A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats.

How did Leland gal get into this amazing book? As I sit here at my desk to share this story with you, I am still asking myself the same question.

This is a lesson on how "you never know until you try" can truly pay off.

I've been following Julianne Taylor of Taylor Burke Home on Instagram for a while.  It was about a year ago that I reached out to her to discuss potential collaborations and ideas with her. I was quite taken aback by what would transpire next.

For starters she wrote me back !  Secondly, Julianne who is very busy herself, carved out some time when she could and spent over an hour on the phone with me. Julianne has strong relationships with other fabric designers and is working exclusively with them at this time. Because of this I was even more impressed that she took the time to speak with me. We talked about life as a mom running a business, design and where I saw myself in that world and she provided some great ideas for Leland gal in general. Despite the fact that we didn't know each other Julianne was very encouraging and easy to talk to about a lot of the fears and realities of being a woman trying to start a successful business from an idea. An obvious love of design and color connects Leland gal and Taylor Burke Home together as friends.

As time went on, Julianne and I would keep tabs on one another through Instagram, and she made sure to send me an encouraging note when she came across my feature on the Stray Dog Designs Blog.

Then, just as I was opening the store for the season (and almost 6 months pregnant), I got this adorable e mail.

Julianne takes the time to explain her journey of looking for fulfillment in starting her business. So many of her thoughts mirrored my own in taking this leap. She quotes JFK's "A rising tide lifts all boats", and wants her book to share other brave stories of women taking these risks.  I could not have been more honored that she wanted to include my story side by side with so many women that I have been admiring from a far while starting Leland gal.

I mean... Seriously? How many of these lovely ladies have been inspiring me to push ahead through all of bumps in the road, and now I find myself smack dab in the middle of them in this gorgeous mouth watering colorful book.

I would like to thank all of these ladies for paving the way for a dreamer like me, and especially Julianne for the reminder that synergies created by allied work is of value. Sometimes it's hard not to be protective of your work and how you got there, but the truth is if you help support those along the way, you will also become stronger as a mentor and therefore a designer too.

I am also grateful for great friends who let me invade their homes and awesome gallery walls to highlight our fabric in their beautiful homes.

Julianne's spirit to leave a legacy with her supportive nature is infectious and I know her kids and family must be proud. I only hope to leave the same message to my boys and encourage their creativity and kindness to others.

It is my hope to raise a glass with a lot of these ladies in person in celebration of this wonderful project this spring at The Southern C in Charleston.

Design Her is not officially on stands yet, but there are a few of the advanced copies left. I'm told the best way to get your hands on one is to e mail Julianne's office and they will get you one or on a list when they are officially published in February. You won't be disappointed to have your own copy!