This holiday season, if you come across a winter market where you live, stop in and support the small businesses in your area - it's inspiring to meet the entrepreneurs and to learn about their specialties.
Last weekend, I visited the Village Winter Market in Bedford, New York - a two-day event featuring more than 15-local vendors selling everything from ceramic, glass and wooden wares for the home to beautiful handmade jewelry and festive holiday decorations. The holiday fair was the first of its kind and launches a series of seasonal markets where entrepreneurs can gather together and share their products and expertise.
Enjoy these photos.
The town of Bedford, where I live, encompasses the small hamlets of Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford Village. Bedford was founded in 1680 when a group of New England Puritans purchased the parcel of land from Chief Katonah and other Native Americans with fur coats, blankets, and cloth. I’ve been here for many years and love the small town feel, rich history, and close proximity to New York City. Over the weekend, I was happy to visit the two-day Village Winter Market on Court Road. The fair was held in an old farmhouse usually occupied by three businesses, but opened up to a group of vendors for the weekend show.
This outdoor tent also housed additional vendors and was decorated with holiday wreaths and trees.
My neighbor, Andy Yu, on the right, invited me to the market. Andy is a very talented clothing designer and was selling some of his items at the fair. On the left is my friend, Gary Nardilla. Gary was my television cameraman and director of photography for many years.
Here are some of the sport coats Andy designed. Follow Andy on Instagram @49andrewyu.
The market was well organized and signs directed visitors where to go.
Brett Cameron owns La Maison Fête, a full service event design company specializing in celebrations of all kinds – private events, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. For this holiday Market, the house was divided into separate rooms for vendors. In the foreground, Brett showed many of her products for sale – candles, matches, napkins, books, and more. The house is where her business is located all year long. Her Instagram handle is @lamaisonfete.
Here is another view of La Maison Fête’s table – filled with items for entertaining.
Another business is oHHo, a hemp extract shop, which specializes in CBD products – oils, balms and creams, chocolates, sours, and more. Follow on Instagram @weareohho.
oHHo’s location is also permanently at 13 Court Road, where the event was held. This shelf displays oHHo’s Dream Cream, a soothing hand and body cream of organically grown full spectrum CBD, fragrant bergamot, neroli, citrus fruits, and lavender.
Here is the oHHo mini truck featuring their “Plants with Benefits” slogan.
Flying Coffee refers to the company’s fun take on “serving on the fly” – from their whimsical customized Vespa vehicles. Their coffee is single origin, single farm, and roasted onsite for customers. Flying Coffee also has a stationary shop inside 13 Court Road, where the fair was held. Flying Coffee can be followed on Instagram @flyingcoffeeusa.
The Village Winter Market had a DJ who filled the rooms with cheerful music.
Marcie McGoldrick and Silke Stoaddard are two very talented and creative Makers who worked with me at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for years. It was nice to see them at the Village Winter Market. Follow Marcie @marciemcgoldrick and Silkie @silkestoddard on Instagram.
Marcie hand makes porcelain mugs, crocks, and bowls. She brought many to sell in a variety of cheerful colors.
Marcie also makes jewelry. These are cameo pendant necklaces – some are set in silver and gold.
And here is Marcie’s collection of rings – all so beautifully and carefully made.
Silke displayed her handmade winter knit hats, Christmas ornaments, sachets, dolls, cards, wrapping papers, and more. Please follow her on Instagram @silkestoddard to see more of her handmade items.
Cabbage Hill Farm is a small farm in nearby Mt. Kisco, New York. They specialize in sustainable agriculture and aquaponics. They also sold many items at the Market including yarn and handmade knit goods. Their IG handle is @cabbagehillfarm.
At the Platform table, we saw many hand made bowls, containers, and spoons. Platform focuses on everything from American Colonial and Shaker furniture to Minimalist sculpture and Danish modern design. Follow @platformfaf.
Here’s Zach Hadlock, owner of Platform, widdling away next to his display table.
The Market was open from early morning until evening. It also extended its shop hours into the third day. It was a wonderful way to learn about the Makers in my area and pick out some holiday gifts for friends and family. And yes, I did buy a couple things and checked off names from my list…
That same day, I also hosted a lovely lunch at home for friends. Moises Fuentas, who helps me at my farm as a gardener and as sous chef, helped me prepare this wonderful meal – a garden salad with apples and dijon vinaigrette dressing, tomato soup with a drizzle of crème fraîche, and fettuccini limone served with a dollop of caviar.
