Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

French Brocante Favorites

Silver-chain-coin-purse

Photos and text by: Corey Amaro

Since opening my online shop I have learned a few things. Well, actually the learning curve has been straight up regarding managing a site with paypal. Buying at the brocante is the easy part, except that I constantly remind myself to think, "Inside the Box". Inside the box actually means, everything I buy has to fit inside a large packing envelope or I cannot buy it. Otherwise postage is outrageous.

I rarely bought smalls before having an online shop, but now…. smalls are my new best friends. It reminds me what my son Sacha said, "A size 8 shoe is sweeter than size thirteen." (Sacha does wear skis for shoes.) Beauties come in small packages, and they are far easier to carry back to the car.

Cigar-case

Cigar case on old fabric.

Eye-glasses

Eye glasses and case.

Button-shoe

Button up baby shoe.

Jam-jar

Turn of the century jam jar used for canning.

Ex-voto-angel

Antique ex voto.

French-letters

Antique letters.

A-touch-of-lace

French hand-made lace.

Creil-espresso-cup

Mid nineteen century, Creil ironstone cup.

Wine-bottle-corks

Antique silver top stoppers.

 

WIne-bottle-opener

Antique gold top corker.

Hand-element

Estampe element to stir up creative designs.

Hand-painted-box

Hand painted antique pillow box.

French bakery twine

Turn of the century French bakery twine to wrap up pastries to go.

Souvenir-mirror

Olive wood, hand painted pocket mirror from the French Riviera.

snuf box

I original thought this was for sewing needles. But boy was I wrong. Small wood shoes with a brass loop were used for carrying tobacco, a snuff box.

Nineteen century hand painted portrait-pin

I sold this for a song. A early nineteen century hand painted portrait brooch.

Poker-chip-mother-of-pearl

1926 mother of pearl poker chips from the French Riviera Casino.

Pink-candy-bag

Pink antique candy bag.

I wonder if a hundred years from now someone will collect M&M bags?

Pink-prayer-beads

Pink rosary beads.

Pastel-bottle-stoppers

Pastel bottle stoppers.

I use them on spice jars, makes me feel that some of my brocante finds are practical.

Paris-map-book

Paris guide book with fold out maps.

Paperweight

Paper weight.

Cafe-au-lait-bowl-child's

A child's cafe au lait bowl with a wooden top.

Antique holy water holder

Iron stone holy water font.

Beaded-bag-1833

1831 beaded coin purse. How cool is that!

Bow-painting-hook-covers

Picture cover hooks. Beats the nails I use.

French-flag

A French flag.

To wave on Bastille Day.

Magnifing-glass

Who need eye glasses when you have one of these to carry in your pocket?

Hotel-bell-bronze

A hotel bell.

Isn't it sweet!

Instead of saying, "Dinner is ready!"

You can ring for your family to come.

I am giving it away. Yes I am. Why? Because I am a ding dong, I am laughing at my own realistic joke.

I am giving it away. If you would like it add your name to the comment section telling me what you would use it for, or weave a story around it, or tell me one of your favorite blog post of mine that I should use in my "I-need-to-get-writing-it-book", or something you would like to find at the brocante; or simply just say hi!

Tomorrow I will pick a winner.

….. by the way this give away is my way of saying "Thank you" to all of you who read my blog, leave such lovely comments, and for those of you who have made my little online business a way to feed my passionate brocanting drug!

Comments

106 responses to “French Brocante Favorites”

  1. Kelley

    corey,
    i don’t know how you go shopping and then get rid of, ahem, i mean sell your finds.
    they are so fantastic that i would be hard pressed to mail them off to anyone. 🙂
    i can’t imagine what your personal collection looks like…but maybe if you do write that book(which you WILL do), you will give us a glimpse.
    have a blessed evening.

    Reply
  2. Gracie

    Such beautiful little treasures your found…..

    Reply
  3. Massilianana

    Ah all your finds are so incredible ! The two little purses are such treasures ! And the hotel bell is fun too ! Could be practical to call my cat for food time although he already answers when i ask him : ” Pacha, tu veux manger ?” and he meows a feline yes and goes straight into the kitchen !
    Keep on having fun with your little finds !
    take care!

    Reply
  4. Aina

    Oh Corey, you are mad! And so very generous!! I am so happy that your little shop has become such a success. And the best thing, that you have fun doing all of it 🙂
    I am thrilled by all these cute little gifts, they have all something very special about them. But how could I not been taken by the Antique silver top stoppers? They are so beautiful made!
    Every day makes my husband and I something special out of the dinner. There is only one time of the day we are together, both, relaxed and with time enough to each other. To talk, or just sit silent beside each other and let the other be completely themself. I’ll do my best and make a delicious dinner, not always so lucky, but with great enthusiasm. We always light the candles, and often we enjoy a glass of wine. Good wine, with lot of fruity, round taste. It’s our way to celebrate life together, celebrate this particular moment. Even more beautiful the table had been with a bottle decorated with a top of silver, a reminder to relaxe. Relaxe and enjoy the good life!
    Good luck to everyone who faithfully read your blog,
    And you have a great afternoon Corey!
    Aina

