Four Needle Coptic Stitch Book
5" x 6" (closed)
Autumn Hathaway
Haverhill, MA

For the book, cut eight 5 1/2" x 4" medium blue pieces of cardstock. Fold in half to form signatures. Stamp on some and adhere strips of watercolor paper to the outside fold to reinforce. Affix different subjects to each side of the signatures using eyelets and fasteners. Vary the size, color, and texture and shape of each panel. Using tags, shells, stamped pieces, clip art, printed paper, postage stamps, buttons, charms, etc., complete the pages. Cover book boards with printed paper on the outside and stamped paper on the inside. Affix eyelets to the stations in the boards for the sewing. Stitch the book together using a four needle Coptic style binding. For the starfish page, stamp the starfish with olive green ink on a torn old book page. Stamp swirls with the same ink on a light-blue panel. Affix the panel. Glue the page to the opposite side of the signature. For the opposite page, stamp the signature with a script background. Affix a torn light-blue panel. Glue a stamped panel on top of the light blue panel. Age and adhere a dictionary definition. For the scallop page, tint the edges of the top torn light-blue panel with blue ink. Using the same ink, tint the edges of a script stamped strip of paper. Glue the strip to the signature. Adhere a scallop shell charm and torn art paper to the light blue panel. On the opposite side, stamp script on a tag. Color and emboss the edges. Affix to the signature with copper brads. Stamp image of a ship on graph paper. Tear the edges. Color the edges and the ship. Attach with treated mesh strips and eyelets.

S.L.O.
5 1/4" x 7 3/4" (closed)
Carol Owen
Pittsboro, NC

Paint a purchased book with Lumiere paints. Attach an aged paper panel to the front. Glue twigs as a frame around the inside edges of the panel. Make or purchase a metal shrine with a glass door. Decorate the shrine with feathers, twigs, and a rusted nail wrapped with raffia. Glue these elements above the door. Insert a finding in the window. Add beads and a charm. Glue the shrine to the front of the book. Attach a typewriter letter below the shrine. Attach five pages together with small eyelets on top and one snap at the bottom left corner. Dry brush the last page in this grouping with paints. Adhere torn paper and lace to the page. Attach a letter disc with red wire to the snap. On the opposite side, dry brush with the same paints. Attach a butterfly, torn and cut papers, lace, a skeleton key, and a gold painted corrugated hand shape. For the green pages, pant the left page with Lumiere paint. Adhere found image. Attach metal tag with fibers to the top left side of the page. Tear three facing pages in a step pattern. Paint the three torn pages and the following page with Lumiere paints. Stamp images on the last page and the first torn page. Adhere a stamped crow on a painted circle to the front of the right side. Attach the torn pages with snaps at the bottom. Affix charms to the snaps. Insert found pictures into the torn page folders.

Hilton Head Island
Journaled Altered Book
5 1/4" x 7 3/4" (closed)
Shirley Nachtrieb
Saint Charles, MO

Sketch a desired scene with watercolors on watercolor paper. Glue the piece to the front of a book. Adhere starfish. Embellish the front of the book with fibers and ribbons tied through large eyelets on the cover of the book. Paint pages with various paints. Journal on the pages with a marker. Cut the next page and tear the middle out of the right pages. Punch the edge of the top of the torn page with holes. Punch holes in the bottom of the page along the top and bottom. Add a hole on the edge. Add fibers. Fold over to the left. Cut out two pages in the book, leaving an inch near the binding. Color and decorate specialty paper. Cut out a circle. Add fibers. Tip into the book between the remaining inch pages. Glue in place. Paint the following page with yellow paint. Transfer or stamp a woman with various paints. Add journaling. Paint several pages. Tear three left pages in a cascading fashion. Glue the edges together to create pockets. Add a decorated circle tag. Attach variegated ribbon to the tag. On the opposite side, paint the edges of the page. Add white paint to the center. Highlight with gold paint.

