Leather Roundup: 9 Fresh Designs

This week, we embarked on a quest – which involved hours of arduous online window-shopping – for handmade products made with leather. We're not talking about plain brown wallets here, people. We found vivid colours and rich textures, fashion-forward designs and fun shoes for fat little feet.

Let's take a fresh look at leather:

1. The vintage vine design on this leather wristband comes from Art of Spirit Leather Works. The version with red flowers also makes a great, casual accessory.

2. This smart-looking journal is inspired by motifs from medieval times. Thanks, Owl Bindery, for helping motivate us to write down our great ideas and plan ahead. Or just doodle.

3. Baby shoes are unbearably cute to begin with, but these sporty little slippers by Bugaloo up the ante with their boyish charm.

4. This black, frilly handbag works for the office and for evenings out – with the one thing us ladies can't get enough of: space! Why settle for the standard boxy bag when you could have this one from The Leather Store.

5. You can't have a bouquet of roses every day, but you can have a red rose petal bag by Stacy Leigh, whose designs will suit the hopeless romantic. (Pssst ... guys ... you realize Valentine's Day is around the corner ... )

6. You're late. You're stuck in traffic. You just spilled coffee on yourself. You look at your wrist and read "Live, Laugh, Love" and start to feel a little more Zen, thanks to Leather Made Nice.

7. OK, this is not a straight-up leather product, but Kind Stones shows such a yummy way to use leather that we couldn't resist. The semi-precious stones in this bracelet, held together with leather, remind us of candy – and we like candy.

8. Rugged, yet modern. Gritty, but stylish. These killer combinations really work for Seattle's Moxie and Oliver, which makes belts, wallets (including the "Clarke" above), bags, guitar straps and more.

9. Greenbelts makes "accessories with a conscience", using reclaimed and recycled materials in their leather wristbands, pet collars and belts. This flower ring is a great reminder that creativity loves constraint – you don't need a lot of expensive material or a huge canvas to make a statement. Even the band is made of leather!

What's your favorite leather product?  Share it with us...