The Love Bug

I grew up in the 70s and 80s - spent my formative years in both those decades. This explains my general awesomeness - any child who lived through both disco and Journey can't help but have a great outlook on life.

I remember the following about these decades.

We had the best music. Don't even pretend we didn't. Seriously - I'll shun you. And maybe call the men in white coats. I'll even reach back into the 60s - that's allowable - since my siblings were older I benefited from their tunes as well. My brother and sister used to use me as a party trick because I knew all the words to all Beatles songs and could sing them endlessly on command. (I use the word "sing" loosely - not really one of my gifts.)

Our TV shows and movies were clean and sweet, and many of them were outrageously sweet and optimistic or had pure, classy justice at their core, with no depravity (not that I minded a little depravity in Breaking Bad, mind you), nice clothing and PG language:

• The Love Bug
• Xanadu
• The Love Boat
• Fantasy Island
• The Brady Bunch
• The Partridge Family
• Perry Mason
• Laverne & Shirley
• Magnum PI
• Cheers
• Happy Days
• Charlie's Angels

Even the names are happy. Love, Fantasy, Happy, Cheers, Angels.

Just for fun, I have a list of popular shows now-ish.

• Blacklist
• Scandal
• Breaking Bad
• Walking Dead 
• Six Feet Under
• Mr. Robot
• Sons of Anarchy
• Dexter
• LOST
• Bones
• Criminal Minds

Now this is an unscientific comparison of course, but I can feel the change, not just read it, as a person who has lived in both times and I think the names are the best way to illustrate the cultural difference.

Interesting, isn't it?

I haven't really moved on from Xanadu and the Love Bug, personally. Even Disney is a bit dark for me. (Why you gotta kill all the animals, Disney?)

So when we received our bags at OnStage, with the Beautiful Ride stamp set in it (sneak peek of the upcoming Occasions catalog - email me if you want a copy when it comes out), I was instantly transported back to my childhood and the days of Super Elastic Bubble Plastic. I knew exactly what I was going to do with this stamp set when I got home.

And as pooped as I was after coming back from Dallas - I did it :).

It turned out just how I wanted it to. :) I masked off the Bug with Winsor Newton Masking fluid, sprayed it with water from my mister, and then just touched a paintbrush with reinkers (Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise) on it to the water and let it do what it wanted. I painted the wheels and the dog from the set with my Koi watercolors, and made the chrome with FineTec metallic silver watercolor - in real life they really shine and look like chrome.


I made a quick video for you on how I did the tie dye - please enjoy!





Hope your preparations for Thanksgiving are going well. Be sure and watch our favorite Thanksgiving movie - Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That's the warm up movie for our serious holiday movie blitz - Home Alone, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Story, Elf and Christmas Vacation.

This is how we survive the dark months of the time change, people!

Who else is tired of it getting dark at 4 PM? Turning the lights on and crafting is the only remedy.

Do it.

Loveyameanitbye.