Usher in year with Swell party
You're giving a little New Year's Eve bash. It'll be a festive gathering. And things are coming together. But you still need to purchase the table goods -- quickly, and, you hope, inexpensively. Then visit Target and find an array of decorative and fun products from Swell, the home and fashion line by fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and style editor Ilene Rosenzweig.
Some of the Swell products you'll find include multicolored acrylic word tumblers (below, $1.99 per glass), featuring words such as "merry," "jolly," "joy" and "happy" on each, as well as matching cocktail napkins (right, $6.99 for a set of four), and ceramic small plates (above, $12.99 for a set of four), all featuring a single festive word on each. Other items include ceramic tree plates ($12.99 for a set of four), a ceramic candy cane-shaped dish ($12.99), serving bowls, trays, ice buckets and more.
Swell table goods are only available in Target stores, not on the Web site. Call your local Target for more information about Swell products.
Home & Garden sneak peek
If you're a Home & Garden Television enthusiast, you'll want to tune into the network Saturday for its annual "All Premiere New Year." Viewers can enjoy previews of two new series, four new specials and several new episodes of many of the network's popular series.
New series include Design Remix (3:30 p.m.), which helps homeowners add style to a room by using discarded pieces salvaged from their own attic, basement or garage, and Kitchen Trends 2005 (4:30 p.m.), in which families transform their kitchen into a dream kitchen with all the latest styles and products. New specials include The Making of Rose Parade 2005 (7 a.m.), Motor Mansions (1 p.m.) and Garden Giants: Still Growing! (2 p.m.).
Visit www.HGTV.
Match lighting to mood
Often it's those small touches that make a home cozy and inviting. Indeed touches like the new holiday-colored Diva dimmers from Lutron Electronics will charm your New Year's Eve party guests. Available in red, green and 13 other shades, the dimmers allow for easy control of mood lighting at the touch of a switch. Dimmers feature a simple toggle switch, as well as a side light-level adjuster. The dimmers and matching screwless wall plates (sold separately) are easy to install. Dimmers, which have a 600-watt maximum, are designed with a single-pole switch (one control for one lighting system) or with a three-way switch (two controls for one lighting system).
One single-pole, color dimmer sells for $33. One three-way, color dimmer sells for $39. One single-gang, color wall plate sells for $7. Products are available at Home Depot, Lowe's and area lighting stores. Call 877-258-8766 or visit www.lutron.com.
Events
Browse the exhibit Greek Myths, featuring large acrylic paintings and etchings by Ruth Channing, through Friday at the Craig Flinner Gallery, 505 N. Charles St. Pictured below is Channing's "Narcissus," a 48-inch-by-48-inch acrylic on canvas. Call 410-727-1863 or visit www.flinnergallery.com for hours.
See winter photos snapped by area photographers and on view at the exhibit Winter Scene, through Jan. 6 at BaltimoreGallery, 4519 Eastern Ave. Call 410-276-7966 for hours.
Home Front welcomes interesting home and garden news. Please send suggestions to Lori Sears, Home Front, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278, or fax to 410-783-2519. Information must be received at least four weeks in advance to be considered.