How to make your own appliques for your furniture

These appliques were made with a technique known as "Russian Ceramic". This is a technique that I learned when I was living in Venezuela. With this dough you can make any kind of flowers, birds, jewellery, dolls, fruits, etc.

If you have any questions about how to make the dough, contact me at: kattyscosycove@yahoo.com

Rusian Ceramic Dough Recipe:


To make the dough:

5 cups of cornstarch

4 cups of white glue

2 cups of water

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

3 tablespoons of baby oil

1 tablespoon of hand lotion, for kneading the dough.



Combine glue, water, lemon juice, and baby oil in top of a double boiler, and mix with a wooden spoon until disolved. Add 4 cups of cornstarch little by little stirring constantly until it is dissolved and without lumps. Bring the water to a boil. Stir once and awhile. Cook until the dough starts to separate from the pot. Remove from heat. Put the dough on a working surface, add a little of the cornstarch if the dough is sticky. Put lotion in your hands and keep working until the dough is soft. You don't need to use the whole cup of cornstarch-use as needed. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag. Keep covered while using.

 The roses: Take a small portion of dough, form a string about 2" long to form the center of the rose.

 Form the petals by shaping small portions of dough into little pears and flatten them with your  finger. Make about 4 or 5 petals for each rose.

Work on a waxpaper surface. Mark or draw the desired shape of the applique on the waxpaper so you can follow it while you glue and join the roses together.

Form the leaf by shaping small portions of dough into little pears and flatten them with a real rose leaf on top of the dough to print the leaf vain.

Let dry on a flat surface. It will take about 2 weeks to dry fully, and will appear yellowish. If in the drying process the roses separate, just glue them back with hot glue.

Glue appliques to surface with hot glue, and paint or paint before attaching it to the surface.

I love these appliques because they "pop out" from the surface and I really enjoy them on my buffet.

Imagine the infinite number of projects that you could make with this dough. What about making the roses actual size, and gluing them on a mirror frame! I'm thinking of making that.

"Dahlias that never fade"

I made these beautiful flowers with the same dough explained above. After making the dough, I dyed it with Artisan water mixable oil colour by Winsor & Newton. This particular color is Alizarin Crimson.

Have a wonderful day and come back soon!