Northbound – a Minneapolis, Minnesota leather stamping study

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

A September study.

Waterfall Volume I-A.

This is Northbound, a leather collection for the ritual Minneapolis shares with the rest of Minnesota – packing up on Friday and driving toward the lakes. We pressed it into leather, from luggage tags to a catchall tray.

First, we drew the view every paddler knows by heart – the double-pointed bow aimed at the far shore – and set UP NORTH above it. The canoe was Minnesota's first carry-on.

The UP NORTH canoe-bow stamping die for the Northbound leather collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On the luggage tags it stands upright – deep green for the pines, navy for the lake.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the UP NORTH canoe design from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A blueberry leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the UP NORTH canoe design from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And once more in warm tan, the color of a cedar-strip hull.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the UP NORTH canoe design from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The same bow goes on the toiletry stack, navy over deep espresso brown – the bags that get packed at the foot of the stairs on Friday afternoon.

Blueberry and dark-espresso leather dopp kits blind-debossed with the UP NORTH canoe design from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Next, the motto. We set the seven stars of Ursa Minor over "L'Etoile du Nord" and put them on the key fob, because the key is what starts the drive north.

The seven-star L'ETOILE DU NORD stamping die for the Northbound leather collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The black fob carries the stars in gold.

A black leather keychain gold-stamped with seven stars and L'ETOILE DU NORD from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On navy, a blind press – stars sunk into a night-blue sky. It turned out genuinely beautiful.

A blueberry leather keychain blind-debossed with seven stars and L'ETOILE DU NORD from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Then, the route. Four lakes strung on dashed portage trails, with PORTAGE lettered along the longest carry – the line you trace with a finger all winter. A journal is where that tracing happens.

The four-lake PORTAGE route stamping die for the Northbound leather collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It comes on two journals – pale warm greige like map paper, and deep pine green.

A gray-sand leather journal blind-debossed with four lakes and PORTAGE from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A forest-green leather journal blind-debossed with four lakes and PORTAGE from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And finally, the arrival. We dropped AT THE LAKE into still water and let the rings spread – the tray does for keys and a watch what a lake does for a stone.

The AT THE LAKE ripple-ring stamping die for the Northbound leather collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the golden tan leather.

An Arizona tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with AT THE LAKE ripple rings from the Northbound collection of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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.