Martha, Martha, Martha!

My first girl crush was Diane Keaton, then Diane Lane, but lately, my love has been for one lady (excluding family and Alder)- the superwoman who is Martha Stewart. After all, who else can condense a sugar cookie recipe in a single 140 character tweet; make ponchos, K-Mart and insider trading chic; and run a multimedia empire worth upwards of $600 million, all while keeping her perfectly pressed white button-down free from sauce (homemade, of course) stains?

Speaking of empires, last week Martha expanded hers with an elegant entrance into higher education. With downloadable "how-to" videos taught by Madam Martha herself, content at Martha University is grouped into three categories: recipes, decorating and crafts; wedding ideas; and Martha Stewart classics (comprised of five of Martha’s PBS TV specials that aired in the 80s and 90s). Varying in length - "Cupcake Decorating" runs a total of 46:17 and is broken into nine segments, while "Weddings: Gowns and Accessories" is 1:21:48 spread over 14 -, the tutorials are priced between $5.95 and $12.95 (no surprise to brides-to-be, the wedding ones are the most costly) and can be watched on an iPod, on your computer or burned to a DVD.

Anyone bride who has longingly leafed through an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings knows that no one does weddings better than Martha (though sadly the same cannot be said about her and marriage). And while it's one thing to see a well-styled, well-shot picture of a parasol placecard on a magazine page, for us mere mortals, it's another thing to actually create something that doesn't look like a preschool craft project. We need a little more hand-holding than a few written steps and what a better teacher than Martha Stewart herself.

Currently, the wedding course offerings cover: "Cakes", "DIY Basics" (basic is such a relative term here), "Favors & Gifts", "Flowers" and "Gowns & Accessories". Each can be downloaded for $12.95, or you can purchase one to send to a friend (what a great engagement gift). So much for summer vacation.

And just because it's a sweet sunny Friday and my loyal blog readers have been all too neglected of late, I'll toss out a little treat. Any couple who signs a wedding contract with me between now and September 1 will receive a full scholarship to the Martha Stewart Wedding class of their choice. Now that's a good thing!