If you've been around this blog for any length of time, you know I'm a big fan of Martha Stewart. I'm crazy about her magazine, books, craft items, especially her glitter! So lately I've been scouring Ebay for old copies of Living from the 1990s. Most sellers want ridiculous amounts of money for a single issue, but some sellers have entire lots of magazines to get rid of, and they're not asking much.
I went on a bit of a buying binge a few weeks ago.
The nice thing is that I ended up with some December issues I've been lacking. I always love Martha's Christmas ideas, so I now have every December issue going back to 1995. I still have a few earlier issues to find, but there's no rush.
My earliest issues date back to 1992. Those are fascinating to go through for a lot of reasons. Everything was very informative and high brow. And I get such a kick out of some of the ads inside. Not a single business lists a website, which just seems so foreign to me these days. As for later issues, websites pop up in the ads, but the cameras advertised still use film, the computers are beige and boxy, and the online auction site to check out isn't Ebay, but rather something called BoxLot. I looked it up. It no longer exists.
It's interesting to see the evolution of the magazine over the years. It went from a thin, informative magazine to a thick magazine with a rather pretentious tone and recipes that I can't even comprehend trying because the ingredients are so exotic and expensive. But after Martha's stint in jail, the magazine took a new turn, and it's one I'm a lot more comfortable with. The air of pretention is gone. The crafts are actually doable. The recipes are no longer for the wealthy, but they're now more in keeping with the average woman's budget and interests. I actually try recipes from her magazine these days, which I never did in the past.
I'm having a blast going through these magazines. However, I think I'm going to need some more magazine holders. I have 15 cardboard magazine holders from IKEA devoted just to Martha Stewart Living. My collection is outgrowing them...
7 comments:
Interesting. If I come across an older Martha mag, I'll eBay it and make my fortune. I mean, give it to you.
Anne Marie,
If you're referring to the white Ikea magazine holders, those are the same that housed my long-time collection of Real Simples!
I admit to buying a couple wedding magazines on Ebay when I was engaged. =)
I am a Martha fan too.
and speaking of Martha, I know you do her Glitter. I have some too but have run out of the glue in the tiny bottles with the tiny holes that came with the glitter packs.
What kind of glue do you use?
I've look at her line in Walmart and don't see any specific glitter glue or refills.
Rhonda, I just use craft glue--the all-purpose stuff. Martha actually makes a nice clear craft glue with a very narrow dispensing tube (or whatever it's called). It's my favorite, but honestly, most any glue will work. When I glittered pumpkins and ornaments, I just used watered down Elmer's.
The evolution of advertising is fascinating to me! When I go back and watch old VHS tapes that I recorded (yup, I still have them!) I love seeing the people with big hair and denim skirts telling about the latest "fashion" or "accessories".
great observations, both of social/cultural relevance & the martha tone
~ amy
When I moved, I went through dozens of MSL mags; cutting out the articles that I wanted to save. I know, it's sort of a desecration to cut up Martha, right? But when your moving company charges by weight, you pare down (magazines - especially when you have a lot of them - are REALLY heavy). I just couldn't cut up the December issues, though. Had to leave those intact.
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