Antique Bavarian teacups!

It's always the times when I (Sarah Jane) am out thrifting just for fun, not looking for anything specific, when I run across the most amazing treasures. A couple of weeks ago I was at the GoodWill in the "bric-a-brac" section when a gleam of  gold caught my eye. In the corner of one of the shelves sat several antique-looking teacups and matching saucers, just calling out to be admired. Upon a delicate closer inspection, I found that they were indeed from Bavaria, gold-gilded, and each one was different from the other. Being a tea lover, antique lover, and general lover of the thrill of finding something that is probably worth a lot more than the $0.49 per teacup price tag, I bought the seven oldest-looking and prettiest cup and saucer sets and four biscuit plates. All in all I paid about $8 for the whole lot. I have not yet decided what to do with them all, and if I weren't living in a small apartment, I would buy a pretty wooden shelf and display them in my dining room. I wish I owned a little tea shoppe, they would be perfect as decoration there. I might just use them myself- anyone want to have a tea party? The brands on the bottom are Thomas Ivory, Bavaria; AL-KA Kunst Kronach, Bavaria; Eschenbach, Bavaria; and Johann Haviland, Bavaria. Here are a few pictures I took of them. Aren't they just darling? 

The teacup was $0.49, the saucer was $0.49, and the biscuit plate/lunch plate was just $0.69. See what beautiful condition they are in too? I just love when I find things like this!

Here are all seven of the teacups and their matching saucers.

The four plates with the GoodWill price tags still on as proof :)

You just never know what you're going to find!

The New Addition

The Frugal Friendzies have some BIG news for this month: A new little friendzie is on the way! I (Adele) am almost 11 weeks pregnant, and now on the hunt for some baby-related frugal finds of my own. Recently, I scored some great finds at a local consignment shoppe. My challenge is that we aren't planning to find out the gender of the baby, so the stuff I purchase generally has to be gender-neutral. That's why I've started shopping early! Also a challenge will be finding adequate maternity wear. My goal is to find as much as possible from second-hand sources....and we'll just have to play it by ear based on what I find. Thankfully, two friends of mine have passed on all of their maternity wear, so if it all fits, I should be mostly set! Can't beat freebies! ;)

Now, here's this month's finds:

Here we have a 3-piece Carter's ensemble. Got it on *sale* for $4.49. And this was the most expensive baby buy of the day! Practically brand new condition as well.

Here's a close-up of the froggies on the above outfit. I just love frogs!

Carter's onesie for $2.24 (on *sale* also!). It's light green with a little teddy bear on the front.

Light yellow Carter's onesie for $2.59. Has two teddies hugging on the front.

These are little Carters pants that came with one of the onesies above, but I thought they could go with a couple different outfits. They have little yellow and green bears and animals on them.

This Carters outfit was just $2.63. And for being white and yellow, there's not a stain or mark on it!

The front of the above outfit. *cuteness*

And yet another Carters outfit. This one was $3.59. It's white and light green with giraffes.

Here's the close-up of the giraffe above.

And finally, the cute cute CUTE little slippers I found for $1.99 and $2.59. If you can't tell, one pair is duckies and the other is bunnies. 

Now we just need the baby to get here to model all these adorable (and frugal!) finds! At least I know my baby can be well dressed on a dime.

Jacklyn's Sweet Find

A friend of mine (Adele), Jacklyn, recently emailed an AWESOME furniture find from a local PA thrift store. Here's the pic:

Found at Blue Mountain Thrift Store, Cleona, PA

This brown leather sofa retails for around $2000. Jacklyn picked it up for a mere $450!! (Purse not included ;-)) She tells us it is in "new" condition -- no scratches or marks. The best part? It's a sleeper sofa! AND, the mattress was still in the original plastic wrap! What a fabulous deal! The Frugal Friendzies are a little bit jealous.

Keep your finds coming, fellow thrifters!

The Latest Finds

My closet is getting nicely filled out from this thrift store diet- so filled out in fact that I don't really need much more! However, being an avid shopper, I do manage to find the occasional items I just can't pass up.

