EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – Scores of shoppers browsed and bought at the annual Mistletoe Market at the Montgomery Event Venue, many having no idea how much work goes into the “simple” crafts on display at some of the tables. At the K3Krafts table, Kara Klein was one of the people who put in an enormous number of hours to make unique, tiny Christmas characters to use as ornaments. Between talking with customers drawn to the table to examine and buy some of the characters – including angels, snowmen, puppies and penguins – Klein discussed the creative process. “I start with an 8-pound block of clay and then I condition it with my hands, kneading it up, mixing it up so that it is malleable,” she said. “Then I roll it out.” After rolling out the slab of Sculpey, a brand of polymer clay used by artists, Klein said she creates shapes, much like a baker creates cookies from pressed dough. “I cut out the ornament and bake the ornam...