Welcome home to Sagebrush!

As a kid growing up in rural Montana, I learned early on to appreciate family, hard work, honesty, and the true meaning of legacy. There was no shortage of home-cooked meals, friends who became family, chores to do, and valuable life lessons to learn.

Much of my formative years were spent in Stillwater County, living in rural communities.  My brother & I were in the hayfields before we could walk, out with our parents feeding the cows, tending to the chickens, sheep, horses, & whatever other animals there were to take care of.  I learned to drive a truck when I was 9, moving cows across the prairie.  I was on the back of a horse & a tractor far before then.  We rode along in the stock trucks hauling livestock, chased the geese & chickens under the cattle guards (where I also once got my tongue stuck during the winter!), participated in brandings in whatever way we were useful.  We attended small schools where sports were the highlight of the school weeks, and the communities were full of salt-of-the-earth people.  The kind of people who look out for each other, bring meals whenever someone is sick or a family member passes away, will help pull you out when you get stuck in the mud or snow, give you a ride when you break down, fight wildfires alongside you in the field, show up to help you brand cattle, watch your kids, the list goes on.  People who become lifelong friends.  People who become family.  

As a little girl I loved dresses & "Dolly Parton" hair (I’ll find a picture for a future story!), but I also loved playing outside in the mud with my brother & cousins, exploring places we probably shouldn't have, and later getting into teenage trouble with our friends.  When you live in a town where the nearest law enforcement is over 25 miles away, trust me--you get creative!!  And yet, we weren't fooling anyone.  The local farm & ranch owners ALWAYS knew what was going on.  They just let us be kids and learn our lessons the hard way.  And we're all the better for it. 

As I got older I longed for the big city life.  I was going to graduate, move away, and become something big & fancy.  And then life happened.  God has a funny way of teaching us about best laid plans, right?!  

Much of my 20s I spent trying to figure out who I was.  I had way too much fun, and wasted a lot of time trying to be like somebody else, doing what I thought everyone expected of me.  Not long after I turned 30, my life was turned upside down, and I spent the next several years just trying to function again.  Nothing seemed to fit right. 

It's not until I stopped trying to fight myself that I realized what I wanted to do with my life.  I've always felt like a walking oxymoron--not sure of where I really fit.  One day I have a toolbelt on, helping my dad re-roof the house, stopping for a cold beer every so often.  The next I'm at an outdoor concert in my cowboy boots & a hat, drinking whiskey with my brother & friends.  Or maybe I'm helping my mom paint my grandma's house, and we're listening to her tell stories, with sweat pouring down our backs in the hot sun, a cold iced tea or margarita waiting.  Then a Saturday night rolls around, and I'm having a night out in a dress & heels, fresh new manicure & a full face of makeup, a glass of wine--or maybe a vodka in hand. 

What I've realized the older I get is that I'm all of these personalities, and I don't have to fit into a category.  I am a culmination of the way I was raised, the people I've met, and the decisions I've made in life.  Sometimes I'm carefree & fun, other times I'm worried & an emotional trainwreck.  I'm human.  I'm still learning.  And such is life.  An imperfect, yet beautiful journey.  And so, I have created Sagebrush Designs.  I have finally found a way to turn my love of shopping into something productive.  I love fashion, home decor/furnishings, people, creativity, animals & nature, and Montana.  God told me it was finally time to turn my lifelong dream of becoming a business owner into a reality.  So here we are. 

Sagebrush is a nod to my upbringing, growing up on the prairie.  Whenever we would travel, I would always know I was home when we'd come back, windows down in the summer, the smell of sagebrush & hay on the breeze, and a Meadowlark singing somewhere on a fence.

I want Sagebrush Designs to feel like coming home.  A place where you can find what you're looking for, for whatever mood you happen to be in that day, or whatever stage of life you find yourself in.  The collections are all inspired by people, places, & ways of life.  It is my honor & passion to finally be able to bring this to life, and share it with all of you.  This is for me, my loved ones, & anyone else who can relate to being several different people, wrapped up into one.  Your own true, beautiful self.  

Thank you for being here.  Welcome home to Sagebrush Designs.

❤️-Josie

**photo courtesy of Instagram @jd406n**