ah, the flea markets.

i feel like i spend all week complaining to bryan about how stuck i feel in the city. don't get me wrong, i love philadelphia, but the trash and loud cars and yelling neighbors make me feel a bit nutty. going to the flea market is such a nice chance. it means getting up by 6am-ish and jumping in the car to drive about 50 miles out to rural pennsylvania, passing through fields and farmland. there's no traffic since it's so early, and we can usually make it there in about an hour. it's so refreshing to actually see grass - at one point, i hadn't left the city for so long that i forgot people had front yards! my favorite flea market is only about 5 minutes from where i grew up, and i have very vivid memories of walking through the rows of vendors with my dad.

we've been mostly visiting for wedding things - i'm on a search for crocheted doilies, old linen-covered books, antique glass cups, brass frames, and milk glass. we made out with a huge bag of doilies (about 100 or so), 24 notched-glass antique little cups and candle-holders, around 10 books, and some clothing (i found a 1960's floral print bathing suit!). i also always keep my eyes open for beaded clutches, embroidery, globes, and old print materials.

we're using a ton of this aqua glass for the wedding.

some of the rows of vendors.

kittens!

do you have flea markets where you live? what kinds of things do you buy? i'm always interested in what other people collect.