Polka Dot Robot

Stop! Collaborate! and Lists!

Did you see what I did, there?

MegPie here, again. I am feeling inspired by a website I have been recently introduced to. It's called hitRECord.org, and it's a place where you can upload cool footage you have been holding on to, or poetry you've written, or images you have taken, or music you've written, a tiny story, even...and the community of this website will run with it. And together, these great 'records' are made.

It was founded by this duder:

 

Which brings me to my list!

MegPie's Five Things To Do By Next Thursday:

1.) Contribute something to hitrecord.org

2.) Practice the song Kevin and I will be performing for the talent show at this weekend's wedding (stoked!)

3.) Make this like right now, kthxnom

 
4.) Finish 'More Tales of the City' and move onto 'Further Tales of the City'

5.) Learn another Vanilla Ice song 

Love, MegPie

MegPie Gets Older!

Greetings from sunny San Francisco! (No, really, it's magically sunny and gorgeous, today.)

The other robots and I have a lot in common. We’re all bike owners (thanks Vivs, for the push!), we all have an affinity for the adorable, we are cocktail enthusiasts (bar enthusiasts, really…), and we’re insanely gorgeous (sigh).

One thing we do not have in common…is age. I am the odd man out this year. While the other robots turn 30, I am turning a measly 26. Womp womp. It’s always been a tender spot for me, always feeling like the lil guy, always trying to keep up (and I know it’s kind of weird, as there is a tendency for women to lie about being younger than they are, while I usually round up…)

So today, I own and celebrate the 26^th year of my life with a list of accomplishments by other’s in their 26^th year:

 
- Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanac, which was to play a large role in molding the diverse American character.

 
- Albert Einstein published five major research papers in a German physics jornal, fundamentally changing man's view of the universe and leading to such inventions as television and the atomic bomb.

 
- Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Chereshkova became the first woman to travel in space.

 
- Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, revolutionizing the economies of the United States and Britain.

 
-College dropout Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer.

-MegPie cures cancer! (tentative)

I found these at The Museum of Conceptual Art, where you can search your age for accomplishments.

I hope you all enjoy my birthday, and your own, whenever that may be!

Love, MegPie

Apartment Inspiration

When I first moved into my apartment with Kevin, I put some real effort into making it feel like a home, and then life got crazy. For a while I couldn't tell what it was that didn't feel homey about the place, until it hit me in one giant, frustrating, and overwhelming epiphany- everything in the apartment was his or mine. Nothing was really ours. So, I am now on an unstoppable push to not only turn this apartment into our apartment, but I am on the track to really design it.

So first thing's first- the living room. It's the biggest room in the apartment, the most likely space for a group of friends to gather, and, personally, the heart of the home. Growing up, it was where my family truly bonded, and I think that will be true for Kevin and I, too.

So, I dove head-first into an idea and I'm sticking to it!

Inspiration: Orange and Teal

I was originally inspired by the winebar near by apartment

And now I see this is the color scheme of the wedding season!

(Above photo by NicoleBDesigns)

And InspireInspire posted a few years back about this color scheme in the home (so I'm bringing it back!)

And you may remember I like to create my own art for my apartments (DIY post here) and I have found another AMAZING art project which I plan to start soon, using colors inspired above:

Thanks, Apartment Therapy.

Any color schemes you're inspired by, lately?

Love, MegPie

Love Your May

If you follow me on my personal blog then you know that I just turned 30yrs old last Friday. Erin and I went to New York City to celebrate. We had the BEST time! You can see my birthday outfit here and a list of most of the places that went here. I will be post more about my birthday over the next few days on Oh Shoot. 

Post taken from Oh Shoot.

May is a BIG month for me because in 13 days I will be turning 30 years old. I have come to terms with turing 30 and I ready to celebrate this new age milestone. One of my best friends Erin and I are flying to New York in 11 days to meet up with some of our good friends to celebrate my damn 30th birthday. 

I have decided for May goals to write out my 30 things to do before I turn 31. 

