Do-it-yourself home improvement and design has never been as popular as the present, with an abundance of television programs aimed at teaching you and I how to make our own curtains, unclog our own pipes, and in general, make our living spaces more livable. Get further advice and tips, watch live how-to demonstrations, peruse hundreds of exhibits, and take home the latest and greatest home and garden goods at this year's Tampa/St. Petersburg Home & Patio Show. The event features local, regional and national experts of remodeling, building, decorating and landscaping, including Tim Luke of HGTV's Cash in the Attic, who offers info on establishing the value of collectibles. Wisecracking grilling duo Mad Dog & Merrill prepare several of their favorite tailgating recipes and offer samples to spectators and other highlights include a 2,000-square-foot luxuriously landscaped outdoor living room, and "Celebrity Imaginations Take Flight," an assortment of birdhouses painted by Florida-based professional athletes, entertainers and radio and television personalities. Mon., May 28, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St., downtown Tampa, $8 adults/$7 seniors (free admission for children 12 and younger), 888-254-0882, floridahomeshows.com.
This article appears in May 23-29, 2007.