Welcome to Thistle and Stone Farm - the place where my hands are always making, and my heart is always telling stories.

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The Beginning

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When I was little, I was quiet - not shy exactly, just living mostly inside.  Words often felt too small or too loud, but music and color gave me another way to speak.  The piano keys didn't ask for explanations; they let me say what I couldn't find words for.

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Around age 8 or 9, my grandfather gave me a small set of watercolors.  I remember the back porch where I sat with them, the light slanting through the trees, the brush trembling slightly in my hand.  That small gift opened a door I didn't even know I was looking for - a way into art, into expression, into the life I still carry today.

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The Journey

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That little watercolor set became the beginning of something much larger.  I went on to study both art and music - first at the College of Alameda in California, later at the University of Colorado in Denver.  Over the years, I painted in the quiet hours of early motherhood, learned to sew, baked scones, made jam, and sold my work at craft shows.

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I taught piano to children whose small hands reminded me of my own beginnings.  I threw clay on the wheel and found its grounding weight calming and steady.  I picked up wool more recently, spinning and dyeing and weaving pieces of story and memory into fiber art.  Bread came next, slowly rising into my life the way good bread does - patient, warm, and nourishing.

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Today

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Now I gather it all under the name Thistle and Stone Farm - a way of life more than a place.  I bake sourdough bread, shape clay, create art and share music through teaching.  I am also writing The Wool Woman, a book that blends memoir and myth, a way of tending the fire and sharing the journey as it unfolds.  One day, I hope to root this dream on real land, with sheep in the fields, their wool woven into the story I continue to tell.

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The Heart of It All

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What ties it all together is story.  Whether through bread, music, art, or wool, making has always been my way of tending the fire - keeping it alive in myself, in my family, and I hope in those who cross paths with my work.

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Thank you for being here.  This is the gathering place of all the things I create.  May you find in them a little warmth, a little beauty and perhaps a spark of inspiration for your own hands and heart.

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