This week in my haven I’ve been thinking about how different things are now versus one year ago. Next week (September 22nd to be exact) marks the one year anniversary of opening the Haven Handmade shop. Even though I have a few more days to go before I can technically say I’ve been in business one year, I thought I’d share my reflections on how things have changed one year into this journey.

This week in my haven was the first week of the school year. Joanna started second grade and is in school five days a week again. (I have very mixed feelings about this, but that’s another story.) Peter and I are also both back to teaching. Yes, you read that right! I have returned to teaching part time now that it seems like schools are fully open and intend to stay open, but I also fully intend to keep the Haven Handmade open. Haven Handmade has quite a lot going on actually, so keep reading to get the details!

This week in my haven I have spent more time at my computer and less time at my sewing machine than usual as I try to make plans for the summer months. I want to make it as easy as possible to find Haven Handmade products, whether you are shopping locally or online, so I have been doing tons of outreach these last few days. A bit of news about that below...

This week in my haven I am getting ready for my second in-person handmade market and it’s a lot less stressful and overwhelming than the first one. I’m glad I did so much preparation before my first market because it is making me feel much more confident going into this weekend’s market. (Details below)

This week in my haven I thought the pace might feel a little slower, but I’m not sure it has. I am more motivated than ever to keep sewing after the positive feedback that I got at the Syracuse Artisan Market last week! I’m excited to keep branching out in new ways and I hope you’ll keep stopping by here to hear how things are going.