You can read my

January goals

February goals

March goals

April goals

30 Things Before I Turn 31 

1. Have a prom themed party 
2. Get a dog
3. Run 1/2 marathon
4. Visit Demit in Canada 
5. Have an art show 
6. Get over my fear of elevators 
7. Learn to sew 
8. Finish my sleeve 
9. Start a paper line 
10. Move out of state 
11. Makeover my blog 
12. Read 14 books 
13. Go apple picking in the Fall
14. Ride my bike from San Francisco to Portland with CAL 
15. Blow Bubbles on the Brooklyn Bridge 
16. Take a dance class with friends 
17. Get a passport 
18. Go Camping 
19. Start clean eating 
20. See more live music 
21. Fly a kite 
22. Finish 365 project
23. Go roller skating in Gold Gate Park 
24. Visit New York 
25. Start art journaling again 
26. Write my story 
27. Organize my photos 
28. See a waterfall 
29. Wreck this Journal 
30. Go to 3 movies in the park 

Love your May ;) 

I ♥ New York

Erin and I are off to New York today to celebrate my 30th birthday. New York is by far my favorite city that I have ever been to.

I really do heart NY.

Everytime the I step foot in NY I feel all happy inside and I never want to leave.

All images found on We Heart It

6 things that made me smile today:

1.  Erin sent me this photo of a sheep, it reminds me of my favorite PIXAR short Boundin'

2. My friend turned me on to the OK Cupid Blog- they do these amazing psychological and sociological analyses of the information people put on their profiles- it's SO interesting!  This post they did about The Best Questions For A First Date, and it's not what you'd expect!  Example- if you want to know if your date and you have long term potential, ask "do you like horror movies?"  Read it and find out why!

3. This photo of my friend's pomeranian Bear being held in the breeze.  Bear wants nothing more in life than to be held.  

4. The ladies and I went to go see Jane Eyre last night.  The costumes were So beautiful and the movie does a great job of being dramatic and suspenseful, but sometimes the romance got a little too mushy for the PDR ladies and we just had to giggle. 

4. It's the start of Vivianna's Birthday Week! Get ready Viv! It is time to eat and dance and play and celebrate!!  And you Know we'll be dancing the Double Dream Dances all week long!

Have you learned the routine to Double Dream Hands yet? 

 

5. More importantly, have you learned Double Dream Feet??? It's NEW! PDR model Kara and I rate it a little more advanced then Double Dream hands.  I love them both, that guy is SO HAPPY.

 

6. The  Weekend!  I hope yours is wonderful!

<3

Laurel

 

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

DIY: Inspiration Piece

 
The other night I worked on a project I have had in my head since the end of February. As you may or may not know, I recently moved into a charming 1920's apartment, with it's ups and it's downs. We have a few challenge rooms - mainly a very small kitchen and bathroom. And while Apartment Therapy is rocking the small spaces, my tiny bathroom (4x6 foot) was pretty hard to make a plan for. 

One thing I know is that I love peacocks, and for some reason, the baby blue tile in the bathroom whispered to me: "Make me a bird..."

So I made an Inspiration Piece to tie the room together. Step 1: Chai? Check. Cat? Check.

Step 2: Gather supplies (distressed wood frame, gold tissue paper and two peacock feathers)

Step 3: I tried out a two different looks: smooth and crinkled

Step 4: Cut tissue to fit frame (as you can see, I went with the crinkled look...)

Step 5: Cut feathers to fit frame (these I plan to make into a cat toy for aforementioned cat)

Step 6: Put it all together!!

I put it in the bathroom, to see how it looked. It being such a small space, I could only get the top of the toilet into the pic...:

Many of these steps are no-brainers, but I wanted to share how easy and cheap this project was. It took me about 45 minutes and though I spent $20 on my supplies (I splurged on the frame...) this could have been a $10 or less project. The bathroom is far from over, but having the Inspiration Piece makes the room feel more vibrant and lived in, as well as gives me something to do while I floss...

