Attempting Aloha {Swap 'n' Meet Saturdays}

Hi friends! I hope you are having a fun weekend, and maybe getting some time to
kick back and relax!

I am SO excited about today's post, but before you think I am awfully narcissistic, let me explain... ;)

My friend Charlie from Attempting Aloha hosts a blog swap called "Swap 'n' Meet Saturdays each week, and I was thrilled when she agreed to swap blogs with me one Saturday! It is such a privilege to have her here!

So, I want to happily welcome Charlie to {Beautiful Nest}!

Aloha {belle & sparrow} fans! I have a confession to make: I think I may be their biggest fan. I'm a follower, and I blog stalk daily, just waiting for a chance to see the next amazing project with amazing photography and beautiful writing. ((sigh)) I truly love, love, love this blog, and I started emailing back and forth with Jenni a couple months ago about what a rock star I think she is. :)

Then a few weeks ago, I started Swap 'n' Meet Saturdays on my blog Attempting Aloha in honor of the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet (Any Oahu visitors ever been?? It's AWESOME! All who come to the island should check it out.) But, naturally, Beautiful Nest was one of the first blogs I wanted to swap with, so when Jenni left a comment saying she was interested in a swap, I was ecstatic ((like a tween at a Bieber concert who just got asked to hang out back stage)). ;)
So here I am, and I have to preface this by saying that right now my house is more of a {Lack-Luster Nest} and less of a {Beautiful Nest}. We're right in the middle of renovating our home and only have 6 months to finish the entire house, so it's a bit of a disaster. Today, however, I'm going to share a few Valentine's decorations that I've put up here and there despite the dust and hammering going on in the background.
Like all of you, I'm in love with Jenni's linen wreaths, so I attempted to make one of my own. I used a silky fabric called charmeuse, and twisted my hanger into a heart shape.
First I hung it on a bright red platter in our dining room:

But then my husband came home and told me it looked like something out of Victoria's Secret, so I decided to hang it on our living room mirror instead:

And I invented the "Valentine's Stocking" for my husband and I to put treats for our girls in on Valentine's Day morning.

And if you love flowers and burlap, here's a great way to combine the two: Burlap-covered vase! I bought a cheap $1.50 plastic vase from a party supply store and dressed it in some burlap. Sure, I get the occasional complaint from the vase about the itching, but she's so happy to finally have flowers adorning her that she doesn't mind too much. ;) And if you don't have fresh flowers blooming in your front yard, an empty vase on your table is an excellent way to send a hint to the Mr. about what to give you for Valentine's Day!

Wrap a pink ribbon around a Goodwill-find pillow, slap a flower on there and call it a day!

Lazy-mom's version of Valentine's art:

And because Jenni DEMANDED ;) that I write about our Love Display, but I have no pics yet, I'll show you what we're doing. I made this chicken wire display to show off our cards from friends at Christmas, and we've decided to share love notes with each of our family members on it leading up to Valentine's Day. So everyone checks daily to see if they got a new note on the wall. :)

Thanks again, Belle and Sparrow for letting me visit and joining Swap 'n' Meet Saturday. You have fabulous readers, and I'm excited to have the chance to meet them!

Come stop by anytime you're needing a little sunshine and sand. We LOVE tourists. ;)

Aloha,
Charlie

Thank you so much Charlie for showing us your fantastic decorating ideas for Valentine's Day! I love every.single.idea! :)

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Attempting Aloha, now is your chance! You can almost feel the warm Hawaiian breeze on your face, it's so fun and relaxed over there!

And I always tell Charlie she's the real rock star! Check out why:



She created this amazing personalized Union Station clock~ an incredible Pottery Barn knock-off for a bare fraction of the price!




And this pillow about did me in~ it's just that gorgeous! This is on my "must-do" list.





And what little girl wouldn't love having this sweet lamp in her room?


So, make sure to go say hello to Charlie at Attempting Aloha~ and bring the sunscreen with you! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Blessings {and Aloha}~

(Jenni)