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Decorating for holiday homes tour lifts spirits

Preparing a house for the annual Holiday Tour of Homes has brought the festivity back into the season, one woman says.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published December 1, 2005

	[Times photos: Scott Keeler]
	Sue Brooks, 56, of Dunedin, sits with her St. Bernard Cinderella in her living room Tuesday. Brooks' home is one of several stops on the Dunedin Youth Guild's 36th annual Holiday Tour of Homes on Saturday. Next to Brooks is her holiday figure called "Christmas Carol.".
	The Dunedin villa of Robert Steiger and Kevin Acton has several Christmas trees, including one with ornaments created by artist Christopher Radko.
	Diana Carsey and David Wolters pose in their outdoor courtyard Tuesday. Their home will be included in the Holiday Tour of Homes Saturday. The home, built in 2003 to fit on a long, narrow lot, is only steps from downtown Dunedin.
	IF YOU GO The Dunedin Tour of Homes will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, starting at First Presbyterian Church, 455 Scotland Ave., with complimentary tea, cookies and finger sandwiches. Guild members will also be selling Christmas crafts. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, and are available at the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, City Hall and First Presbyterian Church. Because so many of the furnishings, ornaments and decorations are fragile, organizers ask that children younger than 12 do not take the tour. Call 734-0394.

DUNEDIN - When one of her three St. Bernard dogs died in July, Sue Brooks was ready for a blue Christmas.

"I was so depressed I thought I wasn't going to put up a wreath or anything," she said.

Then the Dunedin Youth Guild approached her about adding her fun-filled home to its 36th annual Holiday Tour of Homes.

Her spirits took off like a reindeer-driven sleigh.

Brooks, a pet sitter, and her husband, Ross Long, have spent the last two weeks trimming their lilac, two-story home on 11/2 acres with an estimated $20,000 worth of Christmas decorations they keep in two storage units the rest of the year.

"It's been great therapy," she said.

Their home and four others are part of Saturday's eclectic home tour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The proceeds benefit the guild, which raises money for scholarships and other youth programs.

Susan Wilson, chairwoman of the tour committee, said last year's event raised about $12,000.

"We sold about 700 tickets and hope to sell more this year," she said.

Wilson said that over 35 years, the guild has provided more than $500,000 to the community's youth.

"We appreciate the support of these homeowners who open their doors and the extraordinary and diverse community who pulls together to make this happen for the kids," she said.

A sneak peak at the homes on the tour revealed a blend of decorating styles, tastes and architectural features. While Brooks and Long's home features fun and frivolity with a monkey-themed bath and a multitude of Mardi Gras masks in the kitchen, four other homes speak to Dunedin's range of elegant, charming and imaginative houses.

Guild spokeswoman Kathy Wallace, who hosts and produces Pinellas 18's Good to Know show, said the tour should provide visitors lots of entertainment value.

"These (tour-goers) are in for a real treat," she said.

* * *

The biggest home on the tour is an 11,000-square-foot mansion owned by J.C. Weaver, who ran away from home at the age of 15, took a bus to Tampa and walked to Clearwater with no money in his pockets.

"I slept in a phone booth my first night," he said.

He made his fortune in the tile business and now owns an industrial and office park in Clearwater.

"I'm just a simple country boy from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia," he said, standing in his vast living room with panoramic views of St. Joseph Sound. Custom touches include poured plaster moldings, a fireplace from Italy, inlaid marble floor in the dining room, a mahogany library, and a bar depicting the story of winemaking through carved oak reliefs.

But Weaver is most proud of his self-produced records that made the independent country music charts, songs like Salute the Boys of Vietnam and Gotta Get Out of Town to Stay Out of Trouble . He displays the records and charts in the same room with the deerskin pants and sequined shirt he wore to serenade former President Ronald Reagan.

He plans to entertain visitors during the tour with Christmas music, songs he wrote, and smooth-as-butter country charm.

He will also compose a song on the spot.

"We can make you up any kind of song you want," he said. "We'll all get together and have a good time."

* * *

By contrast, a small but enchanting 1950s home owned by Patricia Rawlings and her daughter Tara Emery is chock-full of Christmas cheer, from the dancing and singing Santa on the front porch to the tree decorated with Victorian doll heads.

"I love Christmas whether I get any gifts or not," said Rawlings, 67. "It's just my favorite time of the year."

She also loves antiques.

Her mother's 100-year-old satin wedding dress is displayed in her bedroom along with her antique doll collection. The brunet doll her mother gave her when she was born sits on her antique bed.

The bathroom features an antique claw bathtub with a candlelit chandelier above.

Rawling's front yard is wrapped with a white picket fence but there is no green grass. Instead, she uses creeping juniper, mulch, bushes and wooden decking in the front and back yards.

* * *

Another home on the tour, owned by Diana Carsey and David Wolters, is called Villa del Mare and takes much of its colorful inspiration from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

The two-story Mediterranean-style home was recently built to fit on a long, narrow lot near picturesque Main Street.

"We wanted something that would complement Dunedin," said Carsey. "We studied the bricks in downtown and tried to replicate them in the driveway. The (aqua-colored) exterior of the house is the same color as the dentist's."

The interior reflects the owners' travels in Italy, Mexico and Honduras. Floors are made from antiqued Spanish marble, walls are painted in earth-baked colors, and the back of the house opens up to a charming courtyard with a trickling water fountain.

* * *

Last but not least is the villa owned by Kevin Acton and Robert Steiger, owners of the Objects & Accents store in downtown Dunedin.

Upon entering, visitors will see an art deco-style frosted glass chandelier, which came from an old movie theater.

The villa is decorated with Arts and Crafts style furniture and the kitchen features a huge collection of Fiestaware.

Four flocked Christmas trees are decorated with hundreds of glass ornaments by designers Patricia Breen and Christopher Radko. The ornaments evoke memories of Christmases past with traditional designs and attention to detail. "We are fanatics about these Christmas ornaments," said Steiger, who buys many from Neiman Marcus. "They are all hand-painted, hand-glittered and mouth-blown."

He said his favorites are the Santas in black suits. "The glitter really shows up under the lights."

[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:07:16]