Painted Crab Shells

The thought occurred to me to think outside of the box.
In other words, utilize the crab shell as the head of a character.
This doesn't work with many characters..........however.......there are a few that work rather well.

 How about a cartoon raven?

 Angry crab?

 Why not Garfield?

 I've never understood the fascination some folks have regarding flip-flops. People want flip-flop earrings, necklaces........t-shirts......hats........piercings.........you name it. I decided to put flip-flops on a crab shell.

 One customer requested a shell with the logo of a fire department somewhere in South Carolina.

 Another request for Anne Arundel County Police Dept.

 The same flip-flop shell as shown before.........except this photo shows the finished product.

 Hippies and Deadheads love crabs too.

 One customer asked if I had a shell with the GMC logo on it. He said you never see anything with the GMC logo.........its always Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Ask......and ye shall receive.

And last, but surely not least...........ELMO!

For more photos of my work, check the archives for posts about crab shells.

To see a wide assortment of painted crab shells..........uh......the largest selection of painted crab shells anywhere.......come on down to the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, MD.  Saturdays from 7am until 3pm. Sundays from 7am until 4pm. 

You can watch me work on some shells, ask me all sorts of questions, and maybe start shopping for Christmas.

Stay Tuned! 

Vacation Is Over.......More Crab Shells.

I really wished I could have spent more time in the Riviera Maya. Although this was a brief trip for us this time, the time spent on the beach and in the water was therapeutic. I really needed it. Each day was as perfect as it could be and the beauty of this place has a place in my heart.............and we try to come back each year. I didn't think of crab shells, flea markets, or any of the things that consume my days at home. Nice!

Oh.......but good things must come to an end, for the time being, and there is much work to do. Since my return home, I have been busy filling custom orders and trying to get ahead of the game in preparation for the onslaught of Christmas shoppers. Everybody wants an egg from the golden goose............in my case, insert "crab shell".

Here are a few more pictures of my work:

And if that's not enough......here's some more:

As I have mentioned before on this blog, I set up at Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, MD. on Saturdays and Sundays. On Mondays you can find me at Hunter's Sale Barn near Rising Sun in Cecil County, MD. If you live in the area, stop on by and say hello!

I am usually busy painting away on a dozen of so crab shells, which you can watch me paint if you care to do so............... but if you have children with you, be sure to read the riot act to them or at least duct tape their hands together.......hehehe.......this stuff is fragile and nobody likes paying for a broken crab shell. :)

There's more to come................meanwhile, as I paint the crab shells, I'll be thinking about the days I spent on vacation...........and I will still have to say that I am the luckiest man on the planet.............

.......indeed I am.

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,