Fossil watch- brand new with leather band and the plastic protector still on the back- $15 at local consignment shoppe. Mom's Christmas present :)

Trying to look more serious and model-ey in an Ann Taylor Loft cardigan I got for $4.00 at a local consignment shoppe. You can't see it well in this picture, but the top collar has a silk ribbon design all the way around.

Lilac Banana Republic shirt- $5.60 at Wannabe's Upscale Resale!

Pretty ivory scarf- $1.50 at Salvation Army

Hardcover and in good condition! $1.00 each at Mission Mart

So don't forget to keep looking and thrifting...there's bound to be a hidden treasure out there for you!

Merry Wind and thrifty recycling

In December Adele and I stopped in to our favorite Tea Shoppe in central Pennsylvania- One Good Woman. (If you are ever in Camp Hill, PA, you must stop in, it's truly one of the jewels of the area!) While shopping, we happened to find out that one of the employees, Merry Wind, has started her own business called Next Life Design. She uses old sweaters and suits she's not using anymore or clothes from thrift stores to make pillows, handbags, scarves, and tea cozies. We thought that was pretty green and pretty thrifty! She also creates soft and sentimental pillows upon request from loved ones' clothing. Oh, and because all of her pieces are made from old clothing, everything is machine washable! We at Frugal Friendzies thought this frugal innovator well worth a post of her own. Here are some pictures we snapped:

The artiste with her creations

More pillows!

Two of her tea cozies. Note the large selection of delectable tea in the background :)

So, if you ever have the chance, stop on in, get some great tea, fresh ground coffee, and one of Merry's awesome creations!

Lauren's Finds

Lauren is my (Adele's) friend, a mommy-to-be, and a fellow thrifter. She's located in the Philadelphia area, and boy, has she found a goldmine! She sent us a bunch of info about a second-hand shop near her called The Nesting House. It specifically sells baby and children's items (both new and used), including *gently* used cloth diapers! (And here at Frugal Friendzies, we're huge fans of cloth diapering, so this is an AWESOME find for Lauren!) Cloth diapering can be pricey in terns of start-up costs, so kudos to Lauren for finding a frugal way to make it happen! She got a variety of used items for her little Tidbit, and here's what she sent pics of:

Carter's brand Little Layette sleeper with hat, booties, and bib - tags still attached! Originally $17 - got it for $6.

Inserts for Fuzzibunz cloth diapers. Cotton inserts were $.50 each - and their more expensive hemp friends were $2 each. Lauren says cotton inserts found online go for around $9 for a 3 pack and hemp liners about $15 for a 3 pack.

In Lauren's words: "gently (and for something that holds poop, I mean gently) used Fuzzibunz brand diapers." She got them for $4 each. They retail for $17 - $20 depending on the store and quantity you buy them in.

Way to go, Lauren! You sure did hit a baby jackpot! The Frugal Friendzies wish we lived near Philly to have access to this awesome store. Maybe we'll get to take a visit out there some day. ;)

The Peda's Finds

Sickness and work have overwhelmed one or both of us friendzies for the month. Hence the posting delay. But here we go with our first official "guest finds" post! Sarah Jane's sweet cousin and her husband have been out and about thrifting around Central PA and found a couple of great, non-clothing-related steals! First:

Here, Brian is modeling skis and poles found at the Blue Mountain Thrift Store. Poles = $6, Skis = $8.

And their second frugal find:

Dresser and mirror from SalVal for $79. And in great condition, Erin tells us.

Awesome finds, Erin and Brian! And to all of our frugal friends out there, keep the pics coming our way (frugalfriendzies@gmail.com) so we can feature YOUR thriftiness too!

New Year, New Ideas

Welcome to the new year! If you haven't committed to a great resolution or goal yet for this year, we (of course) would suggest you consider a thrifty challenge of your own. With that spirit in mind, the Frugal Friendzies want to extend our blog posts to you, our loyal fans. We have decided to include our readers' frugal finds along with our own. SO, send us what you've got! We want to hear from you!

You can reach us at frugalfriendzies@gmail.com. Send us pictures, and any information you'd like us to share regarding your finds. We'd love to see what you can come up with, be it clothes, household items, gifts, or something totally and completely unique! Only rule is it all HAS to be second hand, naturally. ;)

Ready? GO! We're excited to show off as much thriftiness as we can this new year.

~The Frugal Friendzies