Checking in on some past projects

A few of my past projects have made their way back to me for one reason or another, and I thought I'd post some photos of what time and handling has done to them. First up is the sucker wallet. It came back to get the snap replaced, as the spring in the initial snap just got too loose. This particular wallet was left undyed and natural, so this is how it looks after 15+ months of handling and some treating:

Up next is one of the drawn-upon curse purses. That particular approach was kind of experimental (using dye to draw linework on white doe kidskin), and while it looked great initially it doesn't seem to hold up. I really like how the stark white looks after it's been handled and gotten darker, but the dye faded too much for my, and the client's, taste:

I didn't have high hopes for cleaning this piece, so I offered to redo it in a veg-tanned alternative. Also, this was made to fit tampons and not cards, but she used it as a card case anyway, so I made the new version slightly larger for a better fit:

Finally, this is a good reminder not to leave your leather goods where pets and/or animals can get to them. My friend Rachel has a couple of really sweet dogs, but unfortunately one of them got the urge to gnaw and this is the result:

I'm not sure what approach I'm going to take with this. It can be shrunk down and turned into a coin purse, but that might be the only thing I can realistically do with this.

On to some new pieces. My fascination with whip making continues, and I finally picked up some steel shot and was able to construct a shot-loaded snake whip. Snake whips are typically referred to as something you can roll up and put in your pocket, but this thing is a beast and it's not going to fit into any of my pockets. A saddlebag, maybe...the thong (braided portion) is 6 feet long and the fall/cracker add another 2 feet. I haven't quite got the hang of cracking this thing confidently, due to the flexible handle and the weight, plus this isn't really my best example of plaiting, but when it does crack it's thunderous:

Up next is a clutch and phone pouch combo. The client wanted something to replace a zippered dayplanner, so it needed to be smaller yet hold a smartphone, pen, cards, checkbook, etc., all without a zippered closure. She also wanted a small leather case for her phone that could hold a few cards and some cash. Here are the results, which use luchador masks and skull imagery:

Six card slots, two larger slots for cash and receipts, and a dedicated slot for her checkbook. The phone pouch, pens, etc., all fit in the middle.

Now I can move on to some different leather. I recently purchased some cane toad skins and I've got some interesting plans for them: