The Martha Blog » Behind the Scenes

Partying in style with Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Martha Stewart — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:04:52 +0000

Yesterday, Thursday, I attended, what was being dubbed in the news as ‘the party of the century.’ It was the 40th birthday party for hip hop mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, held in the Grand Ballroom at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Diddy, who is known for his extravagant parties, hired event planner, Bronson Van Wyck, and asked him to create a fantasy dreamland. The party was simply stunning and I had such a fantastic time! Please enjoy these photos.

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1 My friend, Sean Puffy Combs 'Diddy'

2 Diddy's jacket was amazing.

3 The man of the hour

4 Sean Puffy Combs's son, Justin

5 Diddy's younger son, Christian

6 Here I am being greeted by the press line.

7 The hand of each attendee was marked with a black light-sensitive stamp.

8 Ballet students from the Dance Division of The Julliard School were poised throughout the party.

9 Oh - to have a ballerina's body

10 Sarah Goldman, daughter of Amy Goldman - garden author - was my guest for the evening.

11 Holla at me!

12 I was happy to meet Rapper Nelly.

13 Designer Zac Posen, his mother, Susan, and me

14 Here I am with the Reverend Al Sharpton.

15 Comparing shoes with a guest

16 Here I am with Paul Schindler - entertainment lawyer - and his wife, Jane.

17 The plaza was decorated exquisitely - here with real ferns. The security was great.

18 The floral decorations were extraordinary!

19 Clusters of berries mixed in with the arrangements

20 Here I am with Bronson Van Wyck - event planner for this party.

21 Real apples hung from the branches.

22 Cocktails were served in this greenery-filled 'holding pen.'

23 Well-dressed bartenders - Ciroc vodka was a sponsor for the evening.

24 Another sponsor

25 Here I am with entrepreneur, Russell Simmons.

26 Candles and cattleya orchids decorated the room.

27 Here I am with Anthony Anderson - actor - who was a guest on my television show. We made beautiful stone planters together. I'm eating a delicious grape popsicle.

28 Posing with another guest who.......

29 who proudly showed me his bling.

30 Posing with a guest

31 Everyone was texting and taking pictures.

32 Body guards were everywhere.

33 Orchids mixed into the greenery

34 A body guard

35 Chocolate sticks dipped in dragée were a big hit.

36 Tim and Helen Schiffter of LeSportsac

37 Voluptuous lady guests

38 This table was reserved for Diddy.

39 The crystal chandelier is the actual one in the plaza. All the others were brought in for the party.

40 Large black orbs

41 The DJ and emcee announced guests as they arrived.

42 Getting friendly with a horse lamp

43 More ladies

44 And more ladies

45 Incredible flower arrangements

46 Another view

47 Gorgeous hydrangea

48 Great shot of Diddy entering the party

49 Another guest

50 This looks like ice sculpture, however it's glass!

51 Love this jacket

52 The ballroom was furnished with giant black velvet couches.

53 The scene

54 The ceiling

55 Posing with the body guards

56 More guests

57 A very tall guest

58 Another shot of the ceiling

59 Fashion designer RIchie Rich on the left

60 Part of the decor

61 Andre Balázs (left) - New York City hotelier - with a friend

62 Dar Coaxum "The Prince of Harlem", Designer who had an amazing bow tie - www.bellaartistry.com

63 Closeup of Dards riding boots

64 Diddy's intern from Columbia University

65 My friend, Harvey Weinstein

66 Striking a pose

67 Guests leaving (Ed Burns & Christy Turlington) - Bono is at the front of the line, but I didn't get his photo.

68 Sassy

A Pie Contest

Martha Stewart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:01:10 +0000

Last Monday on my television show, we had our first annual pie contest, where we asked members of the audience to share their favorite pies with us. It turns out that many were eager to impress us with their baking skills because amazingly, a total of 161 pies were transported into the studio that morning. To judge all those pies, we asked Karen Demasco, pastry chef at Locanda Verde in New York City; Sandro Micheli, pastry chef at Adour Alain Ducasse in New York City; John Barricelli, host of "Everyday Baking from Everyday Food" and owner of SoNo Baking Company and Cafe in South Norwalk, Connecticut; and Sarah Carey, host of "Everyday Food" and food editor of Martha Stewart Living.
As you can imagine, there was a whole lot of tasting going on. It was a pie lover's extravaganza! The judges narrowed it down to five choices, leaving me with the final judgment. The winner was Marjorie Johnson with her most delicious English Toffee Pecan Pie. Enjoy these pie photos taken that day and try not to drool!

