A Bittersweet Change...

Hey friends, we have a bittersweet announcement today. Our design team member Pearl Lui-Chan recently became a new mommy this past November to a gorgeous baby girl. Some of you may know that Pearl is not only our designer, but she's also one of my best friends in real life. She has supported Mama Elephant way before we were even Mama Elephant. She was the initial spark that ignited this hobby for me and have always, always, ALWAYS been one of my biggest supporters. Her friendship, enthusiasm, and talent just cannot be measured up in mere words. While I am sad to tell you that Pearl has decided to step down from the team, I am extremely happy for her and her new role as "mommy". So, please join me in congratulating my dear friend Pearl and wish her the very best!

To top off our bittersweet announcement, I'd like to introduce you to our newest member who will be filling Pearl's shoes. Please give a warm welcome to Elena Roussakis!

I asked Elena to whip up a quick bio so you can get to know her better!

I'm 30-something (but really 29 all the time), married to my kindergarten sweetheart for almost 11 years, and stay-at-home mom to 3 young kids. Before I knew anything about stamping, I had a monogram stamp made up so I could hand-stamp the fronts of 200 wedding programs.  I vowed I'd never do that again!  But some years later, a sweet friend introduced me to stamping and a few basic techniques during my eldest's daughter's naptimes. The love affair has grown since then.  Apart from making cards, my favorite thing to stamp and craft is party decor - any little touches to make those special days extra memorable.

We have been big fans of Elena's work since the very beginning! How shall we describe it? Fun, thoughtful, detailed, and a touch of whimsy? I especially love how she playfully stages all her finishing projects. I should take a lesson from her, she sure works the whole nine yards with everything she creates!

Here are some of my favorite ER + ME projects!

Awesome, right? I am so looking forward to what Elena will create for us on a regular basis... starting tomorrow! We don't have a release scheduled this month, but we will have a challenge up tomorrow. See you back here!