The Blomstrom-Mazzola Family
It was the summer of 2001. Shortly after digging the koi pond at the front of the house, Lori met Donnamarie Mazzola. Two years later she sold her house in Perkiomenville, moved to Stone Cottage Woods and put her digital marketing background to use handling marketing and operations for a small ecommerce company in Easton.
They made plans to build an addition to enlarge the house to its present size of 3442 square feet and chose Peter Thompson to design the addition and oversee the project, which was completed in May 2005. It was important that the addition gracefully wrap around the existing structure but not dominate it, such that character and scale of the old cottage character was maintained. The addition exposed interior stone walls, while adding the drama of expanded space and light. Inspired by their trips to Italy, Lori began training in Venetian plastering in the US and Italy. They did the tiling, painting, and plastering themselves, and over the years created the gardens and landscaping, pergola, garage, studio and other improvements. After the addition was completed, Lori left her job at PPL to go into business as Veneshe Venetian Plastering, and the beautiful wall and ceiling finishes in the house are examples of her creativity and artistry.
During this time, Stone Cottage Woods became home to several dogs and cats, all rescues. The most ‘famous’ of these were two stray puppies Lori and Donnamarie found while vacationing just outside of Sorrento, Italy. With four dogs at home already, it seemed crazy to entertain the idea of rescuing two more, but they were smitten. After days of searching for an airline approved crate to no avail, all seemed lost, and they were forced to return home without the dogs. Once home, Donnamarie got quotes for services to transport them to the US, and realized it would be less costly to simply return to Italy herself. Two weeks later, with her own airline approved carrier as the only checked luggage, she returned to Italy as the crazy American woman coming back for two stray puppies, all three of whom were treated to a royal send-off by the village gathered in the villa to witness a Disney-esque puppy reunion.
The Next Chapter
The next chapter of Stone Cottage Woods is yet to be written. As a witness to American history, a home to generations of blacksmiths, farmers, craftsmen and families, and one of the historic homes still watching over Stouts Valley, this gracious house awaits new caretakers to honor its past and create its future.