The Working Life – a leather gift collection for the milestones of a career (Volume I-D)

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies. Shops Waterfall, Volume I-D.

A September study.

The Working Life is a small collection about the milestones of a career – five original designs stamped in leather, from a luggage tag for the first work trip to a toiletry bag for the day the clock comes off. Every piece names the moment it is chosen for.

First, the send-off. We drew one solid suitcase leading a line of empty ones still waiting to be filled, and set THE FIRST OF MANY beneath the row – for the graduate packing a first bag, or the new hire boarding a first flight. It runs lengthwise along the tag, in deep green and in warm tan. The black tag carries the gold.

The five-suitcase THE FIRST OF MANY die plate from The Working Life, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with five suitcases and THE FIRST OF MANY from The Working Life.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-stamped with five suitcases and THE FIRST OF MANY from The Working Life.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with five suitcases and THE FIRST OF MANY from The Working Life.

Next, the everyday thank-you. A ring of chain circles the fob and the single link at the crown is drawn solid – THE STRONG LINK, for the one who held when it counted. We stamped it on navy and on golden tan. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

The chain-ring and THE STRONG LINK die plate from The Working Life, Volume I-D.

A blueberry leather keychain blind-stamped with a chain ring and THE STRONG LINK from The Working Life.

An Arizona leather keychain blind-stamped with a chain ring and THE STRONG LINK from The Working Life.

Then, the promotion. A catchall tray is where the day's pocket weight finally comes to rest, so we set THE BUCK STOPS HERE in a double-ruled plaque at the center of the golden tan tray. On this desk the old line is simply, literally true.

The double-rule THE BUCK STOPS HERE die plate from The Working Life, Volume I-D.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind-stamped with THE BUCK STOPS HERE from The Working Life.

For the mentor and the teacher, we drew a pencil burning like a torch, with PASS IT ON beneath it – what a good one hands over keeps burning in somebody else's hand. The journal leaves its first page free for the note that says so in your own words. On deep green and on deep wine.

The pencil-torch and PASS IT ON die plate from The Working Life, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather journal blind-stamped with a pencil torch and PASS IT ON from The Working Life.

A sangria leather journal blind-stamped with a pencil torch and PASS IT ON from The Working Life.

And finally, the retirement. We took the hands off the clock and laid them to rest at the bottom of the dial – OFF THE CLOCK, pressed small into the corner of the toiletry bag in deep brown over chestnut, packed for trips that answer to nobody's schedule. It looks genuinely beautiful.

The handless clock and OFF THE CLOCK die plate from The Working Life, Volume I-D.

Dark-espresso and Sicilian-brown leather dopp kits blind-stamped with OFF THE CLOCK from The Working Life.

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.