It's A Good Thing (or two)

How did i forget to tell you about my recent encounter(s) with Martha!? I guess i had tweeted about it, but hadn't done a blog post. And then the other day something else happened and i was reminded to share this fun stuff with you..

Like so many, i'm a huge fan of Martha and her whole beautiful world. I subscribe to her magazine and email newsletter, watch her show, read her blog, follow her tweets, own her cookbooks, and her Encyclopedia (of Sewing and Fabric Crafts). I even painted our pie safe with Martha paint from Home Depot! Her recipes, projects, and tips are tried-and-true and tested to perfection. She sets you up for success, and i love that! Yep, a huge fan.

Back in February, when i heard that Martha was going to be doing a book signing just a couple towns away, i immediately signed us up for our spot in line. I think we were #317 and #318. The signing was to promote a new cookbook, Power Foods, that was written by the editors of Whole Living magazine. Martha wrote the foreword, and her seal of approval was quite enough for us. After such a long winter, Pete and i had gotten into a bit of a food rut, so we were excited (and desperate) for some new foodie ideas.

Before we hopped into the car to head to Fairway Market, Pete suggested i bring one of my Delilah plates from Crate and Barrel to give to Martha. I wasn't so sure about that because seriously, i was a bundle of nerves just thinking about actually meeting her, and thought it might be too self-promotey of me and not my style. But i listened to him, and put one of the plates in my bag. Yes, i'm sure you can guess this is some not-so-obscure foreshadowing.

We got to Fairway, bought our cookbooks and stood on line while Martha had a tour of the grocery store. Here she is at the deli counter (i was really trying not to stalk her):

And perusing the olive oil selection (ok, maybe i was stalking her just a little):

But just look at that beautiful scarf she was wearing! So stylish:

And then we finally had our chance to meet her and have her sign the cookbooks. I got up the nerve and handed her The Plate, figuring this was one of those times to seize the moment:

(please forgive the blurry photos. And let me add that i'm so happy Pete didn't know how to work the video on my phone...otherwise you'd be laughing right now at how nervous i was. trust me, you would be) She looked The Plate over very carefully, examined the details, and i think she liked it. I think...

While she was doing that, i was fixated on how her bright turquoise watch band matched her earrings perfectly. She's amazing. Then i quickly changed the topic to gardening. Pete and i were getting ready to turn the dirt in our raised beds and think about what veggies to plant this year. So i asked Martha if she had a favorite heirloom tomato she might recommend. She told me she plants over 30 varieties, but prefers a "good slicing tomato" and suggested either "Better Boy" or "Big Boy" hybrids. Here's Martha sharing this wonderful info with me:

In case you might be interested, she added that for heirloom varieties, Seed Savers is the best place to buy seeds. That sure made our choice an easy one.

I wonder how many books Martha signed that day?! Btw, it's a wonderful cookbook, and uses very simple, healthful ingredients. The Banana Bread with Walnuts and Flaxseed on p. 78 is a pretty yummy way to start the day (or end the day, or snack on in-between). Anyway, it was a thrill to meet Martha in person. I sure won't forget that anytime soon (or ever).

And then...

...last week...

...my friend Stefanie tweeted that she thought she spied some of my Central Park fabric on the Martha Stewart Show. Well, it was April 1st and i thought for sure she was April-fooling me. I usually fall for every prank/trick in the book, but not this time. OhHo no. Try again, Little Lady Patchwork :) Even in doubt, i waited for the previous day's show to air online, and sure enough there it was in Martha's hands! My little ol' Zoo animal print was featured in a segment about framing fabric. Wanna see? The whole project is such a wonderful idea (and i wish i had designed the beautiful Ikat prints in the beginning, but those were made by Dedar in Milan). My Zoo print comes in toward the end. So fun and exciting! Let me include the link in here quickly before i *faint* again.

Clunk.

ps: thankyouthankyou to everyone who has been voting in the march madness madness. i can't believe Central Park made it into the final four! yippee!

Clunk, again.