Look what Punky Found: Handcrafted Leather Goods from Mesa Dreams Leatherworks

Etsy is a great place to browse for inspiration, gifts, and handmade goods! While I always find great new-to-me shops every time I browse, there are just some that stand out. When I stumbled upon Mesa Dreams Leatherwork, I was immediately drawn to the craftsmanship and creativity in their leather goods. Brandy and Djerek are a wife and husband team that creates guitar/camera straps, keychains, luggage tags, bookmarks and even jewelry.

Custom Floral Leather Camera Strap

'I love you to the moon and back!' Leather Luggage Tag or Keychain

Custom Celestial Leather Tag

Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do Leather Wall Hanging

You can read about how Brandy and Djerek got started on the The Etsy Blog. Here's an excerpt from the post that explains their leatherworking process:

"My process begins when I hand cut, bevel and shape leather from large hides. I use steel tools and a mallet to create my designs, hand-draw maps, tool textural reliefs, and stamp custom text one letter at a time. Once the pieces are cut, stamped and tooled, I move to the staining table where I carefully rub natural, water-based color into the leather, allowing for its unique grain and texture to shine through. Once the pieces have dried, I buff them with a soft piece of sheep’s wool, and add a layer of natural matte varnish. Belts, camera straps and the like also get a coat of natural conditioning creme and finishing wax. Next all the pieces move to the finishing table, where I add grommets, snaps, rivets, clips, laces, key rings, and buckles. Finally we wrap each piece in either a cello sleeve or a stamped muslin bag with a special card containing information on how to keep the leather looking good with loving use. Every receipt gets a handwritten personal note no matter how busy we get, and then we pop it into the sunny yellow mailer and off it goes!"

Their shop is full of pieces that can be customized/personalized for you. If not Brandy says, "I am up for making just about anything, even if it's not in the shop! Just contact me and let's see what we can come up with, just for you :)"

Be sure to check out Mesa Dreams Leatherworks on:
Etsy
Facebook
Twitter