So, I kept iterating on the leather journal I was making for my friend. I was able to grab a picture of one of her favorite artworks with my phone, then used that to etch it into the leather.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/b/7/b72eeab2043c8eafa7718156dfb3291f0cc5d489_2_281x500.jpg)
Then I got some leather dye to get it into some other shade than nude vegtan color
![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](https://sjc3.discourse-cdn.com/business5/images/emoji/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=9)
This was my first ever attempt at dying leather. It was hard to get an even coat, but I kind of liked the distressed look of uneven dye better anyhow.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/9/0/90466ce701f1e7809f79f7eb8433c0a2e1f44e1d_2_690x388.jpg)
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/4/f/4fa6a551faf9c8c3747e6a797835f5829568f993_2_690x388.jpeg)
It looked pretty decent once I had a book in it.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/5/f/5f5c84ee942da967c805c9428d36e2c87bc44ca5_2_690x388.jpg)
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/7/b/7bc51ae0cba38efd1fa869dace6b4d9b834c6f09_2_281x500.jpg)
Still, we wanted to try it in some nicer leather so I went off to tandy for some oiled leather and started cutting out sections to fit the laser bed.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/0/4/04283d6b17e5255e4ff7f68915d554ef6654c784_2_690x388.jpg)
I had no issues cutting out the pieces for the cover.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/8/d/8ddf004cbb6becd7887eeb28f4651ed25a85835b_2_690x388.jpg)
Then, after doing some additional touchup to remove the ruled lines from her artwork picture I went to etch it into the back of the cover. Since it’s not proofgrade, I used a piece of copy paper and some
Krylon Easy-Tack to stick it to the leather while I etched it. I like it because it feels like a big post-it note with that adhesive so it’s easy to remove.
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/d/5/d5764568340a060265eb6720dd0ef1a65a139364_2_690x388.jpg)
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/d/9/d9c9790d90af2b7282ee4e1f484ef0e427394ec9_2_690x388.jpg)
I sewed the parts together and she was one happy camper. It feels great and should last her many years
![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](https://sjc3.discourse-cdn.com/business5/images/emoji/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=9)
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/glowforge/optimized/3X/2/4/24ae75321a94bf423dd5b9baec7453d977a21692_2_690x388.jpg)