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1 It was a most amazing pie display!

2 TV show staff members Dani, Anduin, and Calia were happy to be tasaters.

A tag sale at my offices - Prada, Escada, Ralph Lauren and more

Martha Stewart — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:01:05 +0000

Last Friday, we held our annual tag sale at my offices in the Starrett Lehigh building in Manhattan. What we were selling was my television wardrobe from last season. Many of these items were only worn once and are of very good quality. The idea for this sale is to offer employees a really great deal for this merchandise. The clothing was placed in bins and moved from the TV studio. At Starrett, it was arranged on long tables, organized by sweaters, blouses, pants, shoes, etc. My executive assistant, Jessica, helped me price and tag everything. The sale began at noon and as tag sales go, it was quite a scene. I was happy to see that people were very happy with their finds.

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1 This is the clerestory. As you can see, it is a wonderful space for large events. The tag sale only took up one corner of this room. On either side of the clerestory, there are busy work areas behind the scrims.

2 The tag sale drew quite a crowd.

3 These gentlemen each have an armload of clothing! I wonder who the lucky women are?

4 The shoes were displayed in zipper bags and priced very reasonably.

5 All good tag sales have a give away area. This one featured assorted yarns, fabrics, and trimmings.

6 The clothing was displayed neatly folded upon long tables.

7 Simply stated

8 Doreen Hunt and Lee Evans tallied up the sales.

9 Ralph Lauren jeans

10 A great buy on Ralph Rucci silk pants!

11 White Escada trousers

12 I can't believe these prices!

13 This group of shoppers wanted free arms and stacked their finds on the floor.

14 These are the bins that the clothing was transported in.

15 A quick try on

16 Lisa just loves this Brooks Brother's shirt.

17 Tori is crazy about this bright pink Façonnable blouse.

18 Lynn plans on giving this silk yarn to her cousin to knit into an afghan.

19 Tana and her son, Dana - she is happy about her shoe purchase.

20 Claudia is browsing

21 Elizabeth, from the test kitchen, strolling by and taking a peek

22 Stephanie - another browser

23 Helene is contemplating this pair of Donna Karan tweed slacks.

A terrific evening for the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai

Martha Stewart — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:01:18 +0000

Two nights ago, I hosted the second annual gala for the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai. This is a special project I have been involved with for more than five years and is something very dear to my heart. When it opened, I dedicated the center to my beloved mother, who passed away two years ago this month at the age of ninety-three. The Center for Living is designed to provide out patients with whole patient care, including medical examinations, advice about diet and exercise, and the all important need for care giving. Simply stated, the main focus of the center is to teach how to grow old gracefully, something we should all start focusing on around the age of fifty.

The gala, held at my office in the Starrett Lehigh bulding in Manhattan, was a huge success with 375 guests in attendance. At the end of the evening, which included an auction, more than one million dollars was raised. The food was exquisitely prepared by Chef Pierre Schaedelin, who is now executive chef and part owner of Benoit in New York City. www.benoitny.com Sir Harold Evans, the legendary editor and journalist was our honoree of the evening and the event was emceed by Liz Smith. I wish to thank all who contributed and a special thanks to Jean Graham, Heather Kirkland, and Erin Fury, from our corporate events department, for all of their hard work in making this evening so wonderful. There is still time to bid on some great items to contribute to the Center for Living by visiting Charitybuzz.com.

