If you know my mom or are related to my mom or might be thinking about calling my mom or know someone with short blonde hair who walks really fast and is in charge of the world.
Shhhhhh.
This post is on the down low.
She went with my children to camp as a counselor….
….and in return I’m babysitting her house.
And I wanted to surprise her.
So I gave her dining room a little summer freshening up.
When I was a teenager I used to use this stuff on my over-sized pores called Sea Breeze.
You would scrub and clean your face and towel it dry and when you were finished, you would reach for a little Sea Breeze.
It was blue and it came in a clear bottle with ships or waves or something else floating on the front of it and I don’t even know if they make it any more.
You’d put some Sea Breeze on a cotton ball and wipe it on your face and buckle your seat belt.
Because it was amazing.
It felt like you were riding a wave on a surf board with the ocean breezes blowing and the palm trees swaying in the wind with the sun and the sand all around you and if you closed your eyes you could almost feel summer enter the room.
That tiny little bit of Sea Breeze on a cotton ball was all it took.
Not a lot.
Just a little.
Just enough to make you feel like summer was here.
Just like this room refresh.
I started the room refresh by cleaning everything.
I dusted and straightened and re-hung the freshly ironed curtains and put away extra baskets and decluttered the space and pulled a tiny Captain America out from under the chair.
And then I placed a burlap runner on the table.
Then I created a centerpiece so simple it took seriously only about five minutes.
I filled a large glass vase with plums and topped it off with hydrangea and greenery from my mother’s yard.
(total aside: Best glass vase tip ever. Look for glass vases at the floral department of your grocery store. They are so inexpensive because they are usually trying to get you to buy the vase to fill it with flowers. Case in point. This giant bell-shaped vase was only $15 at the grocery store)
Then I added these pillows with a beautiful over-all floral pattern and added a side chair next to the side board.
A pillow like this is an easy way to introduce a new pattern for summer.
But don’t spend a lot of money on your summer pillows.
You can find them inexpensively at discount stores, especially if you don’t need them to match.
The pillows introduced the side chairs into the conversation.
Plus, they matched the plums.
Not that I encourage decorating a room around fruit.
I brought a few more blue and white dishes out of the cupboard and stacked them in a wood tray and on the table.
Then I fluffed the curtains.
I straightened the chairs added a few more accessories….
…..and the room was ready.
Camp is almost over.
I’m picking them all up tomorrow at midnight and I’m taking my sleepy campers home and not saying a word. With all the rush of the sleeping bags and snack bags and sunglasses and towels to be washed no one will notice the dining room.
Until.
Until my mother goes to get her morning hot tea.
Then it’s going to be a Sea Breeze moment. 🙂
PS I just finished the cutest dressing table project over on the HomeRight blog. Click here for the DIY.
Love it!!
Your Mom is blessed to have you as a daughter! Your children are blessed to have a grandmother that wants to go and will go to camp with them. I enjoyed the room!
Oh.my.lanta! I remember Sea Breeze!!!!!! This room, I don't know where to start and why didn't I think of buying a vase at the grocery store??? XOXO, Lisa
Sea Breeze was amazing! We had cotton squares instead of cotton balls....but the sensation was as you described nonetheless. I'm going out today to run errands and I am definitely going to be on the prowl for Sea Breeze! Pretty room for your momma's homecoming. She'll cry..... I would.
What a thoughtful daughter! I'm sure your mom loved it :) I used sea breeze when I was a teen and bought it for my kids when they were teens. I used to use some of theirs not so long ago to feel that cooling breeze. I'm sure they still make it. Loved it!
Beautiful! I love the plums. They look amazing and match the tips of the hydrangeas and the pillows are perfect too. What a great surprise for your mom. She's going to be so pleasantly surprised. Also, I remember Sea Breeze too! Do you remember Loves Baby Soft perfume? Loved that too as a teenager.
What a beautiful room! I love the plums and hydrangeas...why not decorate around fruit? She's going to tear up you know...I would! ;)
You're such a nice person. They're all lucky to have you. Don't forget to tell us her surprise !