    Reply
  5. Karen

    Corey,
    That little bell, oh that little bell! How did you know that I am opening my own little pattiserie/brocante (bakery/antique shop) right here on my little horse farm next week and have been trying to figure out how to know when a customer has come in to the shop as I will be back in the kitchen baking away, oblivious to the front of the house. That bell on the counter!! Sweet ringing to my ears!! I want it-I’ve got to have it-it’s the perfect solution and maybe someday it might be you ringing that bell!! You put a smile on my face first thing every morning. Thanks!
    Karen
    (the cupcake lady)

    Reply
  6. Jeanne

    Love you my darling
    I love all your treasure troves
    I love you
    Blessings
    Love you♥

    Reply
  7. Paulita

    I’m not even brocante crazy and I loved most of your little finds. My favorites were the very first little purse that looks like chain mail. What is it protecting? And the bottle stoppers were gorgeous. When I was a little girl, my grandmother had big glass bottles. They were probably meant for liquor, but she lives in a dry county in Kentucky and she is a teetotaler. So she would fill these bottles with colored water. The colors were so deep and rich they didn’t look like water though. Then she would set them on the window sills and they would sparkle in the sun.

    Reply
  8. Chris Wittmann

    I love all the little treasures you find at the brocante. I would go crazy and need a trailer to haul home all that I would want to buy! The little hotel bell is wonderful…I would keep it in the little mudroom outside my workshop, which is where I make, cure and package my soaps. There is a vintage dresser in the mudroom with soaps displayed for customers who stop at the farmhouse to buy. I also put out some of the potted herbs I grow. The bell would be perfect to let me know a customer is there. Often I’m out in the gardens or in the back room of the workshop and do not hear them.
    I enjoy all your blogs, the ones about downtown Paris and the storefronts, the lovers, but the one that tugged at my heartstrings most was the VE Day one.

    Reply
  9. Shelley

    Hi Corey,
    I love all of your brocante finds! The little bell is my favorite. I would use it on my desk at school to get my students attention whenever I wanted to make an announcement about something wonderful one of them had accomplished.
    Shelley,
    A teacher in Saskatchewan, Canada.

    Reply
  10. julienne

    Obviously I have to start thinking small so I can post my bits and pieces, then start an online shop. We currently open our cottage(in the back garden) once a month for three days. A house full of furniture is how it reads in the paper! I just have to stop looking at BIG things!! I love all your little bits!

    Reply
  11. Sheala

    I saw the hotel bell and decided to buy it!!! I planned on keeping it on my “kidney shaped” teaching table at work!! Thinking it would be a fun way to draw back the attention of any students getting distracted!!! Then I read further and saw that you are giving it away, hmmmm. Who will you choose? A really old friend whose 50th birthday is coming up??? Hmmmmm…..

    Reply
  12. Elle

    I have such great (maybe not) memories of such a bell. My grandfather came to live at our house after my grandmother died. They had been married almost 70 years!!! Because of his limitations, my mother put a little bell, similar to yours but not nearly so cool, by him at all times in case he needed something. To say that the bell got a work-out is putting it lightly!! He rang it almost constantly–wanting this or that. It used to drive me CRAZY!!! I never understood why my mother was so patient! Now, as an adult, I understand completely. Papa used the bell not just because he needed SOMETHING–but because he needed SOMEBODY. We always came running when the little bell rang, so he had the attention and companionship he so missed! So, your little bell would be a wonderful reminder of Papa.

    Reply
  13. Candace

    My husband & I are in the antique business. He likes big, back-breaking furniture. It takes him 10 seconds to walk through a shop or flea market. I like small, delicate things, books, buttons and old letters. It takes me forever to walk through an antique shop. I would put your bell on my mantle as a reminder of you and your interesting life.

    Reply
  14. Betsy

    You wrote about the French tradition of gold bead necklaces. It’s the way I found your blog. Be sure to add it to the book!
    Please add me to the list of folks who would love to have the bell…

    Reply
  15. gail

    I have no story for you! I just enjoy reading your blog! I love your pictures and adore the brocante items you find and share. Your blog is the very first thing I read on the computer in the morning, before I start my day. You are a breath of fresh air…a ray of sunshine… full of positive thoughts and energy! You are so inspiring to me! Thank you so much for sharing your Love and Life with us!

    Reply
  16. marlis

    Oh Corey, so many questions.. favorite blogpost – I don’t know all of them. They are my morning coffee. What would I do with it.. I’d use it at home so that my husband would realize I’m speaking with him! Two of us in the house by ourselves, to whom else would I be speaking??? Besides he says I’ve worn out that frequency?? Do I really talk that much??
    LOl.. thanks for the laughs!

    Reply
  17. Natalie Thiele

    I have wonderful memories of just such a bell. I used to teach first grade and used a chrome version of your bell to get my students’ attention.
    I found that they did not like me to ding a bell and expect perfect silence from them, so I had to prep them. I used to shout, “Get wiggly!”
    They would flail their arms and holler, then I would ding the bell and they would stop, be perfectly still, and look at me.
    After I had used the bell for quite some time the dinger stopped working. So, instead of dinging the dinger I would just say, “Ding!”. That worked just as well.
    (On days after I had been absent my students who felt the need to report every little thing that happened in my absence would tell me who had dinged the dinger in my absence. It was a popular article.)
    I no longer teach or need a dinger. I hope you give the dinger to Sheala. Her students will love it.

