I adore a good flea market, and always have. I suppose a love of fleas and antique fairs is in my blood; I have been attending the king of antique fairs - Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts - since before I was even born (as an unwitting shopping assistant to my pregnant mama)! Brimfield occurs annually every May, July, and September, and I try to go whenever I have the opportunity. Thousands of vendors converge for nearly a week of sales, deals, treasures, trades and steals. The first few days typically have more dealers, designers, wholesalers and other vendors making their buys, while the weekend is packed with retail shoppers hunting for treasures. There's something so special about discovering that perfect item, filled with history, and taking it home to make it part of your story. Antique markets also inspire my creativity: whether it's seeing a motif or color story I want to recreate, bringing a special item home to spark inspiration for years to come, or purchasing something to repurpose and recreate into something entirely new.

Here are a few of the wonderful things I spotted this year:

My parents purchased a set of these adorable plates and bowls for a song; they'll be perfect for summer sweets around the fire pit and will bring a bit of log cabin life to New York. I got this great vintage Hudsons Bay blanket for the same reason. I've been searching for one for years and am so happy to have found it.

I suppose if you are searching for one specific thing, a tracksuit (and matching t shirts underneath) will help others direct you to it!

I was swooning over the wonderfully bright and original rugs in Heja Homes's booth.

Fiestaware might be a little colorful for my everyday kitchen purposes, but it looks so lovely all laid out in its rainbow of colors.

I use printer's drawers to display my collection of miniature animals I've picked up on my travels, so it's great to see some similar inspirations.

Yes, these are chairs made out of bones. Very unique, but also super creepy.

The Pendleton blankets in this booth were gorgeous and meticulously maintained.

I wanted to cuddle all of these little Steiff creatures!

I'm in the midst of painting a peacock, so it was pretty cool to be able to examine this taxidermied one up close.

The intricate embroidery on this vintage kimono reminded me of the incredible kimonos I saw in Japan.

Sadly, this unicorn didn't fly through any rainbows, but maybe he did keep those storm clouds at bay.

I love painting leopards, but I never would have thought of a pastel backdrop! I'll definitely be trying that out soon.

Lauren // Wandering Laur Fine Art