I’m A Little Bit Country -- Reading Country Woman Magazine!

While I can't quite picture myself living on a farm, I do feel that country vibe.  Reading Country Woman Magazine brings me a bit closer to those green pastures and also touches on the everyday things already in my life.


Description

This is a slim magazine at about 68 pages per issue.  Lots of color photography and a viewer-friendly layout make this magazine easy on the eyes.  The print is a good reading size, too.  This magazine is part of Reiman publications, known for quality magazines with no advertising.

Topics mainly include crafts, quilting, cooking, gardening, antiques, bits of humor, and feel good pieces about country living.  This magazine also sponsors a lot of contests that readers can participate in, and the winners are featured in future issues.  There are also two puzzles in each issue; always a crossword puzzle combined with either a sodoku or word search puzzle (I love puzzles!).


My Experiences

This is an easy magazine to read and enjoy.  I especially like the variety I find in its pages.  The easiest way for me to describe the content and how I enjoy it is to break it out into sections.

CRAFTS

Lots of different styles of crafts are explored.  I enjoy reading the personal experiences behind them, too.  For instance, one issue highlights a woman who makes totes, wallets and bags from military uniforms for families who want a reminder of their loved ones.  Other crafts include polymer clay crafting, afghan patterns, crocheted clothes, cross-stitch, create pins, fabric bowls, making photo frames.  Complete instructions are included for each project.


QUILTING

I love to quilt.  Like the crafts offered in this magazine, there are great color photos of each quilt as well.  Some the quilt projects are small such as wall hangings, while other projects are baby quilts or larger quilts.  The instructions are detailed and include a separate materials list.  If appliqué is involved, the pieces are printed in the magazine for tracing.  I also like the Quilter's Corner section where some reader's quilts are displayed.  The quilt theme is often carried into other crafts and even cooking (I remember the issue that has a beautiful cake with the frosting decoration in a quilt design).


COOKING & RECIPES

Country Woman Magazine is packed with recipes with mouth-watering photos.  There is also a section of the magazine where the recipes are printed four to a page (front and back), and these "cards" can be cut out of the magazine.  The ingredients for each recipe are in bold type, with the cooking instructions in a regular font. 

Recipes are varied, too.  Here is a sampling:  Frozen Peachy Salad, Smoked Lion of Pork, Sesame Chicken with Mustard Sauce, Italian Strip Steaks with Focaccia, Salmon with Gingered Rhubarb Compote, Egg & Sausage Souffle, Apple Cheddar Cheesecake, Chocolate Mocha Torte, Sweet Potato Honey Rolls, Pumpkin Ribbon Bread, Chicken Barley Soup, Haddock Chowder, Three-Cheese Enchiladas, Singapore Satay Sandwiches, Pesto Veggie Pizza.


GARDENING

While I would not call this a garden magazine (you'll find more crafts and recipes in it than a focus on gardening), there are some gardening articles.  They touch on flowers, flower arranging, landscaping.  There are also photos, though magazines devoted to gardening have better photographs.


HUMOR

Each issue carries snippets of humor.  Whether they are relayed through photography (children and pets) or in the humor column titled "My Most Embarrassing Moment", it's fun to find the humor in situations.  These are short easy-to-read slices of life.


COUNTRY LIVING ARTICLES

There are several articles in each issue of Country Woman.  They vary from stories about country women (where they live, how they live, how their lives are different from traditional country living), home improvement articles such as room design, animal tales (sled dogs, pets, tending cattle), even a story about a rural matchmaker.  As a rule, I'm not pulled into the articles.  Some of them are interesting, but I prefer the other areas of the magazine (and there are a lot of those!).


CONTESTS

I have not entered any of the contests, but I enjoy seeing the results!  Some of the contests have included designing tote bags, submitting recipes, cross-stitch projects.  The winning entries provide instructions for the projects.  Also, the prizes are excellent, often in the hundreds of dollars.


Purchasing

A recent issue had a card in it to subscribe for $12.49 a year (6 issues).  The annual cover price is $23.94.

If you are interested, the Country Woman Magazine website has great content, included a recipe search.  Some of the online content is unique and not in the magazine; free registration is required.


Summary

I enjoy reading Country Woman Magazine, and have subscribed to it for many years.  The variety of topics in the magazine appeals to me.  I can always find several things in each issue, whether craft or quilt patterns, recipes, or even knowing that I can offer someone help from the "Readers Are Wondering" page.  Once I'm finished with the issues, I pass them along to friends.

I hope you found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Please read my other reviews:

Country Extra Magazine

Country Weekly Magazine (about country music)

Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Magazine

Simple & Delicious Magazine (recipes)

Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Dell Pocket Crossword Puzzles

Pogo.com (online games)

Copyright 2009 Dawn L. Stewart