u/vVbuss

In East Asian culture, each birth year is tied to one of twelve animals, and my dad was born in the Year of the Goat. So for his birthday I decided to carve one onto a wallet for him, an ibex actually, with those long curling horns that ring shops sell as good luck charms back home.

I did not expect the horns to fight me the way they did. Getting the ridges to look natural, not like stacked pancakes, meant redoing that section twice before I was happy with it. The fur took even longer, every strand tooled one at a time so it would catch light instead of looking flat and painted on.

It is not a fancy design. It is just a goat's head on burgundy leather. But every time I pick it up I think about how my dad has never once told me he liked something I made, he just quietly keeps using it until it falls apart. I am hoping this one gets that treatment too.

In East Asian culture, each birth year is tied to one of twelve animals, and my dad was born in the Year of the Goat. So for his birthday I decided to carve one onto a wallet for him, an ibex actually, with those long curling horns that ring shops sell as good luck charms back home.

I did not expect the horns to fight me the way they did. Getting the ridges to look natural, not like stacked pancakes, meant redoing that section twice before I was happy with it. The fur took even longer, every strand tooled one at a time so it would catch light instead of looking flat and painted on.

It is not a fancy design. It is just a goat's head on burgundy leather. But every time I pick it up I think about how my dad has never once told me he liked something I made, he just quietly keeps using it until it falls apart. I am hoping this one gets that treatment too.

In East Asian culture, each birth year is tied to one of twelve animals, and my dad was born in the Year of the Goat. So for his birthday I decided to carve one onto a wallet for him, an ibex actually, with those long curling horns that ring shops sell as good luck charms back home.

I did not expect the horns to fight me the way they did. Getting the ridges to look natural, not like stacked pancakes, meant redoing that section twice before I was happy with it. The fur took even longer, every strand tooled one at a time so it would catch light instead of looking flat and painted on.

It is not a fancy design. It is just a goat's head on burgundy leather. But every time I pick it up I think about how my dad has never once told me he liked something I made, he just quietly keeps using it until it falls apart. I am hoping this one gets that treatment too.

In East Asian culture, each birth year is tied to one of twelve animals, and my dad was born in the Year of the Goat. So for his birthday I decided to carve one onto a wallet for him, an ibex actually, with those long curling horns that ring shops sell as good luck charms back home.

I did not expect the horns to fight me the way they did. Getting the ridges to look natural, not like stacked pancakes, meant redoing that section twice before I was happy with it. The fur took even longer, every strand tooled one at a time so it would catch light instead of looking flat and painted on.

It is not a fancy design. It is just a goat's head on burgundy leather. But every time I pick it up I think about how my dad has never once told me he liked something I made, he just quietly keeps using it until it falls apart. I am hoping this one gets that treatment too.

I made this dragon wallet as an example of what can be created entirely by hand. From carving and shaping the leather to painting, stitching, and finishing, every step is completed by hand from start to finish.

If you want something more personal than a traditional plain wallet, I accept custom commissions based on your preferred artwork, story, or personal meaning. We can discuss your idea together and develop it into a wallet made specifically for you.

Feel free to message me if you have an idea you would like to explore. What would you choose to have carved onto your own wallet?

My dad has always enjoyed making leather goods. When I turned 15, he gave me a handmade leather wallet for my birthday. To be honest... I remember feeling a little disappointed. I was 15, and I was hoping for something a bit cooler. A wallet just wasn't the gift I had imagined. I still used it every day, though.

A few years later, I got really into drawing. One day I looked at that old wallet and thought, "Maybe I should draw something on it." It looked okay, but I wanted more. So I started looking online and discovered leather carving. I bought a few cheap tools just to give it a try, and somehow I never stopped.

My dad still enjoys making traditional leather goods, while I ended up making custom hand carved pieces instead. Every project has a different story behind it.

This leopard was one of the most satisfying pieces I've carved recently. The customer wanted to capture the calm expression rather than make it look aggressive. Surprisingly, the hardest part wasn't the spots. It was making the fur look soft enough while still creating enough depth to make the face feel alive. I probably spent more time on the fur than anything else.

Looking back, I guess that wallet wasn't just a birthday present after all.

My dad has always enjoyed making leather goods. When I turned 15, he gave me a handmade leather wallet for my birthday. To be honest... I remember feeling a little disappointed. I was 15, and I was hoping for something a bit cooler. A wallet just wasn't the gift I had imagined. I still used it every day, though.

A few years later, I got really into drawing. One day I looked at that old wallet and thought, "Maybe I should draw something on it." It looked okay, but I wanted more. So I started looking online and discovered leather carving. I bought a few cheap tools just to give it a try, and somehow I never stopped.

My dad still enjoys making traditional leather goods, while I ended up making custom hand-carved pieces instead. Every project has a different story behind it.

This passport cover was made as a gift. The customer wanted something dark and mysterious, so we combined a raven, a skull, and a Hannya mask. The funny part is that the raven was actually the hardest part to carve. Feathers look simple until you have to carve every single one by hand.

Looking back, I guess that wallet wasn't just a birthday present after all.

A customer emailed me with one of the most unusual design requests I’ve ever received.
He wanted to combine a Hannya mask, a raven, and a skull on a passport cover. At first, I assumed he was simply drawn to dark imagery.

As we exchanged a few emails about the design, he explained what he actually wanted.
“I don’t want it to look evil. I want it to remind me that everything in life is temporary.”

After a few rounds of refining the design together, this became the final result.

I really hope it’s something he’ll enjoy carrying with him on many future trips.

A customer emailed me with one of the most unusual design requests I've ever received.
He wanted to combine a Hannya mask, a raven, and a skull on a passport cover. At first, I assumed he was simply drawn to dark imagery.
As we exchanged a few emails about the design, he explained what he actually wanted.
"I don't want it to look evil. I want it to remind me that everything in life is temporary."
After a few rounds of refining the design together, this became the final result.
I really hope it's something he'll enjoy carrying with him on many future trips.

We both grew up watching One Piece, so when I wanted to make him something meaningful, Gear 5 immediately came to mind.

To me, Gear 5 has never just been about how strong Luffy became. It's about finding a way to smile even when life doesn't go the way you hoped.

When I gave him the wallet, he didn't really talk about the carving. Instead, he started reminiscing about his favorite Gear 5 scenes. That made me realize I had chosen the right design.

I just wanted to share the piece and the story behind why I made it.

Centuries ago, carved leather was used to decorate and protect books, purses, boxes, and cases for valuable objects. Craftsmen discovered that when vegetable tanned leather is damp, its surface can be compressed and reshaped. Once dry, the leather holds those marks and, rather inconveniently, remembers the mistakes too.

I used that same basic technique for this long wallet. The lion was carved directly into one piece of leather, with no extra layer underneath the face. The hardest part was creating enough depth around the eyes and muzzle while keeping the fur moving in a natural direction. Too little pressure would leave the portrait flat, while too much could distort its expression.

The relief was then painted by hand before the leather was stitched into the finished wallet. I’m curious how the final result reads to someone seeing the process for the first time. Does the lion still feel natural once the portrait becomes part of a functional object?