Ridge & Spine – a leather collection for the readers of Fayetteville, Arkansas

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

An August study.

Fayetteville, Arkansas is a reading town up in the Boston Mountains – the Saturday market on the Square, book clubs and writers' nights the rest of the week. We pressed a second small leather collection for the readers of the Ozarks and named it Ridge & Spine, because a hill and a book are built alike – each one keeps its stories under a spine.

First, the namesake made visible. We stood a shelf of books on one long rule and let their tops draw the ridgeline this town sits under, with FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS beneath. It went onto luggage tags in forest green and honeyed russet, for the graduates and visitors who carry the town with them.

The Hometown Ridge black and white stamp artwork from the Ridge and Spine leather collection of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

A forest green leather luggage tag stamped with the Hometown Ridge design from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

A honeyed russet leather luggage tag stamped with the Hometown Ridge design from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

On the black tag the ridgeline takes the gold.

A black leather luggage tag gold stamped with Hometown Ridge from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Next, the keychain. We dog-eared a single page and set YOU ARE HERE inside the fold – the map pin's three words, borrowed by the mark that meant them first. Stamped onto warm red and navy leather.

The You Are Here black and white stamp artwork from the Ridge and Spine leather collection of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

A poppy red leather keychain stamped You Are Here from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

A blueberry leather keychain stamped You Are Here from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Then, for the drafting nights, the journals. Three notebook rules rise mid-page into wooded crests and settle back into line under EVERY HOLLOW HOLDS A STORY – out here the land agrees with the ruled page. We stamped it into the corner of journals in pale greige, the color of the waiting page, and in forest green.

The Every Hollow Holds a Story black and white stamp artwork from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A gray sand leather journal stamped Every Hollow Holds a Story from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

A forest green leather journal stamped Every Hollow Holds a Story from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Then the catchall tray, where the day empties its pockets at the end of a chapter. A book lies face-down under a sliver of moon, pitched like a tent right where the reading got good, and ONE MORE CHAPTER rings the scene. Pressed at generous size into the golden tan tray.

The One More Chapter black and white stamp artwork from the Ridge and Spine leather collection of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

An Arizona leather catchall tray stamped One More Chapter from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

And finally, the packing rule. A suitcase held open by the one thing that refuses to stay home – THE BOOK COMES TOO. We stamped it into the corner of the weekend kit, warm caramel over dark espresso.

The Book Comes Too black and white stamp artwork from the Ridge and Spine leather collection of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Caramel and dark espresso leather toiletry bags stamped The Book Comes Too from Ridge and Spine of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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.