Finding her passion.
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| A Welcoming Entry |
Family
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| entryway includes french doors that lead to the dining room |
them which I loved and enjoyed every moment”
Maria Rodriguez placed a high priority on family long ago when she made the decision to be a stay-at-home mother to her two sons Billy and Mark becoming quite involved in the day-to-day activities of her very active boys. While investing herself in creating a warm and comfortable home for her husband Bill and her boys, Maria also found time to craft and gather socially with her family and friends.
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| click on any picture to enlarge. Maria's dining room |
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| Maria's talent for displaying accessories is evident in her dining room |
Maria’s focus on family, friends as well as the comfort and the blessing of home can be felt as one enters through the door to her thoughtfully decorated home. Maria shared that while living in Florida, she took Home Design courses in a local college to learn how best to decorate her home.
“I knew this was my new found passion”
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| Maria found this buffet at a local antique store and added her special touch |
Entrepreneur
Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Maria began her entrepreneurial career as owner of a beauty salon. When Maria’s sons headed to college she was fortunate to find a job at Black Welders, a furniture store in Florida, that she had taken note of over the years and had become a favorite of hers. Maintaining her cosmetology license, Maria has followed her passion making Home Decorating her life’s occupation and passion.
“I always love to visit, because of the
and accessories they carried”.
Home Decor
While working for Black Welders Maria discovered her gift and her passion for home decorating beginning to blossom. The store’s owners would give Maria the task of ‘staging’ newly acquired furniture – Maria delved with passion into each room’s setting arranging the furniture with accessories to give the prospective buyer a glimpse of how the furniture could look in their home.
Oftentimes the buyer would purchase the whole ‘room’ accessories and all. When customers expressed their wish for the furniture and accessory placement to be duplicated in their home, Maria was encouraged by the store owners to branch out as an Interior Decorator Consultant.
to stir up and I went full force. I decorated
many businesses and homes in Florida.
the store and by word of mouth”.
Maria began to collect and to fill her own home with the quality furniture she found at Black Welders. The classical and cottage lines of Hickory Hill’s Jaclyn Smith Collection can be found in a number of the rooms in Maria’s home.
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| Maria's French Country Family Room |
Former Actress Jaclyn Smith also found her passion in home decorating some years back developing lines of furniture, accessories and bedding that remain timeless.
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| Maria's sitting room - Jaclyn Smith's "Grandma's Attic" |
In an interview in Guidepost Magazine Jaclyn shared,
“Someone once asked me what my favorite place in the world was.
I had to say that with all the traveling I’ve done, with all the incredible spots I’ve seen, the place I treasure most is home. Home. The word itself comforts me.”
She chose glass so that the accessories placed beneath could be seen. Fond of painted furniture, Maria painted the side table a soft white distressing the edges.
Maria counts herself to be blessed with nine
grandchildren and has dedicated a wall in
her Master bedroom suite displaying photos
of her grandchildren with the word
‘Blessings’ painted above.
Restoring
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| Maria's handmade Christening dresses made from vintage pillow cases (pictured left) became popular decorative items |
Maria quickly shares the bedroom downstairs with the Jaclyn Smith wicker bed
and the bedroom upstairs in the pink and green, the “Petra” bedding.
Décor tips
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| Maria took small frames and filled them with silk flowers to decorate the wall above the bed in the girl's room |
Maria also noted that oftentime when attempting to decorate a room, “people would leave out their personality” She shared the importance of putting what one loves into each room – this reflection of their love and their passions would create an inviting – personal atmosphere for themselves and their families.
Entrepreneur/blogger
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Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
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Thank you for your visit,
Wishing you a very Delightsome day,
Jaclyn Smith quote.