    Reply
  18. Jeanette Mc. from Everton Terrace

    I love every single thing you’ve found. It’s a good thing I cannot go to the Brocante with you, we would kill each other trying to get to the same stuff! That paper weight is adorable. I thought I must have that little bell to go with the (not nearly as old) little one I have sitting in my living room – a pair is always better. Now that I’m reading others stories, the grandfather, the teacher, opening a bakery, I think they should have it over me. I read your blog before I check my own or my online shop!

    Reply
  19. Jessica

    I love all your stories with Annie as the focal point. Especially the rose jam post. She has such great insight and practical charm. That would be a great addition to your book. I’m quite excited to see the end result.

    Reply
  20. Christine

    Dear Corey, I love your blog and am so happy to have discovered it ages ago. Each day I look forward to a new entry accompanied by wonderful photos of places and people many of us would never see. I applaud you for finding something you love to do in life (the brocante) and which gives your life even more meaning in so many ways.
    Do you remember Jimmy Stewart in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Do you recall the angel Clarence, sent to help him when he thought he would give up in the ultimate way, that life was not worth living? Well, the last 10 years of my life have been a series of losses. Permanent, painful losses: my parents (29 days apart), my husband of 34 years to another woman, my life as I knew it because of that, my 3 rescued dogs, two car accidents, my business, my security…I could go on and on. They are all quite difficult but the toughest is to keep on going, alone through 4 years of the divorce process that is still not over.
    At least that’s what I thought. I’ve tried to refocus and be grateful for what I do have but it’s not an easy task. When I get to moments where I feel I can no longer go on, I will think of that movie and the line “Every time you hear a bell ring, an angel gets it’s wings”. It reminds me of the many small kindnesses that “angels” who are the newly encountered friends and experiences have bestowed upon me. So many petite and precious gifts that I would never have seen without so much loss.
    The hotel bell? I would keep in on my desk by my computer and every time I realized I was the recipient of a kindness or thought, no matter how small, received from a friend, one of my last family members or even myself, I would give it a tap to hear it ring. I have discovered very slowly that the universe is surprisingly gracious when dispensing tiny blessings in the most desperate of times.
    I hope you continue to enjoy your adopted land and thank you for sharing it with us!
    Hugs,
    Christine

    Reply
  21. Grace

    Oh to have the honor of comeing to explore with you and searching for treasures would be so wonderful! I enjoy visiting your blog. It is my little escape! Grace

    Reply
  22. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    OMG! I would love this GIVEAWAY brass hotel bell…I wouldn’t have to yell “dinner is ready” anymore with this beauty. Just ding, ding, ding….and they would come running 🙂
    You know I LOVE your treasures and have several, so one more would just really “ring my bell”.
    xo,
    Cheryl

    Reply
  23. naomi

    Thank you for sharing these today –
    My favorite post/story of yours is about when your husband was proposing to you . . . the desperate man in the park, and how your husband was his savior that day.
    I’m glad you are enjoying your little business.

    Reply
  24. Tamisha

    Ooooooooooooooooh, all your goodies are so lovely. I imagine your home filled with these delightful treasures.
    If I won your wonderful bell, I would have it on my desk at school and use it to corral students to order. A delightful piece of France to cheer my day and bring some melodious tones to my classroom!
    Thank you for all you do. It’s a wonderful gift for the rest of us!

    Reply
  25. Lorelei Lane

    Oh Corey, your “smalls” are such beautiful treasures. I remember the first flea market I went to with my daddy. He took his sweet time and pointed out this and that. I bought a Baking Powder cookbook for 10 cents and I still have it after all these years. Now when I go through a shop I think of how daddy would have liked this or that and know he’s peeking over my shoulder. I would use the bell on my desk to bring me back to work from my crafting area.

    Reply
  26. Jillayne

    When my children were small and sick with a sore throat I would tuck them in bed or on the sofa with their favourites blanket and stories. When I had chores to do or supper to make I would give them a little bell they could ring if they needed me as their throats were too sore for them to call out. We moved four times in three years and the bell got lost in the shuffle – now wouldn’t a hotel bell be an elegant “sick bell” (as the kids called it)! I love the stories you weave around your pictures – they are so entertaining!

    Reply
  27. Ed in Willows

    Since I won a couple things earlier this year, don’t add my name to the giveaway list….I just wanted to say hi.

    Reply
  28. Jackie

    from one ding dong to another, sign me up:)

    Reply
  29. Julie

    Hi Corey
    I love your smalls and have a small collection of them making my life brighter… Well I was going to mention ‘it’s a wonderful life’ but I can see someone already has… so it’s a childhood story..
    In our home we had a ship’s bell which had belonged to my grandfather.. My mother would ring it [LOUDLY] when she couldn’t find us for lunch.. [you could hear it all over the neighbourhood] …Of course this was incredibly embarrassing for a ten year old.. so when our friends would say ‘what’s that noise??’ .. we’d reply we didn’t know, wait another 5 minutes not to be caught out in our lie, then conveniently decide it was time to go home before it started ringing again .. I’m pretty sure our mum knew how much it made us cringe and had a little laugh.. It was quite an effective tool to round up the troops… I know I’d remember my mum with every ding of the bell … thanks Corey..

