The Bottomlands – a leather collection from Bryan, Texas

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

A September study. Volume I-C.

The Bottomlands is a small leather collection rooted in Bryan, Texas, and in the river country around it. Five original designs, each drawn from something real here – a bank the mammoths walked, a lake where the herons fish.

First, the mammoth. Columbian mammoth skulls were found near the Brazos, so we gave one of them its body back and set it walking over the river line, ICE AGE ON THE BRAZOS beneath.

It looks genuinely beautiful pressed into the golden tan of the catchall tray, and it travels well on a warm tan luggage tag.

A black-and-white die for leather stamping depicting a mammoth above river lines and ICE AGE ON THE BRAZOS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A golden tan leather catchall tray stamped with a mammoth above river lines and ICE AGE ON THE BRAZOS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A warm tan leather luggage tag stamped with a mammoth above river lines and ICE AGE ON THE BRAZOS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

Next, the rescue skiff, commissioned after the destructive flood of December 1913. A boat built after a flood is a boat built for the next one, so we set it riding easy water under the words BUILT FOR HIGH WATER – lengthwise on a navy luggage tag, and in the corner of the toiletry bags, warm tan over chestnut.

A black-and-white die for leather stamping depicting a rescue skiff and BUILT FOR HIGH WATER lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A navy leather luggage tag stamped with a rescue skiff and BUILT FOR HIGH WATER lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A warm tan and chestnut leather toiletry bag stack stamped with a rescue skiff and BUILT FOR HIGH WATER lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

Then the state insect. We sat a monarch down on a bluebonnet, wings folded the way they rest, and wrote BRYAN TEXAS under the leaves.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather – here on a honeyed russet luggage tag and a golden tan keychain.

A black-and-white die for leather stamping depicting a monarch on a bluebonnet above BRYAN TEXAS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A honeyed russet leather luggage tag stamped with a monarch on a bluebonnet above BRYAN TEXAS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A golden tan leather keychain stamped with a monarch on a bluebonnet above BRYAN TEXAS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

The herons fish the shallows of Lake Bryan all summer, with dragonflies holding the air over the water. We froze that on one die, a heron mid-wade with a dragonfly above it, and set LAKE BRYAN beneath the water line. It goes to a pale sea-blue keychain and a navy journal.

A black-and-white die for leather stamping depicting a heron and dragonfly above LAKE BRYAN lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A pale sea-blue leather keychain stamped with a heron and dragonfly above LAKE BRYAN lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A navy leather journal stamped with a heron and dragonfly above LAKE BRYAN lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

And finally, Boonville, the county's first seat – today a park where an old log house still stands behind a bed of bluebonnets. We pressed the porch and its flowers into the corner of a warm mid-gray journal.

A black-and-white die for leather stamping depicting a log-house porch and bluebonnets above BOONVILLE lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A warm gray leather journal stamped with a log-house porch and bluebonnets above BOONVILLE lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

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 changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

A warm tan leather luggage tag stamped with a mammoth above river lines and ICE AGE ON THE BRAZOS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A navy leather luggage tag stamped with a rescue skiff and BUILT FOR HIGH WATER lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.

A honeyed russet leather luggage tag stamped with a monarch on a bluebonnet above BRYAN TEXAS lettering, from The Bottomlands collection of Bryan, Texas.