No Place Like Home -- Karen Wight

If you are an ornament aficionado then you are familiar with designer

extraordinaire Christopher Radko.

Radko has recreated the elegant Christmas tree. His designs bring

beautiful glass and glittered ornaments back into style for every

occasion. Radko has not only redefined Christmas ornaments, but has also

designed ornaments for Halloween, Easter and the Fourth of July. If you

love to decorate for holidays, Radko is your man for all seasons.

Our very own Roger’s Gardens in Newport Beach is the first and only

Radko Galaxy Store. Basically, this means that Roger’s carries everything

Radko, will be the first to get the new series, has a dedicated Radko

phone line and offers Radko Internet sales.

Rogers has created a database --

https://www.rogersgardens.com/infopages/NewFromRadko.htm -- that offers

secure ordering for thousands of Radko designs. The Web site has ornament

categories that make your search for the perfect gift or addition to your

collection as easy as point and click.

The site also offers rare and retired Radko treasures. Got a question?

There’s a posting board that gives information on an ornament’s worth,

suggested care and answers to all things in the Radko universe.

What piqued my interest on the Web site was the new line of Radko

personal jewelry. That’s right, personal ornamentation. Not for the

Tannenbaum, not for the black feather Halloween tree, nor for the white

Easter twigs. Original personal jewelry that includes bracelets,

earrings, hanging picture frames, pendants and pins.

The theme for this first line of jewelry is patriotic. Most of the

items are red, white and blue. These original designs include sparkling

crystals, fine craftsmanship and are very well priced.

Always on the cutting edge of American style, Radko is capitalizing on

the groundswell of patriotism. His new line offers a bracelet with a flag

motif heart with matching earrings, a “Brave Heart” hanging picture frame

that has a locket-style space for a picture, a heart pendant and pins in

the shape of hearts, the liberty torch and a patriotic Santa Claus.

It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I think I’ll vote for the liberty

torch pin. It is not only patriotic, but also has Olympic flare. At $30,

it’s not hard to justify this treasure as a personal pick-me-up. It would

also make a great birthday present, hostess gift or teacher thank-you.

In the ornament section of the Christopher Radko Galaxy Room, the hot

new item is the “Galaxy Santa.” This new Santa features a deep red coat

with a green underskirt with shimmery, iridescent gold trim.

Radko’s ornament of the month is called “My Honey’s Home” -- a

stylized beehive with twin bees buzzing around a flowered covered dome.

And what do you do with an ornament of the month? Radko has created a

specially designed ornament stand to display the collection. It gives any

bare corner an extra oomph of color and sparkle.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the Radko room at Roger’s,

take a fresh look at his innovative designs. You’ll find everything from

St. Nick to Uncle Sam.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.