This Week in My Haven: No. 7
This week in my haven was rather topsy-turvy. There was no school for teachers or students on Tuesday for Election Day and then there’s no school today for students because it’s the end of the first quarter and teachers have a professional development day. The days off have put us off our routine a little and have made it hard for me to keep track of what day of the week it is! I’ve managed to get a lot of sewing done in spite of all this though. We’ve also been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather and that’s done a lot to lift our spirits.
Shop announcements:
Please order early if you need items made and shipped in time for Christmas!
Want to win a handmade apron for yourself and for a friend too? Participate in my giveaway on Instagram by commenting on any post in the month of November with what you are grateful for and tag a friend! Each comment is one entry. On December 1st, I will choose a winning comment. That commenter and the friend they tagged with both win an apron from the Haven Handmade shop! This giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. shipping address.
I had a very helpful little assistant in my sewing room this week!
What I’m thinking about: Gift-giving! I have started to figure out what I’m going to be giving family and friends for Christmas this year. I have a couple items I want to make, so I’m going to be starting those soon. But for the gifts I am purchasing, I am trying to be very conscientious about ordering early and from smaller shops. I really want to support small businesses when I can, but it can be a little time-consuming to search out and find local shops. I recently had the good fortune of coming across ChiLocal, which is a hub for connecting you to small shops in Chicago. I, of course, joined and also plan to use ChiLocal to help me find other small businesses to shop at. If you’re not from Chicago, is there anything similar to this for your locale?
What I’m making: I didn’t work on any personal sewing projects this week, but I did help Joanna with a couple. Joanna decided to be my assistant for part of her day off and also wanted to sew some things herself. She helped me put Haven Handmade labels on the backs of placemats and then we worked together to sew some simple hand puppets and a little tote bag. Joanna did all the cutting and designing for the puppets and then I did the sewing. But for the tote bag, I moved the sewing machine down to a low table so that she could try operating the sewing machine by herself. She did such a great job sticking with it even though it was difficult for her to control the speed. At the end she was so proud of what she made and is excited about doing more sewing on her own in the future!
What I’m cooking: Joanna picked out beef stew for dinner tonight, even though it’s going to be about 70 degrees out. She has promised to help me make it though. I don’t usually follow a recipe when I make beef stew. Do you have a favorite beef stew recipe that I should try? For dessert we’re having an apple and cranberry version of these jammy fruit bars. I am also thinking of making this pumpkin sourdough loaf sometime this weekend so that we can have it as toast for breakfast all next week.
What I’m reading: I read this article about a father who sews for his daughter and how he encourages her creativity. It was really sweet and reminded me of my relationship with my daughter, Joanna. She loves to do crafts with me and I love when she takes charge of a project. I am confident that we will complete many creative projects together over the years!
I’m not sure what the rest of the day or this weekend holds, but I hope that we all get to relax a little. Whatever you are up to this weekend, I hope it’s relaxing too!
(Disclosure: I do not receive any compensation for the recommendations or reviews I post here. All opinions are my own.)