    Reply
  30. AmyKortuem

    The fuller my house has gotten over the years, the smaller the things I bring home from antique stores! So I understand your brocante smalls habit of late. I’ve already won a gift from you, so you don’t have to include me in the drawing, but I would use that bell to get people to HUSH before I begin a harp concert!

    Reply
  31. cynthia Wolff @Beatenheart

    Hi Corey, I already have several hotel bells, two of which have been sitting in my shop for ages. Perhaps I could send them to you so you could sell them as you have the magic touch when it comes to that…we all just want something that came from your own hands. Now if you were gifting that beautiful mother of pearl rosary that came and went in the blink of an eye and before I could find my glasses to get a closer look. I would have to press into duty some clever and sure to please story that would win you over. So put me on the list for a future pressie as I would love someday to get a French parcel in the mail .

    Reply
  32. Weaverbec

    Hi Corey,
    I start every day reading your blog. I am addicted to you.
    My favorite series of stories was when you and French Husband went on the trip on the motorcycle. How you conquered your luggage limitations and sleeping on the back of the motorcycle. Not to mention the pictures were fantastic and the people you met along the way were wonderful.
    When one is addicted to antiques, it doesn’t matter about the size. They are all great.
    Have a great day!

    Reply
  33. Judy

    I’ve been following your blog for a couple of months and look forward to every posting! I really enjoy your writing style and reading yours has improved mine! Your photography is also an inspiration to me. My office has a “bell” and no one will ring it! They would rather wait for half an hour for someone to happen by!

    Reply
  34. Patt

    I would ring this bell when our house is silent to remind my dear sweet husband how much I love and appreciate him. Sometimes the best words exchanged are the unspoken ones. I would love to win this messenger of love bell.

    Reply
  35. Julie Holvik

    Hi Cousin, Just wanted to let you know I’m still reading and enjoying everyday of your blog. Great pictures of Paris with Gene and Kathy. I await our turn someday. Doug just asked me if you had pictures of your kitchen, I told him you have, but the don’t show that much. He would love to see every angle to see what you have done. Julie and Doug.

    Reply
  36. Sarah

    I would ring it at work when I route a project. I would ring it to call my 2 4-legged children (except they will have to be trained that this will earn them a treat)or just ring it for fun.

    Reply
  37. Pam

    Do you see many vintage tatting shuttles? I have taught a few French exchange students how. The technique came from France (frivolite) or England & around the 13 century. The snuff box was very interesting.

    Reply
  38. olga kotova

    Corey,
    What fun your blog is! Beautiful photos and always something to inspire your readers!
    I love your treasures. I am a big fan of your blog, brocante, everything French. I even try to study irresistible French language.
    My Russian grandmother used to make lace. No matter how old she was and how bad her vision got.
    I make dolls and I use a vintage fabric for them. With the best intention, over the past few decades I developed the antique shopping disease.
    If I won your lace, I would like to exchange it with my funny little findings.

    Reply
  39. Paula S In New Mexico

    Corey ~ my favorite of your blog posts, hands down, has always been the one you posted on Chelsea’s birthday….about being newly born and looking into the eyes of God. It captured my heart.
    That bell sure would be fun to have !

    Reply
  40. olga kotova

    What fun your blog is! Beautiful photos and always something to inspire your readers!
    I love your treasures. I am a big fan of your blog, brocante, everything French. I even try to study irresistible French language.
    My Russian grandmother used to make lace. No matter how old she was and how bad her vision got.
    I make dolls and I use a vintage fabric for them. With the best intention, over the past few decades I developed the antique shopping disease.
    If I won your lace, I would like to exchange it with my funny little findings.

    Reply
  41. Milena

    Oh, what a treat! Your little finds are all beautiful, but my favorites are the pastel bottle stoppers. I just love them, they remind me of summer, and sea glass found on the beach. I would also use them in my kitchen, and would place them just so, when sun hits them I can enjoy wonderful colours on my counter 🙂
    Have a happy day!

    Reply
  42. molly

    just love reading your blog every morning….its fun that you let us peek into your life…….

    Reply
  43. Kate

    When I was a youth my mother called us in for dinner by ringing a bell – so much nicer for the neighbors to hear the bell and not a shout-out…the bell semed to cover more distance as well…we always came when rung for.
    Thanks for sharing your stories and treasures.

    Reply
  44. Lorrie

    The small things are what provide layers and depth to everyday life. And your small brocante finds are utterly charming.
    If I had such a bell, I’d set it up on a tray with some antique lace, a china tea cup, an escapist novel, some dark chocolate and lounge about on the couch or outside on a blanket. I’d ring the bell periodically in an imperious manner, even if no one came, just for the sheer joy of doing it.

