Three Waters, Volume I-A -- a leather collection for Branson, Missouri

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

Volume I-A. A September study.

For Branson, Missouri -- a collection we call Three Waters.

First, we drew the line that explains the place. West of the dam, Table Rock spreads its arms wide. Below the dam the same water comes out cold and runs through town as Taneycomo; farther on it opens again into Bull Shoals. ONE RIVER, lengthwise along the luggage tag, with both dams marked where the water changes character.

The black-and-white one river stamp plate from the Three Waters leather collection of Branson, Missouri.

We ran it in deep navy and pale sea-blue, and gave it one more pass in warm caramel. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A blueberry leather luggage tags stamped with the one river design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

A turquoise leather luggage tags stamped with the one river design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

A caramel leather luggage tags stamped with the one river design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

Next, the keychain. Taneycomo runs cold the year round because the dam releases from the bottom of the lake, and the trout moved in to stay. So a rainbow trout leaps clear of the current, and the words carry the double meaning -- COLD WATER RUNS DEEP.

The black-and-white cold water stamp plate from the Three Waters leather collection of Branson, Missouri.

Keychains with the leaping trout look just awesome.

A forest green leather keychains stamped with the cold water design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

A caramel leather keychains stamped with the cold water design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

Then the warm side of the dam. A largemouth breaks the surface with its whole body, and TABLE ROCK stands beneath the wave -- pressed small into the lower corner of the toiletry bag, navy over chestnut.

The black-and-white table rock stamp plate from the Three Waters leather collection of Branson, Missouri.

A blueberry sicilian leather dopp kits stamped with the table rock design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

Then the journals. A river keeps a record of everywhere it has ever run -- the old channels stay beside the new one, and sometimes a bend gets left behind as a lake of its own. We drew that memory as nested meanders above the words THE RIVER REMEMBERS, pressed in the corner where a field note begins.

The black-and-white river remembers stamp plate from the Three Waters leather collection of Branson, Missouri.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

A blueberry leather leather journals stamped with the river remembers design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

A gray sand leather leather journals stamped with the river remembers design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

And finally, the one we liked the most. The whole Tri-Lakes on a single plate -- each lake in its own shoreline contours and the river threading them together, with a compass rose holding the corner. THREE WATERS above, BRANSON MISSOURI below. The tray sits by the door and takes the keys at the end of a lake day.

The black-and-white three waters stamp plate from the Three Waters leather collection of Branson, Missouri.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A arizona leather catchall tray stamped with the three waters design from the Three Waters collection of Branson, Missouri.

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.