Mantel Decor and Off To See the Wizard...NYC Part 1

I haven't been on line much in the past month (except for checking email and Pinterest...couldn't extract myself from Pinterest!) and have missed reading what everyone has been doing. I'm trying to catch up on blog reading because many people are starting to post Halloween projects and I'm still trying to sort out summer. I have Friendship banner pieces to complete for Sandy and Elizabeth and several custom orders on my table. It's been over a month since I've written anything so I'll start here...(this post is long and picture heavy, just sayin')

It took me a while to tweak the mantel this year. For the  past several years I've decorated with a bird theme but decided to go with a beachy look this year. The bathing beauties from Michael's were my inspiration..I couldn't pass them by.

We do love to go to the beach but there hasn't been any time for that this year so far. We're getting ready for some big changes in the next several months so the beach hase been put on hold.

 Maybe before the year is over...

In early July, I had a chance to take a trip that had been postponed  from Mother's Day in May, due to sickness. I flew to New York City to spend 4 days with my daughter Michelle. I arrived in the afternoon and while Michelle was still at work, I had a chance to relax in her lovely condo. When she got home, she prepared a yummy dinner for us...

We drank wine and ate hamburgers and sweet home-made sweet potato fries on her cute balcony...

over-looking the busy streets of Hoboken...

The next morning, we got ready and hopped on the Path Train to take us into the city.

Michelle had arranged a wonderful surprise for me. 

This is where we went...can you guess?

Of course not, because this totally unmarked building houses, among other businesses, this woman's magazine enterprise....



Yes friends, Martha Stewart! While Martha herself was not in the building that day, a friend of Michelle's took us on a personal tour of some of the offices and behind-the-scenes places most folks don't ever get to see. I was not allowed to take any photos but I went on line and found some from Martha's website...I hope she won't mind if I share them with you.
We were able to see the test kitchen...I have never seen so many cookbooks in one place in my life!! (This just shows a small area. The kitchen itself is large, and all around the perimeter of the room, on high shelves, are mock-ups of intricately decorated wedding cakes. Emeril has his own kitchen to use when he's on Martha's show...lots of shiny stainless there.

We saw some of the editor's offices, including Darcy Miller, the Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Her office has a mammoth inspiration board that I would loved to have photographed as this is just a small part of it...

The one place that we were not allowed access to was the crafting area (BOO HOO!)
They were working on Christmas and Holiday crafts and it was all top secret. That about broke my heart!
The favorite area that we did get to walk through was the Prop House area.
Can you imagine rows and rows of dishware? So many patterns and colors...

then there was the linen area with bins and bins of placemats and napkins housed by color...

Candlesticks, serving trays, picture frames in abundance! Inside of that wide metal cabinet you see in the above pictures was drawer after drawer of silverware.

When we were finished in the prop area, we got to see some magazine layouts for future articles.

At the end of our tour, Michelle's friend Denise, presented us with gift bags containing Martha's newest cookbook, Martha's American Food, and a copy of every current Martha Stewart magazine. The cookbook is awesome!

When we came out of the building, we were greeted by this ..

A GRILLED CHEESE TRUCK!!!

 If it hadn't been 95-degrees out, we would have been tempted.

Instead, we walked to the Chelsea Market in the meat packing district

and decided on a fig jam and cheddar panini from

Lucy's Whey

Oh so good-right Shelle?

After lunch, we continued to browse the shops in Chelsea Market and couldn't leave with visiting two great bakeries....Ruthy's and Eleni's

 

We settled on some treats to take home for after dinner....

(the apple crumb cake in the back was to-die-for!)

There is more to write about this day but I'm stopping here for 2 reasons...

I can see that your eyelids are very heavy and

all of this food has made me hungry.

To be continued...

xoxo