THE KEEPERS – an Aurora, New York leather stamping study, Volume III

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

An August study. Volume III of the Aurora series.

On the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, in Aurora, New York, people walk the waterline hunting for a smooth gray stone with a natural hole through it, kept for the good things to come. We pressed that habit into leather – five keepers, one per object, and we call the collection THE KEEPERS.

First, the lucky stone itself. Walk the shore at Long Point and you may find one; we hung ours on a knotted cord and wrote the reason people pocket them underneath: GOOD THINGS TO COME. One tag in pale warm greige for the stone, one in navy for the lake that shapes it. The third tag is true black, and it carries the stamp in gold foil.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white artwork for the Lucky Stone talisman in The Keepers leather collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

A finished luggage tags leather presentation stamped with the Lucky Stone talisman for The Keepers collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

Next, we drew the farm's ambassador. The bluff above the village began as a prosperous dairy homestead, so a Holstein in folk linework wears her Sunday bell, with one word underneath – PROSPER. The keychain duo runs warm tan and deep pine green, cream and pasture.

Keychains with the little Holstein look just awesome.

Black-and-white artwork for the Prosper dairy cow in The Keepers leather collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

A finished keychains leather presentation stamped with the Prosper dairy cow for The Keepers collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

Then the wash bag got a character with an opinion about mornings. A mallard drake strides across the lower corner, chest out, first to the sink – EARLY BIRD. Cayuga County sits under a migratory flyway, so he counts as a local. The stack presses blind, navy over chestnut.

Black-and-white artwork for the Early Bird mallard in The Keepers leather collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

A finished dopp kits leather presentation stamped with the Early Bird mallard for The Keepers collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

The tray gives the order every good day ends on: TURN OUT YOUR POCKETS. Around the words we ringed what an eastern-shore day leaves in a pocket – a feather and an acorn, a key and a button, and the lucky stone at twelve o'clock. Golden tan, pressed blind at the center.

Black-and-white artwork for the Turn Out Your Pockets keepsake ring in The Keepers leather collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

A finished catchall tray leather presentation stamped with the Turn Out Your Pockets keepsake ring for The Keepers collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

And finally, the journals. The south county around Aurora is stargazing country, so we perched an owl on a bare branch under a sliver of moon and set NIGHT THOUGHTS beneath – company for whatever gets written after dark. One journal in navy for the night sky. The other is true black, where the blind press reads as a quiet shadow relief.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white artwork for the Night Thoughts owl in The Keepers leather collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

A finished leather journals leather presentation stamped with the Night Thoughts owl for The Keepers collection, Volume III of Aurora, New York.

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.