Forsythia Hill Giveaway

Trish over at Knackicity is running a giveaway this week for a pair of my vintage sunglasses from my Etsy Shop.  All you have to do is go to her blog and enter the contest!

What's great about these glasses is they wrap around so no wind or rays can get to your eyes.  They also are super lightweight but they stay on your head really well without squeezing your head.  I think you will really like these shades for driving, working, or playing outside... and they are FREE to one lucky Knackicity blog reader.

This is my first giveaway and feature on a blog, so go to Knackicity and enter the contest!  Show your love for Forsythia Hill Vintage. 

Knackicity has some great tips on saving your dollars and deals.  Click on the Freebies tab and check it out.  I just ordered some free colored paper.  Check out her coupon tab, I just downloaded a few last week.

Many thanks to Trish for hosting my vintage shop this week.  Don't forget to go to Knackicity and enter the contest - it's EASY and legit!

-Rebecca

Saving your Dollars

SAVED $55.00 at Harris Teeter

SPENT $35.00 SAVED $55.00

This week I went back to Harris Teeter to finish my SUPER DOUBLES adventure.  This is my second strike. 

During my first strike last week, I saved $80.00.

A few of the Super Harris Teeter Deals:  

Presented 17 coupons in value from .50 to 1.50 - all doubled.

Purina Cat Chow - .78, Welch's Grape Juice - $1.00, V8 Soup - .89, Marzetti's Slaw Dressing - .69, Case LaCroix Seltzer - 3.49, 7th Generation Cleaner - .49, Almond Milk - .50.

FREE - Edward Sundae Frozen Pie, Yogurt Raisins, Pancake Mix, 7th Generation Papertowels, Philly Cooking Sauce, Mariani Yogurt Raisins.

This week I used coupons ranging from .50 - 1.50.  Harris Teeter will double up to 1.98 so a 150 coupon really gives you 3.00 off.  WOW.

I love hearing about your grocery deals - leave a comment!

SUPERMARKET SHOCK OF THE WEEK

You now can get Cream Cheese from Philadelphia Brand to use in cooking.  I mean really now - are we so lazy that we can not mix in a bar of cream cheese with say some real garlic to that dish?  It's something I purchased just because it was FREE. 
I tried it today and actually it worked pretty darn well. 
I made some Short Cut Pasta - Dumped together left over pasta, a little V8 Tomato Soup, and a spoon of Garlic flavored Philly Cooking Cheese.  Heated in the microwave and then topped w/shredded cheese. 
It was convenient I'll have to say and it was GOOD. 
Just add me to the LAZY LAZY category.

-Rebecca

Girl Power

It's funny how many women are programmed to seek out a man for help when moving large furniture, drilling, or assembling electronic equipment.  I'll have to admit, it is a lot easier to play confused and let a man handle it for you. 

TV mounted on wall, ugly wires for all to see.

A friend wanted her flat screen TV unmounted from the wall and tastefully tucked into a large pine cabinet.  Our trio decided to tackle the job with a little reward of going for vegan/veggie burgers with a side of sweet potato fries on the side.  I did seek help from my husband to guide me as to how to accomplish this task without destroying her lovely cabinet.  The proper tools were crucial, a drill and large paddle drill bit was required and some creative thinking.

Between the three of us we finally mastered the moving of the cabinet from a bedroom to the living room which ended up being the most difficult part.  We started with a dolly cart that was not wide enough for the base of the cabinet and was dangerously teetering back on me as we attempted to lower it to go under a doorway - NOT.  After near disaster and a sore shoulder and back, we put it in reverse and brainstormed.  We ended up putting the cabinet on its side and sliding it on the carpeting (a towel would be necessary if on hardwood) to our destination.  It was 100 times easier than on the teetering dolly and a lot less painful.

Once we checked our measurements before commencing drilling, we decided to go get burgers.  We went to Boylan Heights on the Corner.  I can still taste the Sweet Potato Fries - YUM.  Two thumbs up on the vegan and veggie burgers.  A nice time was had but work was calling so after charging our batteries we went back to complete our mission.

We successfully unscrewed the TV from the swing arm and detached the arm from the wall but we ran into a snag when we had no nut wrench to get the wall plate off.  So, we sadly had to call for MAN assistance from apartment maintenance.  Amazingly within minutes he arrived and got the plate off the wall and also helped us figure out how to attach the base on the flat screen TV which would have taken us the rest of the day to ponder. 

