We are here at the New York International Gift Show and it is a pleasure to have Katy and Philip with us.  Here are just a few pictures of the fun and excitement.

Philip Leakey with Barbara Savage

Barbara Savage from Santa Barbara Museum of Art has shopped with us many years.  She has traveled extensively in Africa.

And of course all of our wonderful Zulugirls who have worked and supported the Maasai women for years. Their passion is infectious! 

Left to Right:Jan, Kristan, Katy & Philip Leakey, Tina, Susan

 

 

 

 

 

The Leakey Collection™, known for the design and manufacture of eco-chic jewelry that is hand made by the Maasai women of Kenya, is debuting their Spring/Summer Collection at the California Gift Show, January 20-23, at Kentia Hall in the Fair Trade Pavillion, Booth 1025-27

Get ready to Tango with our Zulugrass Spring/Summer Color Collection for 2012. Dramatic colors with seductive sophistication that speaks romance with a lot of depth.  You can mix beautiful strands of Juicy Lucy with Tangerine and you have a combination of vivaciousness that emanates heat and energy. Tangerine with a lot of Tango!

Multi-Strand Bright New Colors show a dazzling display of color, an eco-fashion statement!  Our newest colors Bright Angani and Red Hot Chrystal sparkle with romance.  16 strands of Zulugrass in a beautiful combination strung with Czech glass beads for extra sparkle. This necklace is adjustable from a 13″ choker to a 31″ long necklace by simply pulling on the satin cording. Be sure to add the matching bracelet to your ensemble.

Eco-Chic Earrings – A combination of sterling silver combined with Zulugrass, Czech glass beads, fallen wood and raffia with a contemporary drop hoop style. Come by to see all the dazzling colors and styles.

 I AM-Charms with Meaning – Designed to remind us of the important things in life, these bracelets symbolize the values that women cherish. Made from fallen branches, each charm is hand-branded with one of our meaningful signs. Check out our new additions. Our newest bracelets speak to Compassion and Awareness and include the PINK Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness, Yellow Ribbon Veterans Support and our Paw print bracelet.

Beads for Learning – Utilizing remnants of Zulugrass, Maasai artisans are designing one-of-a kind bracelets to symbolize the bright futures of educated children.  The Leakey Collection™ will donate 100% of their profits from the sales of these bracelets to pay for local teachers’ salaries.

 We introduced Beads for Learning less than a year ago. At that time, there were a total of 4 teachers in the remote bush where we reside with student to teacher’s ratio of 80:1, with a wide range of ages in each classroom.  Beads for Learning Bracelets, has helped us to employ another 5 teachers.  This brings the total to 9 and classroom sizes have been cut in half.

As Sara Snow so eloquently stated “BUY BRACELETS = EDUCATE KIDS”

Earth Day Collection- As a company dedicated to sustainable living for a healthier planet we are big supporters of Earth Day and created a collection based on this years theme, Mobilize the Earth. This collection is a nice addition to our previous Earth Day Collections, Billion Beads of Green and Celebrate the Earth.

A Distinctive Style interviewed Katy & Philip Leakey, to see what they were up to, in the bush of East Africa.  You can find their interview here on page 55.  The article starts with Philips quote,  ” If I haven’t learned something new today, then today was a failure!”-Philip Leakey.

Nancy Mills is the Creator of the Spirited Woman Approach to Life, the founder of Spirited Woman, and the publisher of the popular international Spirited Woman Blogger Team. Katy has been featured on her blog numerous times and her support has meant the world to The Leakey Collection.

Known for her inspirational insight and interview style, for many years Nancy moderated the Spirited Woman Circle, an exclusive conversation series with famous women authors, actresses, radio personalities, editors, and more. Presently, she speaks around the world on women’s empowerment issues from letting your voice be heard to her belief that EVERY WOMAN is a VISIONARY, changing the world one Spirited Woman step at a time.

Her recent project, The Spirited Woman Directory 2012, collectively brought together Women Visionaries from six countries and over 25 states, who are on a mission to change the world one Spirited Woman step at a time. The Directory is filled with inspirational stories and an array of uplifting resources. Our very own Spirited Woman, Katy Leakey was chosen to participate in the directory.