Love, MegPie

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

TeaPot Cozies: Not Just for Grandmas Anymore

As a crocheter, I come up against a lot of prejudice. Pattern Prejudice.

When searching for crochet patterns, I come across many-a-doily, scallop, or Granny Square (and I’m not going to lie to you and say these don’t warm my lil fuzzy heart) but I’m also a 20 something looking to make some awesome stuff with yarn and a hook.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I started looking into making TeaPot Cozies. There are a lot of predictable, practical, and pastel TeaPot Cozies out there, but here are some selections of some cute, funky, and modern ones I found.

I found this adorable Button-Up Cozy on Salihan’s flickr page.

Now, I have a small (but totally under control) button obsession, so this one definitely strikes a chord with me. Also love the separate top piece. :)

 

These animal cozies would look pretty adorable in any kitchen or nook.

Koala Cozy? yesplz.

Shazzasknits on Etsy is responsible for these cuties. I’ve done a little searching in the animal cozy department, and have yet to find an elephant cozy, which seems like a no-brainer with the spout and all…let me see what I can do about that! (Also, comment some links if you have come across some!)

Finally, this one is just too fun not to post.

Saw this pattern on Ravelry, originally from Australian Women’s Weekly.

Are you guys seeing interesting TeaPot Cozies? Send them my way!

Love, MegPie

Weekend To-Do List: MegPie

1.)    Ice my knee (I crazy-danced to a Talking Heads cover band last weekend and the knee is still wobbly)

2.)    Get more familiar with Photoshop (where this post from Viv’s blog will come in VERY helpful)

3.)    Help run auditions for my theater ensemble

4.)    Channel her:

 

5.)    Make a writing schedule (I studied playwriting in college and have not been disciplining myself to sit down and write. This ends this weekend!)

6.)    Sing at a church (I do this from time to time)

7.)    Put on an improv show (oh, I’m also on an improv team…)

8.)    SLEEP!

9.)    Pick up the crochet hook again…it has been a while, old friend.

 

What are you up to this weekend?

Love, MegPie

Journaling

I love journaling. I love taking a blank page and making it the holder of my thoughts. I am not the type to sit down and write page after page about my feelings, I just do not have it in me. I read this blog post yesterday and I realized I liked her way of journaling. I thought it would be cool to try it.  She has no real rules when it comes to her journal and I like that.  In her blog post, she breaks down journaling into many different levels and you can chose where you want to start. I got a new journal yesterday (see photo above) at lunch that was on sale, but I can already tell you that I do not like it :( I have always loved Moleskins and I knew I should have waited to buy a new one.  I know that I am going to end up getting a new Moleskin and I will use this journal as my sewing journal.

♥You need a journal that you love because that will make you love journaling.
♥You need a good pen.
♥You need to set aside time everyday to journal.
♥You need to remember this is your journal and you can use it anyway, you like.
♥You MIGHT want a nice beverage.
♥You MIGHT want a good playlist.

This is my new journey into journaling and I super excited. I will still art journal every week and share my pages on my blog, but I also need a little more that art journaling does not give me.

Try this! If you like, moleskins and need a journal cover, then you should try this tutorial from Eileen Josephine blog.

Blog templates (part 2) from Pugly Pixel

p.s Maybe I will work on some art journaling and share soon

MegPie's Wheelin' and Dealin'!

One of the perks about moving is that you get house warming gifts! My latest was a certificate to Cost Plus World Market, which I’m looking forward to spending! But, when you get a certificate to a large store, like Cost Plus or Ikea, it’s hard to approach shopping there. How do you know you’ll get the most bang for your buck? 

SALES!

I just scoured the World Market’s site, and have made:

MegPie’s Top 5 Sales Items Under $50!

At #5:

 
Casserole Baker with Chicken Handle Lid (mainly made the list for the chicken, but I digress)

#4:

 

Connoisseur Stemware Collection (six glasses with a schmancy name for 40 bucks? Not bad in my book)

#3:

 

Madeline Round Table, Pompeian Red (In case you need a lil chic in your back yard...)

