Welcome Leah!!

Note from Design Mom:
I'm so excited to say Hello to Leah today. Leah is the newest in a long line of super-amazing Guest Moms and I'm just so happy she's here. I have yet to meet Leah in person, but I'm quite sure we'll be fast friends if we ever do meet. And I was sure Leah was a kindred spirit as soon as I spent two seconds at her fantastic store, Tiny McSmall. Such an impressive collection — and such a testament to the taste and style of the store owner. I asked Leah to write up a bit about herself so we could get to know her, so let's get right to it:

Thank you Gabrielle and Design Mom readers for welcoming me. This is certainly an honor to be a part of one of my favorite blogs and I think this week is going to be so much fun…I’ve never done anything like it before! I hope you enjoy some of my ideas and thoughts and I look forward to your comments.

So, let’s see… To give you a brief history of where I’ve been, I was born and raised in San Francisco. I went to college in Boston and lived there for a few years until I moved back to California again. I started as a buyer at Restoration Hardware when there were only 3 stores (hard to imagine now!) Then when Pottery Barn Kids first launched, I moved over there where I remained until I had my first child in 2003.

Our family now lives in a small town just outside San Francisco which I adore…it’s very much a small community and lifestyle but we live only 30 minutes from the hustle of the city. My dream has always been to be a Mom and it has far exceeded any expectations I had. My two favorite little people on this planet are Wyatt (4 years) and Gracie (2 years) and I love spending every day with them.

My husband and children are my world but I have to admit, about a year ago I had an itch for a different kind of challenge. When I had Gracie, I started searching for clothes and toys that were made in the United States and I found some really wonderful designers that had little presence on the web. The buyer in me started thinking about the opportunity it presented and once I got that into my head, everything came together pretty quickly…voila, Tiny McSmall was born.

I love my job. I’ve met the best people and the community of small designers and artists that we work with is very special. The hardest part is the balance of work and mothering and being a wife and I struggle everyday in finding out what the secret is to perfecting that. I think the best way to sum up this little bio is to tell you some of the things that make me smile.
* my family
* cupcakes
* textile design
* flowers
* photography
* weekend fieldtrips
* organized spaces
* a beautifully wrapped gift
* my morning cup of coffee

Thank you again…