The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D – a leather stamping study of tea and kettle rituals

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

A September study – Volume I-D.

The Kettle Hour is a small exhibition of original leather gifts about the ritual a kettle keeps – the tea packed before the clothes, the thought left to steep. Five stamps, five people to give them to, each pressed into the leather object that person would actually use.

First, the traveler who brings the ritual along. We opened a suitcase lid by a few degrees and let one curl of steam escape, with the confession printed beneath – PACKED THE TEA FIRST. It travels in deep green and golden tan, and in deep wine for the evening-tea temperament.

Black-and-white die artwork of a steaming suitcase over PACKED THE TEA FIRST for The Kettle Hour leather collection, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the PACKED THE TEA FIRST suitcase design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

An Arizona golden-tan leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the PACKED THE TEA FIRST suitcase design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

A sangria leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the PACKED THE TEA FIRST suitcase design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

Next, the welcome. KETTLE ON is what you say when someone is already on their way over, so we set the phrase under a kettle mid-whistle – and the keys come home to it every day after. In warm tan and in deep green.

Black-and-white die artwork of a steaming stovetop kettle over KETTLE ON for The Kettle Hour leather collection, Volume I-D.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A caramel leather keychain blind-debossed with the KETTLE ON design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather keychain blind-debossed with the KETTLE ON design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

Then the traveling kit. SMALL COMFORTS names what actually gets packed – and under the words, a teaspoon with a single chamomile bloom resting in its bowl. It stamps small in the corner like an owner's mark, on honeyed russet and on chestnut.

Black-and-white die artwork of a teaspoon holding a chamomile bloom beneath SMALL COMFORTS for The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

An Indian Summer leather toiletry bag blind-debossed with the SMALL COMFORTS spoon-and-bloom design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

A Sicilian-brown leather toiletry bag blind-debossed with the SMALL COMFORTS spoon-and-bloom design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

Then the tray, for the hour the day ends. SET THE DAY DOWN arches over a teacup seen from above, lemon wheel afloat and the spoon already at rest – and the golden tan tray underneath receives whatever the pockets surrender.

Black-and-white die artwork of a top-down tea cup, lemon wheel, and spoon beneath SET THE DAY DOWN for The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

An Arizona golden-tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with the SET THE DAY DOWN tea design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

And finally, the one we liked the most. On LET IT STEEP the teabag string wanders off the cup and turns into a line of handwriting, because thoughts and tea improve by the same method. It sits low on the journal's cover, right where a morning writer's thumb lands – in pale warm greige and in deep green.

Black-and-white die artwork of a teacup whose teabag string becomes handwriting above LET IT STEEP for The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A Gray Sand leather journal blind-debossed with the LET IT STEEP teacup design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather journal blind-debossed with the LET IT STEEP teacup design from The Kettle Hour, Volume I-D.

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.