Chosen by the Sea – a stamped leather gift collection in the language of sea creatures – Volume I-D

A September study. Volume I-D – Gift Fit.

Chosen by the Sea is a small leather collection built on one belief – that the best gift names something true about the person receiving it. So each design here borrows a sea creature whose way of living already says the words.

First, the otters. Sea otters hold paws while they sleep, so that they wake side by side however far the night has carried them – we floated a pair along the luggage tag beneath the words SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

Black-and-white die artwork of two sea otters holding paws beneath SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART for the Chosen by the Sea leather gift collection.

It looks genuinely beautiful – here on pale sea-blue, then on chestnut.

A pale sea-blue leather luggage tag blind-debossed with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

A chestnut leather luggage tag blind-debossed with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

The true black tag carries the words in gold.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

Next, the seahorses. A mated pair opens every morning with a greeting dance, snouts almost touching, tails curling toward each other – ours hold that moment above the words FOUND YOU, for the gift that gets bought the second it is seen.

Black-and-white die artwork of two mirrored seahorses above FOUND YOU for the Chosen by the Sea leather gift collection.

Keychains in pale sea-blue and golden tan – they look great stamped into the leather.

A pale sea-blue leather keychain blind-debossed with two seahorses and FOUND YOU.

A golden-tan leather keychain blind-debossed with two seahorses and FOUND YOU.

Then the octopus, which has an arm for everything – so we gave it the catchall tray. It sits dead center, arms curling out to meet whatever lands there, ringed by the words AN ARM FOR EVERYTHING.

Black-and-white die artwork of an octopus ringed by AN ARM FOR EVERYTHING for the Chosen by the Sea leather gift collection.

Looks great pressed into the golden tan of the tray.

A golden-tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with an octopus and AN ARM FOR EVERYTHING.

After that, the jellyfish, for the toiletry bags. A jellyfish is almost entirely seawater; the little it owns, it carries glowing – so the corner of the bags says TRAVEL LIGHT.

Black-and-white die artwork of a drifting jellyfish above TRAVEL LIGHT for the Chosen by the Sea leather gift collection.

The stack rides navy over deep brown.

Blueberry and dark-espresso leather toiletry bags blind-debossed with a jellyfish and TRAVEL LIGHT.

And finally, the one we liked the most. When a nautilus outgrows its room, it builds the next chamber onto the same spiral and keeps every room it has ever lived in – a journal works the same way. ROOM TO GROW, says the corner of the cover.

Black-and-white die artwork of a striped nautilus above ROOM TO GROW for the Chosen by the Sea leather gift collection.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather – in pale warm greige and in navy.

A pale greige leather journal blind-debossed with a nautilus and ROOM TO GROW.

A blueberry leather journal blind-debossed with a nautilus and ROOM TO GROW.

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 these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

An alternate pale sea-blue leather luggage tag blind-debossed with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

An alternate black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.

An alternate chestnut leather luggage tag blind-debossed with two otters and SO WE NEVER DRIFT APART.