RED INSTEAD handmade is run by me, Jen Leheny from my home studio in Canberra. I love to make things, mostly with my sewing machine, and I blog my life here. It gives me a great creative outlet and of course it feels good when people buy something I have made, or comment on my blog posts.  The connecting with people is really fun too!

Jen might not tell you that the real reason she has to make things is because she seems to have gathered a large amount of fabric and notions - luckily, Jen can turn those piles of fabric into something cute.

I have recently gone back to paid work (part-time) and now I have more money but less time, so I squeeze the making and the blogging in where I can.  Prior to that, I was at home with the kids for 8 years and running my handmade business on the side.

I’m 38 and happy but busy. As well as sewing, I also love papercraft, ceramic painting, beading and making art.

I have three great kids - Sam is 16, Jack is 8 and Emma is 5. Sam is a brilliant artist, in Year 11 and biding his time till he can finish school, move to Japan and be an anime artist. He also has Asperger’s Syndrome which makes life interesting for all of us.  Jack is very loud and loves to read books of facts - he has a brilliant general knowledge. He loves Lego and Mythbusters. Emma is gorgeous and absolutely LOVING Kindergarten - learning to read and write and loving maths too. She talks a lot and loves to eat.  My husband is Paul and we are mad about each other. We only got married a couple of years ago even though we’ve been together for about 13 years! He is wonderful and we make a great team!

I have a great studio workroom and a house I really enjoy and a garden that needs lots of work.  I also like to take photos, and I recently bought a new digital SLR. I try to make time for the serious shots, but I also take lots of images of things I have made! I also enjoy mixed media and collage and I have a million things I want to do but not enough time.

About Red Instead:
RED INSTEAD handmade sells a range of handcrafted adult and children’s clothing, toys and dolls, art and collage pieces, textiles, home decor, and jewellery at local markets as well as online at www.redinstead.com.au. Red Instead is actually just Jen Leheny, but she likes to talk about herself in the third person. Once upon a time she wanted to be a big company but now she has changed her focus, enjoying it all more and is very happy with how it is all going. Thank you very much.

You can see more of my handcrafted items at my shop site, which offers secure ordering and has lots of lovely pictures: