MARTHA STEWART'S BIGGEST FANS

Calvin Cruce/Staff (ENLARGE)

Ana Ruiz, leader of a group of nine women who have met monthly for the last nine years to test Martha Stewart projects, shows off a food scrapbook she's making as she tries out recipes from hundreds of cookbooks she has.

Kimberly Smith/Staff Photographer (ENLARGE)

Mary Katherine Solley, in the nursery with her son, Daniel, 1, made the crib set and comforter.

PHOTOS • Projects [an error occurred while processing this directive]

ANA RAQUEL RUIZ

Ana Raquel Ruiz, 44, of Powder Springs is a native of Puerto Rico and a stay-at-home mom, licensed dietitian and freelance interpreter. To her, Martha can do no wrong.

"Martha Stewart is like my mom," Ruiz says. "My mom never got to meet her — she passed away 9 1/2 years ago, but they folded their sheets the same way even though one was in Puerto Rico and one was in New York. My mom was also very crafty and she liked to do knitting and macrame. Martha is very much like that. It's amazing to see the similarities."

So, what is the right way to fold a fitted sheet?

"You fold it in half, tuck in the corners and fold in half again," Ruiz explains.

One of her favorite projects she learned from Stewart's Good Things is how to cover switch plates with fabric to spice up a wall.

"Whenever the decor changes, I change the switch plate," Ruiz says.

She's also proud of the napkins she adorns with buttons to look like fruit, and the aprons she makes from dish towels and pot holders.

"In one afternoon, I can make 10 of them," Ruiz says.

When asked about a good thing that didn't turn out so good, felt CD covers immediately come to mind.

Ruiz followed Stewart's printed instructions to the letter, only to discover the cover was too small for the average CD package.

"The measurements didn't match," she recalls.

MARY KATHERINE SOLLEY

Mary Katherine Solley, 35, of Alpharetta was a financial adviser when she joined the Martha Stewart Good Things group. Now she stays home with her three young children and, among other things, makes fabric tote bags that she sells online at www.solleybags.com.

"I had seen Martha do a lot of sewing projects, and she makes them look so simple, so I made one," Solley recalls. "Input from the girls was an extremely important part of me developing them."

In addition to the tote bags, Stewart's Good Things have inspired Solley to make accent pillows for her sofa, sew curtains, bedding and accessories for her baby's nursery and paint furniture for her two oldest children. Not to mention that she cooks up a storm using recipes from Stewart's monthly "Everyday Food" magazine.

"The recipes in there are a little easier and don't require so much detail. My family likes them a lot," Solley explains.

However, one exception was a chicken dish.

"It was a disaster," Solley says laughing. "It wasn't even edible. I don't know what I did wrong, but it was a complete mess. I threw the dinner away and dumped it right on top of that recipe."

VICTORIA ROMERO CLEARFIELD

Victoria Romero Clearfield, 38, is a Colombian-born interpreter and translator who lives in Norcross.

She was single when she joined the group nine years ago; now she's a married mother of two.

"Being part of the group has been great," she says. "They have been a great sounding board and taught me that anything you set your mind to is possible."

Except, perhaps, making a cork board similar to one she saw in Martha Stewart "Living." As soon as Clearfield carved the board in the shape of the letter "C" and painted it, the board warped. She abandoned the project out of frustration.

"That's in the garage for another time," Clearfield says, laughing.

However, the greeting cards she makes have been more successful. Although the idea didn't come directly from Stewart, Clearfield says she was inspired by her.

"Martha has always said don't follow the trend, set the trend. That's what I'm working on right now."

The cards are written in Spanish.

"They say simple little things like 'Happy Birthday' or 'I miss you,' " explains Clearfield, who is also developing a line of goody bags.