Problem: Article: There's no reason to go straight into professional, expensive tools. In fact: it's best to start off with a beginners set because everyone tools differently and what works for someone else may not work for you. You want to be able to experiment. Good starter sets can be bought at very reasonable prices from stores like Tandy, both online and locally. Modeling tools, while technically designed for clay, can be extremely useful for leather crafting as well. Tools like a stylus are commonly used, as are tools like a modeling spoon. You should never cut your leather on scrap wood or any surface with a texture (and of course you don't want to cut on a surface you want to preserve), because the texture can be transferred to the leather and even make the leather more difficult to cut. You want to use a marble or granite cutting board. These can be purchased or you can ask a local contractor or granite supply company for scrap. A rubber mat underneath can dim some of the sound and keep your cutting board in place. A mallet is a universal tool that you will need for doing almost any style of tooling. You want to to use a poly mallet when you start learning to work with leather. Never use a metal mallet and avoid wood mallets (as they are delicate). Rawhide mallets are good but expensive, so if you want to experiment with these, wait until later. If you have to buy tools individually, focus on buying the most basic, most useful tools. A stylus, a swivel knife, a modeling spoon, a beveler, a mallet, and a few basic stamps (often also called single-action tools) will get you through learning the craft. Tools come in a number of sizes and the standard sizes are usually for large, male hands. If you are younger or generally have smaller hands, getting smaller sized tools will make the tool significantly easier to use. Stamps and the traditional shapes of leather working tools almost have a unique language unto themselves. Most of the tools will have names that do not seem to make sense, but almost all of them refer to the traditional cowboy leather designs and the specific purpose those tools were meant to serve. Learning the names for the tools can be extremely useful, especially for understanding instructions that you find online and for finding the tools you need. Tooling leather is just like traditional sculpting: there are lots of tools and everyone uses them in slightly different ways. You should not feel like just because you use a stamp to get one look when it's really for getting another, that you're somehow wrong. Whatever works for you and looks good is fine.
Summary: Buy a starter tool set. Consider some modeling tools. Get a cutting board. Get a mallet. Focus on the most important tools. Check to be sure that your tools are the best size for you. Understand the language of leather designs. Don't feel constrained to standard usages.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: This may sound like an obvious step, but many people create their list of things to do before they die mentally. While there is nothing wrong with thinking about the things you want to do, writing them down is an important part of remembering, and finally actually achieving your goals.  Consider getting a small notebook that you can carry around with you. Then you can work on your list whenever you are.  Spend a little extra money and get a durable notebook, if you can afford to. This can help the list last over the long term. Writing a long list of things you want to do before your die can take a while. You do not need to try to finish it in one sitting. Add to your list over over months, maybe even years. It never has to be “finished.” Eventually you’ll build a very long list.  If you think of something new, take a moment to add it to the list. Your list will grow over time, and you will think of things to add even when you are not deliberately sitting down to add things.  This approach will help prevent you from getting frustrated. Maybe you're someone how spends twelve hours a day at work, but make sure you don't only think about work or business goals. Varying your goals across different areas of your life will help you develop a list that can improve all aspects of your life. A few examples might be these:   Relationships.  Finding your soulmate, having children, seeing your children grown and having children of their own is one train of thought.  Sporting achievements.  This may include shooting a 70 on a golf course with no handicap, or a hole in one, or it might mean catching a blue marlin, driving a stock car, or pitching a no-hitter.  One consideration on this category is being realistic about your ability, and present age.  Success in business or work.  Many people happily live full lives at a 9 to 5 job shuffling papers, owning a house in the suburbs, and taking the family to the local diner on Friday nights, but this may not be your idea of a goal in life.  Look at possibilities, list them, and find out what it will require to achieve them.  Philosophical goals. These are a little more difficult to describe, but they may include being a good neighbor, sharing your beliefs, or finding the meaning of life. Your list does not, and probably should not, reflect only material goals.  Making a difference.  Here, you can really challenge yourself, be it finding a great scientific discovery that ends suffering from a tragic disease, or establishing a foundation to help underprivileged children.  Artistic achievements.  There are a number of possible goals here, from writing a novel destined to become a classic, to painting a masterpiece.  Travels.  You may long to take a trip to Europe, Alaska, or the North Pole.  You may even want to travel to space, and even though you may never make it there, put it on the list, and see what opportunities arise to make the dream a reality. Do not limit yourself to these categories. They are just meant to give you some suggestions. Instead, let your imagination run wild. Be as creative as you can be. Keep a notepad handy, and use your imagination to list anything that comes to mind.  Be open ended, you do not need to know exactly how you will achieve every goal right now Just get them down on paper. If you limit yourself at this stage, you might miss out on things you genuinely wanted to try to accomplish. Don’t be afraid to keep items in some goals private. Do not limit yourself based on what you assume other people will think about your goals. Write them down now, and keep the list private if you want. You should think big, but also small. A mix of big and small goals will give you things that you can accomplish regularly. Not every goal has to be something for the far future.  Create small goals that can lead you to your bigger goals. For example, dance at home, then take a dance lesson, then go dancing in public. When your small goals lead to your bigger goals, you will lead yourself to long term success. Write something on your list that you can do today, tomorrow, and this week. If you include items you can accomplish in the short term, you will feel like you have created a list you can actually accomplish. Add to it, or take things away. After all, it is just a personal list. It is yours to expand, change, or reduce.  Keep this original list and continue to work with it. The list itself is important, because it serves as a reminder of all the things you want to do. Be willing to change your list, but also think carefully before making changes. If you take adding and subtracting from the list seriously, you are more likely to take the items on the list seriously.
Summary:
Get a notebook. Take your time. Consider different areas of your life, so that you can look at different aspects separately. List the different "categories" of achievements you hope to attempt in your life. Write down some goals for each category. Write down some big goals and some small goals. Consider the first list your "rough draft".