I was giddy at the opportunity to review the Adventures in Leather Set 1 kit. I have never done leather crafting before and was curious about it for myself, but also wanted my kids to have the opportunity to try their hand at it. The Adventures in Leather Set 1 comes with everything you need to do six projects. The kit includes a mallet, sponge, bottle of leather finish, 3-piece tool set, and instructions. It also includes the leather for coin purse, luggage tag, bracelet, bookmark, and 2 leather rounders. It is recommended for ages 10 and up and retails for $39.99.

The basic process for leather stamping is to moisten the leather with water and the sponge, then using the mallet and tools, stamp or carve designs into the leather. The kit really did include everything we needed. Each of my children had the opportunity to design a project. It was great lesson for them to have to figure out how to make the design that they wanted with the tools that are provided. It develops and uses fine motor skills and requires precision and dedication to finish the project design.

Although the kit says that it is geared towards those 8 and up, my entire family enjoyed this, including my 5 and 6-year-old kids. They were delighted to use the mallet and the stamps to imprint their leather, though their designs were more random and abstract. My older students, began by trying to follow the patterns that were suggested in the book, but as they gained confidence, began to create their own patterns. My son, who converted the coin purse into a army knife holder, especially was pouring through the Tandy catalogue to see what other projects he could design. The whole process of making these projects was a great experience for our family. I would definitely consider ordering this kit for other families as a gift in the future.

Overall, I think this a great beginner set for leather craft. We have a Tandy Leather store near us where we can buy more leather for more projects, which is great since my sons want to make coin purses and bookmarks for relatives and friends for next Christmas. We will go soon and check out the other tools that are available. I can see that this could be a fun and addicting hobby.

-Product review by Audrey Tolle, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March, 2018