Update | Ella Publishing Closing, Design Teams, & More
Ebook publisher Ella Publishing has announced that they will be closing down on February 1st. The company was co-founded in 2009 by former Simple Scrapbooks staff members Angie Lucas and Lain Ehmann, before being sold in 2012 to Big Picture Classes (which was co-founded by Simple Scrapbooks founding editor Stacy Julian). Ehmann left the company in early 2010 and was replaced by Wendy Smedley. Big Picture Classes was sold to Studio Calico in 2014, and as an apparent result of that transition, the Ella Publishing brand is being discontinued.
Ella Logo
The Ella website will disappear on February 1st, and has already ceased sale of the brand's publications. Ella's products are still available for sale through the Big Picture Classes website. until January 31st.
Ella's former owners have moved on to other projects. Wendy Smedley now works for Family Search, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' non-profit organization that promotes genealogy research. Angie Lucas is now working as a freelance writer, and wrote on her blog she isn't currently pursuing employment with another brand, but will pursue professional opportunities in the memory keeping industry in the future as they arise.
Webster's Pages has announced the addition of Laura Funk to their team as Creative Director & Educator. Funk is the co-founder of Glitz Design.
The 2015 Planner Design Team has also just been announced. The team is international and features a mix of familiar and up-and-coming names to promote the industry's new planner product category for Webster's.
The 2015 design team for Elle's Studio has been announced. Congratulations to Alissa Fast, Daniela Dobson, Danielle Flanders, Jennifer Chapin,
Jessy Christopher, Jill Sprott, Kay Rogers, Lisa Dickinson, Meghann Andrew, Melissa Mann, Michelle Wedertz, Pam Llaguno, Rachel Izakowicz, Stephanie Buice, and Toni From. The company also announced that it is adding popular blogger Paige Evans to their blog team.
And last but definitely not least, I'd like to extend huge congratulations to former Scrapbook Update contributor Stephanie Vetne, who was just announced as a member of the Project Life 2015 Creative Team! It's a well deserved honor and I can't wait to see your work in the coming year!
