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I recently attended an Aberdeen Ironbirds game...........and yes......I sat there eating steamed crabs!
Me and Supernurse and a contingency of the Emergency Nurses Association.........and uh.......Mr Boh, of course. It was a great evening..........capped off with a fabulous display of fireworks. Cal Ripken built quite a complex and I recommend that you at least take one day and take in a game. You will not be disappointed.
All work and no play is never a good thing. As it happens though, I seem to get busier and busier with painting crab shells and it is a challenge to squeeze in some time away from that. The good news is that I have two trips coming up in October......one to Texas and one to the Riviera Maya.........and then back to Baltimore for the mayhem that is the Christmas shopping season.
Today, I figured I would post some photos of some of the custom orders that I made for people. Special requests sometimes are challenging........but I actually enjoy the challenge. As usual, the customers were very happy with the end results.
Many people like to have a shell personalized.
This one was to be a gift for the owners of a cafe in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
This one is self explanatory.
And there's more..............
This one was challenging. A drummer for the prog-rock band Sonus Umbra asked if I could somehow do the cover of their album on a crab shell...........arrrrggghhhh..........I had to really think this one out.........but after scratching my head for a few hours, I managed to git 'r done.
Sometimes the requests are for display cases with shells. This six shell and two mallet custom box was put together in honor of the career of Zach Clark, pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles farm system. Each shell had each farm team logo and the dates Clark was with them. The center shell included his photo and date that he played his first game in the Majors as a big league Oriole reliever.
Another request was for a woman who is crazy about the Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.
That's it for now..........I have shells to paint.
Until next time..............by the way, if you want to see more photos, simply search the archives, there's tons of pictures.
Are you ready for Christmas? Not me.........I have been extremely busy...........alot of stuff happening and has happened since the last post. First off, the entire family converged upon Tennessee for Thanksgiving with my Mom and my sisters and their offspring. It just so happened that my birthday was the day before Thanksgiving and we celebrated that as well. Everything was wonderful and good and just cannot express how important for me that we were all together for those all too brief few days. Considering that Noodle and her husband brought my grandson with them........driving all the way from Leander, Texas......and my other daughter Mrs Moneypenny brought her entourage from Maryland...........and both of my boys rode with me and the wife from Maryland to Tennessee.......well.......let's just say that I am not only grateful, but thankful that everyone arrived safely and unscathed.....hehehe........seriously........The Friday after Thanksgiving, me and Supernurse took a flight from Nashville to Mexico.That's right.......Mexico.........third year in a row.........Grand Palladium Riviera Maya again.........absolutely wonderful place.........and we stayed for 12 days before returning home to Baltimore.............Whew!...........yeah, I am tired.............so bear with me on posting about the trip as I usually have in the past. Hopefully I will get to that very soon.Upon our return home, the proverbial shit has hit the fan regarding the crab shells at the flea market. Christmas shopping has kicked in and shoppers have practically wiped out my supply of hand painted crab shells. This is a good thing and I am not complaining.........but this has also meant that I have been in a mad scramble to replace the sold shells with more shells.......which also means that I have been very busy........painting......painting......and painting crab shells. I do not want to disappoint any customers. Somehow, I have managed to keep going at it.In regards to the crab shells. there are those that I make that I consider "must have"......and the rest are those that are specially made either from requests, pre-orders, or simply because someone challenged me or dared me to make one or two.
One of those "challenges" was the Harley-Davidson logo. There are many bikers and other assorted Harley lovers that roam the flea market. More than once, someone would approach my table and say "You don't have one with Harley on it?"......"I would buy one if you did."........well...........yes.........I DO have them now and that particular challenge has been met.
One of the "must haves" incorporates Natty Boh with the Maryland flag......very popular.
Another special request was this one. A couple wanted it for their little daughter's bedroom.
In addition to hand painted crab shells, I also make Redneck Wine Glasses. These are selling fast and I had to make 40 of them this week alone.
Football fans are not left out............even Packers fans roam around the flea market. Packers, Steelers, Redskins, Eagles, Seahawks........Giants.......even da Bears!
