The Marbled Hide showcases unique leather goods

Think Tuscan terracotta, weathered teal, distressed pink, and matte olive marbled onto peachy tan leather and then made into handbags, bracelets, wallets, earrings and keychains.

The Marbled Hide, 302 Main Street in Polson, has all the leather items above and more, created by proprietor Amy McIntosh, who hand stitches the handbags and other items.

She began her leatherworking career about 10 years ago. A snowboarder in Whitefish who worked at all sorts of jobs, McIntosh injured her back and couldn’t move well for five or six months.

Scanning the internet for something interesting to keep herself busy, McIntosh found a site in Virginia offering marbled leather goods. Intrigued by the unique look, she ordered a kit and started working, concocting her own paints and marbling hides.

“Each hide takes the design in its own way,” ,” McIntosh said. She uses only vegetable-tanned leather for her creations.

One of her first projects was a simple bracelet cut from her marbled leather and fastened with a snap. The creations were instantly popular at the Whitefish Farmers’ Market.

“I sold hundreds of them”, McIntosh said.

Then she branched out, making other marbled leather items, and experimenting with different colors. She also paints sunrises on another line of leather goods that includes bookmarks, wallets and keychains. McIntosh likes to work with her hands. It reminds her of watching her grandmother quilt and the squares of fabric her grandmother gave her to stitch together.

Although her shop’s square footage is diminutive, McIntosh had loaded it with color – marbled leather items, big and small, plump stacks of FreeTrade kantha quilts, Montana-themed pottery tiles, and artwork created by her best friend.

Her first marbled project, the bracelets, still sell well, although her biggest seller is the kantha quilts, she said. People love the story: the quilts are made in Indonesia from extra saris of different colors and patterns that are hand-stitched together.

For the artist, it’s a creative calling that’s turned into a business.