As mentioned last week, I am joining Make It Perfect’s Queensland Flood Auction Appeal to help support those affected by the devastating Queensland floods. All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.

Up for auction is Fidelity the Fawn:

Fidelity is:

• Made from a floral Japanese fabric, charcoal grey wool flannel on the ears and underside, red polkadot cotton print bow, wool felt, plastic safety eyes, and polyfill;
• 42cm/16.5 inches tall (head to feet);
• Firmly stuffed and can stand on her own;
• One-of-a-Kind;
• Suitable and recommended for children aged 7 years and older only. Suitable for decorative purposes and very gentle play.

Care: Spot/surface clean only.

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $20 (Australian Dollars).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address.  Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone, and postage is FREE.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at 9AM on Monday 24th January 2011, (Australian Eastern Standard Time).
6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address).  The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email.  Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your fawn to you.

Thank so much for participating in this auction and happy bidding!

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Thank you also to all of those who participated in the Tote giveaway. I really do appreciate the lovely words of support encouragement :-) The winner was randomly chosen and is comment #31, which is from . . . . .  WENDY!! Wendy, I will be in touch with you soon!

I have fond memories of the friends I had when I was 6 years old – school friends and family friends. There were lots of outdoor games and running around – tiggy, hide-and-seek, tea-parties, water balloon fights, climbing over fences and climbing up trees, neighborhood wrestling matches (I’d always get beaten by the very stout and solid 3-year-old), making toffees for school fetes, and having our own ‘secret’ book club :-)

I took the photo above this past weekend when my girls had a play-date with family friends. I adore all the colour in this photo but most of all I love the memories attached to it from the day. Here’s hoping they will remain great friends for years to come!

Also, I just wanted to let you know that I am in participating in Make It Perfect’s Queensland Flood Relief Appeal Auctions. Next week I will be auctioning off one of my softie fawns and 100% of the proceeds from the sale will go the Queensland Government Flood Relief Appeal. More details on the auction in the coming days!

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Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on the Tote Bag giveaway! Today is the last day to enter over HERE.

So I’ve made up a list of things I want to make for our home this year. First on the list: Placemats! To replace our rather old, grotty, ones :-)

Like bibs, placemats are such a quick and satisfying project :-) Possibilities are endless! For our new set, I decided I’d make reversible ones.

Using some thrifted/vintage fabric, it meant that for breakfast we’d have mats that were sweet and cheery (please ignore unintentional wonkiness!):

And then for dinner I just flip them over. I’ve used a mix of striking IKEA fabric, dark blue linen, and cute ribbon for a little bit of formality (and the dark fabric should be able to mask some accidental spills!):

I’m thinking about making another set in order to use up some of my thrifted/vintage bedsheet collection, and this time with little pockets for the cutlery. And perhaps I need to practice sewing straight lines too :-)

Some placemat tutorials you might like to try:

• Patchwork Placemats Tutorial Round-up on Sew, Mama, Sew
• Easy Reversible Placemat by How To Gal
• Quilted Placemats by Pink Penguin

Placemats: Simple, quick, and useful – gotta love that!

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In more important news, as you may be aware, the state of Queensland in north-eastern Australia is currently suffering through significant and devastating floods. The town of Toowomba was hit by what was described as an ‘inland tsunami’. Many residents are missing and the death toll is rising. Queensland’s capital, Brisbane, is flooding rapidly as I write this. If you are able to donate to help those who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their businesses, please go HERE.

After I completed my last fun-run for 2010, my eldest pleaded to join me in an upcoming fun-run. How could I possibly say no?!  I wasn’t sure what fun-runs were on offer for kids but after a quick google, I stumbled across the City2Bay Fun-Run.

The event was held yesterday morning – 2011 being its inaugural year. There were 3 events: Family Fun-Run of 1.5km, a 5km race, and a 10km race from the Docklands to St Kilda beach. This year, funds from the event were donated to Challenge (Kids with Cancer Charity).

The Family Fun-Run was a simple out-and-back course right along beach. Being the inaugural year of the race (and also a slightly cold and overcast morning), there weren’t too many people participating and my eldest and I enjoyed a leisurely run/walk, taking in the scenery along the way. Despite the short-distance, the race is timed and it was nice to run to the finish line with competitors in the 5km cheering us on as they waited for their race to begin :-) All competitors also received a medal at the finish line, which (of course) was a highlight for my little girl.

The Family event is specifically designed with young kids in mind so if you’re looking for an easy fun-run with your kids, this is a good one to consider. If you’re running with a child under 6, you also get free entry into the Family event :-) I really enjoyed being able to share one of my favourite things-to-do with my daughter, and she was happy that we were finally able to run together. My eldest and I are hoping to do this again next year – and my youngest is keen to join us too :-)

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Thanks so much for the lovely comments received on my Tote Bag giveaway! To enter the giveaway, please go HERE.

