i gotta have...

a.b.k Custom Leather Craft...Brooklyn-based leather craftswoman Alya B. Kazakevich produces this incredible line...talent, beauty and nostalgia abound...

{all images from a.b.k and photography by Ani Berberian}

Particularly nostalgic for me since my grandfather was a hide dealer in South America and I remember distinctly visiting his factory as a child and seeing all the craftspeople making shoes and leather goods. It was noisy from all the pounding and stitching. The hides were rolled & stacked up to the ceiling...but the one thing that is indelible in my brain is that glorious smell! When I was in grade school my aunt and grandmother went to Spain and brought my sisters and I these beautiful handmade leather book bags, which I thought were cool but so not "American" at the time so I wouldn't carry it...what a fool I was and what beautiful works of art these goods are!

Have a great Wednesday...more Hey Little Diddle product shots to do today...it's gorgeous out and more client shopping to work on...xocc ♥