    Reply
  45. Debi

    Corey,
    I don’t have any special or fantastic reason why you should pick me to win the bell. I’m simply a person whom you’ve touched with your blog, life perspective, insights, wisdom — and the fact that we’re fellow cancer survivors. I’d love to proudly display the bell in my house – and when asked about it, happily share the story of my ‘virtual’ friend from France.
    My favorite of your blog was the journey you shared of your father’s last days and weeks. I cried, smiled and admired you as you shared that so personal part of your life with us all.
    ((hugs))
    -Debi

    Reply
  46. anne

    Hi Corey.. I enjoyed your posts about your trip on Willow with FH .. it was exciting, but I do love lots of other posts too!
    I would use the bell for dinner times, to get my husband and boys down for dinner , out of the computer room..LOL

    Reply
  47. Theresa-Garden Antqs Vintage

    Hi Corey, I could ring that bell when I was ready for my husband to bring me coffee in the morning. He usually brings me coffee before I’m out of bed. I’m sure I could find so many other uses for it too 🙂 Hope all is well, Theresa

    Reply
  48. Erin Cutshall

    Oh, seriously! Wow. I liked the letters (for shadowboxes), the wonderful flag, the ironstone cup (for my treasures), and the red/white twine (for gifting fun baked goods)! Oh, pick me! Pick me!!!!!!
    Erin (who wanted so much to meet you in Round Top but you were not there that day!)

    Reply
  49. Alina Smith

    Hi Corey,
    Love reading your blog. I’d love to hear the continuation of the French letters from World War II story. Remember, the ones Sacha was reading to you?
    What would I do with the bell? I like your idea of ringing it to let the family know dinner is ready. 🙂

    Reply
  50. Alan

    It looks like somebody tried to make a button out of that one poker chip.
    My mom used to use a cow bell to call her eleven children to supper. The hotel bell would have been much classier, but not as effective.

    Reply
  51. Lieselotte

    Well, at the top of my list of favourites is the hotel bell – would be of good use in the classroom for announcements, as it has a nice sound. Next : I personally like the café au lait bowl, because I want to provoquer mon mari avec ( he keeps telling me I pretend to be French when I drink coffee out of a French bowl ); then I really like the bottle stoppers because of their colours, and I also like that white jug … ca suffit.

    Reply
  52. Dolores & Holly

    Dolores says she’s your favorite person….
    She wants the bell period!

    Reply
  53. Gwendie

    I truly enjoyed the series on what we’d like to see in Paris. Your photos are beautiful!

    Reply
  54. dmwvp@pacbell.net

    Hi Corey,
    My reason for reading your blog is to follow the everyday life of someone who loves what she does every day….if only… I tell myself that someday I’ll do what I really love instead of going to work…but in the meantime I can steal moments to read about your life and what you love to do!!
    Your faithfull reader……….Dana

    Reply
  55. Laurie SF

    Hi Corey,
    So many favorites, but if I had to choose. French waiter in a long white apron, Pink Party, French Dressing and how you met your husband. Amazing!
    Reading your blog each day is a prize to me.
    Thank you

    Reply
  56. Barbara @ Southern Lady’s Vintage

    Love all of your beautiful things! Just found your blog recently and will have to take time to read backwards. Don’t want to miss a thing!

    Reply
  57. Maggie Dow

    Corey,
    Several months ago, I purchased a few of your brocante finds. When the package arrived in the mail, my daughters ran breathlessly up the driveway (a half mile roundtrip) and shouted excitedly “There is a package from FRANCE!!” I would love to repeat that moment. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

    Reply
  58. Lia deKoster

    Morena from New Zealand,
    What I have received,
    Is a gift of personal friendship,
    extended with kindness,
    a sense of touching out,
    It is your eye – photographic soul,
    that I have received
    and shared
    with my teenage students,
    we cook,
    create,
    bathe
    in food…
    I now “set the sense, Miss”
    snap the Kai (maori word for food)
    “Wow Miss, that looks good in that photo”
    ahhh i sigh, we eat first with our eyes.
    Corey…your small gifts of friendship
    are returned
    and shared
    with all around me,
    I naturally do this
    I reflect,
    ponder…
    but you have enriched my soul
    and i thought you should know….
    Arohanui
    (big love)
    Lia

    Reply
  59. Trishia Jacos

    From one ding dong to another…I’m sure someone else already posted that….Anyway, Corey, just wanted to say bonjour and I love stopping in to catch up on your blog. If you love Sex in the City, you ought to play the casino game. It is so fun! And addictive. Almost as addictive as going to brocantes.

    Reply
  60. Franca Bollo

    My nit-picking corrections are considered “lovely comments”? It’s the anal retentive graphic designer in me … picking nits is part of the job description. Drives Sheba insane.
    By the way, that paperweight? It screams “Coco” so loudly I can hear it over here on Russian Hill.
    And did anyone mention The Sopranos yesterday? Like eating potato chips … watch one and you won’t be able to stop.

    Reply
  61. Patti

    I would like to put my name in and if I win, I would ask you to give it to Christine! Just think of the angel wings!

    Reply
  62. LibbyWNZ

    Hi Corey,
    When the children were little I called them in from our small farmlet with a VERY loud horn – it had a black rubber ball on the end that one squeezed. Very distinctive and sooooo much more effective than screaming like a fishwife!! xx

    Reply
  63. Judy

    Hi Corey, I always enjoy reading your blog..I love it! I would love the dinner (Hotel) bell, Merci, Judy

    Reply
  64. Star

    I think the bell would be the perfect thing to summon my man when needed (I’m not sure he’d see it that way though).
    I can’t imagine that they made poker chips from mother of pearl! Beautiful.
    I’ve been wondering about you and your book and whether you’d made a start on it yet. Have you decided when method of publishing you’d like to try?

