Welcome to Ivey Lee Mahjong!

We’re Catherine and Ellie, the mother-and-daughter team behind The La Jolla Tiles, and we’re glad you’re here!

We started this venture with a simple goal: to bring a bit of the West Coast to the mahjong table. Like so many families around the world, mahjong has filled our home and community with laughter, connection, and a little friendly (and sometimes fierce) competition. When we began searching for a tile set of our own, we hoped to find something that felt personal and had meaning to us, something that reflected the beauty and spirit of the California coast, from San Diego to our hometown of La Jolla.

In the end, we decided to make a set of our own, turning to Ellie's artistic talents. We started with a Joker of Gryffin, our beloved toy poodle, and were so tickled by it, we quickly expanded to other things we love, namely the sites and icons from the place we both adore so much: La Jolla. Ellie sketched sand dollars and seagulls, sea kelp and sea lions. When we landed on the Windansea surf shack for our soap and the Torrey Pines gliders as our winds, we felt we had to make this set become a reality. Using blank tiles and water decal stickers, we played with our set and soon, Ivey Lee Mahjong -- a combination of our last names -- was born.

Catherine
Being near the water has been a constant for Catherine, who grew up in Orange County, California, and competed up and down the California coast as an avid sailor. After living on the East Coast for graduate school and work, she was thrilled when she and her husband had the opportunity to return to Southern California and settle in San Diego.  Catherine raised her two children — including Ellie — in La Jolla, where family beach walks and hikes at Torrey Pines State Park are still favorite traditions. Her creative spirit shows up in her work as a writer and editor, and in her favorite non-mahjong hobby: gardening, especially her love of California native plants. She is a proud UC Master Gardener.

Ellie
The La Jolla Tiles were designed by Ellie, an artist and graphic designer who grew up playing at the Shores and soaking up the coastal beauty that inspired The La Jolla Tiles. An artistic child from the earliest age, Ellie took classes at My Art Shed in the Village before studying with a beloved teacher at Art Scol near UCSD. After graduating from La Jolla High School, Ellie attended the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan where she studied art and graphic design and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a minor in UI-UX.

The La Jolla Tiles
Each of Ellie's tile designs began as a hand-drawn sketch before being thoughtfully recreated into a digital form. To bring the 2D digital designs into 3D reality, we turned to other experts, namely Amy Carichner, the owner of a certified Women-Owned Business that specializes in print production who helped us work with our overseas manufacturer, and Julie Sato of Sato Designs, who ensured that our original design details were not just seen but stood out and shone. We are so grateful to both of these true professionals for their help.  

To us, The La Jolla Tiles are a love letter not only to San Diego, but to the entire West Coast and the rhythm of life by the shore. From seagulls and sand dollars to surfers and paragliders, our tiles reflect the relaxed, sun-washed spirit of growing up beside the beautiful, ever-changing Pacific Ocean.

We hope they bring as much joy to your table as the experience of making them together has brought to ours.

Catherine & Ellie