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1 Tina Brown, Sir Harold Evans, and me DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

2 Here I am with Jim Cramer.

3 My daughter, Alexis, joined me for the occasion DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

4 Here I am with Tina Brown DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

5 Liz Smith, the Grand Dame of Dish, was our emcee for the evening.

6 With Liz Smith and Charles Koppelman - our Chairman of the Board DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

7 Here I am with Ed Victor and his mother-in-law - Florence Boggs - nearly 106 years old!

8 Robin Marino and Kevin Sharkey DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

9 Posing with Cynthia McFadden of Nightline and my niece, Sophie Herbert Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

10 Susan Magrino, her mother Mary Cross, me, and Allyn Magrino Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

11 With my friend, Dan Shedrick Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

12 Dr. Al Siu and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

13 With Larry Shire Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 200 © Patrick McMullan

14 Posing with Gerri Kyhill and Charles Koppelman Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

15 Dr. Brent Ridge, me, and Josh Kilmer-Purcell Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

16 Matthew Axe, Alex Postman, and Katie Hatch Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

17 Mark Ingram and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

18 Memrie Lewis and Holly Bannister Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

19 Darcy Miller with Sophie Herbert - my niece, and Christopher Herbert - my nephew

20 Michael Citro, Laura Blau, Muffin Dowdle, and Peter Michaelis

21 Steven Doyle - Gael Towey's husband and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

22 Here I am with Marc Lowenberg and Greg Lituchi Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

23 Jeffrey Brown and Robin Marino Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

24 Bunny Williams, John Rosselli, and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

25 Barry and Diana Levinson Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

26 Pomegranate martinis Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

27 Chateau St Jean donated all of the white wine for the evening

28 The vodka for the martinis - Imperia, of course Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

29 The tables were set in the clerestory Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

30 I contributed some of my photographs for the auction.

31 Other various auction items and bidding forms

32 These items were also available for bidding on Charitybuzz.com - some are still open.

33 Here is one of the stations set up for bidding.

34 The room was decorated with large stained plywood squares with silhouettes of bonsai trees made from white and silver vinyl.

35 Another image

36 And another

37 The logo for the Center for Living

38 Chef Pierre Schaedelin and famed Alain Ducasse

39 Pierre's menu taped in the kitchen area for easy reference

40 These racks held the lobster salad awaiting to be dressed and served.

41 The first course was a colorful lobster Salad consisting of lobster, lettuce cup, heart of palm, green beans, avocado, tomato, and grapefruit.

42 Dr. Audrey Chun addressing the room

43 Dr. Dennis Charney

44 Here I am thanking everyone for coming. Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

45 My image up on the big screen

46 Pierre keeping a watchful eye over every detail

47 A very efficient assembly line

48 Pierre manning the ovens

49 The pace was fast in the kitchen.

50 The main course was salmon en croute served with carrot puree, spinach, and tarragon sauce.

51 The parade of food emerges from the kitchen.

52 The auctioneer for the evening

53 The Charitybuzz.com representative received bids by cell phone.

54 Dessert was a wonderful meringue shell filled with chestnut mousse.

55 Piping the filling into each shell

56 Candied marron garnished the top.

57 Cynthia McFadden and Sophie Herbert Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

58 Dr. Nimesh Nagarsheth - the drummer for N.E.D, a rock band made up of six doctors.

59 Karen Hart - Steve Schwarz's daughter on the board of the Brookdale foundation and my friend, Ralph Robbins

ABC's Nightline comes to visit my farm

Martha Stewart — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:01:44 +0000

Recently, I was approached by Nightline, the ABC news show. They were interested in putting together a program about my life. Remember last week's blog from the book signing in Philadelphia when I mentioned that Nightline was also there? Well, to continue with that theme, yesterday, Cynthia McFadden, one of he co-anchors of the show, arrived at my home in Bedford bright and early with a producer and a film crew. Cynthia interviewed me and tagged along during my morning routine. Then, it was off to New York City, to visit my offices and to document what my day is like in my business world. Be sure to watch Nightline on November 19th!

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1 It was a perfect morning for a visit from Nightline - unusually warm for early November.

2 Early in the morning, before the crew of Nightline arrived, Gyurme neatened up the gravel on the driveway.

3 I started my day with my morning workout in my gym with trainer, Mary Tedesco. Cynthia McFadden joined me for the session.