It is free for you to download.

In anticipation of the Directory’s launch, Spirited Woman hosted a 12-day Share Fest on their Facebook page  inviting women from around the world to share their creative visionary self. The inspiration shared was so powerful that it inspired us in designing a Zulugrass Collection for the Spirited Woman which will help Nancy attain her dream of getting her Spirited Woman Foundation   off the ground. 5% of sales will go to The Spirited Woman in establishing the foundation.

It is a custom to share strands of Zulugrass, and this Collection designed by Every Woman Visionaries in the spirit of sharing, encourage you to share a strand with a Spirited Woman you know.  Each color represents the different attributes spirited women share.  As Nancy would say “Is that creatively exciting or what?”

It was a stand-off between Eva and Mara.

Mara takes position

Mara Holds her ground

GAME OVER!

If you were to ask me what a Spirited Woman is, I would tell you that where I live they are the most elegant, self-confident, and beautiful women who live in ten foot long oval mud huts. It never seizes to amaze me how well put together these women are and how at home they are in the middle of the East African bush. I remember one punishingly hot day we went out to cut very coarse, thorny reeds and within an hour I was filthy, sweaty, and looking like something my cat would leave behind. By the end of the day I was covered in grime, tattered and torn, simply finished and my women companions were still chatting, laughing, their colorful dresses still perfectly pressed, not a smudge on their flawless faces. Such is the way of the majestic Maasai and these women have taught me more about life style than anyone ever could. Life style, like beauty, emanates from within in all of us. And I am proud to be part of the Spirited Woman Directory, surrounded by the Spirited women who inspire me and news ones I hope to someday meet.

-Katy Leakey

Tangerine Tango is the color of 2012, according to the Pantone Color Institute, and it is one of our favorites. A spirited reddish orange, you can feel the the energy it radiates and we have included it in our collection for 2012. Featured on “The Thread” Tangerine Tango is one of those fun colors you just might want to add to your Collection of Zulugrass!

Kristen is the mom of four children within four years via birth and adoption, and has been  a mommy blogger  at Rage Against the Minivan  since 2004.

Kristen is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a freelance writer, and a musical theater geek.  She is the managing editor of ShePosts, an online news magazine for women in social media, as well as the editor of Mama Manifesto, a collaborative parenting blog.    She is also a columnist at ConversantLife, an online community dedicated to faith and culture, and at the OC Register where she writes a parenting advice column.

Her savvy Gift Guide List for 2011 focuses on Gifts that Give Back. We were excited that she asked us to participate.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  However, we all know that old childish taunt is just not true! Adults, as well as children, thrive on positive feedback, and we at The Leakey Collection are no exception to that. We LOVE hearing from you. Don’t ever underestimate the power of your comments, suggestions and feedback of every kind! It is so valuable to us.

It is your continued support that makes balancing the responsibilities of running a business that can be reliant on the capricious nature of the economy, whims of fashion, Western schedules, and the traditional world of a nomadic culture in Africa. You have a big part of our continuous journey. We could not do what we do without you, our partner stores and retail buyers, so customer satisfaction is very important to us.

Recently, we’ve heard some wonderful comments from you that I was able to share with the Maasai artisans. I also shared with them, the story of one of our customers Jenny Kerchner, who found us in a museum and on a whim, decided she wanted to make a difference in her  own way by selling our Beads for Learning at a local Fair Trade event.  I also found out we share a passion for  wild equine (especially zebras). You would just adore Mr. Flop, Jenny!  Although he has a tendency to leave camp for a while without notice.

These gestures on your part have a HUGE impact on the entire TLC team – including your sales representatives who help you decide between “Juicy Lucy” and “Shuka,” the ladies who fulfill your orders, support staff, the Maasai artisans who make the most extraordinary jewelry and wood tabletop items, and of course, Philip and me.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is the time to be grateful for many things. And YOU ALL are certainly in that category!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you will share your thoughts with us here or on our Facebook Page.

~Katy & Philip

Today Eva and I had a little discussion about her diet.

As you can see, I walked in and found her eating our fine wicker couch.

I scolded her, “No Eva…not the couch!!”  and this is the reaction I got.