Hand Designed & Painted Scroll Border

This was a fun one day project that I was able to do for an old client. I did their daughter's room several years ago. My client asked me to both design and paint a custom border for her master bathroom. She wanted a neutral base color that would go with the tile, preferably something warm. She already had the border colors picked out - Spanish Red, Wildflower, and Georgetown Pink Beige. These are the colors of a beautiful chair that she has in her bedroom. So I helped her choose a nice neutral to tie it all together - Benjamin Moore's Antique Parchment.

Before I left, I did a rubbing of the decorative detail in the tile around her jacuzzi tub. I wanted to take from that to come up with my design. I worked for quite a few hours doing research online for different scroll designs and then drawing out a few ideas. I had to follow specific measurements as well because she wanted the border design to about be about 5 or 6 inches in height. I then did a mock up on foam board to show her and get her approval. She loved it - so it was a go.

It took me 6 hours to complete the actual job from start to finish. I worked fast and hard. It was not an easy task. The bathroom had a lot of different angles and tight areas that were hard to reach. I had to use 3 different ladders - 4 foot for in the tub & shower, 2 foot for above the sink (I had to put the ladder on top of the counter), and then a 6 foot for the really high areas. But I made it through and the outcome is just spectacular.

Here are the steps I took to do this job:

1. Draw out the design on paper - repeat the pattern a few times

2. Measure & mark the wall where the border will need to go

3. Transfer the design onto the wall with transfer paper

4. Paint the design

Old World Plaster Finish in Garrison, NY

I had the privilege of working in a beautiful home this past week doing a painting overhaul in a master bedroom and bath. I worked closely with my clients figuring out what colors they both enjoyed and what direction they wanted to go with in terms of a faux paint finish.

They have an octogon shaped alcove in the bedroom with several windows wrapping around. It was the perfect place for a faux finish. They decided on a plaster finish called Old World Plaster (one of my favorite finishes). The other half of the room, we decided to go with a rich mauve / burgundy regular paint color.

We then decided to bring in the same plaster finish into the bathroom but in colors a couple shades lighter than the finish in the bedroom.

Here is a picture of the alcove prepped, plastered, and ready to paint. As you can see, I take great pride in my prep job. Taping is extremely important when doing any faux paint finish. Click Here for more paint prepping tips and ideas.

The Old World Plaster finish is a great finish for walls that are slightly imperfect. The simple texture and glazing brings so much depth and life into a room. This finish can be done in any color as long as you start with a light base paint. The glazing over the top is what brings out the texture. Check out this video to see how the actual glazing process over the textured plaster.

And lastly, here is a close up shot of the gorgeous Old World Plaster finish.

Ragging Faux Finish in Church Welcome Center

I always enjoy painting for my church. They have blessed me so much over the years and it is always my chance to give back to them for all that they have done for me.

This job was pretty easy. I was able to start with a clean slate (white walls and an empty room). They gave me the reins and allowed me to choose all the colors and what finish I wanted to do. I chose to do a burgundy red color below the chair rail and a beige / gold above with the rag faux finish technique.

This is a close - up of the finish. The color is way off though. The flash kept causing a glare on the wall, so I took it off, but it made the picture pretty dark. But at least you can get a feel for what ragging looks like.

My husband and I worked on this together. He calls me "Boss" when we are painting. LOL

We went through probably 25 rags for this job. The rags get soaked with the glaze / paint mixture and once that happens the finish can get blotchy. So, starting over with a fresh rag is always important.

I am a huge perfectionist. I tape off everything before I start so the trim, moldings, baseboards, and ceilings are protected. When I remove the tape after the job is done - I am left with a clean straight line with only a small amount of touch up (It's great).

I also like to take a step back while I am faux finishing so I can see if there are any spots that are too dark or too light. The trick about doing a really great looking faux finish is making sure that you have smooth & blended transitions between areas that you are glazing.

So, what do you think? Look nice? Love to hear your comments!

Candyland Themed Mural

It has been over 6 months since I have painted because of my maternity leave. I am so excited to be back. And what a great theme to paint! I have always loved the game Candy Land. I picked up the game to use as inspiration for the mural and now my own children are enjoying it. What a classic!

Here is the start of the mural:

I painted this mural in a playroom for 2 sisters (ages 3 & 6). They got a big kick out of watching me paint. Everytime I added something new, the 3 yr old would run out and tell her mother all about it. I get so much happiness and pride out of being able to make children happy when I paint. A mural is something that can last for many years.

I suggested to the mother to only have the background painted and none of the actual Candyland characters, that way the mural could last a lot longer as the girls grow up. I took many different elements from the game such as the castles, the lollipop flowers, and the paths made out of candy. But I created something unique. I try to never do anything exactly the same as a picture that the client gives me. It is so important to me to make it special and to add my own ideas.

My client was very pleased with the outcome. So, for my first painting job in quite a long time....It was a great success!

Design Dazzle - "Artist of the Month"

I know that it has been quite some time since I have posted. It has been a crazy few months since the baby has been born. I have been taking a nice long break from painting in order to spend time at home with my, now, family of 5.

I have also started an Online Virtual Assistant business which I have been working hard to establish. It is something else that I am able to do from home. I am really excited about it. Please check out my website at www.dpk-virtualassistant.com.

I am so happy to announce that I have been recognized by Design Dazzler, a decorating & design inspired site, as their "Artist of the Month". They did a nice little write about me with a picture of one of my murals. Check it out!



The last thing I wanted to mention, is that I started another blog called Painter Mommy. I post there about my life as a busy mom, artist, business owner, blogger, and entrepreneur. It is a place where I will be sharing about anything and everything.

I will be offering several giveaways over the next few months, so be sure to Subscribe via Email!!

Site of the Week on "Your Neighbor's Place"

I always love to get exposure out there in the internet world. Once again Surfaces with Paint has been written about on a great new site called "Your Neighbor's Place".



"I'd like to showcase the website of one of our members ....Dawn..... Surfaces With Paint, where she has shown off her incredible murals. She's done quite a few murals in plenty of categories - nautical, fairy tale, trees, jungles, animals, tropical and more. Take a look if you are thinking about painting a mural for a nursery or any other room in your home."

Click Here to read more.

Taking a Break - New Baby is Here!!

Jaden Cliff Papandea-Khan was born on October 23rd. He was 6lbs. 10ozs.




I know that it has been quite a while since I last posted. But I had to take a break due to my pregnancy and now that the cutie is here, I will be taking a couple more months off from painting.

I have several clients patiently waiting for me, so once we get on a better sleep schedule - I will be back in full swing.

Boy do I miss painting!!

"Talent of a Muralist" by Paint Your Space

I am happy to announce yet another opportunity for Surfaces with Paint to gain exposure on the internet. Check out this post called "Talent of a Muralist"



Paint Your Space offers a simple and affordable approach to choosing paint color in your home or business. Leslie David of Leslie David Designs offers online color consultations to help people choose the perfect paint color combinations for their walls. All you have to do is upload a few pictures and she will do all of the work for you.

Leslie has recently spotlighted me and some of my work, so I also wanted to take this opportunity to share that with you and also say a public thank you to Leslie for what I call "linkin' love".

Click here to see the post.

Vote for my Nursery Murals Blog!

I need your votes!! I just signed my Nursery Murals and More Blog up on DivineCaroline.com. They are offering free prizes to the blogs that get the most votes.

Can you click on the link below and vote for me? I would really appreciate it!!