4 After our workout, we continued our discussion over a healthy breakfast - scrambled farm-fresh eggs, homemade granola, fruit salad, and Greek yogurt - of course, cappuccino.

5 Cynthia spoke for a while to my long-time housekeeper, Laura Acuna.

6 Laura Acuna and Mary Curren, hair and makeup. Mary was laughing that she is always photographed with food on my blogs.

7 After breakfast, we moved outdoors and headed down to the equipment barn for a meeting with my Bedford staff.

8 On the way, we ducked into the blog studio, where I showed Cynthia some photos from my modeling days many years ago. Ken Fuhr followed with his camera.

9 Cynthia was interested in my bald cypress grove as it is turning a magnificent amber shade.

10 In the staff meeting, I instructed where to plant the new delivery of spring bulbs.

11 Here I am mapping out the new garden plan for the Summer House.

12 All the while, Nightline was rolling.

13 Cynthia was amazed at how much machinery is actually needed to run the farm.

14 My fleet of 2 Kawasakis sat ready to transport us to the next area.

15 As we drove down to the stable, we said 'good morning' to Billy, Clive, and Rufus.

16 Meindert was curious to see who was approaching.

17 Ramon was happy to be on camera.

18 Nicole Sutliff, of the Susan Magrino Agency and Kim Kaplan, assistant to Cynthia.

19 Camera man, Akram Abi-Hanna checks for lighting.

20 Akram captures the beauty of the farm with Gil Ben-Ze'Ev - sound technician.

21 The beauty of instant review

22 Rutger was in a playful mood outdoors.

23 Through the allée on to the chicken coops.

24 The chickens were clucking as we pulled up.

25 Cynthia was thrilled to gather a few freshly laid, still warm, eggs.

A day in my life - part two

Martha Stewart — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:01:45 +0000

As stated yesterday, my one-day trip to Philadelphia on Monday was something of a whirlwind. To celebrate the release of my latest book, Dinner at Home, my first stop was a book signing. I greeted hundreds of fans at the Williams - Sonoma store in the King of Prussia mall and signed more 600 copies. After the book signing my traveling companions and I ate lunch at Pod, a sleek and extraordinary Asian-fusion restaurant owned by the trendsetting, Stephen Starr, and designed by the Rockwell Group, a famous architecture and design firm. Our dining experience at Pod was a unique and enjoyable experience.
Following our lunch, we walked the short distance to Wharton, the business school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, Wharton is recognized as one of the world's most prestigious and influential business schools. I was invited to speak at the Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center to a group of more than 500 business students. It's always a thrill to speak to such bright and inquisitive minds. The topic was building the Martha Stewart Brand, and I must say that after my talk, they asked many impressive and intelligent questions.

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1 After the book signing, we headed for downtown Philadelphia in search of a lunch spot.

2 The restaurant, Pod, seemed like the perfect choice to enjoy a relaxed lunch. It was in close proximity to the Wharton School so we would not be rushed.

3 The interior of Pod was nothing less than futuristic, created by Stephen Starr, Philadelphia's leading trendsetting restaurateur. This is one of several small eating pods for more intimate dining.

4 The interior is sleek and white and has bold, bright colorful lighting,

5 This bar features a translucent amber resin bar top, lit from beneath with white neon.

6 This area is the red lounge - a sofa-like foam sculpture.

7 This is the busy sushi prep area.

8 This oval-shaped sushi bar has a conveyor belt that delivers the freshly prepared sushi. Above the sushi bar, a large, screen shows non-stop video clips.

9 One sushi roll on its way!

10 These bright panels are actually a sliding door.

11 The pods looked like a fun place to eat, so that is where we dined.

12 The interior lighting can be changed according to the diners' mood - we were happy with this pale green - Mary, Susan, Ellen, Dee, Will, and me.

