About Us

MEET MARI, OWNER + CREATOR OF THE PINE TORCH

Mari Toscas, MFA, is a four-time author, artist, poet, recovering cubicle worker, and mom of four with a wicked sense of humor. Her inspiration comes from the dark side of motherhood – creating books, artwork, printed goods, and apparel that goes where nobody else wants to go – shining a flashlight into the sticky unknown crevices of its couch to expose the fossilized remnants of mayhem and the mundane. Her inspiration comes directly from being a working mom of a motley crew of four kids: twins, three with special needs, (three hyperactive Boston Terriers, a Ball Python named Snakey, a diverse plant jungle including a Venus Flytrap and various fiddle leaf figs in differing stages of wilting, and an eternal, Sisyphean pile of laundry affectionately dubbed "Mount Kill-A-Mom-Jaro").

Mari has personified her “Dead Inside But Caffeinated” journey down the motherhood-equivalent of the river Styx via “Ma-DAMN Skeleton,” who travels into its bowels in an amalgamation of biting humor, ethereal imagery, unabashed truth-telling, and a nod to the feminine divine – mummified in a sarcophagus of eternal wisdom that can only come from (pooped-on)-hands-on experience.

 

As a spirit-centered entrepreneur, Mari's business mission goes beyond delivering products: She speaks her truth even when it isn't considered profitable or clean, often rebelling against "ticking the boxes" of consumerist or media expectations, finding alternative methods to learning and healing, learning to listen and be a voice for her nonverbal autistic children, taking giant leaps of faith, pushing the envelope (and then some), and going outside of the lines in motherhood and in life. 

 

In Ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were charged with keeping the eternal flame. And in Ancient Greece, myths, fables and legends were passed down through oration for generations. Everything Mari creates via The Pine Torch serves as a raw vignette – a stark but hilarious story of our motherhood in our time – alchemizing and energizing, like a shot of espresso to the dead but caffeinated soul. Make no bones about it: The Pine Torch is a darkly branded vessel of truth and authentic story-telling that brings moms of all walks of life together.

 

From baby onesies to mugs, to Tarot Card Decks, to books, to woven fringe blankets, The Pine Torch is a living, breathing force that becomes part of the lives and families of those who follow the brand.

As a family-run business, Mari and her husband, Mark, play a very hands-on role in every aspect of the business from the bottom, up. In fact, most of the printing and production takes place in their home studio in Arizona. When you support The Pine Torch, you are supporting a small, family-run business, and a special needs family in giving the best life to their children. Thank you!

 

WHAT INSPIRED THE NAME OF THE BRAND?
The brand is inspired by an ancient Latin poem by Cattulus, which expresses the intimate moment of a mother preparing a daughter about to go off to marriage, putting flowers in the young child-bride’s hair, and “giving her away” to a new family (at the time this was written, marriage was a separation from the family, and the daughter had to know who she was and fend for herself in her new role and family).

The poem is an invocation of strength. It implores the daughter to remember who she is, to be free and authentic, stay grounded, and blaze a path of truth. The mother’s parting words to her child:

Bind thy brow with flowers //
Pound the ground with thy feet //
Shake with thy hand the pine torch

The dichotomies of being a women today are exhausting and insurmountable. Women ache for something that resonates with their inner and authentic voice; they crave validation in their struggles and to live life as art, to make their sacrifices valuable. That’s where having meaningful, symbolic, and beautiful products can contribute to that lifestyle.

The brand is the voice of our inner child, whispering to us:

Remember who you are.
Embrace your strength.
Reclaim your inner goddess.

CHECK OUT MARI'S BOOKS:
Raising a Phoenyx
I'm Never Going to Financially Recover From This
Cornelia and The Pine Torch
Wings in the Land of Feet

ORACLE DECKS:
The Audacity Deck
The Mom Deck
Remember Your Divinity Deck

FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/THEPINETORCH
INSTAGRAM: @THEPINETORCH / TAG #THEPINETORCH
PINTEREST: PINTEREST.COM/THEPINETORCH
TIKTOK: @THEPINETORCH
FACEBOOK VIP GROUP: FACEOOK.COM/GROUPS/487993498253478
EMAIL: [email protected]

Find us on Etsy!
THE PINE TORCH is also available on Etsy, we have two shops:
THE PINE TORCH: WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/THEPINETORCH
THE PINE TORCH PETITE: WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/THEPINETORCHPETITE

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Copyright (c) The Pine Torch