Faux Stone Fireplace Mantel

This fireplace mantel was made out of some kind of plaster. It already had the texture, so it made it much easier to work with.

I started by taping and papering to protect the walls around the fireplace mantel. I had to sand because the surface was painted with a gloss finish paint. I then primed and basecoated with a light cream color.

The glazing process is what really brought out the stone surface texture. The darker glaze settled in the nooks, holes and cracks.

I think it came out pretty nice, what do you think?

Faux Metallic Rag Washed Panels

This was a fun job. I had to do 6 panels in a client's formal living room. I created several sample options for them and they decided on the darker base color with a lighter glaze color rag washed on top. They also wanted to add some metallic highlights into the finish, so I topped it off with some gold metallic glaze.

I am extremely particular when it comes to preparing my workspace for a decorative paint finish. I always tape everything off and also add paper in case the paint spatters when I am applying the glaze. You will be surprised how much smoother things go when you don't have a lot of clean up or touch ups to do at the end of a job.

In this picture, you will see that I started to wash in the cream / beige glaze color into the base. It doesn't look like much now, but the outcome was really beautiful.

See what I mean? It was lookin' good! And my absolute FAVORITE part of a faux finishing job is taking the tape off and seeing the finish as a whole.

This is the finished space. The panels have both layers of glaze (light glaze and metallic glaze top coat) applied in layers. I base coated the panels on Day 1. I did the first layer of light colored glaze on Day 2. And on Day 3 I did the final layer of metallic glaze with the same rag wash technique.

The clients seemed very pleased with the outcome. It was difficult to see the brightness from the metallic because my last day on the job was a bit dark and dreary. But once the light hits those panels - they are sure to reflect lots of gorgeous light.

Brown Tree Silhouette Nursery Mural in Twin's Room

This was a really interesting job for a client who is expecting twins. She wanted a tree painted above the cribs in 3 shades of brown to match some of the tones in the crib bedding. This tree is to be the back drop for hand painted wooden letters that she plans to hang from the branches with the twin's names. I of course don't have any pictures yet of that, because the names are a secret from their friends and family. I thought it was neat because I am the only one who knows the names. They have sworn me to secrecy. :)

Here are pictures of the tree mural painting from start to finish . If you are interested in the complete How To Instructions. I have posted them on my Nursery Murals and More blog. Click here.











This nursery tree mural only took me a few hours to complete. The client was pleased. I can't wait to see it with those adorable letters hanging from the branches. But we will have to wait until the babies are born. :)

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.