Window Treatments with Custom Looks

Velegance window treatments promise custom looks at lower prices.

The window treatments, made by Breeze Home Fashions Inc., are made from individual pieces that are attached to a special curtain rod with Velcro-brand fasteners. The fasteners allow fabric to be moved and adjusted to fit the window, and the pieces make the window treatments easy to install and remove for cleaning.

Prices range from $150 to $400 or more, depending on the size of the window.

For more information, visit http://www.velegance.com or call 770-926-3226.

CELEBRATING NATURE

It's hard to describe "The Curious Gardener's Almanac."

Even author Niall Edworthy admits in his introduction his own struggle to come up with a description, settling - only after imagining being forced to do so at gunpoint - for "a celebration of nature, in all its infinite variety, as experienced in the garden."

The almanac is a compilation of all things garden-related - tips, bits of wisdom, quotations, odd facts, recipes, you name it. It's the kind of book that gives you a smile or an insight whenever you pick it up, a volume to be absorbed a bit at a time.

"The Curious Gardener's Almanac" is published by Perigee Books and sells for $16.95 in hardcover.NEW TWIST ON OUTLET

Kimberly Gerard found herself annoyed by a common problem. She had two cell phones, but she couldn't fit both of their bulky plugs into the only readily accessible outlet in her office.

So she and a friend came up with a solution: an outlet with two sockets that rotate 360 degrees.

The 360 Electrical outlet lets you plug in one device and then turn it to make room for another plug in the same outlet. It comes in four colors: white, ivory, almond and black.

The outlets are available at Harbor Freight Tools USA stores, and they can be ordered from online retailers listed on the Web site, http://www.360electrical.com. Suggested retail price is $10.

VIRTUAL TOUR OF CABINS

You can almost feel the heat radiating from the stone fireplaces as you page through "Cabin in the Woods."

The book is a vicarious retreat to a world of rough timbers and smooth leather, to places where homes are an extension of their natural surroundings.

Author and photographer Ralph Kylloe, an authority on rustic furniture, takes his readers on a virtual tour of 10 cabins ranging from the simple to the sprawling. He guides with photographs and few words, inviting the reader to study and absorb the details of the homey settings.

"Cabin in the Woods" comes from Gibbs Smith, Publisher. It sells for $29.95 in hardcover.