Polka Dot Robot

Little Fang by Alice Koswara

Last week I stumbled upon a wonderful exhibit of small paintings called Little Fang by artist Alice Koswara. Currently on view in Fabric8, an art gallery in San Francisco's Mission District, the exhibit chronicles a family tree of strange creatures and their female owners.

Here are a few of my favorites. So charming!

Check out Alice Koswara's Flickr for more wonderful paintings. And if you're in San Francisco, stop by Fabric8 to see Little Fang in person. If you're lucky, the Creme Brulee Cart will be parked right outside.

<3 Erin-bot

Love for Libraries

There's something magical about libraries. In addition to being peaceful, well-ordered treasure troves, they have generated a wonderful style and subculture. I thought I'd kick off my (and your) day with some lovely library eye candy.

Beautiful, no? For more library-related photos and links, check out this post from Kaitlyn's excellent (retired) blog, Librarian Science.

The photograph below appears as part of an incredible series called The City. Artist Lori Nix built and photographed several post-apocalyptic dioramas, including this intricate, magical library. Amazing!

The photos below of people sleeping in libraries crack me up. As someone who works in a library, I can attest that they are very realistic!

(View these and more in the Flickr gallery, People Sleeping in Libraries.)

To celebrate my love of all things related to books, sweaters, tweed, eyeglasses, and shelves, I created this Librarian Chic board on Pinterest. If you have anything to add, please let me know in the comments of this post!

(For links to the individual items, view the board on Pinterest.)

Thanks for reading! ;)

<3 Erin

A Lovely Tea Party

A few weeks ago, my lovely lady friends took me out for high tea to celebrate my 30th birthday. We got dressed up and met at Lovejoy's Tea Room, an adorable place filled with doiles, mismatched china, antique furniture, and tiny delicious food. I was in heaven!

We had two kinds of tea, an assortment of sandwiches, scones, crumpets, sausage rolls, and fruit.

And just when we thought we couldn't eat anymore, the hostess brought out these beautiful Petit Fours. The little green hat was my favorite.

I made a wish and quietly acknowledged the last 30 years and my wonderful friends. My day-to-day life is fast-paced and emotionally taxing; this milestone birthday caused me to reflect on the bigger picture, feel grateful for what I have, and slooow down...at least for a little while. ;)

After tea time, we went outside to take some outfit photos. It's not every day that the Robots (and Lisapie!) are all dressed up and in the same place.

Is there a grannie-tastic tea room in your city? Please share in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

<3 Erin

Erin's Doily Obsession

I've been wanting to do wardrobe remix for a long time, so when Vivianna offered to help me get started, I said yes please! Not only was our girly photo shoot fun; it was a great opportunity to show off my new doily dress and platform wedges.

Dress: Corey Lynn Calter, from Macy's
Tights: H&M
Shoes: Moxsie.com
Earrings: Bloomingdale's

I have been really into doilies lately. They seem to make everything better: crafts, home decor, clothing, design. I created a Doily Fabulous Pinterest board to keep track of all the cute lace and crochet-inspired items I've seen.

(For links to the individual items, visit the set on Pinterest.)

What are your favorite doily-inspired items and crafts?

<3 Erin

Shop Update!!!!

(Sail Away Mittens)

We are super excited to share all of the NEW products that we have been working on.

Oh My Robots! Shop update TOMORROW!

The Robots had a great time this weekend doing a photo shoot at one of our favorite buildings in San Francisco- the Atlas Stair Building Co.

Image Credit: RadioNicole

They used to make spiral staircases there- now it's a residence- I'm so jealous! The photo shoot was super fun: we were leaping about and posing in our cute products entertaining the neighborhood.  There were a lot of people out and about as it was a sunny Saturday, we even met some firemen that invited us to a block party down the street (hee hee).

But, back to the most important news! SHOP UPDATE!!! Tomorrow morning Polkadotrobot.com will be filled with new knit and crocheted items, and new monsters!  You already saw a few of our new products in our Indie Mart post, here are 3 of the new monsters for you to meet:

This is Johnny Scotland, Richie the Ravenous, and Billy the Biter!

Special thanks to Kara, Erin's little sister who modeled for us.  Kara- here's a High-Five in thanks!

We can't wait for you guys to see our new stuff! Stay tuned til tomorrow!

<3

The Robots

 

Indie Mart Photos!

Last Sunday we attended our third Indie Mart Craft/DIY/Music Street Fair! As always we had a great time selling our handmade goods and interacting with the awesome crowd and vendors.

