GREAT FALLS — In a garage workshop in Great Falls, wood, epoxy, and careful craftsmanship come together to create something more than just art.
For Rebecca Liggett, each piece is tied to something deeper, her family, her challenges, and the path that led her here.
Madison Collier reports - watch the video here:
Her business, Growing Pines Handmade, wasn’t part of a long-term plan. It grew out of life’s hardest moments, what she describes as the “growing pains” that ultimately inspired its name.
“Growing Pines is basically going through all the growing pains of life,” Liggett said.
Those “growing pains” included building a blended family with six children, stepping away from her career in the medical field, and welcoming identical twin daughters who arrived early and continue to face ongoing health challenges.
At one point, balancing work and family simply wasn’t sustainable.
“I had to give up my career and do some big movements and adjustments to make sure that I’m able to do the doctor’s appointments… and just be there for them,” she said.
Turning an outlet into a business
The idea to start something of her own didn’t come all at once, it was planted during a difficult time.
Liggett says she struggled with depression and was encouraged by her therapist to find something she could control… something that could work around her life instead of against it.
“If you can control the business and say when you’re working or not… then who’s to stop what you can do?” she recalled.
That idea turned into action.
What started as a creative outlet has grown into a business that allows her to stay home with her children while still contributing to her family.
“If I need to take the day off… I’m not getting in trouble or written up. I can just be present for my kids,” she said.
Handmade and personal
Inside her workshop, Liggett creates a wide range of custom pieces… from mosaics and business signs to the intricate, layered contour maps she’s become known for.
“A lot of people know me as the ‘map lady,’” she said.
Those maps are built layer by layer, often using specific woods and finished with epoxy to create depth and detail. Each one is custom, often inspired by places that hold meaning for her customers.
“If you have an idea, I can either say I can do it… or let’s challenge it and try,” she said.
That creativity, and the constant variation, is what keeps her motivated.
“I like that it’s not repetitive. It’s something different every single time,” she said.
Growth from the beginning
In just three years, Growing Pines Handmade has grown from a small setup with a basic laser into a business shipping products across the country.
Liggett says she now sends her work throughout the lower 48 and has built a growing audience online, with thousands following her journey.
“It’s been awesome to meet different people from all over,” she said.
Still, her long-term vision isn’t about scaling into a large operation.
“I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow my garage,” she said. “I don’t like to say I’m a business owner… I like to say I’m an artist and a maker.”
Rooted in Montana
Born and raised in Great Falls, Liggett says her Montana roots play a major role in how she approaches both her work and her life.
“Every single day, it’s the work ethic, the drive… it’s just a sense of, like, I just can’t quit,” she said.
That mindset has carried her through moments of doubt, especially in the early stages of building her business.
“There’s been a lot of self-doubt… a lot of times where I didn’t think it was ever going to be anything bigger,” she said.
But she kept going.
“You just get up and keep going… and you’ve got your kids watching you, so it’s like I can’t quit.”
Balancing it all
Running a business while raising six children, playing owner, manager, and marketer comes with constant challenges.
“There are some days where it’s just like, I don’t know if I’m going to make this… and I get super overwhelmed,” she said.
But having control over her schedule makes a difference.
“I can take that pause and step back and be like, I just need a break,” she said.
Her children are often part of the process too, spending time in the workshop, building their own small projects, and learning alongside her.
“They’re out here hanging out… building their own little birdhouses or forts,” she said.
Creating something meaningful
At its core, Liggett says her work is about more than just craftsmanship, it’s about connection.
Many of her pieces are tied to memories, places families have visited, moments they want to hold onto, or stories they want to preserve.
“A lot of the lake maps… people buy them because it’s family memories,” she said. “It’s just a little piece of joy… bringing back memories that are cherishable for them.”
And for Liggett, that meaning extends beyond the finished product.
In a world that often feels overwhelming, she hopes her work, and her journey, encourages others to slow down and create something of their own.
“It just brings me peace,” she said. “It’s a reminder that you can unplug… and make something that makes a difference.”
