The Friendship Stone Team
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The Friendship Stone Team
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Cathy Raff 
President
Jill Raff  
Business Development
Lauré Warren
Business Development
Marcia Raff
Creative Consultant
Shari Wright Pilo
Web Producer

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 I grew up on a family farm in Southern Colorado and learned all kinds of ‘wrangly things’.  I went on cattle drives to the mountains of northern New Mexico, watched those same cows get branded,  ear tagged, bred, and have their own calves.  I worked on tractors, irrigated fields with my brother and painted more white fences than I want to remember.  It was a good life and a beautiful place to grow up, but I always knew I’d move away. 

Through my roommate in college and a trip east, I met my sweetie, Sailing Man!  It only took us a few months to know we wanted to be together forever, so we moved to California, got married in Santa Barbara and lived in Los Angeles.  We were crazy and young and wow was it fun!!      I fell in love with photography in high school and took a few courses in college. 

 When we moved to California, I attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena obtaining a BFA.  Art Center was an experience I’ll always treasure.  It was crazy hard work, but so rewarding.   I know I took away more than just photography; I also came away with a new eye for design and many great friendships especially with my friend, Cathy. laure_1.gif  After Art Center, I worked at an architectural photography studio near downtown LA, and became their studio manager.  It was a great place to learn the ropes of running a studio.   I figured out very quickly the challenge of hauling amazing amounts of photo equipment to each location.   Wow, that seems like a million years ago. . .   Anyway, after 5 years in LA, Sailing Man and I decided to move to Massachusetts.  We quit our jobs, learned I was pregnant, sold almost everything, piled in the car and drove cross country! 

New England
was a rude awakening compared to the sunny west coast.  .  . not to mention starting a business and having a new baby;  A bit overwhelming, but exciting!  My second baby boy was born three years later and that would wrap up my baby producing for this lifetime.  My photography career sat on the back burner while I became the stay at home Mom I’d dreamed of.  My children, however, became expert models at a very young age!  

As the years passed, I became interested in quilting.  I made my first quilt as a ‘thank you gift’ and haven’t stopped.  In 16 years, I’ve made quilts for friends, victims of 9/11.  I sell and show my work in galleries whenever possible.  I made traditional quilts in the beginning, but now my passion is art quilts.  I’m involved with a unique group; we call ourselves, “Women Unraveled”.  They are talented, fun and full of life.   I enjoy and learn from them more than they know.  

I now live west of Boston in a very old, but cool house that forever needs our love and attention.  My two beautiful boys, Biker (20) and Quarterback (17), have turned out to be quite sweet young men whom have a sense of themselves and the world around them that makes a mother proud.   Besides art, parenting and house renovations, I’ve learned the love of sailing.  Sailing Man has sailed and raced all his life.  Summers are the best!  We race and cruise the Elizabethan Islands and Cape Cod whenever possible.  Sometimes we even go to far off places to sail in someone else’s backyard.  And since our whole family loves the water, it truly becomes a “family affair”.   

This latest venture with Cathy and the launching of  the friendship stone has been like no other.  I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be involved in an international business, working with a group of woman such as these, but it has been rewarding beyond measure!  Cathy has brought a product to market that is the essence of the many things I hold dear: friendship, beauty, perspective and a sense of well-being with the world!  I’ve not only loved the journey it has taken us on, but have enjoyed the process of package design, editing text, building a website and the on-going effort to reach as many people as possible with it’s beautiful message.


 
 
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