Applique Miracles for Your Home
Make a matching design on blender, electric can opener and even the cabinet doors. Don’t forget the range hood. Do a linear design around three sides then a larger design in the center. To put an applique on the refrigerator it must be a light-colored appliance and have a smooth surface. Textured appliances will not accept the transfer as well. Other ideas for the kitchen are the perimeter of a wooden table, table and chair legs, glass cabinet pieces, or even the stove. For stoves with no glass in front put a large applique in the center. Ones that have glass look beautiful when you applique around the window.
In the living room rub the appliques on the corners of mirrors to give them a make-over. Choose appliques with gold or silver borders for an elegant look. Put an applique around light switches and outlets. Or put the applique directly on the switch cover. You’ll save quite a lot over the price of decorated switch covers. Picture frames no longer look ordinary after you choose just the right applique. As a matter of fact, you can put appliques directly on the walls, outlining a grouping of photos.
Some companies are now making appliques which are huge and go directly onto walls, mirrors, tubs, ceilings and headboards. The appliques go on in the same manner as smaller ones but cover large areas. Make a flower garden on a wall or rub an applique on a closet, depicting a palm tree in a dessert oasis.
It can be somewhat time consuming to do the large appliques but the technique is very easy. Simply tape the sheets to the wall and rub with a popsicle stick or something similar. To help protect the image use clear spray topcoat. The appliques are not ideal for showers, sinks or areas that require chemical cleaning.
Crafting people have known about rub on appliques for quite some time, using them to decorate fish bowls, wooden plaques, vases and more but many people don’t realize just how much you can do with them. In this age of mass-produced household belongings you can add a touch of your own style to just about anything. Entertainment centers, tv’s, DVD players, speakers, sewing machines, book shelves, bar stools, and even the coffee table appear to be custom made when you applique.
It’s easy to apply a Monogram to your fireplace mantel or to the heart for a personal touch as your guests enter. Do the same on a footboard or headboard. You can design your own themes by choosing two or more sheets and combining them to make a new design. By doing this you can mix and match the patterns. Use a teepee design around the bottom of a lamp then combine the teepees with buffalo to make a room border. Use the buffalo applique for the door knobs. Large river designs look great on closet or bathroom doors and you can even place the buffalo and teepees along the river banks.
Kids’ rooms are fun when you combine balloons, confetti, smiley faces, snow cones and similar appliques around the room. You can even applique an entire circus on one wall by using the huge appliques, often called wall tattoos. A similar wall decoration, murals, also look great but are applied like wallpaper. Look around at craft stores or go online to find appliques to your liking. Search for others which can be combined to make unique designs, all your own.