A really nice dude from West Virginia came by and asked me if I could paint a trout on a crab shell for him...........he was very happy.
Another request was from a firefighter from Baltimore City............he was also very happy with his crab shell.
Oh yeah........did I mention football fans?............Patriots!
Another variation of the Natty Boh/Maryland Flag crab shell.
This is yet another request........"I want one with the Colts on it".......well........to me, there is only ONE Colts that is worthy of my bother.......and that is the BALTIMORE Colts.....hehehe.
Crab shells.......it's a Maryland thing...........of course........Maryland Terps!
Lighthouses are also popular.
Believe it or not, the Orioles are a winner here.
But the most popular hand painted crab shell is this one.I will put up some more pictures when I get.....uh....."IF" I get some spare time again before Christmas......hehehe........until then..........feel free to email me with any questions or you can post your questions here on the blog.If you happen to like what you see and want to see more and perhaps purchase some for Christmas gifts.......or you want a Redneck Wine Glass...........come on down to the North Point Plaza Flea Market and say hello.........or even "Merry Christmas!".If you are not local to the Baltimore area.......hmmm........I still have yet to do that Paypal thing and it is not likely that I will get to that this year. Look for it after the new year.Ho.....Ho.....Ho!
Yes it is definately the end of the world........no doubt about it......lots of stuff has been happening............in one week's time I have had the pleasure of experiencing my first "substantial" earthquake and Hurricane Irene.........and I still managed to get myself down to the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market and hawk my hand painted crab shell ornaments. Imagine that.First, I again apologize for my lack of posting here on the blog.......I have been very busy.......really.........no kidding..........I have been helping my daughter, Miss Moneypenny, with various assorted things just about every day........grandfatherly type chores....housesitting.....kidsitting......and while at her house I have been busy also with prepping these crab shells so I can sell them. Lot's of work and my time has been consumed in biblical proportions.Okay......so the weekdays are booked solid........and that leaves me with Saturdays and Sundays to hawk my wares at the flea market. What I sell is not really a flea market item..........it is a craft item.......art..........and not a dollar item. These pieces of art are made by me and for the most part, are unique and some are even one of a kind. I put alot of effort and time into making the ornaments and I have established a spot at the flea market to make them available to anyone who wants one.....or two........or even three.....four...or five of them.
Business has started out really slow.......some days I hadn't even sold one.......but determination is embedded in me and I stand my ground and plant my seeds..........in time, hopefully soon, it will all be worthwhile. Timing is everything.........right? Leave it to me to start a business venture when the economy has tanked and people can barely have enough money to buy the things they actually need. And leave it to me that I decided to manufacture something that is, at best, a novelty and not a necessity.
Painted crab shells!
One month into this venture and things are picking up and word is getting out. More and more customers with each weekend that comes. Oddly, my busiest day so far, was during the hurricane.....go figure.
The Maryland flag.......Natty Boh........
It's a Maryland thing folks...........the Maryland State flower is the Black Eyed Susan.
The Baltimore Ravens!..........every man cave should have one.
And yes, I paint them.........and you can watch me do it at the flea market. 
I get special requests sometimes........"Can you make 'em wit da Harley logo on it?"Yes I can.........but I haven't...........that is...........yet.
Each crab shell gets cleaned thoroughly, disinfected, and primed before painting.
This is one of my latest original creations and perfect for Christmas. While some folks might think that these painted crab shells are just used as a Christmas ornament........this is not the case. You can display them anywhere in your home or office throughout the year.
It's a Maryland thing! And nothing says it better than a painted crab shell.If you are interested in purchasing a hand painted crab shell, come visit me at the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Baltimore County, MD. I am there every Sunday from 7 AM to 4 PM and most Saturdays as well. Occasionally, I may have to be set up at some other venue on Saturdays.Price?.........well, that all depends.......but I can tell you that my prices are better than than what is generally found on the internet. Quality?.......the shells speak for themselves......tell me what you think.I plan on making these available here on the internet very soon.........but one thing at a time......I am overwhelmed at the moment.
