Julie has designed a vegetable-tanned leather journal cover as our project for this month - this beautiful journal cover can can be used as a traveler’s notebook cover for sketching, painting or scrapbooking, it's also wonderful for planning, journaling and general creativity! The leather cover can be imprinted with one’s name, travel destinations, a favorite quote or inspiring mantra. We invite you to practice stamping on a variety of leather personal and home goods once you’ve experimented with tanning and imprinting!

Julie was a teacher when she started her company, Rais Case. In 2010 she invested $200 in a sewing machine and fabric with a simple desire to make a bag for her computer. While designing and creating, she discovered a deep joy for making practical goods. With no formal training in sewing, Julie found ways to use her background in art to guide her through the process. What began as a personal project quickly turned into a hobby and slowly evolved into a study of quality, design, and fashion. Today she designs and builds luxury leather handbags & goods with an almost cult-like following. As a mother of two (and as an artist, world-traveler and conscious creator), Julie is passionate about designing the highest quality products, as sustainability is at the heart of her work. She also emphasizes cultivating community and culture around locally produced handmade goods.

This workshop includes:

• a detailed, digital workshop to build a customized leather journal cover led by Julie Rais Ellis

The tools & materials included in this kit:

• vegetable-tanned templated leather, cured in an eco-friendly fashion and prepared in Mt. Hope, Ohio
• a set of alphabet + number steel leather stamps
• an 8oz wood + rubber mallet for leather stamping
• a custom notebook built with 135 gsm multi-media paper to start you on sketching, journaling & planning
• accessories needed to hold the notebook in journal

We can’t wait to see how you are inspired to create using these new techniques! Be sure to share with us by tagging @raiscase and using #thecraftersbox. Happy making with this special workshop.