Precious!! You will be sailing with amazing smiles at her response! What a great job and wonderful daughter you are...if you miss her when you get home...you can bring the sea breeze to my home and fluff a few pillows. Oh, and I have plum trees and hydrangeas...
What a gorgeous room, and all your caring touches breathe even more life into it!!! I love decorating with fruit! You both are lucky moms!!!
The breath of a summer breeze in your mom's dining room is just charming. She will love it! Love the burlap runner and vase of fruit and flowers--a great combination!
You are so sweet! I remember those Sea Breeze moments too! :)
Do tell which wallpaper this is. Love it! Also love your warmth and affection for your mom.
Good morning KariAnne, You sweet sweet daughter!!! I would love to be a fly on the wall when your mom walks into her new dining room! This is why I love your blog posts so much...they are always about GIVING! Blessings, Jeanne
Pretty! I love the color combination of blue and white! My sister-in-law used to have a blue and white sunroom, which I just LOVED, and my younger sister has enjoyed a collection of blue and white in her home for years. It's so pleasant to visit! My older sister and I just helped our mother add blue and white to her living room, to tone down the cinnamon color of her sofa, which isn't her favorite. Now she'll hardly notice it because it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I've observed that blue and white are a resurging trend. Are you responsible for that, KariAnne? Wink! Wink!
Such a pretty refresh. I have been so into blue and white this season. And yes I remember Sea Breeze, I loved it also.
Sweet daughter, lucky mother. Love it.
Sea Breeze was the bomb.....and so is this room!!!
I don't have children young enough to go to camp, but feel free to come and babysit my house. I'll hunt down some Sea Breeze too! Beautiful room.
Very pretty refresh of the space. I love fruit in a flower arrangement! What a sweet gesture. Ahhhh Sea Breeze. Suddenly I had a whiff of Windsong lotion mixed with Gloria Vanderbilt perfume (my signature signature scent from 1984). It stays on on your mind :) Have a great day! Nancy
Gee my "kids" are all too old to go to camp but . . . . my husband and I could go away for a week. You could come and take care of our two pit bulls and two cats, water my garden and refresh my dining room. Let me know.
Beautiful room, Karianne! As beautiful as the first time you did it ;-) Love the idea of fruit in bottom of the vase and especially the tip for purchasing inexpensive vases!!
You made me laugh thinking about your mom's sea breeze moment. I cannot wait to hear her response! Great job!
Ahhh, church camp! They still make Seabreeze. My hairdresser puts it on my eyebrows after waxing them!
Oh, how I love this room refresh! We are getting back to the blue and white theme in our home now, and I couldn't be more pleased. Your mother is one lucky woman!! Great job. I'm on the hunt for some Seabreeze now. It seems to be calling my name.
Such a pretty room. What a treat it will be for your mom. Love the decor.
Lol - my mother would NOT be impressed if I tweaked her decor! This blue and white dining room you posted about a while back is my inspiration for the dining room in our new-to-us 150 yo stone farmhouse, Karianne. The wallpaper company don't do your lovely wallpaper any more, unfortunately, so I'm working on getting an oversized mural from "originalwallpapers" in Australia. They are unbelievably gorgeous! Not sure I can add a link, but Google is your friend. :) I also found Carolyne Rhoem's blue book good for inspiration, by the way.
What a sweet daughter, your Mom will be so surprised!!
No doubt your sweet mom was the best camp counselor ever! Her room refresh looks amazing. Can't wait to see you tomorrow !
I remember Sea Breeze...I loved it, too. I would put it on my sunburn to cool my burning skin and swipe it on my face to clear up any unwanted blemishes. It was a little miracle of blue. Your Mom.s room looks wonderful. She will love it! You are such a sweet daughter!
Love, love, love your rug! Where did you find it? Blue and white is my favorite color combination, especially for summer. Your dining room is gorgeous!
One lucky Mom.........one awesome daughter. And yes ........Seabreeze is still around. Amazing stuff ! Now the babies are back with a load of wash......my how the time goes !
Gorgeous!!!!! Mom is going to be so thrilled. Sea Breeze...wow, I had forgotten about that. I used that when I was a teenager...some 55 years ago!!!!! LOL Great job Karianne!