The Sea
3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (closed)
Sherri Camperchioli
Broadview Heights, OH

Paint a small children’s board book with burnt umber gesso. When dry, swirl Emerald Green Lumiere paint on surface of each page. When completely dry, adhere strips of purple handmade paper and white tissue swirls on each page with matte waterbased varnish. Stamp fish and shell (Leavenworth Jackson) on white fabric with black StazOn. Fray the edges of the fabric by removing threads along the edges. Detail with seed beads sewn on with silver thread. Adhere the prepared fabric, a shark’s tooth, shells, and sea sponge to the book with white glue. Adhere quotes (from The Man Whose Mother Was Pirate by Margaret Mahy) and vintage image with matte varnish. Wrap a single piece of decorative fiber around the folds in the book.

Sea Dreams
5 1/2" x 5 1/2" (closed)
Kathy Welsh
Tempe, AZ

Sand and apply gesso to each page and covers of a children’s book. Paint or use patterned papers for a background on each page. Apply photo transfers and old postcards with a sea theme, paper sewing patterns, handmade papers, stamped words (Hero Arts and A Stamp in the Hand), and other ephemera. Add texture with eyelets, buttons, printed fabric, tin letters, threads, and sewing. Make an embellishment for the book spine out of ribbons, pearl ribbon, threads, beads, and tin letters. Attach to a piece of fabric and glue to the spine of the book. For the baby bird pages, paint the pages with blue and green paints. Adhere papers and buttons to the left side. Attach papers to the left side with a photo transfer. Add a glass pebble with “joy” under the pebble. Sew tin letters to the tabs on the pages. For the fish pages, adhere background paper to two facing pages and then trim. Affix paper ruler to the center fold. Sew stamped images on textured wallpaper pieces. Attach stamped tiny jewelry tags to the bottom of the panels with the strings from the tags. Glue to the pages. Attach word strip to the top. Add buttons. Sew a letter to the tab on the page. Adhere button background paper to two facing pages. Add papers to the left side. Attach found picture with eyelets. Attach tiny stamped jewelry tags to the background panel. Affix a sea foam colored panel onto a wallpaper scrap with eyelets. Glue to the page. Affix stamped and tinted tag and circle tags on top. Sew tin letters to the tabs. Glue tissue pattern paper to facing pages. Age with paint or inks. Adhere a strip of background paper across the two pages. Glue a telephone information page to the left side. Adhere strips of clear tape over a photo. Attach tiny stamped jewelry tags to the bottom. Affix to the left side. Dry brush white paint over a picture of a sailboat. Affix eyelets to the bottom of the photo. Attach tiny stamped jewelry tags to the eyelets. Sew tin letters to the tabs on the pages. Paint the last two pages with dark-blue paint. Glue trimmed copy of photo, punched yellow stars, a circle and torn paper to the pages. Add a boat.

Idyllwild
4 1/4" x 6 3/4" (closed)
Carol Owen
Pittsboro, NC

Using a purchased book, cut out a window on the cover. Glue facing pages together for stability. Cut out a window on all the pages, except for the last few. Paint the surfaces of the cover and the pages until the desired effect has been achieved. Adhere painted lace and torn paper to the inside cover. Adhere torn and aged papers to the facing page. Affix black tulle to the back of the window. Attach a framed number, a gold painted seed pod and a rusted key to the glued pages as shown. Age and glue a picture of a girl to the back of the window and tulle. Attach the page behind the picture. Age facing pages. Fold the right page into a pocket. Glue a dressing pattern tissue to the pages. Adhere an aged picture, a painted and aged letter to the left side and aged postcards in the pocket. Glue an aged postcard piece to the top of the right side. Adhere a few pages together. Affix an aged ribbon to the inside fold. Glue aged papers to the right side. Stamp and color the right side. Wrap aged paper around a page. Attach sticker letters and postage to the page. For the back cover, paint and age the back of the book. Collage papers, photo, and clock face. Age with paints. Add pebbles.