The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B – a leather stamping study in tea and slow ritual

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

A September study – Volume I-B.

A small exhibition we call The Steeping Hour – original designs about tea and the unhurried hours around it, drawn for the people who keep such rituals. Six stamps, each with a job to do.

First, we sliced a citrus wheel and read it as a clock – twelve segments for twelve hours, TAKE YOUR TIME arched beneath the peel.

Black-and-white TAKE YOUR TIME citrus-wheel clock die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

On the golden tan tray it looks genuinely beautiful.

An Arizona tan leather catchall tray blind-stamped with the TAKE YOUR TIME citrus-wheel clock from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

The same wheel travels on a caramel luggage tag.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-stamped with the TAKE YOUR TIME citrus-wheel clock from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

Next, the toiletry bag – the first thing a morning reaches for. We let the steam of a teacup raise the sun, and set SLOW MORNINGS underneath.

Black-and-white SLOW MORNINGS teacup, steam and sunrise die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

Pressed into the corner of a honeyed russet kit over deep espresso.

Indian Summer and dark-espresso leather dopp kits blind-stamped with SLOW MORNINGS from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

Then the journals. An idea behaves like tea, better for being left alone a while, so the cover carries a teabag on its string and the words LET IT STEEP.

Black-and-white LET IT STEEP teabag die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

One journal in deep wine, one in pale greige. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A Sangria leather journal blind-stamped with the LET IT STEEP teabag from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

A Gray Sand leather journal blind-stamped with the LET IT STEEP teabag from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

Then a tag for the other end of the day – a cup seen from above, holding the moon's reflection, QUIET HOURS around the rim. Pressed into dusty rose.

Black-and-white QUIET HOURS moon-in-a-teacup die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

A Parisian Blossom leather luggage tag blind-stamped with the QUIET HOURS moon-in-a-teacup from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

Next, honey. We stopped a drop halfway off the dipper and wrote GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME beneath the fall. The black tag carries the design in gold.

Black-and-white GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME honey-dipper die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

And finally, the keychains – a mesh tea ball hanging from its chain the way a keychain hangs, with one word under it: STEEP. In golden tan and deep green they look just awesome.

Black-and-white STEEP mesh tea-ball die artwork for The Steeping Hour leather collection, Volume I-B.

An Arizona leather keychain blind-stamped with the STEEP mesh tea ball from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

A Forest Green leather keychain blind-stamped with the STEEP mesh tea ball from The Steeping Hour, Volume I-B.

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.