The weather made logistics more challenging than usual (hellooooo rain), but we had accepted that rain was inevitable the day before, so we came prepared. We made a cozy little fort for our display.

In addition to our crowd pleasing animal hats, coffee cozies, and beau geste mittens, we brought NEW monster hoodies, cowls, mittens, and beanies. (We'll be posting the new products on our website next week!)

Here's Laurel showing off her monster creations, both adult- and child-sized!

Meg and Laurel worked together to create these adorable appliqued beanies. Super cute!

Vivianna knit up these amazing fingerless mittens with anchor buttons. They are really stunning in person.

Our lovely Beau Geste mittens in pretty candy colors.

Throughout the day, we used our chalkboard speech bubble to document the weather.

We forgot to take a picture of "It's Raining Gumdrops!" Such a great rainy day song. :)

Around 2:30 pm, the clouds started to part. We got so excited.

Before we knew it, the sun was shining and the street was full of happy customers!

Meg celebrated with a caramel apple from Black Jet Bakery. Man oh man, it was good.

Laurel celebrated by integrating herself into our hat display. I love this photo more than words can express!

To the Indie Mart organizers, to everyone who came out, and to all the amazing vendors: THANK YOU! We had a wonderful day despite the gloomy weather.

<3 Erin, Vivianna, Laurel, and Megpie

Living and Knitting in San Francisco

In the last few days, I have seen some crazy things in San Francisco!

1. A parade of cyclists (critical mass!) dressed in costumes for Halloween.

Photos by Steve Rhodes

2. A mob of San Francisco Giants fans celebrating the team's World Series victory! The honking and screaming kept me awake until 2 am this morning -- good thing I had a lot of knitting to do.

Photos by saucemeisterq

3. Voters lined up at the polls. (This isn't a crazy event -- I just wanted to remind everyone to vote today!)

4. And lastly, piles and piles of yarn to be made into Polka Dot Robot goods for Indie Mart on Sunday, November 7th. In the photos below, you can see my and Vivianna's knit pieces for Beau Geste Mittens and various animal hats.

Hope you had a wonderful and equally eventful weekend!

<3 Erin-bot

Indie Mart on Sunday, November 7: Join Us!

Mark your calendars! The ladies of Polka Dot Robot will have a table at Indie Mart on Sunday, November 7, 2010! This design and DIY street festival is super duper fun. If you're in or near the Bay Area, we hope you'll come by and say hello!

Indie Mart is a street festival in San Francisco that includes over 100 different vendors -- DIY/handmade, art and silk screening, vintage, vinyl, bbq and baked goods, and more. There are workshops (including terrariums! and screen printing! and heavy metal aerobics!), live bands and DJs, and a photobooth.

This will be our third Indie Mart show (see photos from November 2009 and June 2010) -- we can't wait!

As always, we'll have BRAND NEW Polka Dot Robot items for sale (not available on our site) -- including monster hoodies, headbands, animal hats, cozies, and more!

All goods sold at Indie Mart will be discounted -- up to 50% off -- so don't miss it!

The Indie-Mart Street Fair
Sunday November 7, 2010
VENDORS: Noon - 6 pm
AFTER PARTY & BANDS: 6 - 9 pm
Thee Parkside- 17th st & all down Wisconsin
ALL AGES (21+ to booze it up)
$3 suggested donation

We hope to see you there!

<3 Erin, Vivs, Laurel, and Megpie

Erin's Home Improvements: Part 1

Ever since I moved into my San Francisco studio in June 2010, I've been complaining about my yellowed, broken blinds and my plain white walls. Well, Robots, I'm proud to announce that I finally took action! Thanks to good planning, Laurel and her trusty drill, and an impending visit from my parents, I have succeeded in making my pretty apartment prettier. Hurrah!

Witness my progress below, and be amazed. (Can you tell I'm excited about this?) The photos aren't the greatest, but you'll get the idea.

(Side note: if you rotate the above photo clockwise 90 degrees, you get....Super Erin!)

Ta da!!! I am so pleased.

In my last post, I mentioned that I purchased these decals from Etsy.

I wanted them to look like wallpaper, so I carefully measured and installed each flower.

The result is really beautiful!

Unfortunately it was dark by the time I finished, so I couldn't capture the entire wall. Stay tuned for Home Improvements: Part 2 next week. Things are finally moving along! :)

<3 Erin

DIY Wedding Projects

Robots, I have been so busy preparing for my friend's wedding this weekend! The bride-to-be put me to work making lovely decorations.

