One Little Word 2026

I first participated in Ali Edwards' One Little Word in 2011, making 2026 my sixteenth year. My past words, which you can read about here, include: Balance (2011), Celebrate (2012), Try (2013), Enjoy (2014), Relax (2015), Share (2016), Connect (2017), Believe (2018), Reach (2019), Focus (2020), Strengthen (2021), Thrive (2022), Play (2023), Learn (2024), and Adapt (2025).

My word for 2026 is Shine.

2025 was about adapting to my life as a breast cancer patient and empty nester, as well as the loss of my dad. It was not an easy year, but I've come through it stronger. I am doing so much better now than I was this time last year and I'm proud of that. I don't know what challenges await me in 2026, but I will continue to adapt as necessary. And, as much as possible, I want to Shine. 

When I was making my tag and how to represent the word Shine, the obvious choice was a sun. I had a chipboard sun that was the perfect size. I painted it with one of my favorite shades by Plaid, Mango Mambo (affiliate link). I didn't want to use blue for the tag since I did that last year, so I went with a beautiful leaf green, then sponge painted a true green on top of that. 

As always, this year's One Little Word doesn't replace previous years' words. I continue to live with Balance, Celebrate, Try, Enjoy, Relax, Share, Connect, Believe, Reach, Focus, Strengthen, Thrive, Play, Learn, and Adapt. The fifteen tags have been hanging like this in my craft room for the past year, but I'm going to have to do something different to make space for Shine. Stay tuned.  

Did you pick One Little Word for 2026? If so, let me know in the comments what it is and why you chose it!

Creative Resolutions for 2026

Happy New Year!

For over 20 years, I've been making creative resolutions each January. I enjoy challenging myself by setting attainable goals that push me and help me grow creatively. Before I jump into my goals for 2026, it's time to see how I did in 2025. 

Of the eight resolutions I made, I completed five and made partial progress on one. I'm pleased with that, particularly considering I did a lot of other creative things that weren't on the list.


First, the resolutions I completed:

• I finished 46 scrapbook layouts in 2025. While I'm technically six layouts short of an average of one per week, it's close enough that I'm counting it.
• I exceeded my goal of taking two creative classes by participating in Summer Creative Workshop. I took six classes. I enjoyed them, learned a lot, and stretched myself creatively. 
• I had a lot of fun using acrylic paint with Gelli Plates. I'll definitely be doing more experimentation very soon. 
• I'm not sure why I specified that I'd do a monthly photo challenge. I prefer challenges with a bunch of prompts you do on a single day (a photo scavenger hunt) over the ones where you take a single photo each day for a month. I did a photo challenge at Disneyland and I'm totally counting it. 
• I used several new-to-me art supplies, including Kuretake Gansai Tambi, Ohuhu Kakaako Acrylic Markers, and Ohuhu Halawa Colored Pencils. I also made a point to use supplies I hadn't used in a long time, like when I made the most frustrating name art ever. 

I gave myself partial credit for one resolution:

• I tried a few recipes from Pinterest... sort of. In general, I don't like following recipes. I've done enough cooking that when I try something new, I usually read several recipes for the same dish, then mash them together to make up my own version. I did that a couple of times this year using recipes I'd pinned years ago. I didn't make a scrapbook layout, card, or craft inspired by Pinterest. I'm rarely on Pinterest since my job with Fun Family Crafts ended. 

There are two resolutions I didn't do:

• I can't believe it, but I didn't do any edible art projects this year, let alone use a new technique. I did create a roundup of all the edible flower crafts I've made. It doesn't count for the resolution, but I'm proud of it so I'm sharing it here. 
• I don't think I made any projects inspired by books. If I did, they weren't memorable enough for me to think of them now.  

Here are my creative resolutions for 2026:

Have you made creative resolutions for 2026? Tell me about your plans in the comments!