For dessert, delicious brown butter shortbread cookies. A perfect meal after a good and successful time shopping and supporting my community’s small businesses. I hope you get the opportunity to “shop local” this holiday season.
If you're ever in the Miami, Florida area around this time of year, I encourage you schedule your visit during Art Week to see some of the greatest pieces of the 20th and 21st centuries - it truly is an event for all art enthusiasts.
Last week, I attended the 20th edition of Art Basel, which is the sister event to Art Basel held each June in Basel, Switzerland. This year, Art Basel Miami showcased more than 280 prominent galleries taking part from 38 different countries, including North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. I also viewed pieces at the Rubell Museum, owned by longtime collectors and Miami residents, Don and Mera Rubell. In addition, I enjoyed fun dinners, parties, and time with good friends. It was a packed couple of days, but it's well-worth the trip every year.
Here are some photos.
I hope you saw this image on my Instagram @MarthaStewart48. I took it during our drive to the airport. It was such a gorgeous sight to see these hues of red and orange. It is due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, when most of the light of shorter wavelengths – the blue, violet, and green – are scattered away multiple times, leaving only lights of longer wavelength – the red, orange, and yellow.
Once we arrived, we enjoyed lunch at Mandolin Aegean Bistro, owned by husband and wife team Ahmet Erkaya and Anastasia Koutsioukis. The restaurant opened in 2009 and has been serving delicious meals ever since.
There were so many delicious dishes on the menu – we ordered several to share. This is whole mediterranean sea bass grilled with extra-virgin Aegean olive oil, lemon, and oregano.
This is stuffed tomato and pepper with ground beef, rice, and feta cheese.
We also ordered the chicken with orzo pilaf and maroulosalata, which is a traditional Greek lettuce salad.
And this is the beef souvlaki with house cut fries. It was served with a grilled pita.
That first night, we kicked-off Miami Art Week at the Rubell Museum. The space includes 40 galleries, a performance space, an art research library, a bookstore, and a restaurant. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
Here I am with my dear friend and banker, Jane Heller. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
My friend and longtime publicist, Susan Magrino is here with Katy Knox, the President of Bank of America Private Bank. Katy hosted the event of cocktails and light bites held at the museum’s restaurant, Leku. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
There was a delicious raw bar, which included these oysters – one of my favorite foods. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
There was also an Iberico Jamon station. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
And these are some of the canapés which were pased around – beet tartare. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
We also toured some of the exhibits at the Rubell Museum. At the entrance was Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden, 1966. This installation includes 700 stainless-steel spheres. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
This is by artist Keith Haring – Untitled, 1982, Acrylic on vinyl tarpaulin, measuring 180 by 180 inches. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
This is the “Statue of Liberty” also by Keith Haring and LA II, 1980 made with felt-tip pen and Dayglo on fiberglass. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
Here’s another of Keith Haring’s iconic works. This one is Untitled, 1981, Acrylic on vellum, measuring 42 by 54 inches. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
Keith Haring also made these lithograph posters of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, 1981. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
This work is by Alexandre Diop. He uses discarded objects to create his pieces focusing on sociopolitical, cultural and gender issues. This is “L’Incroyable Traversée d’Abdoulaye Le Grand, Troisième de la Lignée” – The Incredible Crossing of Abdoulaye the Great, Third in Line to the Throne, 2022
mixed media on wood
triptych. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
For dinner, I went to one of my favorite Miami stops – Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant. It is the place to go for this deep sea delicacy. Be sure to see more of my photos on my Instagram at @MarthaStewart48.
The next day we attended the exhibits at Art Basel. Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Miami Beach, Florida; Basel, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. Art Basel works with the host city’s local institutions to help grow and develop its art programs. One of the highlights was María José Arjona’s performance installation “Chair.” It shows a human body floating from above, suspended in the air by cables sitting horizontally in a chair.
This is Jay Jopling, an English art dealer, gallerist, and the founder of the gallery, White Cube. Here he is standing in front of a really interesting and exquisite work of art – Untitled by David Hammons, 2014. It’s a Federal mirror covered in scrim. Reminds me of all the Federal mirrors I have in my home, except mine are never covered with anything.