First task: make 60 gathered ribbon flowers.

Second task: make large paper pom-poms to hang in the dining area.

Third task: make myself into a presentable bridesmaid.

(Sadly there is no internet tutorial to explain how to do this.)

Wish me luck! I'll be back next week with wedding photos and an exciting PDR announcement!

<3 Erin-bot

 

To Do: Everything!

Happy Autumnal Equinox, everybody! Fall is the best, isn't it? I'm feeling motivated today, so I wrote a list of projects I'll be working on today and in the near future.

1. Prepare for my dear friend's bridal shower this weekend. We're going to the Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena. I'm excited to dress up and drink tea with my cute LA friends.

2. Finish sewing and stuffing the antlers for a Deer to My Heart Hat!

 

3. Continue installing these pretty decals above my bed. I bought them in teal and gray. They're looking lovely so far -- I will share photos when I'm finished!

 

4. Hang up curtains in my cute apartment. My studio came with yellowed, broken blinds, and I can't wait to take them down!

5. Listen to the newest Band of Horses album. Viv and I are going to see them live this Friday. :)

 

6. Make a bunch of animal hats for Indie Mart on Sunday, November 7th in San Francisco! (We'll post an official announcement soon.) 

 

7. Buy a new coat for fall. I've had mine for about six years now -- I think it's time for a replacement!

Wish me luck, Robots! And happy first day of autumn!

<3 Erin

Happy Birthday Polka Dot Robot!!!!

Happy 1st birthday Polka Dot Robot!!!

I can't believe that it has already been a year since we opened our online shop. Here is our first year in photos.

 

 

Polka Dots for Everyone

Polka dots, Robots! Perhaps the only pattern I've been attracted to my whole life. There is something so cheery, feminine, and youthful about them. Don't they bring you joy? (Don't lie -- I know they do.) This fall and winter, when everyone starts wearing solid colors and heavy wool coats and sullen expressions, I want you to keep the spirit of the polka dots alive. To help you accomplish this, I have scoured the interweb for beautiful polka dot items. (Yes, this task was done for purely unselfish reasons. ;-) You can thank me later.)

First and foremost: pretty dresses. Sigh.

Clockwise from top left: Afternoon Company Dress in Polka Dots (Modcloth), Mullany Dress (Anthropologie), Afternoon Tea Dress (Bettie Page), "Vintage" Dot Dress (Leifsdottir)

Next up: polka dot tights! How cute would these look under a little black skirt?

From left: I Dot You Babe Tights (Modcloth), Polka Dot Sweater Tight (Urban Outfitters)

If dresses and tights aren't for you, you can still participate in the polka dot revolution by carrying an adorable bag. :)

From left: Blue and White Polka Dot Handbag (fromnancy on Etsy) Pitrizzia Dot Louis Bag (Kate Spade)

What have I missed? Please share in the comments!

Love and polka dots,
Erin-bot

Girl Crush: Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land

Following in the footsteps of my talented friend Andrea who regularly documents her girl crushes, I am here to publicly declare my overwhelming sense of admiration, inspiration, and envy for an incredible knitter and designer.

Hello, my name is Erin, and I have a girl crush on Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land.

Anna specializes in adorable and insanely creative knit toy patterns. Some of my favorites include Which Came First?...

Sausage Dogs...

Woodins...
 

and Tubby. Seriously, how cute are these??

Last year I knit a bird pupppet from Anna's Puppet Love pattern, and I found it very easy to follow.

This year Anna released a book of patterns, many of which I'm dying to try out.

She is currently working on a large installation piece for gallery hanahou in New York. (If you're lucky enough to live there, get your butt over to the show in October!) Check out these preliminary photos from her blog.

Looks promising, no?? I can't wait to see the final version.

For more Mochimochi Land wonder, check out Anna's website, blog, and Flickr.

<3 Erin

Happy Birthday MEGPIE

You are AMAZING!

With love from all of us!

My Weekend in Photos: Friends in town!

This weekend Erin and I were visited by our lovely friends from San Diego and New York and took a pile of silly photos with them all across San Francisco!

We had a long wait outside the restaurant and spent some time being ridiculous:

I love photos of people jumping, mostly because they always turn out like this:

We enjoy being strong ladies:

We went to Beauty Bar where you can get a manicure and a cocktail, but mostly it's just fun dancing. They have some old-style hair drying chairs turned into lighting fixtures and we found a great way to pose in them- Here's Erin:

And our friend Linsay:

The next day we went to the Bettie Page store and tried on some dresses. Here's Erin in the dress Blair made famous in Gossip Girl!

