Gather & Give – a leather collection about making gifts by hand

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

A September study.

Gather & Give is a small exhibition about making a gift by hand – from the first gathered stem to the moment it changes hands. Five original stamps, pressed into leather that keeps after the gift itself is gone.

First, the journals, because everything begins with gathering. We tied a small bundle of stems with twine and set FIRST GATHER beneath it – true of every blend, and true of every plan a page has ever held. One journal in deep brown, one in pale warm greige.

Black-and-white FIRST GATHER botanical-bundle die artwork for the Gather & Give leather collection.

A dark-espresso leather wrap journal blind-debossed with the FIRST GATHER botanical-bundle design.

A gray-sand leather wrap journal blind-debossed with the FIRST GATHER botanical-bundle design.

Next, the bowl where the gathering lands, seen straight from above with its ingredients still whole enough to name. EVERYTHING GOOD LANDS HERE arches over the rim – which is also the plain job description of a catchall tray at the end of a day.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white EVERYTHING GOOD LANDS HERE ingredient-bowl die artwork for Gather & Give.

An Arizona-tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with EVERYTHING GOOD LANDS HERE and a bowl of botanicals.

Then we borrowed the drawstring sachet for the toiletry bags – cinched by hand, one leaf getting away – and wrote PACKED BY HAND under it. The phrase belongs equally to a small-batch pouch and to every kit this bag will ever carry. Pressed into the corner of a warm tan bag over chestnut.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white PACKED BY HAND drawstring-sachet die artwork for Gather & Give.

Caramel and Sicilian-brown leather toiletry bags blind-debossed with the PACKED BY HAND sachet design.

After that, a stamp of a stamp. A wax seal holds a sprig where a monogram would go, with MADE FOR YOU beneath – the promise every made-to-order shelf runs on, now riding the keys. One keychain in deep wine and one in dusty lavender, the two colors sealing wax actually comes in.

Black-and-white MADE FOR YOU botanical wax-seal die artwork for Gather & Give.

A sangria leather keychain blind-debossed with the MADE FOR YOU botanical wax-seal design.

A lilac leather keychain blind-debossed with the MADE FOR YOU botanical wax-seal design.

And finally, the one we liked the most. A wrapped parcel with a sprig under its twine, the little gift tag left blank, and BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING printed below – so the luggage tag announces the host gift before the doorbell does. The warm tan tag wraps it like kraft paper; deep green and deep wine finish the set.

Black-and-white BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING wrapped-parcel die artwork for Gather & Give.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING wrapped-parcel design.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING wrapped-parcel design.

A sangria leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING wrapped-parcel design.

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