#2:

 
Madeline Arm Chair, Pompeian Red (Or, if you need a lil chic for your cheeks) ;)

And the #1 item on sale under $50 (in my humble opinion!) is:

 
Soiree Wine Bar (Classy, much? Just look at that Martini glass!)

Really, for me, this was an exercise in reminding myself to always check out the sales sections of stores, and that we can all live in sophistication on a budget!

Love, MegPie

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

Photography for blogging

At my office we have a drop-down door in the back and I am always taking photos in front of it because I think it is cool. I was trying to make it look like there is graffiti on the door. ha!

As I start to blog more and find my true blogging voice, I have learned that good photos matter. I love photography and I find it hard to look through someone's blog that has bad photos. This is sad because a person could have a really good idea, but because of the photos, could lose traffic to his/her blog or website. In this post, I want to share a few tips that I've learned about using good photos in your blog posts.

Take the time to edit your photos. Editing is a great way to bring your photos to life. Every photo that gets put on my blog, I have edited in some way or another. Photos are an important part of blogging and I think taking the extra time to edit your photos is wroth it and will make your blog look 10x better. 

This falls in the category of editing, but cropping is a really great way to take a photo from an ok photo to a good photo. 

Saving photos for the Web

To change the image size of your photo, you will need to click "image" in your top tool bar and click "image size." Once you clicked image size a dialog box will appear. 

The first thing that we are going to look at it the resolution. The maxim pixel a computer monitor can read is 72 (remember this number.) For great high resolution photos for printing the maxim pixel is 300 (remember this number too.)

The fist thing you want to do is un-check "resample image" in the lower left side of the dialog box. This is going to allow you to change the image resolution while leaving your pixels the same. We will talk about pixels in a minute.

Planning and Quilting my ABCs

Growing up, my brother and I both had special quilts that were made for us by family friends.  My brother called his quilt his "Piggy Blanket" because the pattern had pigs on it. So, when I learned that my brother and his wife were pregnant, I couln't wait to make thier son a Piggy Blanket of his own!

Now if you are a crafty person like myself, you are always working on a zillion projects, and the 4 months or so you have after determining the sex of a baby go by too fast, so I've made the following:

Laurel's Important Tips for planning things out and buying yourself more time (once you've promised to make someone a baby quilt and you've never done it before!):

1) Look around on the internet for ideas. I found a lot of free patterns just by searching for "free baby quilt pattern", but in the end I decided to find a piece of fabric to use as a central panel and to do some strips around it in contrasting colors.  I anchored the front to the back by hand-stitching the parts of my central panel that had natural square shapes in the pattern.

2) Pick out adorable fabric that will inspire you get to work. I found mine at my local fabric shop (Fabirc Outlet on 17th and Mission for the San Franciscans) and was really pleased because it was a little more sophisitcated then most baby fabrics (i.e. blue trains, or pink bow prints).  It goes through the whole alphabet block by block, with an animal and an action or object for each letter.  For example, B is for Baboon playing the Bongos, H is for Hippo Hula-ing:

P (my favorite!) is for Penguin Painting a Portrait, and U is for Urchin, um... Urchin-ing? Can you tell?

3) Make a Mock-up. Sew up a small mock-up of the quilt, this will help you plan out what you're going to do AND you can give it to the mother to be at a baby shower as a "Preview"! Cost-saving shower gift!

4) Embroider the Baby's name and birthdate on the quilt. This means you have to wait til after the birth to finish the quilt! Buys you an extra couple of weeks, it's awesome.

5) Saftey tip:  Wash the quilt before giving it to the family. Many fabrics are treated with chemicals before they're distributed to stores, these can be ittitating to a baby's skin.  Also, my house has pets and you don't know what the baby will be allergic to.  Plus, washing will help the stitching cement more firmly into the quilt.

Here is my finished project with Boomer checking it out (pre-wash)!

