When a door closes, a window opens.
An ending is just a beginning in disguise.
Do what you love, and success will follow.
Never use glitter in a room with an operational ceiling fan.

These are just some of the lessons I've learned over the past year as my partners and I dreamed, thought, planned, and made Ella Publishing Co. a reality. (Well, we discovered the glitter tip in 2003, but it’s always good to have a reminder!)


_{Angie Lucas, president and CEO, of Ella Publishing Co.}

When Simple Scrapbooks magazine folded in early 2009, many people were devastated. Not the least of which were Wendy Smedley (creative editor for 8 years), Lain Ehmann (a contributing editor for 2 years), and of course me (managing editor for 5 years). After the demise of the magazine, while the three of us were sharing a cramped hotel room at the Craft & Hobby Association Winter tradeshow, we looked at each other and said, “What now?”

With lots of advice and cheerleading from Wendy, Lain and I set forth to create a company that celebrated all that was good and fun about scrapbooking—creativity, connection, and honoring individuality. We also knew the time was ripe to take a look at additional delivery formats as print journalism became less and less viable. We wanted to empower crafters, to educate them, to inspire them, and every once in a while to give them a chuckle or two.

So, based on our histories in business and publishing, an online publishing company seemed like the perfect fit for us and for the market as a whole. A few months, a lot of late nights, and a fair amount of chocolate later, Ella Publishing Co. was born! Once we came up with our name (E-L-L-A represents Angie Lucas and Lain Ehmann's initials in reverse)*, the elephant seemed like the perfect mascot for a company built around the preservation of memories. (And seeing that the average elephant calf weighs in at 250 lbs., the labor pains we experienced as we birthed Ella Publishing Co. is nothing compared to what most elephant mothers go through!)



But like all births, this is just the beginning. Little Ella has many years of growth and change and progress ahead of her, and my team and I are thrilled to have you as a part of our parade. (A group of elephants can be called a parade, a memory, or a herd, and we far prefer the first two!) I hope you'll pop in often for the fun, inspiration, and empowerment you'll find here. I also hope you’ll remember what I said about the glitter.
To meet the rest of the crew who makes Ella Publishing Co. possible, visit The Ella Team page.

* Four months after launching the Ella Publishing Co. website, co-founder Lain Ehmann transitioned from CEO to the role of an Ella Friend, so she could participate in the business on a smaller scale. But with Angie Lucas as the sole owner, president and CEO of the company, it just didn't seem right to rename our adorable elephant mascot "Al" or "La" accordingly, so the name "Ella" stands!