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.

I am exhausted.

I am all crabbed out. I have been churning out painted crab shells just about every day since my last vacation back in November. It is time for a break and that break is coming Thursday. Me and Supernurse are headed to the Riviera Maya again as guests of our son-in law and daughter. This time we will be kicking it up a notch and staying at the Grand Velas.........which I know nothing about except for the video shown below:




This should be very interesting, don't you think? I will be sure to give you a full report when I get back. After hitting the beach in Mexico, we all fly into Texas for a visit with "Noodle" in the Austin area. Needless to say, I should not have a crab in my hand until I get back to Baltimore a few days after Easter. My son, Dash Riprock, will tend to the painted crab shells at the flea market while I am away. The exception being Easter Sunday he will not set up shop. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

I have a few things up my sleeve when I get back.......much more to do......a whole lot to say here on the blog........and assorted other stuff on my agenda. All systems are "go"........

Just a few comments to leave you with:

....The routine visit with my cardiologist went well.

....I will miss voting in the Primary Election again. It doesn't matter anyway.

....If gas prices keep rising.....well.....it ain't gonna be pretty. Looks like I will have to get a locking gas cap.

That's it for now.

Related articles

• Latest Painted Crab Shells (endoftheworld-signtopia.blogspot.com)
• Hand Painted Crab Shells Part 3 (endoftheworld-signtopia.blogspot.com)

Latest Painted Crab Shells

It is mind boggling.............all sorts of people want all sorts of things on a crab shell. When I began this "hobby" of painting on blue crab shells I had thought that the proper stuff to paint onto the shells would be the things that are somehow related to the State of Maryland and the people who love steamed crabs...........local sports teams, seafood spices, local beer, assorted icons of the territory, and nautical scenes. Simple enough............but as time has gone by, I have gotten requests for lots of things put on a crab shell that I had not even considered. Hey.......whatever the customer wants...........right? Well......maybe not always........sometimes I have to decline some requests........the unreasonable ones. What would be unreasonable?.........I find no thrill in someone requesting a painted crab shell that is so difficult to paint due to the amount of detail involved while those requesting such do not expect to pay a premium for it. The rule of thumb here should be "keep it reasonable", or "keep it simple". Simple is better for all involved.

Needless to say.........each weekend I am presented with some challenging requests. Personally, I enjoy being challenged........especially when the challenges are for something out of the ordinary.

A police officer wanted me to paint the logo for the Warrior Dash.........which was something I had never heard of. He handed me a gray and black 8x10 xerox copy of the logo.......not particularly all that great for me to go by...........so thanks to the internet, I googled Warrior Dash and could see how the logo should really look. The end result was pretty spot on.

Sometimes I just goof off and paint a crab shell just to see if anyone "bites". In this case.......yes......someone did and I had to make a couple more if them.

And then there are people who approach me with stuff like "Can you make one with the Puerto Rican flag on it? I want to get it for my son." A request like that is simple enough, no problem........except I haven't seen the person who made the request in three or four weeks now. I know........I should have taken a deposit or made her pay in advance........I know, I know.

I have one particular customer who keeps challenging me just about every week. He has bought quite a few crab shells from me...........six or eight at a time! I really appreciate that. I am also very honored that someone finds my "art" likeable enough to have bought as many as he has. He is a businessman and he just so happens to not only give the shells to family members and personal friends as gifts.....he also gives them as gifts to his clients.

Personalized crab shells...........yes........I can personalize the crab shell.

I would never have thought anyone would request a bicycle built for two............but the above mentioned customer did.

Another happy customer wanted the crab shell above............a crab on a crab.....go figure.

Local icons put together on one shell........no problem.

Sometimes I cannot always be serious........seriously.......

.......and then there is another challenge........seriously..........a German Shepherd on a crab shell!

I sit at my vendor table and paint crabs shells the entire time that I am there each weekend........and STILL.........there is always someone that will look at the shells and say "Stickers?" or "These are decals." AAARRRGGHHHH! No.....No.....No.....
..........nevermind that I have a paint brush in my hand, am painting a crab shell right in front of them, paint bottles everywhere..........geez......what do I gotta do to convince some people?

Here is one that is unfinished.......a work in progress...........PROOF that it is hand painted!

........but how is it possible?.............well I was a signpainter for most of my life. Perhaps not the best signpainter, but apparently good enough that some folks can't imagine that someone could actually paint these kinds of things.

Ahhhhhhh.......the finished product! One of a kind, actually. The customer that requested it was very happy.
It is frustrating sometimes when some people pretty much try to belittle what it is that you do. These people are morons. No other word for them. They have no clue as to the amount of time and effort and skill involved. They have a far different value system and cannot grasp the concept that something is being created and produced right before their eyes instead of being made on some assembly line by hordes of illegals working for a pittance. I try to not let these folks get me down..................I am truly humbled and honored by the many people who have liked my work enough to purchase it from me with their hard-earned money.

Of course, not everyone that looks at my crab shells buys them. But the majority of these people have overwhelmingly had nice things to say about them.......and that is very gratifying.

Until next time............


If you are interested in purchasing a hand painted crab shell, come see me at the Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, Maryland every weekend.

Related articles

• Hand Painted Crab Shells Part Two (endoftheworld-signtopia.blogspot.com)
• Hand Painted Crab Shells Part 3 (endoftheworld-signtopia.blogspot.com)