    Reply
  65. Patti

    Thank you Corey! I love the bell, your blog and the mother of pearl casino chips … so sophisticated!

    Reply
  66. Kate du Nord

    Love Luv LOVE the lineup of goodies you found at the market! What a lot of beautiful things.

    Reply
  67. Cathy Baker

    Corey, you rang my bell on March 30, 2010 when you wrote,
    “Truly, Madly, Deeply,
    To be every petal of who you are.”
    and then you pared those words with one of the most stunning
    photos I’ve ever seen……..now artfully imprinted on my brain forever. Thank you for your daily gifts.

    Reply
  68. helene

    I remember that brass bell. It was on the counter of a small and tattered hotel on the Isle de la Cite in Paris in 1990. We were arriving from a long, long travel day to our dream of being in Paris for the first time. When we trudged, weary and enchanted into the lobby of this hotel that had once housed the printing press of Louis V we wondered if we were at the right address. The only light was a bare bulb hanging from the overhead wire, the winding staircase would only accommodate a narrow person sans suitcase and the concierge was on the second floor. But there was that bell! We rang and our reluctant host sallied forth to show us to our room on the fourth floor with much grumbling under his breath. The story could go on and on but skip to the end and the celebration of a most wonderful week in Paris in a musty, funky hotel we will never forget. I would love the bell for memories.
    Next, I love your recent post about Hide and Seek with FH in the Palais Royal park. I love the images and the wise thoughts about love and relationships. You could make a movie out of that one.

    Reply
  69. Penny

    Such treasures to admire and to buy.
    I would love the hotel bell and I have a special spot in which it would sit. We have a guest bedroom in our home. When we moved here and the movers were hauling our many things in, there is one room where some family antiques kept going. “Where d’ya want this,
    miss?”. “Oh, put it in the B&B”, and so, this room became the B&B and it is where folks stay when they visit us and where a friend or two has invited herself over just to spend a night. Don’t you agree that it would look nice and be functional on the antique secretary in our B&B?

    Reply
  70. Em

    I would ring it when typing reports for work since these new fangled computer things don’t give you any warnings when you are coming to the end of a line. I’d use discretion though and maybe only ring it for the joy of finishing a page rather than a line…

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  71. Victoria Ramos

    so many posts to love…..I loved your bathroom makeover photo (loved the descriptions of your painting attire and the photos of you with your brush!)….and the post discribing when your daughter was younger and held your face and told you not to worry sweet little Corey….all so precious…..

    Reply
  72. yvonne

    I would have bought all of it too . That brooch is wonderful.
    yvonne

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  73. Helen

    This hotel bell would remind me every time I used it of “Fawlty Towers”! – and of you too of course Corey. What fun!

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  74. Karen

    Oh I love it! I’d use it for a “timer” for my small boy…as in “ding…it’s time for pj’s” or “ding…it’s time to brush teeth”…much nicer than mom’s voice:-)

    Reply
  75. Elaine L.

    I would use it to call my preschoolers in from recess.
    ~elaine~

    Reply
  76. Marci

    I would put in on my coffee table. A ring of that bell could restore order from time to time or just be fun to ring. That is what I would do.

    Reply
  77. Mary

    Oh, I love the jam jar. And I think it would be the perfect receptacle for the beach sand and glass I’ve saved from my favorite spot, the Canaries/Canary Islands, where at 20 I learned to love life more fully and those individuals around me. Now alone, after 23 years of marriage I might like to look at that sand in the jar and dream of returning there to find love again.
    “There’s a joy in each season when there’s love in our hearts.” -Robin St. John

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  78. Lorretta Hurd

    Oh yes Corey, please sign me up for that bell. How grand it would be to press down on it and have all the things that the heart desires!!

    Reply
  79. Ariane

    Corey,
    I would ring the bell multiple times a day so angels will get their wings. (I’ve always loved that movie!!)

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  80. Karina Westfall

    Corey,
    My husband and I moved few months ago from Tampa Bay, FL to Pittsburgh, PA. We have been looking for a nice historic home for almost 5 months. Tying my story to the bell, is that I will ring the bell a couple of times as a reminder of it is time for us to make a decision a buy a house before Summer.

    Reply
  81. Heather

    I would use this bell and train my dog to come to me when I want him. So much nicer than calling for him. Can you teach an middle aged dog new tricks? Pavlov did, and I want to try. I promise to give a full accounting and let you know if I succeed. I will even send a photo or two. Pick me and I will tell you the story!

    Reply
  82. shannon in oregon

    i think i’d look at the bell and just ding it every so often, whenever the fancy struck me. i’d leave it near my knitting nook so it would always be near.
    i’ve not commented in a while, but it’s not for lack of love. 🙂

    Reply
  83. Judi

    I am cracking up just thinking about this. When my children were young, I would have used it to call them to dinner or chores. Now that I am older, I might have to keep it with me in case I fall over in the studio. I would bang on it until one of them came to help me get up!

