It's no secret that the ladies of Polka Dot Robot are fond of adorable creatures. We'll find any excuse to add ears, horns, claws, and tails to our hats and hoodies.
And although I love them all, there is one critter that has gained much popularity in the last couple of years -- and has inspired filmmakers, musicians, artists, bloggers, and the handmade community to create wonderful things: THE FOX!
This majestic creature has become the subject of fantastic wearables...
(click image to link to item)
and charming decor...
and wonderful prints and illustrations...
Amazing stuff! Lastly, just for entertainment, here's a video of two foxes playing on a trampoline. :-)
When trying to come up with an idea for this post, my mind was scattered
with miscellaneous ideas when it hit me--why not do just a little bit
of everything? Here are some things I have been enjoying lately.
The
now defunct Stylus Magazine put together a bitchin' mixtape of 60s girl
group tunes, replete with background info on each track. You can
download the mixtape here.
I'm addicted to this show on the History Channel that follows two
"pickers" named Mike and Frank as they travel the backroads of American
looking for what they call "rusty gold". The dynamics between these two
childhood friends are hilarious and the things they find and stories
they come across are heart warming.
I recently watched two of the films (Christo's Valley Curtain and Running Fence)
and have been dying to get my hands on the other three. These films
document the process of Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude as they
create and install their environmental works of art.
STYLE: Mori Girls
A somewhat official definition of a Mori Girl is as follows:"Mori
Girls (森ガール) look like fairytale forest wanderers in their loose
dresses, vintage prints and quaint accessories. Mori girls choose to
live their lives on their own terms, stopping to appreciate the little
things that others overlook amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life."...isn't that AMAZING?!
Thank you Andrea for guest blogging today! We hope to have you back soon. :)
I've always dreamed of having the most amazing unique home. I wanted to be an architect when I was a little girl and would sketch out houses or interior designs. I wrote my own "book" when I was 9 about the architecture of my hometown: I walked around town, took pictures with my pink camera, glued the pictures to paper and wrote something like "this is a Victorian house" and "this is an Old Victorian house" under each one! I don't think I knew any other architecture words, haha.
Even though I ended up not pursuing architecture (waaaaay too much school!) I sill love home design and dreaming about having an "Old Victorian house" that I can decorate like crazy - it's probably why I live in San Francisco!
My dad sent me an email the other day with some AMAZING staircase designs that I had to share with you guys!
This one is Perfect if you have a small apartment with not much room for storage (like my place!)
And this is just beautiful:
This reminds me of the Lord of the Rings:
But this one, Robots, this is my DREAM:
I would never make it down the stairs! I'd always get half way and say "oh i remember that book! i love that book!" and then get stuck reading! Maybe I'd put a cushion there somewhere.....
We should probably do a favorite book post sometime!
The 3rd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco on July 31 + August 1, from 11am – 7pm each day at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion!
Always FREE-TO-ATTEND – the Bay’s favorite craft, art, design and DIY spectacular will feature over 225 of today’s finest indie-craft talents from all over the nation, craft-workshops, entertainment + other features!
I am super excited about Renegade this weekend because I get to meet up with some of my favorite bloggers and crafters. If you are in the area and would like to meet-up I will be there Saturday for most of the day.
My name is Mr. Polka Dot Robot, and as you can see, I'm fresh from Laurel's craft table! I was made on special commission for a neat guy named Chris who wants to surprise his girlfriend with me. Thanks Chris!
Erin and Laurel made me carefully from yarn and cloth and thread and wire. I like to check in the mirror every morning so I am sure I am looking my best!
I like to have a calming moment in my garden before I go to work, it's so refreshing and peaceful. I match these flowers very well, don't I?
There's a pesky kitty in this garden, who's always demanding scratches.
Well, that's it! I've got to go ride this bug to work now, so thanks for dropping by and have a great day!
As you can tell, we love doing special commissions here at PDR! Send us an email with your dreams and ideas at info @ polkadotrobot. com!
I am back with part three of my "Sew in Love" series. Last week I talked about how I wanted to learn to sew and buy a sewing machine; this week I want to share some books and blogs with you that I found.
As you know I am taking the Home Ec class, but I also love learning new things from books. I taught myself to knit from a book. I have been searching for sewing books and blogs for the past week.
I am the resident crochet-er for Polka Dot Robot (Viv crochets too, but I’ve sort of claimed it as my thing and there are no take backs) so it is no surprise that I am really into the Granny Chic thing.
I am not going to say I have a knack for interior design (in fact, I might have the opposite of a knack) but I do find that the whole Granny Chic that has been around for the past few years is a fun and simple way to warm up an apartment/house/room.
I also have an obsession with granny squares, flowers, and doilies, and am LOVING what Emmalamb is up to.