13 In Japan, it is customary to use chopstick rests. We decided to create our own. This is my knot design.

14 Will's was shaped like a ramp.

15 Eliad, our photographer for the day, came up with this design, which he named the 'dragon tongue.'

16 Mary wanted to keep the wrapping logo in tact.

17 Food is served family style - we had lettuce wraps with delicious tofu and chicken filling.

18 Yummy chicken potstickers

19 Lots of sushi - California roll, eel, spicy tuna, and yellowtail

20 Bowls of spicy condiments

21 After lunch, I visited the ladies' room.

22 The lit up symbol for not occupied

23 Pink for taken

24 And then, a quick touch up before leaving for the Wharton School.

25 At Wharton, I was greeted by Erin Armendinger and Keith Niedermeier, Ph.D.

26 The podium all set up for my lecture, while students poured in

27 This gentleman's name is Chad and he was so upset that he had lost his camera, so I will try to email him this photo.

28 The presentation begins

29 I love speaking to a young and ambitious crowd.

30 Here I am, once again, in action.

31 As I was speaking, many students were taking notes on their laptops. Things are so much easier than when I was a student attending lectures.

32 When I finished speaking, there were many excellent questions asked.

33 Leaving the downtown area of Philadelphia for the airport, the landscape becomes very industrial.

34 Many industrial plants along the way

35 The afternoon light on the tarmac was incredibly gorgeous.

36 Finally aboard the plane, but no slowing down - we used our remaining time together to review my schedule for upcoming events.

37 The setting sun marks the end of daylight, but not the end of my work day.

Photos By Eliad Laskin

A day in my life - part one

Martha Stewart — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:01:42 +0000

As you know, I live a very busy and varied life. On Monday, I had to make a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend a book signing at a Williams - Sonoma store at the King of Prussia Mall, the largest shopping mall on the east coast of the United States. The book signing was from 11AM to 1PM followed by a delicious lunch at Pod, a trendy Philadelphia restaurant. After eating, we went directly to the Wharton School, where I spoke and gave a Power Point presentation to approximately 500 guests. The topic was: Building the Martha Stewart Brand, followed by a lengthy Q&A from the students. It lasted more than 30 minutes! When the lecture was over, we were whisked away to catch our flight back home.

I spent the evening at my home working on various projects, while watching the World Series, rooting for my favorite team, the New York Yankees. It was then off to bed only to rise early again the next morning and travel to my Manhattan TV studio to arrive at hair and makeup at 8AM. I hope you enjoy these photos from Part One of my long and busy day in Philadelphia. Check out tomorrow's blog and I'll give you a glimpse into Part Two.

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1 After my early morning exercise, Mary Curran was ready to fix my hair and apply my makeup between mouthfuls of my favorite Uncle Sam's cereal and fresh fruit.

2 My office at home is in my kitchen and here I am checking my morning emails. I have a MacBook Air and a Sony Vaio - I know - I can have it all on one computer, but I prefer the two software platforms side by side.

3 Time for my morning indulgence of a deliciously rich cappuccino - I also offer this frothy brew to anyone in the kitchen.

4 Ahh! Such thick foam!

5 The perfect cappuccino! A great way to start the day!

6 Silly Mary!! Got froth?

7 Francesca and Sharkey are always sad when they see me packing up to leave. However, it's only for the day and they are always in good hands.

8 With today's newspapers in hand, it's time to leave for the airport and yikes, my hair is already messy!

9 Over the weekend, I made a list of garden chores. On my way out, I met up with Shaun, my gardener, about what requires his immediate attention.

10 This is Manny, one of my security detail, giving a friendly wave goodbye as we drove out the of gate.

11 This is one of the pilots for the day greeting me as I boarded the plane.

12 The mandatory pre-flight safety briefing - I have heard all of this thousands of times, but I always pay attention.

13 As we took off from Westchester County Airport, the foliage below painted a pretty picture.

14 Looking down the Hudson River - That's the George Washington Bridge with Manhattan on the left and New Jersey on the right.

15 All settled in for the 36 minute flight to Philadelphia.

16 I enjoy the Ken Ken puzzles - they help to sharpen my mind for the busy day ahead.

17 Two vehicles greeted us on the tarmac - Susan Magrino, my publicist, is signaling for everyone to get moving.

18 How sad - I always feel so badly when wildlife is hit on the roadway - This is an unfortunate red fox.

19 The King of Prussia mall is very nice - lots of great shopping.

20 Here I am approaching the Williams - Sonoma. The crowd was lined up and waiting.

21 MSLO employees - William Van Roden - with his mother, Dee - and Ellen Morrissey - They happened to be in the area and decided to come to the book signing. I was so happy to see them in Philadelphia, that I invited them to join us for lunch.