    Reply
  84. Linda H

    As so many of your blog readers, I look forward to checking in as often as I can. It’s something nice to look forward to after a long day at school and before I start my evening work on the computer to be ready for the next day. I enjoy reading the comments of the other readers . . . we’re all friends, aren’t we? Thanks for bringing us together, Corey.
    The fun of antiques is wondering what on earth something was used for, creating a story around something, or triggering a memory. That’s what your bell did for me. Daddy called us home by ringing a bell by the back door. Much larger than your hotel bell. It had to be, for us to hear it through the woods, over the hill, and beyond to the pond. What innocence filled those days.
    I was given a pewter bell a couple of years ago. I was CRAZY enough to take it to school with me. Thought it was symbolic to have a bell on my desk. What I didn’t expect was that one of my co-teachers would ring it whenever he came into the room! Then the kids thought it was OK and started ringing it, too. HE finally asked me to move it beyond his reach. Admittedly, he was too ADHD to withstand the temptation of ringing it. Better not send your bell to me. Two bells would be too much to handle in our classroom.

    Reply
  85. Michelle

    There are so many things that you have shared that I love, its hard to pick my favorite. I have a lovely picture of the bed in your mother’s garden. I cried when I read about your boyfriend (?) dying from an asthma attack. I lived vicariously through you when you went on your summertime motorcycle trip through Europe. I love Annie and every story you share about your time with her. I have friends like that too. And of course, all of the stories about your children and husband. Deep sigh. I love those stories too. And finally, I love that I get to wake up each morning and check your blog for gorgeous new pictures of everything French and I get to read all of your heartwarming stories. Thanks again for sharing.

    Reply
  86. Julie W.

    You know Corey, it is the small stuff that makes a big impact in our lives…even better if it is OLD small stuff, old FRENCH small stuff–that has stood the test of time and is still beautiful or serviceable, or can be re-purposed. Using such items feels like an honor to me. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of many of these little treasures that have floated through people’s lives, not to mention a chance to purchase them.
    Once again I am touched by your kind generosity with your hotel bell give-away. If you are a “ding-dong” your are playing my song. Oscar Hammerstein couldn’t have described Corey Amaro better if he had known you: “A bell is no bell till you ring it, a song is no song till you sing it. And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, love isn’t love till you give it away.”
    Julie W.

    Reply
  87. joanne

    quite simply ‘HI’ and thank you..;p

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  88. stljoie

    There is every now and then still a shop with a bell on the counter… I would love one…and I too would call the dog.

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  89. Maura @ Lilac Lane Cottage

    Hello Corey,
    Oh I would use it to call my husband for supper. He lost his hearing over 30 years ago but can still hear the higher pitched sounds like these types of bells make. I’m sure he’d appreciate the sound of the bell over me hollering at him over the sound of the television that he has to crank up 😉

    Reply
  90. Barb Alexander, in Boise, Idaho

    Oh yes! Enter me in the drawing! I will send you a picture of something that is making sweet sounds in my garden right now. Unfortunately, these lazuli buntings are just passing through to their summer homes higher up.

    Reply
  91. joanne nixon

    i love to read your stories and your photos are fantastic ! you have inspired me to look at ordinary things and see what i missed before…the camera can capture the everyday and make it look elegant…..keep doing what you do…..AND plan on getting that book started ! there are many who follow you and long to see what new things we can learn……thank you….yes, i would love the bell…would remind me of school days..

    Reply
  92. Mary

    Hahaha! Mea Culpa! I read this post too quickly and got too excited about the canning jar that I MISSED the point that we were to bid through our interesting responses on the precious bell! Mais non, another one of my classic faux pas! – Hmmmmm… the bell, just as lovely and as interesting as the Cosanti bronzed friendship bell. When you have five kids to call to meals you know the TRUE VALUE of bells! Best wishes to the bell winner, or ringer that is!

    Reply
  93. Colette

    hello Corey, well I don’t have a “tongue in cheek” story.. and thereby I mean to be so cute and clever with words like only you can do..
    I am looking at you with puppy-dog eyes(and I speak from exsperience sinse raising our new 12 week old Afghan puppy is life consuming at the moment…hence I now understand the exspression!) …I would love the little hotel bell -to use on my Brocante days..specially the really big one I have been invited to do in the following months…when it get’s busy and everyone needs my attention-they can ding dong me on the little Corey-bell..and since I have so many of your goodies on my table..this little bell will feel right at home!
    in fact so keen am I to have it as a “good luck charm…I’m virtually down on my knees..it will stand proudly next to the little french flag I got from you shown in the above photographs..
    Ok I’m getting up now…you decide…good luck!
    Colxx
    ps..bet you have never had a bell named after you!

