Okay, it's just me, but it would sound too weird to call this section "ABOUT ME".

I was born in California, then whisked away at the tender age of 6 months to beautiful Maui, Hawaii where I grew up.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in Graphic Design from the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Oahu. After working for an advertising agency for 8-1/2 years, I established my own business – E M designs. I am fortunate to be able to work at home as a professional graphic designer. View my online portfolio by clicking here.

I've been married since 1993 and have three children, who are also my models in this site. I also enjoy photography and crafting.

When my niece was born in 1990, the family was elated. However, reality set in for me as I realized that I would one day have to carry the drooling, barfing bundle of joy. That got me thinking of how parents are usually seen struggling with cloth diapers slung over one shoulder trying to aim a wiggling baby onto it without much success. Then *BAM* the baby barfs on the shoulder NOT protected by the cloth diaper. Isn't that always the case?

So I went to work on what I call "the Bib – a designer barf scarf"! It is made from cloth diapers and features a vest-like design so that BOTH shoulders and back are protected. PLUS, you can bend down to pick up baby and the Bib will REMAIN on your shoulders, unlike a regular cloth diaper. I recently took it off the site because the materials were getting harder to find.

And that was the humble beginning of Ellie designs!

All the products available on my site are handmade by me. The ideas for them come from necessity and are sparked by my experience with my own children. For instance, the Infant Hooded Towel was created because all the hooded towels I got for my baby shower were all small and RECTANGLE! How was I supposed to wrap up my son with one side short and the other side long? So I made mine a large square. Simple.

The Hawaiian books have a funny story. As I was walking, I came across a piece of fallen coconut cloth. I picked it up and thought "this would make a handsome book binding." But what kind of book? I had bought a baby scrapbook for my son and while I had fun filling in the blanks, I noticed that pages and blanks were skipped over because it didn't pertain to our situation or location. Being a graphic designer, I figured that I could tailor a scrapbook to our needs. And HEY, now I found a use for the coconut cloth! My design teacher, Mrs. Wiig, would be so proud that I remembered how to bind books like she taught us!

I create all of my products one at a time and take great care to produce a finished piece that I would be proud to own myself.