The Calistoga Almanac – a leather stamping study

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of stamping studies. Waterfall Volume II.

A September study.

For Calistoga.

Calistoga sits at the top of the valley, under Mount Saint Helena, where the ground steams and the water comes up hot. We made the town a small leather almanac – luggage tags and keychains, journals and dopp kits, and one catchall tray – each stamped with a small Calistoga certainty.

First, the geyser. Calistoga keeps an Old Faithful of its own, and it has kept its appointments longer than anyone alive has watched it. We set the plume over I WILL RETURN and gave it to the luggage tags, where that promise belongs. The black tag carries the gold. Forest green and country gray take the blind press.

Black-and-white I WILL RETURN geyser stamping artwork for a Calistoga leather collection.

Black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with an I WILL RETURN geyser for Calistoga.

Forest-green leather luggage tag blind stamped with an I WILL RETURN geyser for Calistoga.

Country-gray leather luggage tag blind stamped with an I WILL RETURN geyser for Calistoga.

Next, the pendulum. A keychain already swings, so we let it dowse – a crystal plumb hung over its mark, KNOWS THE WAY written beneath. The black fob carries the gold. Dark espresso takes the blind press.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white KNOWS THE WAY pendulum stamping artwork for a Calistoga leather collection.

Black leather keychain stamped in gold with a KNOWS THE WAY pendulum.

Dark-espresso leather keychain blind stamped with a KNOWS THE WAY pendulum.

Then the vinca. It grows wild under the valley oaks in the oldest corner of town, and we pressed a sprig the way a field book would – taped down and labeled. On gray sand the journal cover reads like an herbarium sheet; forest green takes it back outdoors.

Black-and-white Vinca major herbarium stamping artwork labeled Calistoga.

Gray-sand leather journal blind stamped with a Calistoga Vinca major specimen.

Forest-green leather journal blind stamped with a Calistoga Vinca major specimen.

Then the waters. The oldest advice in town fits on one line, so we set TAKE THE WATERS under a Victorian arch with the steam already rising inside. A dopp kit spends its whole life going to the baths; now it says so. Country gray over dark espresso, blind pressed.

Black-and-white TAKE THE WATERS Victorian arch stamping artwork.

Country-gray and dark-espresso leather toiletry bags with a TAKE THE WATERS stamp.

And finally, the one we liked the most. One pebble and four widening rings – ALL THINGS SETTLE. In Calistoga that is geology, since mud and mineral water do it all day; by ten o'clock it is also the evening. It goes on the catchall tray in golden tan, where pockets empty and the day goes quiet.

Black-and-white ALL THINGS SETTLE ripple-ring stamping artwork.

Golden-tan leather catchall tray blind stamped ALL THINGS SETTLE around ripple rings.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.