Diving into my first giveaway for the year :-) I managed to spend some time in my craft room recently, before preparing for the return to work on Monday. It was SO GOOD to be sewing again. I heart having my own my craft space – though it does need a major clean out soon. And in line with my 2011 resolution of sewing for fun, I whipped up a roomy tote using my Woodland Cutout design that I had printed onto a linen/cotton blend base by Spoonflower. Since I actually have quite a collection of tote bags, I thought I’d give this one away :-)

As mentioned, it’s made of my Woodland Cutout design in grey+blue with sturdy black denim straps, and lined with black+white gingham on the inside. There’s also a button closure with a leather loop. The bag (without straps) is quite large and measures 32cm x 38cm. It’s roomy enough to carry your favourite magazines, notebooks, books, a bunch of groceries, etc.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. Entries close on Friday, 14th January. The winner will be announced on Monday, 17th January :-)

Thought I’d share some Robin-related handmade/art/design loveliness I’ve stumbled upon in Etsy … because, well … I’m partial to Robins :-)

1. Mr American Robin (needle-felted) by Tracy Mueller
2. Robin (original watercolour painting) by Dimdi
3. Needle Felted Red Robin Jingle Ball Toy by Asher Jasper
4. “Gray Autumn” fine art print (wrapped canvas) by Tracey Capone Photography
5. Robins on a Branch brass earrings by For the Cross Jewelry
6. Birds Nest Necklace with Robins Eggs by Jacaranda Designs
7. Large Robin Pillow Case by Mirthquake
8. Little Robin print by Yumi Yumi
9. Bird Cages Vinyl Wall Art by Goat Grin Studio

This was fun to put together – hope to do more little featurettes on the blog this year :-)

To celebrate a new year (and a new decade), I’ve given my blog a little facelift. Do you like? :-) I’ve tested it across a small sample of browsers but please do let me know if you encounter any issues on your browser.

How was your New Year’s celebration? I hope it was a memorable and happy one!

My family and I were able to spend a few days in Fiji over the new year period, and saw in 2011 together on the Coral Coast (photo up there is of the sunset on our first day). It was a very relaxing time away – I forgot how nice it was to just do nothing! – and it gave me a chance to think about the year ahead.

I have a few creative resolutions floating around in mind for 2011, including:

• Spend more time on designing new dolls and softies and more time experimenting with new techniques
• Do more craft for fun, for the heck of it, for gifting and for the home, rather than with the aim of putting it up in my shop
• Don’t over-commit: Say yes only to the opportunities that clearly fit in with my priorities
• Do more tutorials and freebies :-)
• Re-focus on new patterns for my little fabric range

How about you? What are some creative resolutions you’ve come up with for 2011?

Just popping in to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!! This year has gone by so quickly – December really took me by surprise! How are your holiday season preparations going?

Looking back on 2010, I didn’t do a lot of making but I ended up having quite a number of fun giveaways :-) Thank you to all the companies/sponsors who generously provided the prizes. Thank you also to Helen (Pattern Press) and all the retailers/stockists who have supported my small range of sewing patterns.

I am very thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had through One Red Robin this year, the following being the highlights for 2010:

• One of my fawns super-sized for display at Sportsgirl, Chadstone Shopping Centre

• Being included in the awesome Craft Hope book (and through this book, gaining a wonderful friend – Jade :-))

• Being included in the wonderful Craft Corps book by Vickie Howell

• Coordinating the small handmade doll appeal for the Project18 Orphanage in Bali, Indonesia for Cate Bolt

Without doubt 2010 was the toughest year I have ever had personally so I am more than happy to say goodbye to it and am hopeful about what 2011 has in store. Thank you to all of you who read this little blog and comment, email, (tweet/facebook!), and buy my creations – your support and encouragement throughout this year has simply been amazing and I am sincerely grateful.

I wish you a 2011 that will exceed all your expectations! :-)

In the Christmas spirit, I’ll leave you with a heart-warming portrayal of Jesus’ birth as told by kids (via Sew Funky):

I’ll be back here in early January, 2011 :-)

Hey all, how crazy is this time of the year?! I haven’t had much time to make stuff for Christmas (despite all good intentions) – perhaps if I start in January I’ll be totally ready for Christmas next year! :-)

Hope your holiday season preparations are going much better than mine!

Just wanted to let you know that Pattern Press have released my newest pattern in the One Red Robin range – Lucinda:

You’ve probably seen her before (published in Australia’s Handmade Magazine a few years ago). I am not sure which stockists have the pattern in stock at this stage, but if you’re keen to get this pattern, please contact Pattern Press and they should be able to let you know about your nearest stockist or you may be able to buy it directly from them. Pattern details are here.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the stockists and lovely crafters who do buy patterns from my range – I sincerely appreciate your support and I do hope you have fun making the softies and dolls. And thank you to Pattern Press (and Helen!) for all their work in publishing and distributing my sewing patterns. I’m looking forward to releasing more patterns in 2011!

… this past week I received this super sweet doll from Carole W. all the way from the UK!!

Thanks so much Carole!! She is lovely and so lovingly made!

She has joined the rest of the handmade dolls for the Project18 Orphanage appeal that are now en route to Cate, who will in turn be sending them on to the Orphanage.

Thanks so much to the talented and generous donators:

• Carole W.
• Karen D
• Amy L.
• Selina
• Jennie
• Magdalena
• Donna

Please know that you will be making a very special child SO happy this Christmas through your doll!

More creative spaces to visit over here.