The Thought That Counts – a leather collection of gift messages

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

A September study – Volume I-D.

The Thought That Counts – a small leather collection about giving. Every good gift carries a message the giver mostly leaves unsaid; these five say it out loud, pressed into the leather itself.

First, the send-off. We took the words COME BACK WITH STORIES and drew the trip above them – one line that loops out from a small star and returns to it as an arrow. A luggage tag is given before the journey; this one tells the traveler what to bring back.

Black-and-white COME BACK WITH STORIES stamp artwork for The Thought That Counts leather collection.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather – in navy and in honeyed russet. The black tag carries the words in gold.

A navy blueberry leather luggage tag stamped with COME BACK WITH STORIES from The Thought That Counts collection.

A honeyed-russet indian-summer leather luggage tag stamped with COME BACK WITH STORIES from The Thought That Counts collection.

A black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with COME BACK WITH STORIES from The Thought That Counts collection.

Next, the small one that makes the return trip. We drew a solid little parcel, its string crossed and knotted in white, and set CARRIED HOME FOR YOU beneath – the keychain admits exactly what it is. One in pale sea-blue, one in dark espresso.

Black-and-white CARRIED HOME FOR YOU parcel stamp artwork for The Thought That Counts leather collection.

A pale sea-blue turquoise leather keychain stamped with CARRIED HOME FOR YOU from The Thought That Counts collection.

A dark-espresso leather keychain stamped with CARRIED HOME FOR YOU from The Thought That Counts collection.

Then the kit that goes along. Low in the front corner, small as an aside, we pressed MISS YOU ALREADY inside a thin label frame – read each morning at some faraway sink. Warm tan over chestnut.

Black-and-white MISS YOU ALREADY label stamp artwork for The Thought That Counts leather collection.

Caramel and sicilian-brown leather toiletry bags stamped with MISS YOU ALREADY from The Thought That Counts collection.

After that, a journal for whoever is starting something. TELL ME EVERYTHING stands in the cover's corner above two empty ruled lines – the first page of the story, waiting on the outside. In deep green and in warm tan.

Black-and-white TELL ME EVERYTHING ruled-line stamp artwork for The Thought That Counts leather collection.

A forest-green leather journal stamped with TELL ME EVERYTHING from The Thought That Counts collection.

A caramel leather journal stamped with TELL ME EVERYTHING from The Thought That Counts collection.

And finally, the one we liked the most. HOME SAFE sits inside a drawn keyring, two keys hanging beneath – every evening the real keys land right on the words. On golden tan, it looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white HOME SAFE keyring stamp artwork for The Thought That Counts leather collection.

An arizona-tan leather catchall tray stamped with HOME SAFE from The Thought That Counts collection.

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 any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.