Hot Zombie Chicks, kids, crocheters, neck tattoos, furry monsters, autobiographical comic books, and customized handcrafts were assembled under one roof at the Scottish Rite Center Saturday and Sunday.

One story is being retold in different words at the "Vinyl Toy, Indy Comix and D.I.Y." show and it transcends all mediums at Indy Euphoria. People are discovering they have the capacity to create the things they want to see realized.

Indy Euphoria shows there is a market for those creations. Hundreds of vendors displayed theirs at the event.

Nora Kniveton from Transient Treasures was approached by Indy Euphoria creator Anthony Leano to table at a comic convention for the first time. Kniveton sells vintage relics and handcrafted accessories from parts found at estate sales, auctions and thrift stores at Sacramento’s Third Saturday Design each month. As a child, Kniveton joined her grandmother on thrift shopping expeditions and has always had a passion for vintage. Every piece of her collection tells a story. Running her hands over nostalgia-inducing keys and broaches, she selects a turn-of-the-century key carrier and demonstrates its extension.

"It's unusual to find them intact," she explains.

At a nearby table, Nicole Zimmerman, creator of Frisky Flowers, packages a buyer’s selection in a ghoulish Halloween goodie-bag. Her table is covered in floral hair accessories adorned with glittering jewels, beads and skeleton hands. Zimmerman explains that her business was born out of the frustration of losing a $17 hair accessory one day after purchasing it.

"I pulled out my glue-gun and said enough is enough," she says.

Zimmerman accepts custom-design orders. She maintains that fashion should be affordable and for her accessories -- pretty pieces of bows and petals in every color, beads and real feathers -- Zimmerman charges only the expense of the materials involved. Each handcrafted piece is totally unique.

 Zimmerman’s most interesting pieces pair pretty feathers and bows with skulls and skeleton fingers. She said her style is influenced by rockabilly and punk subcultures.

"People into rockabilly and vintage know how to stretch their dollar, recycle and reuse," she says. "The Rockabilly and comic scenes pair because they attract the same creative, do-it-yourself crowd," she says.

Chartruz Lovelace describes a similarly self-motivated entrance into the market in her specialized line of Cuddlemonster toys, fuzzy and fleece monsters with large distorted eyes and pointed teeth. After the birth of her son, Lovelace became interested in creating alternative, one-of-a-kind toys. Eventually she began to sell her products alongside artist and boyfriend Dan Brereton's table to see how her creepy cuddlers would be received.

"Low and behold people showed interest and wanted to take them into their homes too! That was the beginning of what has become the Cuddlemonster family. Now there’s a book, apparel, bags, aprons and pretty much anything people want to commission me to do!" she says.

Comic writer and graphic novelist Nate Powell described a do-it-yourself relationship to the comic world that parallels the stories of hand-craft vendors. His passion was born out of resourcefulness.

Powell's comic career started at 11 in his hometown of Littlerock, Ark. when he became aware that he was capable of creating his own black and white line art.

At 14, Powell undertook self-publishing. The first step was identifying available resources. Powell’s first comics were proliferated by use of the photocopier in his dad's office.

Powells characterizes much of his work as "half-fiction," transposing and distorting true autobiographical experiences and characters.

In 2006, Top Shelf publications released Powell's "Please Release" and, in 2008, "Swallow Me Whole." The following year, "Swallow Me Whole," a dark, stunning book, won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel. 

"The Eisner Award is like the Grammy of the comic world," explains Indy Euphoria founder and director, Anthony Leano.

While in Sacramento, Powell is crashing with some of Indy Euphoria's coordinators, whom he describes as a tight-knit crew. When asked about the fraternity of comic artists in Sacramento, Powell replied:

"It’s definitely dude-friendly ... but there are women involved in this too. I wouldn't call it a fraternity -- its more like a family. I think that tight-knit nature is a byproduct of the fact that at an indie comic convention, you know every person there has paid at least one full paycheck to be there. Essentially, everyone has to support one another," he said.

For all the preconceived notions that the term "comic convention" conjures, Indy Euphoria looks pretty subdued. The people are friendly and level and normal-looking.

And then there are the Hot Zombie Chicks. 

They’re beautiful. They are also covered in chunky blood and open-wound makeup.

Comic book writer and tattoo veteran Brandon Bracamonte contacted Hot Zombie models "Victoria Gore," "Roxy Rotten" and "Dready Page" about appearing in a live drawing session for Indy Euphoria’s artists. Last October, the models placed in the Sacramento Horror Film Festival’s third annual Zombie Beauty Contest.

Winners earned gift certificates to Fallen Angel Tattoo and ultimate immortality: roles in the next issue of Mike Hampton’s "Hot Zombie Chicks" comic.

As it grows dark outside the Scottish Rite Center, artists and convention attendees convene in a warm, well-lit event room for a "Live Undead Drawing Session" featuring the Hot Zombie Chicks. Somehow, they maintain sexy snarls while accentuating brutal, gouged-eye makeup.

Meanwhile, in the vendor space, Leano continues to make the rounds, ensuring everyone is taken care of. Leano has been doing the convention circuit since his teens and has experienced these shows as a vendor, talent booker and speaker. Today, he is running the show.

Inspiration for creating his own show was a product of trial and error. After working with Dan Houck, owner of Sacramento’s Comic, Toy and Anime Show (Sac-Con), for a number of years, Leano bought an existing convention.

"It failed miserably," he said. "That was the learning curve. It scared me into putting together my own show. Dan took me under his shoulder and taught me how to promote."

Leano describes the vendors around him as members of his extended family.

"My goal is to try to keep us all under one umbrella by supporting each other and cross-promoting," he says. "It makes this more fun. This isn’t just a job. If we weren’t part of [the show], we’d be attending it. We love this medium. We’re our biggest customers and biggest fans."