Merry Crabmas!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Crabmas Everyone!

Let me fill you in about some things..........uh..........those crabby things............

Lots of people visited the "crabby Santa" to purchase some painted crab shells for their Crabmas trees and to give as gifts. I cannot even describe how exhausted I am. Needless to say, as tiring as it was, I enjoyed painting the shells for people. I had more custom orders this year and most folks did not wait until the last minute to request stuff. Oh there were a few though.......and I did my darndest to get the work done for them. To know that one's work and efforts are appreciated is very gratifying, The people who come and look at the shells always have great things to say about my work...........well........of course there are those few who, for some reason, have the word "stencil" embedded in their brains. And no.....I do not use any "stencils". Anywho.......the shells make perfect gifts and most of the shells are one of a kind and not done anywhere else on the planet as far as I know. So if you didn't come down to the Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, MD., or find your way to Hunter's Sale Barn out in Cecil County, MD........you are gonna have to plan ahead for next year so you can decorate your crabmas tree.

Here are a few of the special crab shells that sold for Christmas.......er uh.......Crabmas!

Oh, and I forgot to mention my right-hand man..........crabby Santa's super-elf........my eldest son.........he helps me do what I do.......he makes just about all of this possible........and yes, he sometimes paints them too.

Little brushes......little paint.......a little talent......and lots of happiness:)

At this point I am taking a small break.......uh.........oh well.........a day or two.......from painting shells. Beginning Friday I am at it again.........did I mention that these shells are not just for Christmas?.......that's right..........year 'round baby! Hang them everywhere........well........just about anywhere.  

Until next time.......stay tuned........I put up some more pictures soon.

Merry Christmas Everybody and God Bless !

Painted Crab Shells in Display Boxes

 I have so much to say that I will just have to store it all under my hat for a while. If you happened to have browsed through this blog's older entries, you surely know that I can be very opinionated..........and that has not changed. The reason that I spout off less these days is that I have been extremely busy painting..........YES!..........PAINTING.......crab shells.............and YES!..........WITH MY HANDS!  
I get asked the question "Do you paint these by hand?"..........and the other gem of a question "You do these by yourself?"............needless to say, my response has been to simply say "I tried using my feet byt they won't cooperate." and after I look around under my table "Yep,.........there are no midgets or little Mexicans under the table painting away."

Yes........I paint on crab shells........and I use real paint and real brushes, too :)
Oh yeah.......another big question I get is "How long does it take you to paint one?"  Well, I suppose this is a fair question to ask and I think it is a fair response to say "As long as it takes."  You see, not all shells have the same thing painted on them. Some are simple and some are complex. Some are downright difficult and some I tend to take longer to do because I might not enjoy doing that particular one. Actually, it is rare that I ever just sit down and paint just one at a time. I work in batches and paint them according to the method to my madness. If I am using red paint.......then I line up all of the various assorted shells that needs red paint. Then I move on to the next color, and so on. If I have music in my ears, I work faster and can pump out about 100 shells in a weeks time if I push myself. But normally I average about 35 to 40 shells per week. So there you have it..........its a huge amount of work and yes, I get tired of it and need to take breaks here and then.

Lately, I have been taking lots of special requests for custom painted shells and shells in display boxed. It is the start of that time of year when smart people plan ahead and place orders now for Christmas. Of course, some people place orders for birthday gifts, etc. Recently as last week, one repeat customer of mine requested a display box with two crab shells inside. They wanted one shell to have the Baltimore City flag and the other shell to have the Maryland flag,  They told me that it was a gift for the Mayor of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Flag shell.

The Maryland Flag shell.

The finished product.

Another customer had ordered a display box with his family name on a Scotland flag on a crab shell. Two weeks later he came back and requested another display box with five crab shells inside. This time I had to paint each crab with the first names of each member of his family.

The finished product.

If you would like a painted crab shell, or a painted crab shell in a display box.......or would like to order one for a gift this Christmas...........time is of the essence..........get on down to the North Point Plaza Flea Market and look over my wide selection of crab shells on display and put in your request for custom orders. You can even watch me paint :)  Without a doubt, Signtopia's Painted Crab Shells has the largest amount of painted shells available on any given day..........anywhere.

Also.....come see us at Hunter's Sale Barn on Mondays in Port Deposit, MD.

Triple shell box.

The Maryland Flag display box.

