Where did Twysted Thystle go?

You might be wondering what happened to Twysted Thystle. If you either have seen our Facebook page or if you have visited the website lately to order anything in the past couple of weeks you might be thinking: what the heck?!. I currently have the checkout disabled on the website until I pull myself together. Here is a list of things that have been issues for some time:

1. Twysted Thystle is REALLY hard to say out loud. Go ahead, say it. Most of you probably lisped while saying it. I hear it all the time. Really annoying for everyone. I adore the name, but its applications are limited. Also, it is spelled funky. I again loved it. However the reality of it is that it is hard for people to spell and thus hard to find us. Lesson: Name your businesses something that people can easily say and easily spell.
2. My oldest daughter (AnnaLee) moved back home in April. She was planning on helping out with the business, but other passions were calling her. She got a part-time job at an awesome gluten-free bakery in town as a baker and a full-time job as a chef at a fine dinning restaurant in Dundee, OR. That is pretty much all of her time if you have not already added that up.
3. AnnaLee needed her own space after a few months of sharing living space with younger siblings. So, I offered her my workshop as a studio apartment. Because it has a separate entrance to enter, it is perfect for her needs as a young adult. Sacrifices, I tell you. Sacrifices.
4. This summer was brutal with the heat. I had zero motivation to be creative while watching my products melt on my storage shelves….
5. My passions have changed over the years. One of my favorite realizations this year was this: “I thought I was an herbalist, until I became a gardener”. More on that pondering later.
6.  Heather and I needed to part ways in a business manner in order for each of us to grow on our own, in our own ways. Yes, she will still be making some of the art for the amazing labels and logo and stuff like that. But we each will be working on our own passions for a while. (this is a good thing, not bad at all).
7. Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, Twysted Thystle was not me anymore. My confession: I am not a hippie. I tried. I failed. My husband had an intervention with me about it. A real eye opener. I hate tie-die. Despise it actually. I hate the grateful dead. Like, really hate the music. Grateful Dead cover bands are even worse. I do not believe in fairies and will not humor that they are real. (That seems to be a real issue with some people!!). Many many other things, but Twysted Thystle was no longer a reflection of me and it got harder and harder to put my true self into it. As for me, I am that weird girl that fits in nowhere. And I am OK with that. Totally. Completely. With all my heart.
8. I am totally in LOVE with Gardening!!! I had very little time to put into the business this summer as I frolicked in my urban garden paradise!! Sorry, but this is honest and true. I tend to run with my passions…

Photo taken by Serafina Francis

Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, Twysted Thystle was not me anymore. My girls and I (AnnaLee and Serafina) will be doing this new Grunge Garden project together. We will still be making some amazing body care products and a few other surprises. My daughter Serafina will be taking most of the photos for the blog and the website as her main focus. AnnaLee will be helping me brainstorm products, testing them, making, and perhaps I can convince her to do some modeling for me.

Thanks for sticking with me!! We are not going away, just redefining who we are and evolving.

My next blog post will tell a bit about who we ARE, instead of what we are not. Stay tuned.

Deb G.