From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, visit five homes in Dunedin on the 32nd annual Holiday Home Tour sponsored by the Dunedin Youth Guild. Buy tickets at the North Dunedin Baptist Church, 1595 Michigan Blvd. ($18), where the guild's legendary complimentary tea will be served from noon to 4 p.m. The homes include a new Key West-style waterfront house, a downtown townhouse, a quilter's residence, a houseful of antiques and a villa decorated in Arts and Crafts style. Coming Dec. 8: Safety Harbor tour. Details, Page 3F.

Restored local home is TV star

Monday night at 10, tune in to HGTV's Restore America, which will feature the St. Petersburg home of Gary and Darilyn Mandrigues. The 1912 Queen Anne, in the city's Old Northeast section, was in such terrible condition when they bought it that they were urged to tear it down. (And that was before lightning struck it, starting a fire!) The Mandrigueses and restoration architect Tim Rhode transformed the onetime boarding house back into a single-family home that is now one of the neighborhood's prizes.

Fun way to light the night

Tuck this into a stocking, or set it on a bedside table on Christmas Eve so someone you know can keep an eye out for Santa. The Touch Light Buddy comes in four styles: Flip the Frog, Lilly the Ladybug, Lizzy the Lizard and Tucker the Turtle. Just touch their backs and they light up; touch again and the light goes out. They're $5.99 from GE.

Get the most from your candles

It's a candle time of year, so here are tips from PartyLite, which sells candles and accessories: Refrigerate tapers before use so they burn more slowly and evenly. Wrap them in foil or plastic first to keep the wicks from absorbing moisture. Do not freeze candles. Trim, light and extinguish the wicks of new candles once before using so they light more quickly and easily later. Heighten the shine and buff away fingerprints and scratches by gently rubbing with a nylon stocking. Do this before lighting candles.

- Compiled by Homes editor JUDY STARK

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