Michaels was one of more than 325 artists to feature their work at the MSU Arts and Crafts Show this past weekend by the Union.

The comfort Michaels received from wearing this remembrance inspired her to start her own company — His Hand Keepsake and Memorial Jewelry.

Michaels attends arts and crafts shows all across Michigan and Ohio, such as the one this weekend, selling her personal, original and handcrafted products to customers, sharing her story and bringing the same serenity she has found to others.

“Everything has meaning behind it,” Michaels said. “I wanted to pass that feeling to others and bridge the gap between here and the afterlife, so we know that we are never really that far separated at any given time,” Michaels said.

Also sharing their crafts at the fair were Joyce and Larry Parker, a couple from Elkhart, Ind., who began looking for a way to pick up some extra cash to pay the bills more than 15 years ago.

The Parkers found themselves creating household items in their basement and have sold their handmade products, such as cutting boards, toothbrush holders and soap dispensers, under the name JoLar Enterprises at the MSU show for more than a decade.

“The customers, you can interact with them and they have a sense of humor,” Joyce Parker said. “If we can’t go (to a show) and have fun and talk to people, I don’t want to go.”

Williamston, Mich., residents and sisters Sam and Courtney Wright have attended the MSU Arts and Crafts Show for years and said they enjoy the creativity in the show.

“We come all years, so it’s nice to see the recurring vendors and the new stuff,” Sam Wright said.

Graduate student Amanda Hentschel said she has heard good reviews from others about the show, but this was her first year attending the event.

“There’s a variety of art and vendors here,” Hentschel said. “It’s the place to be this weekend.”

Her sister and 2010 alumna, Caitlyn Hentschel, came to the show to have fun, but also with a mission for the day.

“It’s fun, and it’s a reason to get out and for people to show their creativity,” Caitlyn Hentschel said. “I’m determined to find a wedding gift for someone important to me.”

The University Activities Board, or UAB, sponsors this event annually, and it is the main fundraiser for the programs UAB hosts during the fall and spring semesters, Stephanie Bierlein, assistant manager of UAB and coordinator of the show said.

Each booth costs the vendors $240 and provided UAB with more than $78,000, minus the cost for advertising, security and feeding the volunteers, she said.