I wanted to post this article because I think this could also apply to cardmaking as well. I don't know about many of you, however, this craft is MY yoga!
Reprinted from Scrapbook.com
Companies Focus On Therapeutic Effects of Scrapbooking
As the economic recession leads to a rise in depression (or at least has
many people feeling "down"), some scrapbook companies are choosing to
focus their marketing efforts on highlighting the therapeutic effects of
scrapbooking.
Big Picture Scrapbooking, the site started by Simple Scrapbooks magazine
founding editor Stacy Julian which offers online education to
scrapbookers, did a survey of their students about how scrapbooking
affected them and promoted the results to media outlets. They shared
what students said about the positive effect scrapbooking - and BPS
classes - had on them:
Where else are you going to find, tucked into scrapbook design medium, a
class on choosing joy and gratitude in your life instead of dwelling on
the negative things that surround us every day? Where else will you
learn secrets that will change the way you view life from top
photographers and artists in simple, do-able steps? Big Picture
Scrapbooking has changed my philosophy in life. I am learning from
amazing women to savor life a little more and capture that in a form
that my friends and family can enjoy and learn from for years to come.
Big Picture is also highlighting quotes from student reviews on the
front page of their website that reflect the same marketing philosophy -
their classes are not only about how to scrapbook, but are uplifting as
well:
Stampin' Up! is also focusing marketing effort on the positive effects
of scrapbooking. Stampin' Up!, the stamping and
scrapbooking direct sales company had been trying to encourage people
who are stressed by the recession to relieve stress by adopting a new
hobby. The company says that it believes that the "scenario of friends
crafting together and enjoying a fun hobby may just be the ticket to
relieving stress and helping people 'get connected' during these tough
economic times."
Even those among us who are devoted scrapbookers and have known the help
that scrapbooking was getting us through a hard time in the past (the
loss of a loved one, for instance) can get pulled away from scrapbooking
when we are stressed and other things seem more important. Scrapbooking
businesses can do their industry and their customers - and their own
individual business - a service by reminding people about the intangible
benefits of their hobby.
It's value-added marketing: We're not just selling paper and stickers. We're selling relaxation and comfort, too.
And, to add something special to this post, I wanted to post a scrapbook picture made with the NEW Simply Sent App, available for iphones.
Here is how it works:The Texture Boutique works with Textured Impressions Embossing Folders to transform ordinary cardstock, paper, metallic foil, or vellum into an embossed, textured masterpiece. This machine embosses only; it does not die cut. 
