Martha Stewart Living September 2021

| MARTHA’S TIP | SAVOR EVERY OUNCE To put her tomato harvest to great use, Martha loves making sauce. She slices a big, shallow X into the skins and plunges the fruits into a big pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Then she transfers them to an ice-water bath to cool, before peeling, seeding, and simmering them with salt and pepper, uncovered, for an hour. She freezes some sauce in quart-size jars to enjoy year-round. For more ideas, visit marthastewart.com/marthastomatoes.…

AS WE HEAD INTO FALL and life invariably speeds up in September, I find myself honing my routines and vowing to make busy weekday mornings (breakfast, school drop-off, work commute) as efficient and enjoyable as possible; our evenings fun and relaxing; and weekends something to dive into. And while I love the idea of just throwing something on in the morning, or throwing something together for supper, I’ve learned that planning is everything. It takes some effort to make it all look—and, most important, feel—effortless. For starters, you need to have the right stuff on hand, like a well-edited wardrobe and a stocked kitchen. Even a magician needs to procure that rabbit before pulling off the hat trick. Fortunately, this issue is filled with smart solutions and strategies for…

| ON THE ROAD | A NEW PAGE You don’t have to enroll in a class to get the thrill of freshly sharpened pencils and pristine paper. At Shorthand, in Los Angeles (shown), pick up a Poketo wall planner to keep the whole family in line, or peruse the notepads and writing instruments while watching greeting cards being made on-site. Here, more stationery shops with honors-level style. —Eleni N. Gage AIEA, HAWAII Hakubundo opened in 1910 to sell immigrant farmworkers items from their native Japan. Today, you can peruse imported paper, cute sticky notes, and miles of washi tape. hakubundo.com MAPLEWOOD, N.J. A Paper Hat calls itself “a creative supply shop” and packs its shelves with colorful camo notebooks, mini gel pens, and stickers that boldly fit that billing. apaperhat.com…

FOR YEARS, I have been an avid fan of restoration and renovation. Whether it is a house in need of minor alterations and redecoration, or an entire farm needing an overhaul, I find these projects fascinating and rewarding. In the past few months, I undertook one in the Maple House, a two-story, 1970s ranch-like home on the northernmost part of my property. After creating a cookbook library there with California Closets a couple of years ago, I decided to tackle the large kitchen and adjoining hall, which I use for shoots. The existing cabinets, which came from my very first television studio in Westport, Connecticut, were painted creamy yellow and paired with old soapstone counters and sinks. On the floor, I used my own faux-bois ceramic tile, which I designed…

Make It Yours There are brackets to suit every décor style, in many materials. Living home editor Lorna Aragon handpicked these supporting players. CLASSIC CORBEL Traditional woodworking details make this a versatile pick you can paint any color. MODERN ARCHES Minimalist curves bring sleek polish to a space. CRISP CUTOUTS Install a pair for turn-of-the-20th-century charm. | DIY STYLE | A Real Support Land the coveted corner office right at home—even if it occupies only a couple of square feet in the kitchen. This nook was custom-made, but you can replicate it by mounting a small floating shelf or made-to-measure surface on the wall, then adding a curvy wooden shelf bracket or two, painted to match. The decorative detail gives it the look of built-in cabinetry and lends stylish shoring.…

Streamline Your Pantry These tactics will transform chaos into easy-to-access calm. 1 STOCK LIKE A GROCER Toss all expired goods, then arrange like with like, and multiples (such as canned beans) one in front of the other, so you can take inventory at a glance. 2 DECANT STAPLES “This cuts down on visual clutter,” says Lorna, and also helps you see when supplies are running low. To avoid “How long do I boil this for?” moments, she snips cooking instructions off packaging and tapes them to the bottoms of the new containers. 3 UPCYCLE GLASS EMPTIES For eco-friendly decanting, reuse marinara jars to hold grains, pasta, and other dry goods. For a really cohesive look (extra-credit alert!), Lorna lays the lids on newspaper and spray-paints the outsides with two coats…