Here I am with Gael and Isolde holding that very first issue of the magazine. Isolde was Founding Editor-in-Chief, and Gael was our Founding Creative Director. At the time, there was no guarantee anything would last, but it did, and it got better and better every year.
And here is a black and white image me with a group of employees standing in front of a wall displaying the pages of the first issue at the offices of Time Inc. We talk about these early days on my podcast – there are so many fun memories.
Here’s the cover of another early issue – this one from April and May 1992.
And the fall Living issue of that same year – October and November 1992. Many of our first magazines were released by season.
This is a summer issue from June and July 1993. So many of you loved our entertaining and decorating stories. We wanted all of our readers to know they could incorporate all our projects and ideas into their lives.
This cover is from our October 1994 autumn issue. The magazine was growing and thriving. Martha Stewart Living was different from other publications because of its honesty and clarity.
December 2000 was one of our favorites, and the best selling issue in the first 10 years of the magazine.
Here’s another beautiful cover from March 2001. We made sure every photograph was real and beautiful.
We used story boards to create every issue – illustrations and images displayed in sequence so we could closely visualize what each issue would look like.
Then we took Living abroad. In this 2010 photo, we show all the international titles in publication at the time. Our magazines were loved around the world.
This spring 2012 issue of Living is from Germany.
And here is one from Indonesia in August 2013.
Remember this? We were the first to release our magazine online in 2010. Our digital magazine cover of Boundless Beauty, was rated by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 covers of the year. We worked tirelessly to create, what we felt, was a stunningly spectacular digital version filled with original content and many innovative concepts. This digital issue celebrated our 20th anniversary of Living.
Here’s a photo of me and Gael at one of our 10-year+ employee celebrations. We worked with an incredible staff of smart, creative and enthusiastic individuals.
To prepare for my podcast, more than 30-years after creating our first issue, my team and I looked through hundreds of back issues and pulled all our favorites – there were so many. These stacks of magazines are about 25 high.
Gael and Isolde visited me at my farm – it was a lovely reunion. We only had a couple of hours, but we could have sat for days…
We talked about those first days of shooting, when we did everything ourselves – I even did my own makeup.
We also talked about the long shifts working to get the issues out. Isolde even purchased a crib for her young child for the office because she was working such long hours. I don’t want to tell you everything – you’ll just have to listen, but the podcast is filled with stories, and behind-the-scenes memories.
And here’s a photo of the three of us after our show. What a fun time. Thank you for joining me Gael and Isolde. And please listen to my special podcast this weekend. “The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey” on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, or wherever you get your podcasts. You will love it.
If your schedule is as busy as mine, your car is probably your home away from home. I spend a lot of time in my car, so it's very important that it be comfortable, roomy, economical, and environmentally appropriate. Not long ago, I got my second electric car - the new Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, a battery electric full-size luxury lift back sedan, and it's great.
Electric vehicles offer so many advantages - among them, excellent performance and handling, less maintenance, and of course less pollution. Plus, charging can be done right at home. My Mercedes EQS plugs into my ChargePoint Home Flex station and it's ready to go in 20 to 40 minutes. If you're looking for a new car, consider going electric - you'll be glad you did.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is my Mercedes-Benz EQS 580+ sedan in obsidian black. My drivers and I love its maneuverability and comfort. Here I am with Andres. We’re leaving the farm for a long, busy day of meetings at our New York City offices.
This electric car performs so well when it comes to torque and acceleration. It’s also quiet and fast. It can go from zero to 60-miles-per-hour in less than six seconds.
This Mercedes is equipped with excellent 20-inch tires and 4MATIC all-wheel drive, so it’s good in all kinds of weather.
In the front, full-LED and digital LED state-of-the-art headlights for safety.
And inside, it has an all-engaging dashboard with dual touch-screen capabilities.
The front seats feature adjustable lumbar supports, side bolsters, and shoulder supports -all great for those long rides. And, guess what? It also has a built-in massager.
The heated seat and window controls are easily accessible from the door panel.
Andres places a towel on the floor of both the driver’s side and the front passenger side seats – with the ends tucked under the car’s floor mats. Towels keep the area clean and are easy to pick up and throw in the wash at the end of the day.
I like to keep a supply of bar towels in the car as well – the under-console space is perfect for these 12-inch terrycloth squares. I often place one on my lap while reading the paper, so the ink doesn’t get on my clothes, but they’re also good for wiping up accidental spills or wiping anything that gets wet in the rain.