I hope you had a great weekend!

<3 Laurel

Get to know us

Vivs: does a little of this and a little of that, but also teaches art journal classes

5 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

Learning to sew

Falling in love 

Going to Panama next year

Becoming a master at Photoshop

Teaching another art journal class

5 Things I Did Yesterday:

Went to work

Did some laundry 

Talked to the boyfriend on the phone

Watched a movie 

Ate popcorn

5 Things I Wish I Could do:

Travel the world

Speak French

Breakdance

Yodel

Cook

5 Places I’d Like to Travel To:

Panama

Ireland

London

France

Canada

5 Cute things I've found online lately:

Read this and this

Laurel: makes the monster hoodies

5 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Tropical vacation with my boyfriend

2. Getting a dog- maybe in the next 6 months!

3. Meeting my new nephew or niece in January!

4. Turning 30 next year

5. My next ice cream cone

5 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Weeded my garden

2. Played with my kitten

3. Re-invented some leftovers (steak and spinach became breakfast burritos!)

4. Ordered a "small iced tuna sandwich and a coffee" when I really meant it the other way around! The coffee shop girl laughed at me...

5. Almost finished my book before bed, but fell asleep reading

5 Things I Wish I Could do:

1. Juggle

2. A cartwheel (working on it)

3. Scuba dive. I'm afraid but I will try to learn!

4. Eat all the ice cream I want, all the time

5. Instantly smooth over the troubles and heartache of my friends.

5 Places I’d Like to Travel To:

1. South Eastern Asia (Thailand, Laos, Indonesia... I'm not picky!)

2. New Zealand

3. New England in the fall

4. England and Ireland

5. The Swiss Alps

5 Cute things I've found online lately:

1. The Scout Dress by RedDirtDevil
2. This comic about a fat shetland pony
3. Round retro speakers
4. This Owl Clock
5. These amazing city plates by notNeutral

Erin: hand knits all the cute animal hats

5 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

Indian summer in San Francisco,

making window garlands

catching up on Mad Men

personal knitting

spending time with my silly friends

5 Things I Did Yesterday:

Danced to soul music

talked to my sister (in person!)

tried on dresses

ate peruvian food

started a new book

5 Things I Wish I Could do:

Sew my own fabulous clothes

spend more time playing music

spend less time on the computer

do a cartwheel

find my eyeglasses

5 Places I’d Like to Travel To:

Wonderland

Narnia

Neverland

Oz

Pittsburgh

5 Cute things I've found online lately:

A shelf full of Totoro dolls

foxes jumping on a trampoline

this Bettie Page sailor dress

the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser

blood orange Fluevog heels

**********************************************************************

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! It ends this Wednesday :)

Joanna Newsom at the Fox Theater

Last night Vivianna, Laurel, our friend Lisapie, and I attended a magical concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland. I had never been to the venue before, and it was just beautiful.

above photo by Vivianna Arroyo

above three photos by Thomas Hawk

Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes opened the show. He played a solo set of mostly new songs, then ended with one of our favorites: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Vivianna recorded some of the performance on her phone). It always amazes me how a single musician can fill a whole room with sound.

above photo by Pabst Theater

Joanna Newsom played a beautiful two-hour set -- many songs from Have One on Me, "Emily" from Ys, and "Peach Plum Pear" and "Inflammatory Writ" from The Milk Eyed Mender. I was in heaven.

above two photos by imjackhandy

What is the last great concert you saw?

<3 Erin

My Weekend in Photos: Camping in Humboldt County

This weekend Erin and I went camping up in Humboldt County!  We stayed along the Eel river where a friend's family owns some land- it was relaxing and beautiful! We drove through the redwoods, camped on a gorgeous plateau overlooking the river, floated down the river on innertubes and managed to get just a little sunburned! 

Here's the view from our campsite:

We cooked in an outdoor kitchen in this beautiful meadow:

There were blackberry bushes with ripe berries and we ate them all day!  We even put some in our pancakes:

Later it was really hot and we found a great way to cool ourselves off:

We also invented the watermelon rind headband- what do you think? A new PDR product? Erin and our friend Kelly are modeling them here:

Now we're back in foggy San Francisco and Erin and I are going to see Joanna Newsom tonight! I love summertime, there's always so much going on!

What did you do this weekend?

<3

Laurel