I'm with the tea dying idea. Then the applique will tone it down, too. You've put a lot of thought into this and I'd stay with your original concepts.
The previous poster who was posting at the same time I was has a point, but the background of the wow should take some dye. Try it on a scrap of fabric first.
Last edited by irishrose; 02-21-2012 at 12:31 PM.