It's time to reflect........it has been a very long and busy year for me.......so much to do, not enough time and yet as I look back I probably wouldn't change very much.............well.......except for maybe eliminating some of the stresses that I encountered. Time to relax........uh.........yeah right........but I have taken a couple of days off of the radar to simply chill out.

The painted crab shell business has far exceeded my expectations and the Christmas shopping rush is finally over. I could have sold double what I did if I had more time to paint more. As it was, the month of December was a marathon for me and has left me exhausted both physically and mentally. My desire to please the customers and give them what they want ......no matter how ridiculous.......kept me awake many nights painting away on the shells. Two weeks in a row, I had stayed awake with no sleep, working on shells from Friday mornings all the way through until the following Sunday nights. Entire weekends with no sleep.......not a wise thing to do for anyone and I hopefully will be able to make some adjustments and not need to do that again next year. All in all, I hope that all of my customers were satisfied and appreciated my efforts. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to some happiness this Christmas.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank those who have come back again and again to purchase shells from me. It truly has been a pleasure to serve them. I am grateful not only for those customers but that many of them have become friends. I enjoy chatting with them when they come to the flea market. I have learned much along the way as well.

As for me......I am tired........but.........a new day has begun and there is more work to do. Therefore, I am back at it again..........shells are on my dining room table.......my paints and brushes are ready for action......and I have some special orders waiting for my attention. I also have many shells to replace that were sold out. It's a nice problem to have.

All the while my mind is somewhere else..........on the water.......the beach.....the Caribbean.........as you see in the picture at the top of this blog entry. My favorite place to be..........and with Supernurse.......who I wouldn't want to be anywhere without. 

So stay tuned folks!
There is more to come.......

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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• Latest Crab Shell Ornaments

Latest Crab Shell Ornaments

To say that I am tired.........very tired...........would be an understatement. The aches and pains......muscles......bones......joints......back.....hands........oh the pain and suffering.......however........whatever........I suppose it goes with the territory.

That territory happens to be a zone that is all mine and mine alone. As it is, if you have read anything previously on this blog, I happen to be a "crab artist".........it was supposed to be a "hobby".....to make myself useful and have a feeling of contribution to the family cause. I should have known that it would become somewhat of a monster. From cleaning up the crab shells.....scrubbing.......disinfecting......priming.......attaching rope to each one....then painting them and then finally putting a clear coat sealer on each one...........well........it is a bit much on my plate. I should not complain, there are far worse things to groan about. Needless to say, there are weeks where I get a bit behind and end up staying up too late at night working on the shells. One has to do what one has to do.

Here I find myself at a point where November is practically gone already and I am trying to prepare for the Christmas shopping madness that is about to occur. I suppose you could imagine where my brain is at about now, not to mention my tired fingers. Busy.......busy........busy.

That back row of stacked crab shells are the unfinished ones that I sit and work on at the flea market.

I mount some on plaques and in display cases..............more work.....hehehe.

Here are some photos of some of the latest crab shells that I have made:

That's it for now........sorry about taking so long to post lately. Hopefully another crab video is in the offing soon........stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Another Hand Painted Crab Shell video

Another Anniversary

33 YEARS!

I am the luckiest man on the planet.

Me and Supernurse.......

moving forward in spite of it all.

Hand Painted Crab Shells - The Perfect Gift!

Express yourself or someone else.......painted crab shells are unique and a perfect gift for anyone.

The ultimate in recycling......and American Made.

Hand painted with acrylic craft paints.

Marines anyone?

It's a Maryland thing.........and yet would look good on any wall.

Crab shells in display boxes make perfect gifts.

Your favorite sports team logo, school logo, cartoon character......you name it, I will paint it on a crab shell.

If nothing else, stop by and watch me paint........yes, I really paint them.

Surely by now, you know that hand painted crab shells make perfect gifts throughout the year. Signtopia has been painting them for years now and now sells them at the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, Maryland every weekend. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello. I guarantee that you will at the very least enjoy looking at the over 200 assorted crab shells on display. 

Painted crab shells are the ultimate in recycling. Nobody is greener than ole Signtopia.

Have a special request? Ask me about it and I'll see what I can do.

Commencement Day

So there I sat......inside the Comcast Center at the University Of Maryland. It was a big day......a major milestone. I never imagined having enough time left to be able to have sat there and watch as my youngest daughter "Noodle" paraded across the stage..........tears did come to my eyes.........I am a lucky and blessed man.

I had never been inside the Comcast Center before. I was a first for me. It's a very nice place indeed. At first I thought that not so many would be showing up for the commencement. It took a while but it soon filled up.

We had great seats............

..........and whatever you could not see close-up, would be on the scoreboard. This scoreboard played a huge role and saved the day for me as far as getting a momentous photo of the day.

The grads began to march out .........but wait...........we ain't so close anymore.........will I be able to spot Noodle?

YES!........there she is center right.  Thank God for the zoom on the camera!

Things got a bit more difficult though, as they filled the seats. Even with the zoom I had trouble keeping an eye on her.

Oh well........somehow it will all work out and I can capture the moment.

The problem with zooming the camera is that you lose light and focus. It is hard to hold still at such an exciting time. The new grads had been slowly winding their way to the stage.......row by row......one by one....they made their way to "seal the deal".........I was worried that the pictures would not be useable.......

........I fired off shot after shot......not knowing how they would look but knowing "something" had to work.

Darn!........there she is.......on the stage.......the moment has arrived!.........but I see that she is blurred........what can I do?..........and then it hit me.............Look UP and aim the camera quick!

I GOT HER!........It may be blurry........but I caught the moment.......the big smile on her face......this was a big deal..........and I am so proud of her. Gee.....I forgot to mention that she received her Bachelor's Degree!

She stepped off of the stage and stood still for a professional photographer.......argghhh........still blurry.....

I kept taking pictures as she walked back to her seat.

Movement........emotions.........distance...........all makes for some blurry photos........oh well.

Starting from the right..........my grandson, The Mayor Of Simpleton.........my wife, Supernurse.......number 2 son, Natty Elvis..........my granddaughter, Princess Fartknocker (blocked view).........Noodle's husband, Mac Numbercruncher............and although you cannot see them next to him, his mom and dad.

Afterwards, we all met up outside of the building for some pictures before heading home. "Natty Elvis" stood near a sign that I thought was a bit odd............arrows pointing "up"?

There she is.........my Noodle Girl! I am so proud of her.

Me and Supernurse are very proud of our Noodle Girl............she is such a "Terp".....hehehe.