Worth Keeping – a leather stamping collection about gear that earns its keep

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

A September study.

Volume II.

Worth Keeping is a small leather collection about gear that has earned its place – the boot somebody paid to resole, the mug that outlives every upgrade. Five stamps for people who take care of their things.

First, the boot. A resole is a verdict – somebody looked at the wear and decided there was more ahead than behind. So we drew a well-broken-in hiker and wrote the verdict underneath: MILES LEFT IN IT.

Black-and-white hiking boot stamp artwork reading MILES LEFT IN IT from the Worth Keeping leather collection.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-stamped with a hiking boot and MILES LEFT IN IT from Worth Keeping.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with a hiking boot and MILES LEFT IN IT from Worth Keeping.

The black tag carries the boot and its verdict in gold foil.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with a hiking boot and MILES LEFT IN IT from Worth Keeping.

Next, the keychains. We drew a trail dog at full trot, tail high, headed for the door – because the good ones come back, and keys should learn from them. COMES BACK underneath, once in warm tan and once in deep navy.

Black-and-white trotting dog stamp artwork reading COMES BACK from the Worth Keeping leather collection.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A caramel leather keychain blind-stamped with a trotting dog and COMES BACK from Worth Keeping.

A blueberry leather keychain blind-stamped with a trotting dog and COMES BACK from Worth Keeping.

Then the toiletry bags. Every kit keeps a corner for the things nobody plans on needing, so we gave that corner its crest – a matchbox with one match laid out ready, JUST IN CASE beneath. The stack renders in warm tan over chestnut with visible character.

Black-and-white matchbox stamp artwork reading JUST IN CASE from the Worth Keeping leather collection.

Caramel and Sicilian brown leather toiletry bags blind-stamped with a matchbox and JUST IN CASE from Worth Keeping.

After that, the catchall tray, where the kept things land every evening. We drew the enamel mug that has outlasted every upgrade – two chips in the rim, steam still rising – and set the verdict beneath: STILL GOOD. It sits at the center of the golden tan tray.

Black-and-white chipped camp mug stamp artwork reading STILL GOOD from the Worth Keeping leather collection.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind-stamped with a chipped camp mug and STILL GOOD from Worth Keeping.

And finally, the one we liked the most. The way to a good place travels by hand – somebody sketches it on whatever paper is nearest, and the sketch works. So the journals carry a little map in the corner, a dotted trail past two pines to a star, with LEAVE GOOD DIRECTIONS underneath. A journal is where that sketch deserves to live. In deep forest green and warm tan.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white dotted route stamp artwork reading LEAVE GOOD DIRECTIONS from the Worth Keeping leather collection.

A forest-green leather journal blind-stamped with a dotted route and LEAVE GOOD DIRECTIONS from Worth Keeping.

A caramel leather journal blind-stamped with a dotted route and LEAVE GOOD DIRECTIONS from Worth Keeping.

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 anything in Worth Keeping made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.