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.

Christmas

The most important thing to do on Christmas Eve......is to be with family. Nothing else matters to me..........nothing. My daughter and son in-law, as they have for the past several years, did a great job hosting the Christmas Eve get-together in their home, the Annie Mansion.

Princess Fartknocker was beside herself........anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus.

There was an ample food supply and tons of treats........everything tasted great.

Christmas is all about the kids though.............my kids have grown up and now its all about the grandkids.

Princess Fartknocker danced with her Uncle "Dexter".

Ever seen one of these?

As I said before.......more than enough food.

We all gathered together to do a gift exchange. My daughter Noodle, who lives near Austin, Texas......was there too!.........by way of webcam. That's her on the laptop. We set the laptop so that she could see what we were doing and we could see and speak to her. Imagine that!

There were no sad faces to be had........everyone was happy........happy.....happy.

As the night passed by all too quickly, Princess Fartknocker put her pajamas on and set out the milk and cookies for Santa. By the look on her face, she was in heaven already.............and off she went to bed.

I am sure that Santa did not forget her or her brother, Joe Flacco.........hehehe.

It's Gonna Be A White Christmas

It was quite a weekend............there is nothing like a blizzard on the last weekend before Christmas.

In Baltimore, everybody panics when they are told that snow is coming........even if the forecast is only for a flurry. It's just a Baltimore tradition, I suppose. Hearing the word "snow" on the weather report triggers insanity, mayhem, and downright ridiculousness in Baltimoreans. Immediately, everybody heads to the grocery store and they buy up all of the bread, milk, and toilet paper.............yep......toilet paper! Hmmm........I have to wonder about that..........maybe snow causes people to poop more.........nahhhh......people might be afraid of snow but they can't possibly be scared poopless.

This time the weather people were spot on........usually whenever they say we might get a dusting it often ends up at least six inches of snow. Other times they will tell us that we will get dumped on and we end up with only an inch of snow. Following this kind of forecasting, we should have gotten about five feet of snow.........but as it was, we ended up with about an average of twenty inches of that frozen fluff. All one can do is watch it come down from the sky and stay tuned to every local television station........because every local station dropped all tv programming for "live, late-breaking, as it happening, alerts."

Yeah......I really need to see WBAL, WJZ, and WMAR reporters stand in the snow and tell us all exactly how much snow has landed in the parking lot of the Safeway in Canton........or those live reports from a 7-11 in White Marsh.......gee......how else would we know that it is very cold outside when it is snowing?......or how else would we find out that they actually put gas into the snow plows and trucks?

This stuff ain't going away any time real soon...............so it looks like it's gonna be a white Christmas.............excellent!

Christmas 2008

Today is Christmas Eve and up to this point Christmas has been a bit different than all previous Christmases.............in many ways............I suppose this is part of a normal progression. Time has a way of changing everything. Ordinarily, at this stage of Christmas there would be several gifts jammed under the tree.........but not this year. Now don't go thinking that Ole Signtopia has hit hard times.............sure, times are harder for everybody but this is not really the case here. It has been a great year for me......much has been accomplished and enjoyed. As time passes along, you realize that all of those previous Christmases still remain in your mind and there is no possible way to outdo what you have previously done. It is impossible to ever equal them. Each Christmas now needs to be a time of reflection. Every Christmas from this point forward needs to be a venture into areas unexplored before..........time to be a bit different.

I was asked..."What do you want for Christmas?". I responded jokingly "To wake up on Christmas morning." But it isn't really a joke at all. What more could I ask for? With each day that I wake up I am blessed and I should not be so greedy to expect more than that. I cannot think of a better gift. I could only hope that by my getting such a gift, that others experience some sort of benefit from it. Yep, this is a different Christmas this year............my children have all grown up and Christmas had always been about our kids. Me and Supernurse always put our kids first. I can say without one doubt that we had spoiled our kids beyond a reasonable level. If they wanted it, they pretty much got it. If we wanted it, we did without it so the kids could have stuff. But today, there are no little kids running around and poking through presents. Our "kids" today are our grandchildren and they are at their own homes poking around the presents in anticipation of Christmas morning.

Time is sure flying by. Here's a picture of Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1
Before we know it, he will be driving. He's cute as a button.........then again.......when has anyone ever went into a JCPenney's, walked over to a rack of shirts and said "Look at those cute buttons!"...........seriously though, Expansion Pack 2.1 is one good looking boy. I am gonna have to rely on pictures and videos of his Christmas in Texas.......hint, hint. .......but who am I to complain? I am positive that he will have a wonderful Christmas.

It has been kind of a tradition in the Signtopia household to have some grandkids come decorate the tree and this year has been no exception. Princess Fartknocker and her brother, the Mayor Of Simpleton, did a great job cramming our tree with ornaments. I, of course, put the lights on the tree first. Our tree is beautiful thanks to them.

Time has sped along rapidly this year and I know that it isn't just me that feels that way. It seems like yesterday that I was in Florida having Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of the gang. Because of the great expense that me and Supernurse went to for the accommodations in Florida, we had told our kids that it was a huge part of their Christmas gifts. Stuff like that, you cannot wrap and put under the tree. Today being Christmas Eve, we will all gather together and have dinner.......except for small contingent in Texas. It will all be good. Gifts will be exchanged, grandkids will be excited, and bellies will be full. There are many people on the planet that won't even have that experience.................what more could we ask for?

There will be gifts under the tree this year in the Signtopia house.......maybe not nearly as many as before.........but there will be something there.............but that is not what is important.......nor is it as special and memorable as the gifts we have been given that can not be unwrapped. For those, I am eternally grateful.

Merry Christmas Everybody!