Tag Archives: Stetson Mansion

If You Come To Florida

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If You Come To Florida

I feel like Ginger Rogers dancing backward in the arms of Fred Astaire trying to get my barrings. World War Two bombs are not being dropped, however, the coronavirus and police brutality are in the air. Even virtual travel seemed risky, so I searched through my photos of where I have been. If you ever get to Florida, come prepared to visit the Stetson Mansion.  

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The John B. Stetson House, built-in 1886 for the hat manufacturer and designed by George T. Person, an architect from Philadelphia, in 1886 is an historic home in Deland, Florida.

The Stetson Mansion is well known for its Holiday Home Tour and I have been there several times during the Christmas season.

Stetson Mansion ranked third in the nation by USA Today for the Top Ten Readers’ Choice Best Holiday Tours in 2019. Tours are scheduled for the year 2020 beginning in November. The pictures below were taken on an off holiday tour of the home and quilts were displayed.

20140802_102345Home owners, Michael and JT, lived there when I toured. They purchased the historic house in 2005. Their creativity shows in the details. On the tours I attended, JT gave the tour, walking us through the mansion. The website gives extensive information about its history and the renovation process in a drop-down menu. 

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The woodwork is amazing.  20140802_102731   Flooring, no room is exactly the same

20140802_102325The handiwork of the quilts was top notch.

20140802_102716The master bedroom wardrobe was transformed into a bathroom. The original doors conceal its whereabouts in the room.

20140802_102232This is a must-see restoration. The kitchen has all the conveniences necessary for catering and yet maintains the integrity of the home. The website tells you everything you would want to know.

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The Stetson Mansion is beautifully decorated for Christmas. Be sure not to miss it.

Other winners in the Top Ten Best Holiday Historic Home Tour were:

  1. Graceland – Memphis
  2. Wildwood Manor House – Toledo, Ohio
  3. The Stetson Mansion – Deland, Fla.
  4. Filoli Historic House and Garden – Woodside, Calif.
  5. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens – Akron, Ohio
  6. Meadow Brook Hall – Rochester, Mich.
  7. Brucemore – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  8. Glessner House – Chicago
  9. The Mount – Lenox, Mass.
  10. Webb Deane Stevens Museum – Wethersfield, Conn.

I have toured White House at Christmas twice and been to the Stetson Mansion several times but never to the other homes on the list.  Are any of these on your list?

      . . . just saying

Stetson Mansion Showcase of Quilts

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20140802_102345                                                                          Aging & Attitude

 Thanks to my friend Christine (who writes Pudbudder), my interest in quilts and sewing is rekindled.

Christine dragged me around to participate in the Central Florida Shop Hop. It is fun, if you live in Florida where the steering wheel is too hot to handle in July and August.

What is a Shop Hop?

It is a clever way to attract people to Quilt Fabric stores. Customers pay a five dollar fee for a passport and list of twenty-eight stores where they receive a free fat square of fabric when they visit. Quilting is now considered an art form. The stores are different and each a unique aesthetic experience.

At the Byrd’s Nest a Quilter explained why their business is booming. She incorporates a silhouette of the owner’s dog into a custom-made quilt. The quilt she worked on was constructed from beautiful mosaic black and brown fabric for a chocolate lab owner.

In our travels I learned about the Showcase of Quilts at Stetson Mansion. I have been to the Stetson Christmas tour and was eager to see quilts displayed throughout the mansion. I snapped some pictures, however, the tour was so interesting; I stopped to fully listen.  You will see those pictures below.

The Stetson Mansion is the restored summer home of John Stetson, maker of the Stetson Hat. TripAdvisor named the mansion one of  three hundred must see attractions in the United States, more popular than Disney. Orlando Disney is near Deland.

Tours are by reservation only, as the owners live at the mansion and maintain the property themselves. The cost of  renovation was contained by contributions from over three hundred sponsors, secured through letter writing. Over time, the campaign mailed some sponsors one hundred letters to obtain commitment. The renovation scheduled to take years was completed in eighteen months. Their story is enchanting and the the manison a definite must see.

 

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 Dawn also posted some pics!

                                                        . . . just saying

 

http://time.com/3029819/lucy-movie-review-luc-besson/