My lovely friend Kim is teaching an online photo class.
In this class, we'll be playing around with both Film and Digital, and
making our own rules for capturing your beautiful life the way you see
it. The nitty gritty details: -Starts
on the 16th of July and runs for 3 weeks (ending about Aug 6th). -Cost:
$40. Sign up here. -It will be held on a private blog, and
there will be new posts at least 5 times a week. You will have access
for over a year after. -We will cover 3
basic sections of taking pretty photos, 1. The cameras/film
and what you can DO with them! 2. The 'Basics' that have
changed my life, like camera settings, how to use ISO properly, flash
(friend or foe!). AND shooting tips- how to capture your life the
beautiful way it is (low lighting, locations, being sneeky etc). 3.
Storing tips/my go-to photoshop techniques and my experiences with
prints vs scans. -In between advice (from the
6+ years I've been taking pictures everyday) I will be sharing
experiences that will hopefully save you some heartache plus examples of
what is a 'mistake' and what's a GOOD mistake. - 3 Chats with me,
and an extra week after the class finishes to ASK ME ANYTHING you want
to know. -A group on Flickr to share your photos with
me&your classmates. -Some ideas to get you shooting. This
class would be great for you if: -You don't feel like
you have a good handle on your SLR for everyday shooting. -You don't
have enough pictures of your real life! -You feel awkward taking
your camera out and always regret not doing it. -You've got a
film camera(or want one!) but are too scared to use it. -You like
Lomography. -You always think 'i wish i could do that' when you
look at my photos. -You want to HAVE FUN with photography!
What
you need:
-A keen eye and a camera (doesn't matter
what kind, but here
are the cameras I use.)
The class has already started, but you can still sign-up
San Francisco wants everyone to believe that this is the place to be in the Summer...and despite the fog, wind, and completely Un-Summerly temperature, it is! Summer in the City is something I look forward to for many reasons, and one of which is:
This is such a cool festival. The opera, symphony, and ballet all make appearances, and this year, closing the festival, is:
They Might Be Giants! (That brings me way back...)
If you are living in SF, or coming to visit, make sure to check out any of the Stern Grove performances. They're outdoor, free, and basically super awesome.
I am also looking forward to a photo shoot with the PDR girls coming up! Yay for getting pretty!
I recently moved Two Whole Blocks away from Vivianna. And although I'm sad and miss my lovely roomie, I'm thrilled to now be living with my boyfriend :) I'm also thrilled to have a whole new space to decorate!
One of the things I'm working on is some window-coverings- my window lets in a ton of light, but looks out on the dreary peeling paint of my neighbor's wall (living in the city is not always beautiful! ).
I decided it would be awesome to buy fabric and make my own window treatments- something to let light in, but not too big or ruffly or attention grabbing as to take the focus away from the room! So I've been looking up how to DIY a Roman Shade:
I Love going to fabric stores, I walk through the aisles, touching all the fabrics, a million projects coming to mind, always buying more then what I came for. I think I got it from my mom, we both have piles of fabric that we bought for some project or another that we're totally going to get to (some day!). She has all these amazing tweeds and plaids from the 70's, and I look at them and say "Don't throw that away! I'll totally make a skirt out of that!" - and then it ends up in my to-do pile!
I recently discovered that IKEA is selling fabric now, and of course, it's done by a bunch of amazingly creative designers and I want to buy all of it and re-cover my couch, your couch, and make curtains and wall panels for everyone I know.
Here are some of my favorites, including the one I bought to do my roman shades with!
The entire Annamoa line is amazing! I want couches and couch cushions and wall hangings in baby rooms for all of these!
And wouldn't this make an amazing wall panel in a mod-style living room?
Oragami Animals!
This is just gorgeous, in that crafty style:
Here's what I picked for my curtains. It's hard to tell but it's a bunch of swirly shapes like clouds or the wind:
I am back with part two of my "Sew in Love" series. Monday, I talked about how I wanted to learn how to sew and today I want to talk about buying a sewing machine.
Before I begin--if you want to learn to sew my good friends, Leigh-Ann and Rachel are teaching a online sewing class. Check in with Leigh-Ann's blog tomorrow for more information.
I will be taking the Home Ec class, but I need a sewing machine first. I chatted with LA and I read stuff online and here are the three machine that I am looking at right now (by the time this post, I might have bought ones of these babies)
1. Bobbin and bobbin case: The
bobbin is wound with thread that will make up the underside of a
machine stitch. The bobbin case holds the bobbin, and is usually not
interchangeable between machines. Use only bobbins recommended by the
manufacturer for your particular model.
2. Slide plate or bobbin cover: Depending on the machine, a slide plate or hinged bobbin cover allows access to the bobbin.
