Handmade crochet items, including popular cat hats are displayed at the Stone Hill Designs booth. The items were crafted by vendor Nancy Neider La Rocque. 

Correction: In the article titled "Creatives Share Work at Craft Faire," published in the May 29 issue, Kat Bonge's name was incorrectly written as Kat Borge. 

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - Rio Lindans gathered at the Dry Creek Ranch House on Saturday, May 23 for the 5th annual Craft Faire, where local small businesses presented their handmade or sourced products and goods. From jewelry to clothes to toys to food, there was something for everyone.

One of these businesses was Wood Duck Woodwork, owned by Sam Howard. Howard, who discovered woodworking in a woodshop class at age 11. Howard is now 61 years old. For the past 50 years, he has enjoyed building useful household items out of wood as a means of staying active.

“I wanted my body to still work,” he said.

All his products are made by hand, and the machinery he operates requires him to be working right behind it. Howard only has one functioning arm, adding further challenge to the process.

Some of the products on display included a pen holder with a phone stand, a squirrel feeder and a door knocker. He also sells bunny-shaped cutting boards, which he has been making since he was a kid. As a nod to his childhood, Howard brings the very first one he ever made to every craft fair to show how it holds up over time. While the color has darkened a little, as naturally happens to wood over the years, this nearly 50-year-old cutting board remains in good condition. According to Howard, because everything is made of plastic nowadays, modern things don’t last as long as they used to.

Another vendor at the Craft Faire was Miss Bee Haven owned by Lara Sansen. Sansen, who started the business, was allergic to bees until one day six years ago when she got stung and miraculously had no reaction. Since becoming an empty nester, she decided to take up beekeeping and making bee products. According to Sansen, anyone who has a backyard can start beekeeping.

Sansen makes and sells honey infused with strawberries, chocolate and even chili peppers. She grows her own strawberries to put in the honey, and because honey is a natural preserving agent, it keeps the fruit fresh; the strawberry honey never goes bad despite strawberries being highly perishable. Sansen sells other beeswax products including lip balms, salves and candles that come in various shapes like skulls and bears, intricately detailed with glitter paint. She also makes beeswax soaps; her most popular scent is a dupe for the Dior Sauvage cologne.

“When I make the products, I’m blessing them with my love,” Sansen said.

For those into the fine arts, Zanna Lea Photographic Arts, a business run by Susanna Lea, was present at the event. Lea took on photography as a hobby after her job as an attorney and her marriage fell apart, quickly realizing she was deeply passionate about it. Fascinated by colors and geometry, many of her photos feature plants or animals. To enhance the colors and shapes, she utilizes Photoshop to make the pictures look more like drawings rather than an actual photograph, thus forming her signature artistic style. She initially tried selling these prints as standard wall art at craft fairs but realized it was a difficult market.

“Wall art is a tough sell,” Lea said.

She decided to turn her photos into practical items instead, such as bags, scarves and clocks. Her bestselling pieces turned out to be umbrellas equipped with UV protection, which became surprisingly popular despite California’s general lack of rain.

Adding to the unique apparel options at the event was Theresa Wright, the creative mind behind Oddi-tees. Wright's business journey began quite simply when she found some shirts that she really liked but found herself “too cheap to pay for them,” prompting her to start making her own. Her booth specialized in shirts featuring bold statement designs and pop-culture icons, including Michael Myers and Metallica. Wright noted that edgy and sarcastic designs are incredibly popular among attendees.

“Everybody has freedom of speech,” Wright said, regarding the attitude behind her apparel. “You don't wear clothes to please other people. People like sarcasm. Dirty shirts sell a lot.”

For attendees looking for internal reflection and healing, Kat Bonge offered a completely different kind of craft. As a Therapeutic Art Life Coach, Bonge began her practice after losing her granddaughter, who had a deep love for art. Bonge sells beach and nature-themed art, which she has made to process her own emotions. Bonge says she doesn’t have external inspirations, but her art is formed by her inner world.

“It’s what's coming from inside me," Bonge said, describing the raw emotional nature of her work. "Mindfulness brings you into the moment."

Innovation was also on full display at the BP3D Printing booth, run by Bryan Payne. Payne turned his attention to tech-based crafting, showcasing highly detailed, 3D-printed creations. According to Payne, the manufacturing process requires an immense amount of patience.

“It takes a day and a half,” Payne said, noting that it can take up to 40 hours just to print one of his big pieces.

He makes animal toys which are popular with not just children, but adults as well. His most popular item is a snake that looks like it’s slithering when you move it.

Sharing the space of second careers and unique backgrounds was Nancy Neider La Rocque’s business called Stone Hill Designs. A former Navy cryptologist who had “always wanted a business,” La Rocque previously ran a venture focused on upscale children's clothing for Nordstrom companies. Even though she left her cryptologist job in 1994, she still utilizes a lot of the same skills such as creativity and pattern recognition.

“I've always been a good researcher my whole life,” she said.

La Rocque's meticulous research clearly translates into her popular line of handmade crochet items. Her crocheted bees proved to be her most popular items of the day, while her custom crochet cat hats and phone holders were noted crowd favorites.

From cutting-edge 3D printing and precise crochet work to single-handed woodwork, nostalgic apparel and therapeutic art, this year's Craft Faire highlighted the vast, resilient and diverse creative spirit thriving in Rio Linda.