The back is also very roomy, with wireless charging areas for phones. On the back seat, I like to have a couple of pillows and a good car blanket – just in case…
Fortunately, I can get a lot of reading done in the car – papers, documents, and all those emails. It is important to have the best light. This Mercedes-Benz EQS has ample interior lights in the front and in the back.
And look at the storage space in the car’s trunk.
ChargePoint Home Flex works with any electric vehicle model and is a fast flexible Level 2 home charger, meaning it uses a 240-volt circuit. We called in our electrician to install the station just outside my Winter House.
The entire installation process takes less than an hour to complete. The first step is to select a location – this wall next to my carport is perfect because it is convenient to reach and close to the entrance of my home.
Next, the ChargePoint Home Flex is hardwired and connected to a proper socket.
The outlet socket is then screwed into the box along with the weather protective cover. The ChargePoint is designed and tested to be safe, efficient, and reliable.
Finally, the ChargePoint station and cable are hung up on the wall right to the electric outlet box. The ChargePoint Home Flex is nine-times faster than a wall outlet and can deliver up to 50 amps of power. It can also be installed inside a garage or outdoors like this one.
The charging inlet on my Mercedes-Benz EQS is where one would typically find the opening to the gas tank. This one is on the right side of the vehicle.
And the ChargePoint connector just plugs in, quick and easy – then I’m able to leave home with a full charge. Visit ChargePoint‘s web site for more information.
The Mercedes-Benz is reliable, elegant, fast, and now fully-electric. Please go to the Mercedes-Benz web site to learn more about their cars.
My peacocks and peahens are now back in their enclosure, safe from any wild predators.
Over the last few weeks, we've been working hard to improve the security surrounding the peafowl pen. We moved the coop 25-feet toward the center, installed steel posts around the perimeter, and then unrolled and fastened durable fencing fabric across the entire top of the yard. In the wild, all birds also need a safe place to roost - they like to be up high to see what is around them and to escape from predators if needed. Yesterday, we added two new perches inside their coop, where they could roost up high at night. These add to the various perches provided outside - all made from felled or damaged trees here at the farm.
Enjoy these photos and the short video of the peafowl - back home.
If you follow this blog regularly, you may have seen the post showing the installation of this new fencing fabric over the peafowl coop and the yard. It will now prevent dangerous predators from entering the enclosure.
Once the peacocks and peahens were back in their pen, they were eager to walk around and explore. They are very curious animals – and what’s old is new again.
They all walked as a group, or an ostentation, to see what had changed.
I think they all approve. My peafowl are all very healthy. Full grown, peafowl can weigh up to 13-pounds. All the peacocks and peahens get lots of fresh, organic treats from my gardens.
Inside their coop, we also made a couple of changes.
We already secured two trees inside, where they could roost, but we also added perches up above.
Here’s Fernando securing a new perch beam that runs from the front to the back of the house. We had two extra cedar posts from another fencing project with smaller diameters that were perfect for the peafowl.
The two were secured with simple wooden brackets made in our shop right here at the farm.
These two found the perches pretty quickly – I think they like them.
Peacocks and peahens love to roost up high, where they can view all the goings-on from above.
Back outside, this peahen perches on one of the steps of a handmade ladder, secured to the side of the coop. It’s also in the shade – perfect for warm, summer afternoons.
This peahen is looking for a spot on the same ladder. On its head, both male and female peafowl have the fancy crest called a corona.
We also have trees “planted” in this yard, so the peafowl can roost on the branches.
And on both sides of the coop, we have horizontal perches – also built from felled trees here on the farm.
This one appears to be a popular resting place. And do you know… the term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. However, technically only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.
Peafowl are beautiful birds, but do not underestimate their power – they are extremely strong with very sharp spurs. And they will perch on anything above ground to get a better view.
Peafowl are happiest when living in small groups. They often walk around following each other and then stop to forage together. They are ground feeders. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening. As omnivores, they eat insects, plants, grains and sometimes small creatures. This peafowl pen is adjacent to the goose enclosure – they all like being near each other.
Peacocks are so photogenic with their iridescent blue necks. The males have already dropped their long tail feathers, but they will start to regrow again in the fall in preparation for mating season, which starts up again in February.
Peafowl are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are quite clever and will come close to all who visit. And peafowl have acute hearing, but can be poor at discerning from what direction certain sounds originate.
For now, they are safe, content, and comfortable. See you soon my dear peafowl.
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