Susan took this photo of me in front of artist Jeff Koons’ giant Bowl of Eggs from his acclaimed “Celebration’”series. It was on display as part of White Cube’s ‘Salon’ Collection. This piece has a $7.5 million price tag. I wonder if it sold.
This work is by another one of my favorite contemporary artists, Donald Judd. The late Donald Judd (1928-1994), was an American artist best known for his contributions to the Minimalist movement. He focused his art on color, form, industrial materials, and space. He believed that the placement of a piece of art was just as important as the art itself.
At Design Miami, we saw this interesting piece called Fantasy Meets When Moments Collide Fountain by Audrey Large The Netherlands, 2022.
Artist Mark Grattan created this lush bedroom scene in soft lavender tones against the hard edge chrome surfaces.
We all admired this installation from Jason Jacques Gallery featuring Moss Children by Kim Simonsson and a scaffolding set up by Urban Umbrella. The green epoxy-covered and flocked clay figures are positioned atop, beneath, besides, and around the scaffolding.
This piece won the Design Miami award for Best Contemporary Work. It is Max Lamb‘s Gold Cleft Chairs gilded in gold and silver.
Here is Susan with Silvia Cubina, Executive Director and Chief Curator at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
And here I am with Mrs. Trudy Cejas. On my last night in Miami, we attended a Bank of America reception at the home of US Ambassador Paul Cejas and his lovely wife Trudy. It was a busy two days, but we enjoyed every moment. Be sure to attend Art Week in Miami next year – you’ll love it. (Photo by Deitch Pham LLC for Bank of America)
The handsome Friesians and Fell pony here at my Bedford, New York farm are all ready for winter.
My horses spend most of their time outside in their paddocks - running, rolling, and grazing. Now that colder weather has arrived here in the Northeast, it’s important that they all have well-fitted turnout blankets to keep them warm and dry. My stable manager, Helen Peparo, and I use the Rhino® Hexstop Plus Turnout Rugs from Horseware Ireland, a company based in Dundalk that focuses on making breathable equine covers that don’t leak, rip, or slip. I've been using products from Horseware Ireland for years and am so please with how they fit and protect the horses from the cold.
These turnout blankets are very lightweight and are easy to fold and keep in front of each horse’s stall.
Before the cold weather sets in and while temperatures remain above 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the horses are fine without any blankets or rugs. What they enjoy most is being outdoors where they are free to exercise and graze.
Once overnight temperatures dip into the low 30s, I prefer to dress all the Friesians and my Fell pony in appropriate and warm turnout rugs. These Rhino® Hexstop Plus with Vari-Layer Turnout rugs are cut from the strongest and most durable turnout material on the market – ballistic nylon. And, they come in this nice gray color. Here’s Helen putting one of the rugs on Bond.
These rugs come in a variety of sizes and each of the horses in my stable is measured for precise fitting.
The Rhino® Hexstop Plus Turnout with Vari-Layer technology is also completely waterproof and very breathable and has an anti-static and anti-bacterial lining.
In the rear, the rug has a strap that, along with properly positioned darts, allow for a secure fit without the use of leg straps.
And these rugs come with wide back tail flaps for more protection.
Helen secures the rug underneath, where there are three cross surcingles. These adjustable straps keep the cover in place.
Here are all three straps secured, giving the horse ample underside coverage with a full range of motion.
The extra strong stitching all around the blanket gives it a nice finished look.
These blankets are outfitted with good leg room for smooth, easy walking. Here’s Bond showing off his new turnout rug.
In the front, every rug comes with nickel-plated bolt snap hooks – all the closures are durable and easy to use. The sure-fit neck design V-front closure gives the horse freedom of movement, especially when lowering its head to graze.
The blanket includes reflective strips in the front and back, so they’re easy to see in their paddocks during night checks.
And, these rugs come with an optional, easy-to-remove hood for neck coverage.
The velcro closures are extremely strong and keep the hood in place.
Helen tries it on for size. Rinze, the patriach of my stable, doesn’t seem to mind at all.
These rugs are so easy to drape over the horse and secure. It takes less than 15-minutes to get the equines ready to go out into their paddock.
The hood attaches from the front and the sides to prevent any slipping.
On this day, the horses didn’t need hoods. Although it is quite rainy, the blankets keep them all very dry and warm.
And here's a brief video showing how comfortable the horses are with their rugs - they can run and play in them without any restrictions.
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