Speedy Peedy left before we could hit him up to push the cabinet into place (darn it) but we managed to hoist the cabinet toward the wall and the fun part of drilling began.

As you can see, the TV wires are now invisible and a very professional job was completed by three smart cookies (with a little burger and fries on the side). 

-Rebecca

Spring has Sprung

Spring Crocus

The first little bloom officially appears on Forsythia Hill, February 20, 2011.

Yellow will dot the yard and be the primary focus until the tulips begin to show.  Forsythia will begin blooming next followed by the daffodils, which are my favorite bulb. 

I noticed the Forsythia shrubs have teeny buds coming out and there are several small petals unfurling.  I am fearful that the lovely yellow will turn to brown if a freeze comes barreling through.  Last year the Forsythia was gorgeous, somehow escaping freezes but I did not own a camera to capture the moment.  I took a short break from the internet and cameras for a whole year. 

Forsythia trying to bloom

This weekend I started my vegetable and flower seeds in the basement.  We gave up our greenhouse when we moved.  It's something that has been discussed as an add on to our house, but for now, the basement with the two windows work pretty darn well. 

Ahhhhh - Spring is in the air - ENJOY!

-Rebecca

Saving your Dollars

SAVED $80.00 at Harris Teeter

SPENT $50.00 SAVED $80.00

This week is SUPER DOUBLES and you know how much I love Super Doubles and apparently so do a lot of other people.  The shelves were bare tonight when I ventured in at 11:30!  I did manage to finally get two boxes of the always absent Cinnamon Burst Cheerios thanks to a wonderful Teeter stocker.  It's kinda fun to go grocery shopping at night and especially when they are restocking to make sure you get your deal.

A few of the Super Harris Teeter Deals:  

Presented 24 coupons - all doubled (I actually was having so much fun finding deals that I exceeded their 20 coupons limit but Harris Teeter worked it out with me - another reason why I love my Teeter - good staff).

On Sale plus used Coupons:  Purina Cat Chow - .78, Kraft Cheese Squares - .50, Welch's Grape Juice - $1.00, Pepperidge Farm Bread - $.79, Bertilli Olive Oil Spray - $1.00, Pillsbury Natural Cookie Dough - $1.00, Simply Orange Raspberry Lemonade - $50, Horizon Half and Half - .19.

FREE - Party Mix Cat Treats, Edward Sundae Frozen Pie, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Bumble Bee Tuna, Blue Dog Biscuits, Guacamole, Yogurt Raisins .

This week I used coupons ranging from .50 - 1.50.  Harris Teeter will double up to 1.98 so a 150 coupon really gives you 3.00 off.  WOW.

I'm proud of two friends that have commented to me that they have started to coupon more after reading my blog --- CONGRATS Randy and Trisha!  I love hearing about your grocery deals - leave a comment!

SUPERMARKET SHOCK OF THE WEEK

There is a new brand of Cheerios on the market.  Cinnamon Burst has been stripped from the shelves. 

Apparently there is little regard for good old plain Cheerios.  You now have to flavor it with something in order to keep consumers interested.  Did you know there are ELEVEN different flavors of Cheerios and Honey Nut seems to be the most popular (it typically is absent from shelves when there is a good sale).  

I guess it worked on me because I left with 2 boxes in hand for Anthony to try!  My favorite Cheerios knock-off and Anthony's is called Mom's Best Naturals and it is in the natural foods section in some groceries and is better for you.  When I have a coupon, that's the brand we buy! 

-Rebecca

"New" Photos on Tumblr

Clown Earrings, for sale on ForsythiaHill

I started playing around the other day with another blog site, tumblr.com.  I had heard good things about tumblr and decided it might be just the place to summarize my written blog using photography.

I now post a blog photo summary on http://forsythiahill.tumblr.com/.

My favorite part of the creation of my Etsy Vintage Shop is the photography sessions that two friends and I have together.  Usually it involves a day of belly aching laughs and FOOD (we love taking "breaks").


Trisha and Cindy modeling shades for sale on ForsythiaHill

I was having a terrible time in my house finding the right background and lighting.  Our house is pretty closed up and dark in the Winter and quite the opposite in the Spring and Fall months.  So, we moved our sessions to Cindy's upper story apartment.  I'm really happy with the shots we just took for my cool shades.

Thanks Trisha and Cindy for your help and moral support!