    Reply
  94. Liz

    Corey, I would love this ‘dinner bell’ as ringing the kids in for dinner with bell just like this one was just what my mother did. My parents had a wonderfully large garden back then, with a river, fields and swampy watercress beds behind – a veritable field day, literally, for kids’ play. In those days it was safe to let kids romp around out of sight and have free play in a secret world, building camps, hidden away from adults. Nowadays in the UK, no parent would allow that, sadly. My dad bought the bell from somewhere in India (he was a pilot and his suitcase was always full of delights for us kids when he came from a long trip away). Hence my love of browsing your brocante finds today. My parents still have the bell, on their mantlepiece in the dining room. And when I visit them, my seven year-old son grabs it and gongs it till our ears are ringing too – yet their garden is small now and no one is now out of sight when dinner is ready. It stirs memories to see this bell. It would delight my son and bring a little piece of an English childhood memory to the fore in my home in Malta – in its French hotel bell guise!

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  95. christine

    I would sit like a queen in the comfiest chair with my bell next to me, ding it loudly and call “service”. I would hope for one of my children to come running, leaving their friends hanging on Facebook or MSN, and that they would execute immediately my dearest wish – a large gin and tonic, a huge tomato sandwich, my glasses and magazine. I believe I would be left with the echo of the ding, and a crushing silence !! I’d ove to buy the cigar tube for Jean Michel – I need to go to your shop. xx C

    Reply
  96. Sunny

    I would have just too much fun using your charming hotel bell as a “chore done” DING! bell…urgent need of company to have a cup of coffee with me “DING DING”…or having the best day ever bell:”DING DING DE DINGDINGDING”…”Husband please come down from working in the attic bell” DINGDING DINGDING DINGDING”…or “just won at backgammon bell” : DING! DING! DING! DINGDINGDINGDING!!!!
    YipeeeDing:-)

    Reply
  97. Kathy Fliegauf

    The photo of the bell reminds me of the one used at our local post office today. Seeing the bell reminds me of hearing the high pitch sound, summoning the worker from behind the scene to the counter to wait on customers.
    By the way, I couldn’t believe my eyes when checking out at the local A&P, the man checking out before me was wearing a French black beret. Who would have thought! (I didn’t say anything, just smiled..didn’t want him to think I was hitting on him).
    This blog brings “the common” to the forefront for appreciation. Why, I even bought three almond trees to plant with blue irises beneath because of your blog.
    Thanks for bringing the spirit of France to New Jersey
    Kathy

    Reply
  98. Judy B.

    Being in the hotel business for so many years, this bell is so special to me. Used to work for a very old historic hotel and in the early days there was a bell stationed on the registration counter. During slow days the clerk would work behind the front desk doing other tasks and the bell sound would echo through the lobby when a guest arrived, rang the bell requesting service. The hotel has been turned into lofts now so the building and its history is still standing. Wonderful memories I have.

    Reply
  99. Alison Whittington

    I hope I am in time to enter the drawing…
    I would ring it all day long just because it would make me laugh.
    I would drive my husband crazy, and probably my son-to-be, too, but isn’t that what family is for? To let you drive them crazy just to hear you laugh?

    Reply
  100. Holly Montford

    Dear Corey,
    Oh how that pretty little French bell speaks to me. I too am a broncateur, antiquer, collector of sentimental things, and cherisher of all things family! So much so that I can hardly part with them. I am so bad that I simply cannot buy a gift for someone unless I love it myself which sometimes results in my having to return to the store and to purchase another one for my friend. I have two garages of treasures left over from my downsizing move that need to be dispensed with. My boy friend suggests that we get a bell and ring it each time I can part with something. This little bell would be perfect to make the whole process easier. Wish you were here so I could give some of my treasures a happy home!!!!!!!!!
    Holly

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  101. Olive Cooper

    I would use the charming hotel bell to call all two of us to supper. My husband does tend to wander off just when I want to dish it up! Thanks bunches.
    ♦olive♦

    Reply
  102. Cheri Howell

    Hi Corey-
    I am somewhat new to blog land and boy, have you set the bar high! Your photos are amazing… thank you for making me feel like I can be in Paris everyday! Thank you for making the ordinary look extraordinary! Thank you for the beauty and the inspiration you share so freely! As for the glasses… I like the suggestion of him reading the paper in bed while looking at you. It just seem so very…. well… French! 🙂

    Reply
  103. Marie

    Those items look old. It looks like something Va would put in her house. 🙂

    Reply
  104. Sara

    I missed the giveaway, but just wanted to say how I love your little things. I’ll delve more deeply into your brocante.

    Reply
  105. Ninapwa

    I will ring the bell whenever I have more joint replacements—just got a new knee in February of this year. I am an empty nester now, and have to summon a boy friend from the garage (a man not used to waiting on others)…..My 3 sons all learned to be nurturing, but are now off on their own, so I need to start training this new man in my life.
    I love the brocante you find, especially the iron stone holy water font! I would put fairy dust in it, to anoint myself whenever I go into my studio to write….to remind me that creation is next to spirituality!
    Blessed be! How lovely to live in France!
    Big hug, Nina

    Reply
  106. Robin @ MyMelange

    Oh Corey, you are no darn good for my pocketbook 🙂 I share your passion for the brocante – I love ex votos, anything with French handwriting, cafe au lait bowls, ironstone, French lace..oh I could go on and on.
    Funny thing – I too had found that exact Paris guide book with a brown cover, which I hated to part with, but sold in my on-line Flea Market as well.
    What is that saying about great minds…..
    Hope you are well xo

    Reply

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