To add spice to the all-white faux-fur Kottla slipcover from Ikea (from $19 for a loveseat to $89 for our furry four-seater model), designer Laura Ford used Folk Art Fabric Paint ($1.59 each at Michaels) to make polka dots. And, she says, the process was so easy, anyone can do it.

Ms. Ford took double-sided adhesive sheets and cut out circle stencils in different sizes. Then she applied the stencils to the slipcover (while on the sofa) and used them as a template to brush on the paint.

Templates give a clean edge, she says. The thick adhesive paper helps keep paint from bleeding through, and it won't shift while you are painting.

Variation: Feeling artistic? Use the same paint for a free-hand climbing leaf pattern.

Ms. Ford spent about four hours cutting, sticking and painting the polka dots, and she let it dry for 24 hours. That's all the time it took to create a fun sofa slipcover worthy of a loft setting, teen bedroom or game room that will last for years.