For Keeps – a leather gift collection for moments worth marking – Volume I-D

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.

A September study – Shops Waterfall, Volume I-D.

For Keeps is a small collection of leather gifts for the moments worth marking – a guest leaving, a key changing hands. Five designs across five objects, each one meant to be chosen for someone in particular.

First, for the one who is always leaving. We drew a swallow in full flight and set COME BACK SOON beside it – the swallow is the bird that returns every spring, and the tag rides along until it does.

Black-and-white COME BACK SOON swallow stamp artwork for the For Keeps leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

The black tag carries the design in gold foil; deep green and warm caramel take the blind press. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with the COME BACK SOON swallow from the For Keeps gift collection.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the COME BACK SOON swallow from the For Keeps gift collection.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the COME BACK SOON swallow from the For Keeps gift collection.

Next, the namesake. We tied a ribbon through the bow of an old door key – a key, gift-wrapped – and set FOR KEEPS beneath it. On the keychain it becomes the housewarming present that explains itself at arm's length.

Black-and-white FOR KEEPS gift-wrapped antique key stamp artwork for the For Keeps leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

A caramel leather keychain blind-debossed with the FOR KEEPS ribbon key from the For Keeps gift collection.

A forest-green leather keychain blind-debossed with the FOR KEEPS ribbon key from the For Keeps gift collection.

Then we packed a bindle – the knotted bundle on a stick that means somebody is off to see somebody – and pressed GONE VISITING in the corner of the toiletry bags, once on warm tan and once on deep espresso brown.

Black-and-white GONE VISITING bindle stamp artwork for the For Keeps leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

A caramel leather dopp kit blind-debossed with the GONE VISITING bindle from the For Keeps gift collection.

A dark-espresso leather dopp kit blind-debossed with the GONE VISITING bindle from the For Keeps gift collection.

Then, one for the dish by the door. We set EMPTY YOUR POCKETS at the center of the catchall tray and ringed it with the small cargo a day leaves behind – the key and its usual company. Golden tan, pressed blind.

Black-and-white EMPTY YOUR POCKETS stamp artwork ringed by six pocket objects for the For Keeps leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

An Arizona tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with EMPTY YOUR POCKETS and six pocket objects from the For Keeps gift collection.

And finally, the one we liked the most. FIRSTS above a single ruled line, still blank – a journal for the things that happen once. First word, first morning in a new place; every household is quietly collecting them.

Black-and-white FIRSTS stamp artwork with a single writing rule for the For Keeps leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

It looks genuinely beautiful – in pale rose for the newest households, in deep green for everyone else.

A blush leather journal blind-debossed with FIRSTS and a writing line from the For Keeps gift collection.

A forest-green leather journal blind-debossed with FIRSTS and a writing line from the For Keeps gift collection.

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.