Appliques: Give a Vintage Bed New Life!

We received a fantastic email from our customer, Ms. Veiga, showing us her incredible transformation of a gorgeous Vintage Bed. She did all the hardwork in refinishing and decorating it with Bella Cottage Appliques and the end result is flawless! We were all in awe of her bed!

The bed itself took ages for her to find and she finally found it on Criagslist! She saw great potential in this bed-frame and the curves in the foot board are simply too beautiful. She had repair work done to make the frame stable for her mattress and now it’s like new!

She writes to us: “Your products make everything so easy to do and the results are just fabulous. I plan on doing over my 4 poster this summer with the large rose swags and my dressers too.”

Ms. Veiga, you have an incredible eye and such a talent! We’re so happy you shared these beautiful pictures with us and let us share it with our fans! No doubt this amazing piece will be an inspiration to us all.

DIY Project: Pink Rose Shabby Holiday Pot

Written by Judith Norman

This project was inspired by a Christmas gift from a friend named Leslie. She gave each member of our volunteer group an Amaryllis bulb. It takes approximately eight weeks for the plant to bloom.

But when when it matures, it will look like this:

I wanted the pot to be as beautiful as the plant. So, with the support of the wonderful The Bella Cottage, I used appliques and paint to create a shabby chic-inspired pot. Here’s how I did it.

Before

Supplies: clay pot; unfinished appliques (www.thebellacottage.com); paint – 1 white and 1 chocolate (we used acryllic); paint brushes; wood glue; medium grade sand paper; gloves; painter’s tape; ruler; pencil; old newspaper; varnish (glossy); old rag

The Bella Cottage Appliques

Supplies

Start by covering your work area with old newspaper. Then sand the pot and the back of the appliques. Wipe off any dust with an old rag. I used 2 unfinished small roses appliques for this project but, you may use as many as you wish. Also, appliques come in a variety of designs and sizes.

Use a ruler to locate the pot’s center. Mark it with a pencil.

Glue the appliques to the center of the pot. Cover them with painter’s tape and let dry for several hours (overnight if possible).

Paint the inside of the pot

Paint the pot. Give it at least three coats. Allow the paint 2-3 hours drying time between coats.

After the pot has dried, sand paper lightly around the edges of the pot and applique to give it a distressed look. Then mix an accent paint (I used a chocolate color) with a few drops of water. Take a dry paper towel or old rag and gently go around the distressed areas and parts of the applique you would like to have more definition. Apply 3 coats of glossy varnish (allow 2-3 hours to pass between each application).

Finished!

P.S. My Amaryllis is still in the growing stage. So, I substituted with a Poinsettia plant.

Source

Shabby Rose Appliques: DIY Application!

We get calls every now and then asking for help on how to apply our Shabby Furniture Appliques. Well, look no further my friends! We’ve got you covered! Here are step-by-step instructions to get you started. For this tutorial, I’ll go over how we created a lovely Office Message Board. (No worries, though! These tips are also useful when working with furniture!)

Step One: Gather your, appliques, white  paint, wood glue and sand paper, and fabric. Go to www.thebellacottage.com to purchase your appliques.

Step Two: Spray the bulletin board’s frame and the appliques with white spray paint. Two coats works best. (If you’re working with a pre-painted piece, then it’s best to paint your appliques beforehand and be sure to let it dry completely! Otherwise, you can paint the whole thing after you’re done!)

Step Three: Measure and cut fabric to fit bulletin board. Glue fabric to board.

Step Four: After your appliques have been painted and are dry, lightly sand the surface of the applique with high grit sand paper to get the desired distressed look. This brings out the beautiful details in the flowers and leaves!

Step Five: Before applying glue to the applique, be sure to sand the back of your applique! The backs are glossy and smooth so the glue will stop adhering after a while unless you roughen up the surface. Apply glue to the applique.

Step Six: Affix the applique to the bulletin board. Allow it at least 24 hours to dry.

Step Seven: Enjoy!