Worth Keeping – a leather gift collection about kept things – Volume I-D

From the Practice Log.

A September study – Volume I-D.

Worth Keeping is a small leather collection about the act its name describes – the keeping of things and of stories. It runs from stamped luggage tags to a journal built to take dictation.

First, we drew the small string tag an archivist ties to an object the moment it becomes history, and let it pass its verdict on whatever carries it – WORTH KEEPING. On a luggage tag the joke lands twice: the tag gets a tag, and the suitcase gets promoted to artifact.

The navy and the warm tan press blind; the black tag carries the verdict in gold.

Black-and-white WORTH KEEPING artifact-tag die artwork for the Worth Keeping leather gift collection.

A true-black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with the WORTH KEEPING artifact-tag design.

A blueberry leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the WORTH KEEPING artifact-tag design.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed with the WORTH KEEPING artifact-tag design.

The same verdict rides in the corner of the toiletry bag, warm tan over deep brown, for the kit that has earned its keep.

Caramel and dark-espresso leather dopp kits blind-debossed with the WORTH KEEPING artifact-tag design.

Next, we struck a trade token of our own. The old saloon tokens were good for one drink in trade; ours is GOOD FOR ONE MORE STORY, redeemable whenever the bearer asks. On chestnut the token presses blind and wears like pocket metal.

The black fob carries it in gold, after the brass it remembers.

Black-and-white GOOD FOR ONE MORE STORY IN TRADE token die artwork for the Worth Keeping collection.

A true-black leather keychain stamped in gold with the GOOD FOR ONE MORE STORY token design.

A Sicilian-brown leather keychain blind-debossed with the GOOD FOR ONE MORE STORY token design.

Then, the sentence that interrupts every good retelling – SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN – set beside an old printer's fist pointing at the words. We pressed it into the journal's lower corner, where the suggestion finally meets its answer, in deep wine and in deep green, the colors of the clothbound histories it will shelve beside.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN manicule die artwork for the Worth Keeping collection.

A sangria leather journal blind-debossed with the SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN manicule design.

A forest-green leather journal blind-debossed with the SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN manicule design.

And finally, we emptied a pocket and pinned what fell out in a museum row, each small find on its own mounting line, above the plain truth of every catchall – EVERYTHING ENDS UP IN A COLLECTION. On the golden tan tray, the day gets accessioned each evening.

Black-and-white EVERYTHING ENDS UP IN A COLLECTION pocket-object die artwork for the Worth Keeping collection.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind-debossed with the EVERYTHING ENDS UP IN A COLLECTION design.

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.