Thanks TAH! I tried for symmetry, but when you hand carve this stuff, it’s hard to make both sides of the design a mirror image.
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That’s so nice! A sunface butterfly! I could get behind that design easily …..!
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only on ebay would they model it upsidedown 
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Haha! I saw that right away!
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Q. What’s with all the boxes, stracci?
A. I don’t know, I just can’t stop making them….
It’s just not big enough for my jewelry needs ….
Here are all three recent boxes. I’m sure there will be more soon!
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Gorgeous! But according to that 2nd picture you need a bigger box 
And I think I spy one of the gorgeous rings you made down in the left hand corner…
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The progression of your talent is evident, @Stracci. 
Beautiful, lovely work!
Zia’s sharp eyes nailed it. How awesome to store jewelry you crafted in a box adorned by the same hands. And hey, the lid doesn’t have to close. 
Yes, please!
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Loving those boxes @Stracci I would have never thought to do that but they came out brilliantly 
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Thanks everyone for your comments! I have no one else to show them to, except for hubby. So your input is important to me!
@Ziacat yes, I definitely need a bigger box! And that one ring you saw is the snake ring with Ithaca Peak turquoise.
@Ravenscry the two smaller boxes are recent purchases from thrift stores. I’ve been looking for pretty wooden boxes just for this purpose.
@Phoenix7 I got this idea from watching a video of an accomplished leather artist (Joe Meling) who made a gorgeous box embellished with leather. I love trinket boxes and I like to see them displayed together.
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You’ve shown yourself to be a natural. Most people take years to where you are on your foray into leathercraft.
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Thanks @StevesTrail !
I’m still making mistakes, and I feel like parts of my designs are awkward. I’m working on correcting that.
Since I’m self-taught, I’m gonna stumble over things, and learn stuff the hard way. Just like silversmithing, where I made lots of rookie mistakes in the beginning. I’m still making mistakes. But they’re easier to correct now!
YouTube videos are most helpful, though.
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@Stracci I sure enjoy seeing your new items whether they be in silver or leather. Thank you for sharing them with us.
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Thanks @here4turquoise
I have to show my projects here cause I know you all understand what I’m doing.
Many people don’t give a hoot about jewelry or art of any kind. I don’t know how those people live, without any artistic interest in their life. But I know that all of us here love it. I’m always excited to show my new pieces!
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Here’s the latest. It’s the Tandy Leather passport cover kit, which is just the pre-cut leather pieces and the thread. I drew up my own design.
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Lovely contrast between the tooled and unworked portions. I love your design, and as mentioned before, your growing ability is evident in every piece you share.
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Thanks @Ravenscry! Every time I do one of these I never quite know how it’s gonna turn out.
I was looking at an online resource, explaining how the traditional scroll, vines and flowers should be drawn, according to this particular leather artist. What she thought was right and wrong. Um, no…. I’ll make my own designs. I mean, other leather artists are really wonderful, but I can’t bring myself to copy their motifs.
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This is one of the great beauties of any art form crafted by hand; if someone wants a preview, they can buy a 3D printer and a CAD software. 
If she believes there’s a “right” and “wrong” way, it sounds like she shouldn’t be sharing anything. In my opinion, neither exists in art: it always has been and will forever be entirely driven by self expression and personal preferences.
Inspiration is one thing, but plagiarism is another, and the latter is quite distasteful. Besides, being able to say “I designed and made that” is much more satisfying. 
I love how you share your beautiful hand drawn designs next to your work: it really provides a personal connection for anyone looking at it.
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Thank you for your eloquent response, @Ravenscry
Everything you said is true, handmade is really the best when it comes to the decorative arts and jewelry, of course. This is why I dislike cookie-cutter jewelry like Tiffany and their contemporaries. It’s all mass produced.
I think this is why we love Native arts and jewelry so much. Each piece is hand crafted, hand finished, and made with integrity and pride.
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