We've sorted through all of our Ella Friend applications, and we've made our selections! It wasn't easy. FAR from easy, in fact.

The talent pool out there is simply overwhelming. We had it narrowed down to 30 for the longest time, but we knew we had to chip away to a more manageable team size. We couldn't choose based on design talent alone, so we heavily figured in the applicants' activity online (whether they blog, use Twitter and Facebook, and how many online forums or message boards they're involved in). We also looked for geographic variety, scrapbooking style variety, and variety of family makeup (not everyone with the same number of kids all the same ages).

In the end, we had to rely somewhat on the general vibe we got from each applicant. You just have the feeling, "Hey, this one could work out. And so could this one. And this one..."

Here are a few fun facts about our final list:

1. We selected some scrapbookers we've never heard of before (and are dying to get to know better).
2. We selected a few scrapbookers we've actually worked with before, so we're well acquainted with their mad skills.
3. ALL of our final Ella Friends were chosen from among the applicants we received.
4. We narrowed our final list to 12 total Ella Friends.
5. Three of the 12 live in California. (It just couldn't be helped.)
6. Three of the 12 live outside the United States.
7. Two are from New Jersey and two are from Indiana.
8. None are from Utah, Ella's international headquarters.
9. The new Ella Friends have a total of 30 children (counting stepchildren).

Stay tuned to find out who these 12 talented women are...here on The Daily Trumpet.