Martha Stewart Living July/August 2019

MY SON MADE ME a morning person. Before him, I liked to stay up late and sleep in until the last possible minute, allowing enough time on a weekday to leisurely putter around the kitchen, grind and brew coffee, and peruse the newspaper. I’d shower in silence (and without interruption), then ponder what the heck to wear that day. While I didn’t accomplish a ton, I had time to do everything I wanted to. Kids have a funny way of changing all that. The adjustment was tricky at first. I set aside most of my needs (except for coffee) to tend to his. But as he’s grown older, I’ve also grown to love waking up early. I look forward to those moments when our home is still quiet, before the day…

WHY NOT? GET THE SCOOP In our minds, ice cream shops that have been in business for more than a century deserve historic-landmark status. Hats off to Fentons Creamery, in Oakland, California, which turns 125 this year. Milk from local cows is churned into every flavor, including the sublime raspberry swirl (shown). Here are three more venerable spots to scream for. NORFOLK, VIRGINIA Pull up for curbside service at Doumar’s Barbecue, and order a waffle cone—they’ve been hand-rolling them daily since 1904. doumars.com PHILADELPHIA America’s oldest ice cream brand, Bassetts, opened 158 years ago. Choose from fan favorites like salted-caramel pretzel and butter pecan. bassettsicecream.com NEW ORLEANS You can still try the first flavor offered at Angelo Brocato in 1905: torroncino, a vanilla base blended with cinnamon and ground almonds. angelobrocatoicecream.com ON OUR BOOKSHELF Clear an afternoon for these engrossing reads. Memoirist Alexandra…

I SAW MY FIRST proper perennial borders decades ago, in England. My then-husband had just published the garden book Visions of Paradise, and I was anxious to see the iconic landscapes in its pages firsthand. The incredible examples at Sissinghurst, Upton House, and Hidcote took my breath away. Their long, deep beds were packed with plants of varying sizes, colors, and shapes. They were often designed in front of high walls, along allées of trees, or against the foundations of huge, ancient buildings. I was smitten, and knew I wanted to plant my own version one day. Years later, I thought of those borders when I was constructing the 300-foot-long pergola along the driveway at my home in Bedford. I dug six-foot-wide beds on both sides of it, and left a…

Earn Your Stripes PONY UP Nothing says “holiday party” like a big bow on a little girl’s head. Go extra-wide with the ribbon, loop and tie it, and hot-glue it onto a plain metal barrette. THE DETAILS: Vintage-RibbonTrims wide vintage stripe millinery grosgrain ribbon trim, 2.125", in Red-White-Blue (similar to shown), $9 a yd., vintageribbontrims.etsy.com. HANG LOOSE Channel fireworks by floating a “chandelier” at your party. Two metal wreath forms (one big, one small) and wire make a simple frame for two layers of ribbons trimmed to different lengths. For the how-to, see page 105. THE DETAILS: Ribbon Factory solid grosgrain ribbon, ⅝", in Baby Blue Solid and Red Solid, $16 for 100 yd., ribbonfactory.com. BEDECK A BIKE To make a basket banner, cut patterned ribbons into “flags,” then glue them onto a long strip. Weave a few…

CHECK MATES Peaceful Pillows A bed covered in a riot of different patterns can look busy, but this inviting tumble of easy-to-sew pillows is serene. To create a cohesive mix, stick to weaves in the same palette (ours share quiet neutral shades), and use a solid linen spread and shams as the backdrop. THE DETAILS: Fabrics, from left: Mood Designer Fabrics #326671 (similar to shown), $14 a yd., moodfabrics.com. B&J Fabrics #120526 (similar to shown), $27 a yd.; and #76092672, $27 a yd., bandjfabrics.com. For the how-to and additional credits, see page 105. TABLE TOPPERS These quick DIY ideas have all the qualities of a well-tailored button-down—they’re polished enough for a dinner party, but so comfortable you’ll be tempted to pull them out every day. Cool Coasters Frosty beverages never had more dashing places to sit. Get…

Dôen Margaret Kleveland, CEO; and Katherine Kleveland, CCO, Los Angeles Throw on a dress or blouse from this pair’s fashion line, and you can practically hear Joni Mitchell singing, “California, I’m coming home,” and smell the flowers woven into a young Jane Birkin’s hair. Influenced by their childhoods in Santa Barbara, the siblings design clothes imbued with “nostalgia and femininity,” says Margaret. And a certain quiet strength: Rather than a traditional company, Dôen is a small collective of like-minded women; they produce five collections a year, developing all fabrics and prints in-house. The sisters, who have four young kids between them, have also harnessed social media to connect with fans the world over, who post and tag themselves wearing—and living in—their pieces. “We want them to feel how we feel in…