I love to applique and have found the freezer paper method the easiest for me. It really helps turn the edges under with a crisp fold and is easier to sew down.
Also Elenor Burns has an easy way to applique your pieces, I've tried it a couple of times, but it only works on larger pieces. I have a lot of Piece of Cakes patterns and they are fun to do, they tend to have alot of tiny pieces to applique and those aren't the best for a beginner.