Lorraine Doo, a self-described "nice Jewish girl," does not eat seafood as a rule. But that hasn't kept the Towson artist from using it in her latest work.

For the holiday season, Doo, 46, created about 70 ornaments using Maryland blue crab shells (collected from family members who spared the mallet during crab feasts). The $20 ornaments include exotic South American crabs, downy-ocean beach crabs, crabs crawling with lizards and, of course, Christmas-themed crabs.

And then there are the black and blue "Believe" crabs.

Their inspiration, of course, is the city's "Baltimore Believe" campaign, which features that simple, stark white word on black billboards and banners, T-shirts and bumper stickers all over town.

So is the "Believe" crab ornament a joke, an ironic comment on the ubiquitous slogan? Or is it an homage to Mayor Martin O'Malley's fervent belief that he can get a troubled city to believe its way to better days?

As any artist worth her salt (or is that Old Bay?) would, Doo says the message is in the eye of the beholder. While the idea started as a simple joke with her husband, she says, the reaction she's received from buyers at craft fairs around town has been more complex.

"If you can get a message out and can get a smile out of it at the same time, people will pay attention more," Doo says. "A lot of people approached me to inquire about it, and as I explained about the "Believe" campaign, it became more meaningful, even to me. And if people are talking about it, maybe it will be something that can inspire us to make a difference."

That's an awful lot of weight to hang on a fragile little ornament, but maybe that's what believing is all about.

Oh, and a note to Mayor O'Malley: If you haven't been too naughty, Doo says, you might just find a "Believe" crab in your Christmas stocking this year.

Lorraine Doo's Monkey and the Dragon Creations can be reached at 410-321-1582.