DIY hobbies go big
Michaels' 2026 Creativity Trend Report flags multi‑use, personality‑driven projects as hot — diamond painting, crocheting, knitting and mosaics are trending, with a clear push toward upcycling and sustainability (housedigest.com). AOL's coverage highlights the social and gift value of craft projects that double as home upgrades, meaning these hobbies are feeding real decor and reno decisions (aol.com).
Michaels framed 2026 as the "Year of Creative Living" and named eight defining movements—Main Character Maintenance, Touching Grass Crafts, Crafting Chemistry, Gilded Gifting, Skill Stacking, Wabi‑Sabi Spaces, Confetti Culture, and KitschCraft & Charms. (michaelspressroom.com ) The company reports searches for portable, offline hobby categories rose 136% over the past six months and its yarn‑accessory sales grew 40% year‑over‑year. (michaelspressroom.com ) Interest in hands‑on memory projects climbed sharply: junk‑journaling searches increased 63% year‑over‑year while vision‑board searches rose 61%. (michaelspressroom.com ) Shared making is surging as a social format—Michaels logged a 103% rise in "craft night" searches, a 242% jump in "girls' night craft" queries, a 329% climb in "paint party kit" searches, and an 86% increase in guided craft‑kit sales. (michaelspressroom.com ) Gifting and small‑scale home projects showed extreme spikes: searches for mini loaf pans with lids surged 919%, bag charm searches rose 912%, needlepoint queries climbed 251%, and sewing‑pattern searches increased 152%. (prismnews.com ) Michaels says the report is grounded in exclusive online search and sales data, consumer surveys conducted within the prior six months, and in‑house design expertise, and the chain operates nearly 1,400 North American stores. (michaelspressroom.com ) The retailer will run trend‑inspired, in‑store events starting this spring to showcase the report's movements, and its materials say 72% of Michaels customers used creative projects to save money last year while 51% specifically made DIY gifts to cut costs. (michaelspressroom.com ) (prismnews.com )