Here are the corners- I took scraps from the central panel and organized each corner into a predomiant colour scheme (orange/grey, blues, greens, and maroon/green)
And here is the best part- my nephew Austin on his new quilt!

<3

Laurel

DIY: Restoring Glass and Brass (and class)

As I ran around from extra-curricular to extra-curricular, or laid in bed nursing a fever that has yet to go away (bleh), my boyfriend took on the first of what will be many restoration projects!

Moving into an old building in San Francisco has many perks. In the case of our apartment, we've got beautiful molding, hardwood floors, and glass door knobs...which, when we moved in, looked like this:

 
Clearly, this was a speed-paint job from long ago. Really, I think the hinges bore the brunt of it:

Lucky for me, my boyfriend is pretty good at tearing things apart and putting them back together easily, but this is something anybody can do with the right tools and some help from the internet...and that cure-all we've all come to know and love: Baking Soda.

The BF removed the knob, hinges, screws, and mechanisms from the door. He set them aside, and made his concoction. In a medium sized sauce pan (you may need a bigger pan, depending on how much you intend to restore) he filled it half way with water, and poured in the baking soda until the liquid was opaque. He put it on a burner and waited for it to boil. Once it started boiling, he added the door accessories. They sat in the boiling Soda-Water for two hours, though I don't think it needs that much. After two hours, he removed the pan from the heat and let it cool, so he could handle the metal. After rinsing and rubbing with a sponge, this was the outcome!!!:

We're excited to get the newly exposed brass back on the door, and see it pop. One door down, five more to go!

I'm also looking forward to this event coming up in my new 'hood:

Lower Haight April Fools' Scavenger Hunt

They're mixing in an art walk with some competition. Love it! (Though it will be impossible to rival Erin's B-Day hunt...)

Off to take some Sudafed! Wish me luck!

Love, MegPie

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

To-Do-List For Vivs

It's been awhile since I (we) have really blogged here. I feel like I am reuniting with a good friend. I am happy to be back blogging on PDR.  

Today, I have a simple post for you-- my to-do-list.

1. Update my calendar: this is never ending because I always forget to add my events to my google calendar. Then I try and remember what I have done or whats to come. I guess, I really don't need to add the stuff that has happened already, but I love it when my calendar makes me look really busy.

2. Look for a new bag: If you follow me on Oh Shoot, than you know that I have been have a lot of neck pain. I have been looking for a backpack for the past two days. I think I am going to go ahead and buy this one.

3. Buy glasses: (I just did this one) I have been wanting to get new glasses for a few months because I am tired of wearing contacts. I like to give my eyes a rest every few years or so. These are the glasses that I just bought. 

4. Update my tumbler: Passport to Style. I started this tumbler back in February, but have not added anything to since the second day I had it :( I really like the idea, but sometimes I feel I have to many things to update. 

5. Photography: I have decided that I was to be a self-portrait photographer (as a hobby.) Most of the photos of me that I post are taken by me. I am learning new thing in photoshop as well. Like cloning...

6. Finish unpacking: I have been living at my new place since the middle of February and still am not unpacked. By the time I get home from work unpacking is that last thing on my mind. 

7. New Reader page: I was to add a new reader page to the PDR blog. I want to make it easy for people who are stopping by for the first time to see what we have blogged about.

9. Smile: Today I will smile more. Not only is it healthy, but it feels good too ;) 

Here is one of my favorite photos that I have taken in March. This is my little cousin Sidnee :) 

Have a lovely day!

xoxo,

vivs

Vivs Lookbook: French Chic

This post is from my Oh Shoot Blog. I have been talking with Erin for awhile about starting a lookbook here in the PDR blog. I hope that Erin and I can really get our lookbooks going, but for now...

I started a lookbook over on Tumblr because my lovely friend Chelsea asked me to. She knows that I have wanted to change my style and make a lookbook. I really love the French chic and have been thinking that is a perfect style for me. I can still wear all the things I love (skinny jeans and t-shirts,) but add a little more chic to my look.

Clémence’s style

(link for last 3 images)

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Binki's Style

(link)

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