Martha Stewart Living

WE’RE ALL IMPRESSIONABLE to some degree. It’s why our parents cared so much about whom we hung out with when we were growing up—and the reason behind those after-school specials on the ominous powers of peer pressure. But there are real upsides to being impressionable, too. I, for one, feel lucky to have family, friends, colleagues, and of course Martha, who inspire me daily to try new things and challenge myself. Sometimes the right kind of encouragement is all we need. In that spirit, this issue is brimming with energizing stories of dreamers and doers, and amazing self-starters who motivate us by example to achieve our own goals and live more boldly. Our Tastemaker, the iconic Misty Copeland, didn’t become the first Black principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre by invitation…

| ON THE ROAD | EAU DE SPRING In Taos, New Mexico, the sight of lilacs bursting against sun-baked adobe walls means warmer days are here again. The fragrant blooms, believed to have been imported to the area from France in the mid-1800s, inspire the Taos Lilac Festival, a weekend of live music and craft markets filling Kit Carson Park from May 20 to 22. Here, events honoring the heady flower in other locales. WOODLAND, WASH. Stroll the colorful grounds, then buy blossoms outside a Victorian farmhouse during Lilac Days at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens, once home to the nation’s top grower of the Syringa genus (April 16 to May 8). LOMBARD, ILL. The shrubs that pioneer residents William and Helen Plum planted in the late 1800s fill their former estate, Lilacia Park. Enjoy concerts,…

I WAS BROUGHT UP to revere books. On my weekly visits to the Nutley Public Library, I rarely missed an opportunity to borrow 5 or 10 at a time, to devour in my room after dinner dishes were done and my siblings were asleep. I started collecting them in earnest when I was a young married mother and homemaker. When a subject interested me, such as cooking, gardening, or landscape design, I’d buy as many volumes as I could afford from my neighborhood bookstores. Once I started writing my own books (my first was Entertaining, in 1982), my publisher would give me books as gifts, and I was ecstatic. My husband at the time became the publisher of Abrams, a renowned art-publishing house, and our joint collection grew and grew. Soon…

Floral Wreath How-to The designs on the previous page and below were created for us by contributing crafts editor Blake Ramsey Murray. Here’s how to fashion them: STEP 1 Prep a few bundles of dried botanicals: Trim assorted flowers so the stems are 2 inches in length, and grasses to 5 inches long. STEP 2 Starting at the bottom center of the wreath and working up each curved side, tuck the stems into the grapevine. Secure them in place with dabs of hot glue. THE DETAILS: Simoutal natural grapevine wreath rounds, 8" (similar to shown), $16 for 4, amazon.com. Dried Nigella orientalis flowers, in Light Purple, $13 for 1.1 oz., legrenierfleuriste.etsy.com. Dried mini silver daisies, in Pink, $24 for 12 to 16; and dried Phalaris grass, in Berry, $24 for 4 oz., afloral.com. Dried starflowers, in…

Orange + Blue This combo can go bold—think vibrant Mexican tiles or Howard Johnson’s hotels—but designer Brad Ford went in a subtler direction, teaming walls and cabinets in Fine Paints of Europe Inspiration Collection #N51040, a hushed blue-gray, with chairs and stools in a rich cinnamon. Tone down the intensity to create a “calming, inviting space,” he says. GET ROLLING Multitasker Isaac Newton first developed the color wheel in 1704 to categorize the visible spectrum of light. But you don’t have to be an astronomer or a mathematician to benefit from his brilliance. Just know that if you pick colors that are directly opposite (aka complementary), the results are fail-safe and, from a decorating standpoint, pretty fabulous. The secret to successful mergers: Be open-minded. Each color has a range of shades that harmonize…

PICK A POSSE… Approach selecting containers like shopping for a sofa. What you grow may change (think throw pillows), but your pots should be sound investments that last for seasons. Start with a palette, like varying shades of warm terra-cotta or cool, steely grays, then assemble a variety of heights and shapes to keep things visually interesting, like the vignette of clay vessels shown above. Keep in mind that smaller pots require frequent watering in hotter months—but don’t be tempted to put a small species in a large pot, because the roots can get oversaturated and rot. Instead, group several in one large container. Also, if you live in a cold climate, you’ll need to move clay or ceramic pieces inside in winter (or empty and wrap them in a waterproof…