Crab Bride and Groom Ornaments

Instructions

1. Enjoy yourself at a crab feast.  Save the 2 nicest crab shells, which will need to be scrubbed.  I typically boil them again to sterilize them, and scrub off any excess debris.

2. It's painting project, with tweaks.  I painted the whole shell white, both sides, except the tips.  Allow time to dry between coats.  At least 2 coats will be needed to hide the red crab shell.  I did the eyes in black.  Once dry, I set about depicting the gown or tux. 

3. For the bride, I outlined the gown in pale gray and added light swoops of grey to give the illusion of drape.  I used ivory for her shoulders and neck.  She wore a rhinestone brooch at the midriff.  I mirrored it with tiny rhinestones of varying shapes, glued in place with Mod Podge.  For her necklace of pearls, I strung pearly white beads and attached them with tiny drops of Elmer's glue.  On this bride, I looped a small piece of white ribbon, glued to the back between the eyes, for the hanger.  (I have subsequently made a longer string of pearls, using the excess for the loop.  A more elegant look, I think.)  The bride wore blue shoes which I represented with an ultra thin line of blue where the back fins had been.  Before adding the veil, I brushed on 2 coats of glossy Mod Podge, letting it dry between coats, to give her a certain sparkle when hung on the tree. 

4. The bride wore a cathedral length veil, which I copied using white tulle (actually left over from her veil) cut in the shape of a stemless wine glass, and about as wide as the crab tip to tip.  With needle and thread, I made a one inch hem along the straight edge of the tulle, and gathered along the stitching line.  Using glue and patience, I attached the veil to the back of the crab, just below the eyes.  Lastly, I glued a tiny rhinestone on her left tip, for the ring.

5. The groom received 2 coats of black paint, leaving a V at the neckline and a small strip of white just above the tips. With the bride's pale gray, (I might have lightened it more by mixing with white) I added a slight shadow for the shirt collar and edge of the shirt placket.  Adding black to that gray, I outlined the edge of the jacket collar, the front jacket flap, and the bottom of the jacket.  I added a belt buckle with gold paint, and used the bride's blue for the bow tie, studs and cuff links.  I glued 2 or 3 small black beads for jacket buttons.  I also gave him a boutonniere of painted blue flowers.  The groom wore blue socks to match the bride's shoes.  This I indicated with a thin line of blue on the very edge where the back fins had been.  A thin, black satin ribbon for the loop attaches on the back between the eyes.  As with the bride, the groom finally received 2 coats of glossy Mod Podge, with time to dry between coats.

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6. After the final coat of Mod Podge dried, I penned in their names and the wedding date on the back of each crab.

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