HAPPY NEW YEAR, Crafty Friends!
As we step into a new year, I wanted to take a moment to pause, reflect, and share what’s ahead for Hither and Yon Studio. The start of 2026 feels like an invitation to do things differently. Not faster. Not louder. But more intentionally, with creativity that feels nourishing instead of rushed.
This year is about returning to why this space exists in the first place. Junk journaling and paper crafting have always been a form of creative healing through journaling for me. Somewhere along the way, the pace got faster, expectations grew heavier, and the joy started to feel buried under constant momentum.
Slowing down, one of my words in 2026, is my way of bringing that joy back to the surface.
Reflecting on 2025 With Gratitude and Honesty
Before moving forward, it’s important to acknowledge what came before. 2025 was a year of incredible growth, connection, and community. I am deeply grateful for every comment, email, live chat, and shared project. This community has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.
At the same time, growth came with pressure.
That pace was not sustainable, and it didn’t align with what creating represents for me. Creativity should be restorative and healing, not exhausting.
Why Slowing Down in 2026 Matters
The core focus for this year is simple and meaningful: slowing down in 2026 to allow creativity to breathe. This shift is about honoring the process instead of racing toward completion. It is about making space for reflection, experimentation, and enjoyment.
You’ll see this reflected in several ways:
This approach supports creative healing through journaling, allowing projects to unfold naturally instead of feeling like something to keep up with.
What’s Changing and What’s Staying the Same
To support this new pace, a few changes are happening across Hither and Yon Studio:
Quarterly kits give you and I time. Time to print when you’re ready. Time to cut when you feel inspired. Time to create without pressure or comparison. This structure supports a calmer, more enjoyable creative experience for everyone.
A Return to Creative Healing Through Journaling
This year is about reconnecting with creativity as a personal practice, not a performance. Creative healing (my second words for 2026) through journaling means allowing art to be imperfect, unfinished, and deeply personal. It means creating because it feels good, not because the calendar says it’s time.
My intention for 2026 is to create alongside you, not ahead of you. To share projects that feel complete and considered. To build journals for the love of building them. To make this space feel like a creative refuge again.
Watch the 2026 Studio Update Video
Below, you can watch the full video where I talk through these reflections and changes in more detail, share what inspired this shift, and explain how the new quarterly kits and slower pace will work
TL;DR
2026 at Hither and Yon Studio is about slowing down and returning to creative healing through journaling. Monthly kits are becoming quarterly full-size kits, the creative pace is more intentional, and the focus is on thoughtful projects, meaningful connection, and enjoying the process instead of rushing to finish.