Donne was the mother of Liza, my best friend and my comrade through first kisses, first boyfriends, and college parties.

Donne was cool in the hip sort of way, brilliant in a sparkly way and funny in a girlfriend giggly sort of way.  She let us stretch the rope as far as it would go but always had a way of keeping us close at the same time.  She could mesmerize and terrify me with her tarot card predictions and taught me how to arrange flowers.  She floated on a carpet of mystery which generated excitement as Donne didn’t just live in the present, she created it!

She knew me like a daughter and could pierce my character when necessary to get me back on track, like the time she called me on my choice of men.  “Katy, you keep picking men you can control rather than ones that are your equal.  But don’t worry someday you’ll meet your match; gain the courage to grasp it when he comes.”  That I did.

Share your ‘Second Mom’ story.

I had such a great time reflecting on Donne as I wrote this and I invite you to do the same.  Join me and The Leakey Collection in celebrating all the moms and second moms in this world that make life so special.  At the end of May, we will select two stories to share on our blog. Each of the selected writers will receive a very special gift box of goodies direct from Maasai mommies with a $75.00 value.

Share your story here or on our facebook page!

Winners will be selected by the TLC team for stories that most embodies the spirit of

Second Moms

With the launch of Marula – The Leakey Collection, I have stayed in California longer than normal this year but it has been great to have so much ‘girl-friend’ time at the warehouse.  I’m still drawing from nature both East Africa and California.  A hint of new colors to come – think ocean, sky, and humming birds! ~ Katy

Living in East Africa is an artist’s paradise.  I am surrounded by nature that offers daily inspiration in creating new colors and designs in every piece of our collection. Many of you know that the Peony is one of my favorite flowers, but when you are surrounded by this much beauty, how can you have just one favorite?   I delight in the small plants and their flowers whose delicate structure, intricate patterns, and shocking hues keep me on my knees for hours admiring, studying, and sketching.   One that is a particularly lovely, and we have several varieties is the Saintpaulia, or  African Violet. As you may have guessed, they are native to Tanzania and East Africa. I remember that in the states April is the month of rain, much needed sustenance to feed beautiful plants that provide colorful blooms.

The African Violet inspired me to create an  Earth Day Collection that reminded me of the gifts we are so lucky to enjoy and why we must all do our part in our own little way to preserve such precious resources.  Since everything we do at The Leakey Collection has a purpose, it is with  great pride to unveil “Mothering The Earth”.  Four  Zulugrass strands in beautiful hues of blues and greens that  symbolize our strong belief in caring for our precious, natural resources. For every Earth Day Set sold on this site, we will donate $1 to the Earth Day Network,  as well as plant a tree in Kenya and teach sustainable gardening.  We hope you will join us in your commitment to our planet by proudly wearing this year’s collection, designed exclusively for you. Better yet…snap a photo of it on your wrist and upload it to our facebook page so I can share with the women, who hand bead our designs with so much love.

If you had the opportunity to interview Katy, what would you ask her?

Photo courtesy of The Leakey Foundation

March is known as Women’s History month, meant to recognize the contributions and progress of women across history and around the world. Women today are playing some significant roles, from making peace to crafting economic policy in the midst of a crisis to scientific discoveries.

We would like to pay tribute to one very important woman, Mary Leakey, mother of Philip Leakey our founder.   Mary Douglas Leakey was recognized in her lifetime as one of the world’s most distinguished fossil hunters.  Because of her many important discoveries and her dedication to field research, she is considered a giant in the study of human origins.

Among her many scientific accomplishments, Mary is credited with the discovery of Proconsul africanus in 1948, Zinjanthropus boisei (now known as Australopithecus boisei) in 1959,  which first showed the great antiquity of hominids in Africa. Zinjanthropus bosei was dated to 1.75 million years ago, and that radically changed the concept of the timeline of human evolution. This find was also fortuitous for the Leakey’s, in that it drew attention and funding from the National Geographic Society, thus ensuring their continuing research.  Read more…