RIO Revolution Church × Leatherius Woodman – a leather stamping study

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

An August study.

For RIO Revolution Church.

First, we drew the water the name already carries. A river of white winds down through three ridge lines and widens as it goes, RIO REVOLUTION above and MARYVILLE TENNESSEE below – the church baptizes at the river, and the ridges are the ones Blount County wakes up to.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

A black-and-white river through Appalachian ridges stamp design created for RIO Revolution Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

We pressed it on navy and on pale sea-blue. The black tag carries the gold.

Three leather luggage tags stamped with the river and Maryville ridge design for RIO Revolution Church in Blount County, Tennessee.

Next, a seal for the founding. Thirty-nine people held the first service in a Maryville high school in 2007, and the church was giving to missions before it had a roof of its own – so the ring reads RIO REVOLUTION CHURCH, MARYVILLE TENNESSEE, with the river mark and 2007 at its center. We stamped it into the corner of the toiletry bags, navy over chestnut.

A black-and-white 2007 church and Maryville river seal created for RIO Revolution Church.

Two leather toiletry bags blind-stamped with the 2007 Maryville seal for RIO Revolution Church.

Then the rhythm. “Connect. Grow. Serve.” is how the church describes a week well spent, so we stacked the words on a key fob, where the week actually happens – one in navy, one in golden tan.

A black-and-white Connect Grow Serve stamp design created from RIO Revolution Church's ministry rhythm.

Two leather keychains stamped with Connect Grow Serve for RIO Revolution Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

A catchall tray is where everything you carried today gets set down just as it is. So we gave it the welcome the church says at the door – COME AS YOU ARE, set inside an open doorframe, pressed at generous size into the golden tan.

A black-and-white Come As You Are open-door stamp design created for RIO Revolution Church.

An arizona leather catchall tray stamped with Come As You Are for RIO Revolution Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

And finally, the Grace note. THERE IS A RIVER over a single flowing stroke, with PSALM 46 beneath – the river whose streams make glad the city of God, kept on the cover where sermon notes and prayers get written down. One journal in navy, one in pale greige.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A black-and-white There Is a River Psalm 46 stamp design created for RIO Revolution Church.

Two leather journals stamped with the reverent Psalm 46 river design for RIO Revolution Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

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're RIO Revolution Church and you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.