22 This is Meryl - she made this necklace from Home Depot paint chips and a decorative paper punch.

23 Roasted pumpkin soup, found on page 168 of my new Dinner at Home book, was served to the crowd. Everyone loved it.

24 The line for the book signing was really long - it seemed to wrap around the entire mall!

25 More of the line - everyone was so patient and kind.

26 This is Sang Mi and her cute baby, Jeremy.

27 ABC's Nightline was there filming my book signing as part of a TV special.

28 Carl is a big fan of the Martha show and he knows how to wear our T-shirt.

29 Donna and Ashley - notice that they shoot with a Canon G9? Great camera!

30 And look who else came! This is Margy, the mother of Shaun, my gardener.

31 Margy's book - signed by me!

32 These yummy coconut cupcakes were provided by Cupcakes Gourmet. www.cupcakesgourmet.com

33 We sold over 600 books! That means I signed over 600 books!

34 In the back room of the store, the Williams - Sonoma employees left me a message on their blackboard.

35 Kate Tyler, and Susan Magrino, and Nicole Sutlif discussing logisitcs.

36 Mary Beth and her adorable rescue poodle, Irish

37 Very sweet!

38 This is Kelly McDade, who was the winner of last year's USA Today's Cooking with Martha Contest. I was happy to see her again.

39 This little girl was a bit nervous to meet me, but was very happy afterwards.

40 What happened to the baby??

41 Here he is! I suppose that stack of books weighs more than he does.

42 It really never gets old - I love book signings and meeting my fans.

43 In addition to the roasted pumpkin soup, hanger steak with caramelized shallots on page 207, was prepared by The Water Works Restaurant in Philadelphia www.thewaterworksrestaurant.com and offered for tasting.

44 Executive chef Darryl Harmon of The Water Works Restaurant

45 Rambunctious and playful brothers

46 Of course, they were more interested in their Medieval toys than my book.

47 These are Williams Sonoma employees, who were so happy to have me sign their copies.

Photos By Eliad Laskin

The MARTHA Halloween TV special behind the scenes

Martha Stewart — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:01:03 +0000

If you didn't see my television show on Friday, you would be correct in assuming that it was our annual Halloween special, which my TV crew and I simply adore. This year's theme was inspired by the new wonderful movie, "Where the Wild Things Are," a beautiful and creative adaptation of the award-winning classic book of the same name, written by Maurice Sendak in 1963. Our set was transformed into the Land of the Wild Things, complete with a crystal cave and a spooky forest. I was dressed as the Queen of the Wild Things and I had so much fun with my first guest, Jimmy Fallon, who, by the way, says he is afraid of dressing up in costume. Jimmy was terribly impressed with our Monster Buffet, but I have a feeling, I better be careful when I am a guest on his show next time.

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1 Jimmy Fallon and I really enjoyed slurping Eggs of Newt together!

