The Last Year

If you were to tell me a year ago that I'd have a brand new website, wallets in multiple states and different countries or that I would still be doing this I would have told you to get lost. What started one late night on Amazon looking for a cheap wallet to replace the one I lost quickly shifted into buying a DIY kit for $40. What I didn't realize was that the kit came with a piece of leather, thread and two needles. I guess I thought it would come with everything needed to make a simple card-holder. Needless to say the journey got off to a delayed start as I had to wait another couple of weeks to receive the tools that I deemed necessary at the beginning without spending too much money.

That first creation was a brown card holder, simple to say the least. Imagine taking a piece of paper, folding it the long way, and stitching up the edge that isn't already folded. Job well done I guess? After thinking I hit a home run, I started looking online to see what it should look like. I didn't glue the edges together. I had stitching prongs that made it look like you stabbed the leather with a fork. The edges weren't burnished and had a floppy look to them. Back to the drawing board and deeper into the pocket to actually invest in a few more tools that would 'hopefully' make the process easier and automatically give the next creation a professional look. I was ambitious to say the least.

Being the persistent person I am; I figured I would keep working at it and see if I noticed any improvements. Slowly but surely I did, until I created the first piece that I was comfortable carrying in my own pocket. Notice I said my own pocket because anyone else probably would have passed on this thing. Next logical step? Let's do away with buying people gifts for the holidays and gift them something. The first two items I made to give away were simple card-holders, and I remember packaging them up and being thrilled with what was inside. That was the first time I thought that this may actually have some longevity. Those two pieces were the same and became known as the 'Ace' and both are still being used almost a year later.

The ride has been a fun one. Each piece provides a new challenge and I still notice slight improvements from one piece to the next. My goal from day one was to make something that I would use and genuinely care about so I wouldn't lose it again. The thought of making 100% handmade items for other people to experience never really crossed my mind, until I saw the gratification that those two guys had when they opened their gift.