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Our Classic Bells products are standard designs that we make on a semi-custom basis -- you choose the leather color, type of bells, and other design options, and we will make the piece to suit. On any of these pieces, we can use our antique bells, your heirloom bells, or a mix of both. New bells are also an option on some designs.
Even thought our Classic Bells designs are not totally custom, we do not cut any corners on the quality of our workmanship or materials. Our leather is USA grown and tanned. Our hardware and fasteners are made of no-rust materials -- stainless steel, solid brass, and copper -- and are as similar to the old styles as we can find.
Our Custom Projects section showcases the custom work we have done for clients. The antique sleigh bells on these pieces are either bells selected from our inventory or are bells supplied by our clients. The pieces are "start from scratch" designs tailored to meet the customer's wishes and the bells available.
The prices shown for these projects are generally based on the cost of bells taken from our inventory. If a customer supplies the bells for a project, the total cost will often be considerably lower than that shown.
If you see a design that sparks your interest, we will be glad to adapt it to meet your particular needs. Please feel free to contact us for more information or to place a custom order.
The attractively-priced products in our Running Horse category are available for wholesale as well as retail sale. Our Running Horse products are made with pride in the USA. We personally design and construct these products in our rural workshop in northeast Iowa.
We welcome wholesale orders for our Running Horse products or for production runs of custom designs featuring new bells (or designs with no bells at all). Please see Customer Service for more information.
Sleigh bells play a key role in two enchanting holiday books -- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and The Magic Sleigh Bell by W. Peter Elliott. Our selection of Santa's antique and new gift bells was chosen to enhance the charm of these stories and celebrate the magic of the holiday season.
Our antique bells date from the late 1800s and early 1900s. We can't say for sure if these bells were ever worn by Santa's reindeer, but they certainly are old and have been used.
In our rural Iowa workshop, we buff each bell, whether old or new, to a soft luster and lacquer it to retard tarnish. The bell is then decorated with a glove-soft deerskin lace and packaged with an attractive velvet gift bag.
The Santas who have become our clients are, without fail, lovely gentlemen to work with. Each one has been politely particular about his attire, knowing that a well chosen suit, belt, gloves, boots, bells, and other details will add to the magic of his special role. We are pleased to design and produce handsome, durable leather accessories for the well-dressed Santa.
A short hike across our hay field will lead you to William's Creek. Wandering along its rocky banks looking for fossils, wild flowers, mushrooms, or nesting eagles is a delightful way to escape from the daily grind.
Like William's Creek, the products featured in this section are a bit of a wander away from our primary focus on sleigh bells. Although sleigh bells are our passion, we enjoy making other leather items: knife sheaths, portfolios and notebooks, chaps and chinks, harness, and horse tack.
As with our sleigh bell straps, we don't scrimp on the materials we use in our William's Creek products, and we take pride in the quality of our construction and finish work. Our leather products are made to be enjoyed and used for many years.
The General Store is the place to purchase loose bells, Harness Honey leather conditioner, the Horse Bells book, old sleigh bell advertisements and catalogs, bridle-leather straps, and a selection of useful hardware -- buckles, rings, bell pins and other fasteners.
Our hardware items come from the working inventory of our leather shop, so quantities are limited to what we have on hand. If you want a modest quantity of our high-quality buckles and fasteners, we will be glad to help you out.
We always carry a good stock of 10-12 ounce bridle leather in three standard colors as well as a varied assortment of lighter leathers suitable for chaps, portfolios and other personal items. Other kinds, colors, and weights of leather are available by special order.
We can supply finished straps of our bridle leather to other craft businesses as well as to do-it-yourself customers. This sturdy, attractive leather is suitable for sleigh bell straps, dog collars, trouser belts, rifle slings, and similar items.