I have seen that rug a few times on Pinterest and cannot seem to find it online... Where did you/or your mom find it? Love blue and white for summer!
Ah Blue and White. Summer Perfection. Love the centerpiece filled with plums and flowers. Those colors are lovely.
Karianne you are a breath of fresh air! Love love love that you did this as a surprise for your mom! Give her a hug from me, she created a beautiful daughter inside and out! Mary
What joy, to plan such a lovely surprise for your mom!
The pillow on the chair that pulls in reds and blues and greens would be perfect in my living room, and I've had a hard time finding a pillow that I like--please share the source! I bet it's hard to figure out who gets more from the refresh experience--your happily surprised mom, or you for having the fun of doing it. :)
Beautiful room and it will be a nice surprise for your Mom. Would you talk a little bit about the area rug? Is it two rugs side by side? I've never thought about using that idea to get a larger rug. I imagine under the table and chairs it doesn't move or it is fastened someway? Thanks.
So beautiful KariAnne and what a wonderful surprise for your mom. I too remember Sea Breeze and how refreshing it was. Shelly
What a sweet daughter to refresh your mom's dining room. She'll love it! I got that same rug after you posted about it. I put it in my family room. I just love it!!
Beautiful, breezy makeover (see what I did there? ;) )! Sea Breeze is great on mosquito bites. I don't know if it clears them up faster, but it sure feels great to swipe it on!
Oh, your Mom can't be in charge of the world, KariAnne...that's *my* Mom...it has to be...she wouldn't have it any other way...hehe! What a beautiful thing to do for your Mom...she is going to love it because you've made her dining room absolutely stunning! That morning tea is going to be a doozy...I hope she knows how to duck the big waves! ;)
What a sweet surprise for your mother!
You are so sweet. Your mother's dining room is beautiful. Do you know what pattern those blue and white dishes are? Blessings
Love, Love, Love the beautiful touches you added to your Mother's Dining Room......that was so sweet of you!! I loved your description of the "sea breeze moments" -- I had some of those myself, too! Happy Monday, Friend!
The room is beautiful! Blue and white is my fav! Sea Breeze is still around, even store brands. Works great getting hair color off your skin if needed! ,
Wish you were my kid! Wish your kids were my grandkids. She is one lucky women. Bet she knows it. Great job! As always.
Ah, what a sweet thing to do for your Mother.
Impressive transformation! Wish I had someone to complete a summer theme restoration at my house.
It's just absolutely beautiful! Only you with your immeasurable talent could work Sea Breeze into decorating. :)
My Mom is 96 years old and I went to the grocery store for her last week and she had Sea Breeze on her list. The grocery store only had one bottle left.....must still be a big seller. Have a great day!
Love it! So classy and elegant. I remember sea breeze I used it also. If only we could get that same feeling again from a bottle. I always love your post!
Typical karianne....always doing something special...! You are ah-mazing, little one...I may or may not have told you that once or twice before, but I don't think it can be overstated where it concerns you. She will love it.
Love it! Fresh, clean, summery. Your mother will be thrilled. Especially like the floral arrangement. I plan to recreate that. And the Sea Breeze? Just had a discussion on Facebook with old friends about using it 40 years ago. Number one: They still make it, repackaged, of course, at Walmart and other places and sold online, too. Number two: I wonder if it still tingles like the old days? It was, after all, an astringent.
Awwwwwww..... You are one precious daughter!!!!! Love the pillows and the Centerpiece!!! And the memories.... Seabreeze and summer camp!!!! WOWOWOW..... One sweet Mama too... to take on summer camp in your place?? NICE ....
Lucky Mama! Have some fun this summer and relax a little. I bet you can relax for about 15 min. Then you are gone again. Am I right?
Ah, what a refreshing Sea Breeze moment! I remember that stuff!!
My daughter just got a condo last Christmas--giving us a chance for endless Mother/Daughter projects. This post makes me miss her. I am going to need a road trip really soon. It is such a long drive. 27 hrs is my personal best. Think I better pack along a bottle of Seabreeze to occasionally shock my senses back into hyper-alertness! I had forgotten that stuff ever existed! I know you are a tremendous blessing to your mother!