3. Presser foot: This
removable foot keeps fabric in place as you sew. Different feet are
appropriate for various sewing techniques or fabrics. For example, a
roller or nonstick foot is used for sewing leather and oilcloth
smoothly.
4. Needle and needle clamp: Sewing-machine needles are removable and come in a variety of sizes. The clamp holds the needle in place.
5. Throat palate: This
metal plate, sometimes referred to as a needle plate, sits below the
needle and presser foot. A small opening in the plate allows the bobbin
thread to come out and the needle to pass through to make stitches.
Most throat plates have small lines notched to the right of the presser
foot; these serve as guides for seam allowances and for sewing straight
lines. The plate can be removed to clean underneath.
6. Feed dogs: These
small metal or rubber teeth pull the fabric between the presser foot
and throat plate, and also regulate the stitch length by controlling
how much fabric passes through at once. Always allow the feed dogs to
move the fabric as you guide it -- manually pulling may cause the
needle to bend or break.
7. Tension regulator: This
dial controls the tension on the top thread. With proper tension the
top thread and bobbin thread will join together in uniform stitches. If
the tension is set too tight, the stitch will pucker and break; if set
too loose, the stitches will be too loose.
8. Take-up lever: The
top thread passes through this metal lever, which moves up and down in
tandem with the needle. Depending on the machine, the take-up lever may
protrude from the front or be hidden inside the plastic casing. Before
placing fabric under the presser foot, raise the lver completely (the
needle will be at its highest point); this will keep the handle from
snagging the fabric.
9. Bobbin winder tension disk: On machines that have an external bobbin winder, this disk helps guide the thread between the spool and the winder.
10. Bobbin winder:
The small spool is placed upon this while the bobbin is being filled.
To ensure that the tread winds evenly, always start with an empty
bobbin.
11. Thread guides: From the spool, thread passes through these metal loops to help regulate the tension of the thread.
12. Spool pin: This
small dowel holds the thread. Some machines come with several spool
pins for decorative or twin-needle sewing. Spool pins can be horizontal
or vertical.
13. Flywheel: This knob, also called a handwheel, raises and lowers the take-up lever. Always turn the flywheel toward you.
14. Stitch selector: On
older machines, a dial allows you to choose between different machine
stitches. Newer machines have buttons to select stitches.
I recently moved to a cute little studio in the Mission District of San Francisco. (Huge thanks to the robots and friends who helped me move! <3) Although it was sad to say goodbye to my tree house bedroom, I'm very excited to start the decorating process all over again. :)
First decorating mission: to dress up my plain white walls with a pretty, not-too-busy, renter-friendly wall application. Tempaper offers some terrific options...
If you're interested in the Tempaper application process, check out this Apartment Therapy post. I recently ordered a sample of the Edie wallpaper, and it was very easy to apply and remove.
Of course, decals are another option. Etsy seller byrdiegraphics makes beautiful decals that can be applied individually to resemble wallpaper. Are these gorgeous or what?
And then there are those miscellaneous projects that I've bookmarked over the years. Does anyone remember this Design*Sponge post on decorating with paint strips?
A while back, Apartment Therapy posted about framing wallpaper samples -- another lovely option which offers lots of variety...
Sigh...how will I ever choose? ;)
Do you know of any other renter-friendly wallpaper or wall applications? Please share in the comments.
Last night, I could not sleep because I took a nap at 7:00pm. I was up all night looking at sewing machines and sewing books.
Over the past few years,I have bought a few sewing books even though I don't know how to sew. They are just so pretty to look at and dream of sewing.
Sewing has always been on my list of things to learn how to do. I have a few journal pages about learning to sew. I can't remember what online RVA class this project is from, but it was my first sewing project. Here it is...
I got the fabric from one of the most beautiful fabric stores we have in San Francisco. It's called Britex and if you are ever in SF you should stop by. I had a lot of help from Laurel on this project :) thanks!
I use this little bag for small knitting projects.
During the Holidays last year Rachel offered a How-to-Holiday organizer. As you can see from the photo above, I used scarps of fabric from my little bag. It was a lot of fun sewing on paper! I love paper, so anything that has to do with paper I will LOVE.
(image belongs to Freckled Nest) My goal is to learn to sew and own a sewing machine by the end of this year. I'm in luck! My friends Leigh-Ann and Rachel are teaching an online sewing class for beginners. Woohoo! I can't wait to take this class and get sewing :)
Laurel- I know I am going to need a lot of help from you. Thanks in advance!
Since I don't know much about sewing, I don't know any sewing blogs. If you know of any sewing blogs please email at vivianna(AT)polkadotrobot(DOT)com or leave a link in the comments. Thanks!