-Rebecca

Mickey Mouse in the House

Today I received a nice Valentine present in the mail.  Last week I won this cool vintage Mickey Mouse Watch from a contest run on the blog A Little Bit of Everything.

Courteney often runs online
contests for nice items found in online shops.  If you want to possibly win something go check it out!

My Mickey Mouse watch was provided by a fun Etsy seller, OnesNeverTooOld.  Dave's blog is really interesting and has a lot of links to other Etsy sellers. 

I thank him for sending me this really cool watch out of his treasured vintage stock!  Check out Dave's other vintage on Etsy.

FUN, FUN.  -Rebecca

Virginia Flora Documented

Yesterday I attended a lovely presentation hosted by the Newcomers Club of Greater Charlottesville's Gardening Group.

Lara Call Gastinger presented her botanical water color drawings and described The Flora of Virginia Project.  Lara is a local resident and also has her own Etsy shop.  She will be holding a botanical drawing seminar in April for all levels.  She has been assigned to create illustrations for 1,300 of the 3,600 Virginia species.


"Forget Me Nots" taken last summer on Forsythia Hill.



Amazingly, a book of this magnitude, listing all of the Virginia plant species was last printed in 1762.  A lot can change in 250 years!  The 1,400 page volume and corresponding electronic version is due out in 2012.



The topic that left the most meaningful impression on me was Lara's painstaking creation of a journal for a client that took her a year.  She joyously worked in the elements and all seasons to capture the plants (and a few creatures) in this one private garden.  Oh what would I give (if I had it to give) to have such an item for our homeplace in SW Virginia.  It was just fascinating.  I have written in my gardening journal for 20 years but to draw it, that's something else all together.

 

For now, I'll have to stick to my electronic gizmo and my chicken scratch.

-Rebecca

Lab Rats: Mosaic Monday...Love is in the air

My fellow Lab Rats Team has featured my sweet floral heart box in their Mosaic Monday (Item #7)

 -- check it out Lab Rats: Mosaic Monday...Love is in the air



1. WhiteThistleBridal 2. UniquelyEJewelry 3. Rolyzcreations 4.CardsBetweenFriends 5. SmithAndDaphne 6. hoganfe 7. Forsythia Hill
8. Jackthemanaboutthehouse

Saving your Dollars

I think my couponing venture is finally panning out.  I'm stocked up on the must have items such as Toilet Paper, Paper Towels (that I try to use very infrequently), Dish and Laundry Soap, Almond Milk, Anthony's work lunch stuff, and my mega Oatmeal jug.  So this week was a light shopping week.

SAVED 100% of Purchase at Harris Teeter

SPENT $23.00 SAVED $23.00

A few of the Super Harris Teeter Deals:  

On Sale plus used Coupons:  Bag Cherry Tomatoes - $1.99, Smart Balance Peanut Butter - $1.00, Kraft Cheese Squares - .50, Log Cabin Natural Syrup - $2.99, Yogurt Dill Dip - $1.00, Bag Tuna - .25, French's Mustard - .50.

On Sale: Scratch and Dent Bag Potatoes - $1.00, Scratch and Dent Bag Organic Apples - $1.00, HT Refried Black Beans - .67, Healthy Can Dog Food - .94.

Don't forget to seek out your "bruised" fruit section.  Often, it's nothing serious but some stores are better than others and Teeters section is pretty darn good.

I hold off using most of my $1.00 and higher coupons (unless they are going to expire) until Harris Teeter Super Doubles week, which should happen in a month or so.  This week I did use coupons ranging from .50 - 1.00, some were .75 which I love getting.  Teeter will double up to .98 so a .75 coupon really gives you 1.50 off.

SUPERMARKET SHOCK OF THE WEEK

It seems each week I find some store oddity.  This week I discovered that Americans are now too lazy or incapable of cutting cheese! 
You can now buy little bags of cut cheese. 

There are 3 styles and all the major cheese brands are getting in on it. 

Apparently when you have a party you don't have the time to actually prepare for the event, so they do it for you.   

Perfect for hors d'oeuvres, you can buy small little slices or cubes or even smaller mini cubes (that looks kinda manhandled).  I would forgo the manhandled cubes "if" you can manage to figure out how to do it yourself!

Nothing says "Martha Stewart" better than a tray of factory square Cheese Cubes and Mini Carrots encircled around the plastic container of store bought Veggie Dip.  Ok, so I did buy some of that Dip as a curiosity but it was ON SALE.  -Rebecca