2 I'm standing with some 'wild things' and Sonny Gerasimowicz, the creative designer of the wild characters.

3 The original award-winning book by Maurice Sendak published in 1963

4 Working on the crystal cave

5 A turkey vulture picking at bones

6 Glowing eyes seemed to be peering out from everywhere!

7 There was amazing detail in all places.

8 More glowing eyes

9 Creatures big and small

10 A beautiful, but spooky woodland forest

11 Set decorator Aaron Caramanis - wearing one of his designs

12 His 'comb' is made of rubberized work gloves.

13 My makeup artist Mary Curran (middle) with a couple of other wild things.

14 Calia Van Dyk, studio manager, in a menacing pose.

15 Dani Fiore - set decorator - as a wild bird

16 Audience members in the waiting area

17 Warm up artist Joey Kola looking very wild, indeed

18 Our ghastly buffet was actually set upon this wild guy.

19 The buffet table engulfed in fog

20 That's Jimmy Fallon getting very spooked! He was so much fun.

21 Green eggs of newt - they were actually large beads of tapioca.

22 Creepy Bat wings - chicken wings in a black bean marinade - very yummy

23 Crunchy monster fingers and pimento cheese paws - the finger nails were almonds.

24 The cured epidermis - salty ham

25 A vial of monster mucus - raw oysters!

26 A platter of dirt and worms made from hot dogs

27 Jars of pickled brains - cauliflower heads

28 Thirst quenching eyeball Martinis

29 Radishes stuffed with olives - so ghastly!

30 Lovely audience skunks

31 Audience members dressed as KW and Carol with Producer Barbara Fight

32 Here I am backstage with Jimmy Fallon.

33 The audience was amazing!

34 More great costumes

35 Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament?

36 Beautiful detail

37 More great masks

38 I just love how the audience really got into this show.

39 Here I am talking to the audience after the show.

40 My boots were quite wild - After the show, I had to remove the right one because it was hurting my foot.

41 Posing on set with my TV crew

42 Wouldn't you know it? The fire department stopped by for an inspection! They were only a little surprised.

The Incredible Brooklyn Flea Market

Martha Stewart — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:01:09 +0000

My television crew and I have been working on an upcoming special about the New York City borough of Brooklyn, with a strong emphasis on the food scene. This past Sunday, we paid a visit to the incredible Brooklyn Flea Market, and once again, my niece, Sophie Herbert, a proud Brooklynite, joined me for the occasion. The Brooklyn Flea takes place every weekend in two locations. On Saturday, it's held in Fort Greene and on Sundays, it's under the Brooklyn Bridge, now called DUMBO. More than 100 vendors gather beneath this most beautiful bridge and it's so much fun to stroll around and to sample all the delicious and varied food.

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1 This is my film crew setting up for the shoot.

2 Mary Curran - my hair and makeup artist and Clair Magruder - my wardrobe stylist visiting with Sharkey

3 Delicious prosciutto, arugula, and fresh ricotta open-faced sandwiches at Salvatore Ricotta Bklyn www.salvatorebklyn.com

4 Betsy and Rachel, the founders of Salvatore Ricotta - they named their business after a man called Salvatore, whose ricotta they fell in love with in Italy. That's Gary behind the lens.

5 Scrumptious cannoli from Salvatore Ricotta

6 Bob and Joe McClure of McClure's Pickles www.mcclurespickles.com have carried down their great-grandmother Lala's classic pickle recipe. They make their pickles in Brooklyn and Detroit. We loved the spicy dill pickles!

7 Here I am with John Cutti, his wife Sarah, and their adorable son Eli.

8 Francesca was captivated by the people strolling on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway overhead.

9 Francesca's point of view of the bridge above

10 Raw, fair trade Ecuadorian cacoa from FINE & RAW Chocolate www.fineandraw.com - Decadent!

11 FINE & RAW's chocolatier Daniel Sklaar

12 Pickled green beans, okra, peppers, and more at Rick Field's Rick's Picks rickspicksnyc.com pickle stand. Rick has been living and pickling in Brooklyn for over 20 years.

13 Rick Field of Rick's Picks

14 Gary standing in front of Pizza Moto www.pizzamotobklyn.com - a portable wood oven pizza parlor

15 Pizza dough ready to go into the wood burning oven

16 The pizza assembly line at Pizza Moto

17 The incredible Margherita pizza we savored from Pizza Moto. It's made with a sourdough starter procured from local apples.

18 Here I am with Dave, the founder of Pizza Moto, and his co-worker. Dave, a former architecture student, is also a chef at Brooklyn's Lunetta.

19 Susan Povich of the Red Hook Lobster Pound redhooklobsterpound.com. She and her husband, Ralph Gorham, founded their Maine Lobster business last May.

