I started planning my garden in September. Part of it was wanting to make sure I was ahead of the game, but most of it was pure enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to get started, so I just did. Since then, my crafty brain has basically been split into three parts: knitting, scrapbooking, and gardening. Now that it’s January, scrapbooking and gardening seem to be finding their way into each other’s territory because my One Little Word for the year has shown itself to be cultivate.

If you don’t know, One Little Word is a project (with optional course) run by scrapbook maven Ali Edwards. The concept of a word for the year isn’t specifically hers, but she’s made it one of her major annual projects, and it’s kind of a big deal. I signed up for the course in 2020 (word: “enough”) and, unsurprisingly, it was just not my year to find the time and effort to focus on the prompts and project like I had intended. Now, though, I’m at a place of comfort and stability as far as living space and daily routine go, and it feels like something I can throw myself into as much as I would like.

With plants constantly on the brain lately, the word “cultivate” came to mind while I was making a list of possible words late at night (read: 8pm) in bed back in November. “Bloom” and “grow” also showed up, and they feel like they could be companions to Cultivate, but it’s that notion of working something with intention that drew me in and helped me realize that this is my year of cultivation. I love that the word is applicable to so many areas of life, from something as literal as the vegetable garden I’ve been planning for months to more abstract like a daily routine that benefits my heart and soul rather than being an act of going through the motions.

For the project, I’m feeling drawn to more florals and greenery in my binder, and I’ve been enamored with the 3×8 albums of late. When I was originally ordering my December Daily album, I couldn’t decide between the 6×8 “Merry” and the 3×8 green linen so–ah–I ordered both. *blushes* But that worked out perfectly once I ultimately chose to use the 6×8 for December Daily. When Cultivate came to me shortly after, I knew it was meant for the green linen album.

I’m also using the OLW 2019 digital kit because even though I got the 2021 digital kit when I signed up for the course, I just love the typewriter font from 2019. Other than the digital kit, though, I’m being a little haphazard with my products and picking through whatever fits my main motifs and colors: florals/botanicals, hearts, and tags (I do love a good tag), plus pinks, greens, and yellows. I also adore the black and white neutrals that Ali uses in the main kits each year; I appreciate something akin to a blank canvas to build off of.

I spent January bursting with enthusiasm, and it’s helped me to keep my word visible so far. How the rest of the year goes, only time will tell. But for now, I’m enjoying getting to know Cultivate.

Do you have a word for 2021?