One of a kind and only one available,

It's getting to be that time of year again................oh yeah.........as if I hadn't already had enough to do regarding the crab shells. Yep, time passes by quickly.........maybe too quickly. Every waking moment of my time has been consumed with painting and crafting the crab shell ornaments. I always try to create and add new artwork on the shells and so far, the reaction and responses have been positive. It is a great honor for me that there are people that like my work enough that they are willing to part with their hard earned money in order to take it home with them or give as a gift to someone. It is very gratifying for me.

Lately, I have been adding some Christmas crab shell dioramas to the mix. 

I can also report that special requests and custom orders have increased. I love challenges and some folks have asked for some unusual things on their shells. Needless to say, I give them what they want and they have been happy with the results. 

Since we are approaching the Christmas shopping season, I recommend that folks that come to see me for some painted crab shells and request custom shells or boxes, do so sooner rather than wait until the last minute. I am not planning on staying awake all night on any given date in the two weeks before Christmas.
Order ahead!

For the most part, I have encountered many very nice and wonderful people. Some have been customers and some simply like to stop by at the flea market and have a chat. On the other hand, I have also encountered critics of my work. I do not mind constructive criticism or suggestions........however, I get a bit irritated by some people who try to somehow attempt to negate or devalue my efforts. I can handle insults and the like.........but I haven't very much tolerance for total idiots with no appreciation or comprehension of the amount of work it takes to create these crab shell ornaments. For those people, all I can say is that if they can make these themselves.............."go do it!". There may be some that can and don't...........and some that should and won't.........and still some that did and nobody wanted them.............and then there is Signtopia :)

So stay tuned folks, I have more pictures coming and lots more to say. I promise not to take so long to put in on the blog.
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Oh.........and by the way...........if you are in the Baltimore area and want a crab shell or two........stop on in at the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk. If you have special requests, please contact me via this blog by commenting, or contact me via email : signtopia@aol.com. Be sure to type "crab shells" in the subject line.

 Busy.......busy.......busy. The crab shells have been taking up most of my time. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Here are a few of the latest painted crab shells. 

 Even number one son has taken up grabbing a brush and helping Ole Signtopia.

 Display cases. If you can find a better price and better quality........go for it.

 Baltimore, hon!

 This was another special request.

 If you like what you see here on the blog, come on down to the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market on Saturdays and Sundays. Also, come see us at Hunter's Sale Barn in Cecil County on Mondays from 3pm until dark.

 A small girl and her mother needed a gift for her schoolteacher........and here it is.

This shell on a plaque was made at the request of another girl and her mom. It was a Father's Day gift.

More photos and videos to come, so stay tuned!

Often copied......never equalled.

Signtopia

Hand Painted Crab Shells - Maryland

Here's the latest group of photographs of my crab shells. Each week I am asked to paint something new on a shell..........and nothing amazes me anymore........people ask for just about anything!

I know.......I know.......I have been so wrapped up with the crab shells that I have been slacking on writing about other things............yes......I do actually have a life.

For quite some time I have been very busy with all sorts of things.........and in my busy times I have to squeeze in some very necessary stuff such as hitting the road and making my presence known in Tennessee.......and flying to Texas to be introduced to Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.2.

The trip to Tennessee was to visit with my mom........the Queen of England. It was wonderful to spend some time with her while she still knows who I am. Let me explain.........she is getting a bit forgetful in her young age and this concerns the family. For now, its an occasional short term memory loss thing..........ultimately we know where this is heading. My sisters all have been taking good care of her...........for example, keeping her from physical altercations at bowling alleys where other bowlers might "invade her space"........hehehe.

And of course, my three sisters.........lots of laughs, fun, horsing around..........I love my sisters. They treat me like a king when I am there..............did I ever mention how I am the luckiest man on the planet?

I saw this sign in a shop in Franklin, TN.
Anyway..........let's be brief here and move on to Texas...........

Me and Supernurse did our share of expanding the surface population...........and now our expansion keeps continuing on..........our youngest daughter, Signtopia Expansion Pack 2, has released yet another rugrat into our existence.

We all had a plan to help her out when the baby was due........family would stagger visits to Texas and help her recouperate.................well...........a wrench was tossed into the fray and the baby came about a month early. The most important thing was that my daughter and granddaughter are fine as can be.....and they are.

There she is.........Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.2!

Went to Picture People at the mall...........

.......and I painted the Daytona race track for Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1
He was very happy.
He loves Nascar...............

That's it for now............

Stay Tuned!