20 A classic Maine lobster roll on the left and a Connecticut roll on the right - served on a buttered roll

21 Rafael and Reina Soler, of Red Hook Foods, cook up some of their delicious tamales and pupusas - a traditional food of the Pipil/Mayan people of Cuzcatlan in modern day El Salvador

22 The hot pupusas at Red Hook Food Vendors

23 Cesar Fuentes of Red Hook Food Vendors told us all about pupusas.

24 Delicious tamales and pickled cabbage to go

25 Sophie and I shared a rice and bean pupusa - delish!

26 Yummy hot dogs at Asia Dog

27 Steve Porto and Melanie Campbell of Asia Dog. Both are half-Asian and decided to merge their Asian and American heritages. Their dogs all have Asian inspired toppings.

28 David Carrell and Joel Horowitz of People's Pop. They make splendid all-organic popsicles and ices.

29 Joel shaving the ice block

30 Crafts by Lotta Jansdotter jansdotter.com

31 Former MSLO craft department editor - Laura Normandin's crafts. Her new line is called Wren Handmade. lauranormandin.com

32 Fois bois plates, made by Marcie McGoldrick, AVP editorial director Holiday & Crafts MSLO (http://www.marciemcgoldrick.com/) The stationery is made by moontree letterpress

33 Laura Normandin with her handmade craft line

34 Blue Marble ice cream cart under the Brooklyn Bridge www.bluemarbleicecream.com

35 Maple, vanilla chocolate chip, chocolate, and green tea ice cream from Blue Marble. Yum!!

36 The Blue Marble ice cream vendors - Alexis and Jennie. Blue Marble, which has two store fronts in Brooklyn, makes organic ice cream from locally sourced ingredients.

37 The very majestic Brooklyn Bridge

38 Driving away from the flea market on the Brooklyn Bridge

39 Another view of the grand bridge

Photos By Sophie Herbert and Martha Stewart

A new relationship with Age Group Ltd. and Petsmart!

Martha Stewart — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:02:13 +0000

You may have heard in the media that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has entered into a relationship with Age Group Ltd. to manufacture, market and sell pet-care products, which will be sold through PetSmart, Inc., the largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for pets. The line will include a wide range of pet accessories, including apparel, collars, leashes, bedding, grooming supplies, toys and more. You can expect to see the first of these products sometime next year.

I have always loved having a lot of pets – dogs, cats and birds, and consider them members of my family. It's very important to me that domestic animals be well fed, well groomed and well cared for, and I have always prided myself on the good health and happiness of my pets. I look forward to working with Age Group and PetSmart to provide other pet owners with the types of Martha Stewart-designed products that will keep pets happy, safe and healthy. Enjoy these photos of my appearance on CNBC's Power Lunch talking about this development. My dogs, Francesca and Sharkey, accompanied me to the show and have blogged about it today, as well. What Martha Stewart pet-care products would you like to see on the shelves at Petsmart?

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1 Francesca and Sharkey were bathed and dressed very fashionably for their appearance on CNBC's Power Lunch.

2 Sharkey and Franny were drawn to the very colorful peacock logo.

3 Here are the girls anxiously on their way into the television studio.

4 Upon entering the building the Frenchies were dazzled by the sapphire-blue flooring.

5 They're always so happy to see Mary Curran, my hair and makeup artist.

6 Franny making friends with Karima Greene - producer of the segment

7 Apparently, Francesca thought she needed attention to hair and makeup - of course, I had already beautified her that morning.

8 The Frenchies are always so inquisitive about electronics, and this state-of-the art control room was no exception.

9 The dogs were very well-received by all employees at CNBC.

10 Bill Griffeth - co-host of Power Lunch - coming over to meet Sharkey and Francesca.

11 As usual, the dogs were very well-behaved on set.

12 Charles Koppelman - our chairman and I, being interviewed by Michelle Caruso-Cabrera - Power Lunch co-anchor

13 It's true, I am mad about pets!

14 It's an exciting outlook - 81% of pet-owners will increase pet care spending!

15 We also talked about some of our products which are current hot-sellers, such as our popular Halloween decorations and my newest book, Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home.

16 Dennis Kneale - Power Lunch co-anchor - CNBC Media and Technology Editor - paying up on a bet, made with Charles, that Francesca and Sharkey would not sit still on their podium during air time.