Ours has all the makings of a great story: a chance meeting on a remote Pacific island thousands of miles away; a mother’s desperation.  Intrigued?  The story behind By Baby is as unique and special as our keepsakes.  

In early 2001, before By Baby or any babies were a part of our worlds, Elissa Pignati and Jennifer Carroll met on the island of Moorea in Tahiti.  Elissa was honeymooning with her husband Greg and Jen on a surfing adventure with her husband Quincy.  We immediately clicked and were astounded to find out that we were from the same small town in Northern California!  Our stars had crossed, and we instantly became great friends!

Two short years later, Jen had two little ones running around and Elissa gave birth to her first baby.   Immediately, Elissa searched for a way to preserve her baby’s tiny hands and feet in high-quality, kiln-fired ceramic—reminiscent of the clay keepsakes she remembered from her childhood.  The problem?  Kiln-fired baby print keepsakes proved to be somewhat of a lost art form.  And so, By Baby was born, initially in Elissa’s garage, out of a mommy’s need, with the hopes of filling a void in the emerging niche industry of posh baby keepsakes.

Jen loved Elissa’s idea of making high quality hand and footprint keepsakes, jumped in, and soon brought further inspiration to By Baby by joining in the partnership to bring quality keepsakes to the world.  Also a entrepreneur, Jen is the spirit of By Baby as much as Elissa is its heart.  We think of ourselves as mommies first and are proud to have joined a  league of women who we respect: moms also mothering a business.  Little did we know that a chance meeting in the Tahitian sunset would forge a great friendship AND a fun, rewarding business! 

Our keepsakes reflect the pride we feel for our children and the home front, and the spirit that all moms embody as creators, pillars, friends, leaders, and pioneers.  We hope that one day, when you are rocking your memories instead of a baby in your arms, you will look up at your keepsake and remember the exquisite experience of holding tiny hands in yours.