WHAT'S IT ABOUT: Leather stamping can be easy, fast craft for all

Leather stamping can be a fairly easy craft that can be done in a matter of seconds.

In order to create a leather stamped piece, Heather Crowell, owner of The Rustic Brush, said the participant should wet the area where the design would be placed, and then hit the end of the metal stamp after it has been placed in the desired area. Instead of submerging the leather, Crowell said, a wet sponge is better suited to apply the water.

“This leather is kind of stiff, so with the stiffer leather, you might want to get it wet first, then let it dry and maybe get it wet again before you stamp it,” said Crowell. “It just softens it up and helps it stamp a little better.”

If the step of dampening the area is skipped, Crowell said, the leather will not allow for the person to make a good enough impression on the piece. To create a good impression on the leather, Crowell said she would not recommend using a piece that is less than 1/16-inch thick.

Crowell said leather-stamping projects can be done on large sheets of leather, or smaller pieces that are more suited for bracelets or keychains. After the impressions are created on the final product, Crowell said people can continue to style and personalize it by using dyes, leather stains, and paints. When using paint Crowell said people should stay away from using oil-based paint and stick more with an acrylic or leather dye.

“The good thing about leather is, it’s a durable material, anyway, so unless you just didn’t put your grommets in really well the leather itself is probably not going to come a part,” said Crowell. “Leather is going to absorb the oils in your skin if you’re wearing it or carrying a [leather] bag or something like that, so you’re going to get that vachetta leather look to it where it gets kind of dark.”

The most basic way to take care of a leather project, especially if it is a piece that can be worn, is to use a type of leather conditioner.

Crowell said the stamps can be expensive to buy, as some can cost $10-$15 each, but she has seen some kits that sell for as little as $25. When picking out the hammer or mallet to hit the stamp, Crowell said, it will need to be a rubber, silicon, or maul mallet.

The activity is one Crowell said cannot be messed up, and it can be done by those who are 7 years old and up, as long as there is adult supervision.

“It’s just one of those fun things you can either be a novice or be advanced at it, and you’re still going to have fun creating,” said Crowell.

Skyler Hammons is a copy editor and general assignment reporter for the Tahlequah Daily Press. She can be reached at shammons@ tahlequahdailypresscom.

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