But that hasn't stopped her from overseeing a renovation of the property into "a magical place, a self sufficient American farm." Self-sufficient, the Buzz takes it, means able to feed the great Omnimedia craw. The clapboard buildings are stained in Bedford Gray, a color that will soon be offered in the Martha Stewart signature paint line. Editors from her company's magazines have already visited to troll for story ideas, such as faux-bois paint finishes and the making of sweet peat for one's garden. All evidence that Martha is back as the center of MSLO, which is where she believes she should be. Former CEO Sharon Patrick's strategy to diminish Martha's presence is what led to her ouster and Susan Lyne's ascension. "Susan understands my importance to the employees as a teacher and a guide," she tells VF. "Sharon was appeasing a lot of other entities, like shareholders, the government, the team of lawyers who were there to protect the company. " Martha also says she believes Patrick didn't understand "that it was not the time to completely kowtow to outside advice about taking my name off the company's brands. Believe me, as the founder of all of this, that bothered me. I went along, but it bothered me."
The Buzz
Ahh ... the Restoration begins ... complete with Bruce Weber glamour shots. Vanity Fair's Matt Tyrnauer offers up a sympathetic profile of Martha Stewart this week, who he calls the "most unusual detainee-felon in the history of our penal system." With the help of her PR guru, Susan Magrino, (who gets several mentions as well, mainly to illustrate how Martha will not be held back by her handlers but will be forthright, honest and direct even if it will get her in trouble), Martha lets Tyrnauer follow her through several activities at Cantitoe Farm, her Bedford, N.Y., estate where she must remain under house arrest until early August.
