CHEX TV air date: Friday October 3rd 5pm Click link to watch this episode. OK, you’re probably wondering how do beer glasses fit in a garden shop!? ?Well, they’re Canadian made and you need refreshment after you’ve been working hard in the garden! Right? Or maybe hubby needs a drink after he’s been digging that new garden for you. ?And how better than to serve it in a fun beer glass actually made out of a real beer bottle! ?And yes, they hold a full beer! On this episode of The Garden Gate I chat with Jenn from Artech glass.
Artists
Garden Gate: Episode 45 – Woodstock Chimes for Autism
CHEX TV Airdate: Sept. 5th, 2014 Watch this episode here. We’ve been carrying Woodstock chimes for years. ?We love the tone, we love the quality and we love the variety! Over the last few years I’ve had a young family drop by about once a year to look at the chimes. ?The two young boys would run around the shop and ring the chimes. ?It could get a little noisy, but we don’t mind. ?How else can you choose the chime you want for your garden!? On the last visit from the family, one of the young sons plunked his “business card” down on my counter and said “That’s me!” ?Sure enough, here was young Tyler’s face on a business card with a special Autism Chime. It’s called the “Woodstock chime for Autism.” Tyler’s dad Sean told me that Tyler hears chimes differently than most others do. He can name all the Woodstock chimes just by listening to?them chime! ?He loves chimes, but they must be Woodstock chimes! ?Sean also told me that he had contacted Woodstock chimes about Tyler and that they were invited to the Woodstock studio?to see how they make the chimes. Tyler was thrilled and became the star of an 8 minute YouTube video. Very cool. Tyler and his family have also been featured on CTV. Check out the video here. Meet Tyler in this episode of The Garden Gate! This special “Woodstock Chime for Autism” is now available at The Avant-Garden Shop and a portion of the sale from our shop will go directly to the local chapter! Plus Woodstock will also donate a portion of profits to Autism research programs and treatments. ? ?
Garden Gate: Episode 43 – Trellises
CHEX TV Airdate: August 8th, 2014 Click link to watch this episode. We have a variety of trellises available at The Avant-Garden Shop. ?Besides being beautiful, these are Canadian made and add interest and provoke conversation in your garden. I brought?a few trellises to a local garden centre and picked out a few plants that would work well with them! When buying a trellis, you want to make sure they are large enough (plants seem to grow bigger than we expect!) and also durable. ?Often times we set up a trellis and find out a year later that it’s rusted, falling apart…and now covered with a plant that is dragging it down to the ground. ?How do you untangle that mess?! In this episode, I’ll give you a few ideas on what to look for in a quality trellis and different ways to display them in your garden. ?
Garden Gate: Episode 40 – Concrete Sculptures
CHEX TV airdate: June 27th, 2014 Click link to watch this episode. Concrete sculptures can add charm, interest and surprise to your garden. ?Choosing a quality piece can sometimes be a challenge however. ?Often times we find ourselves lugging heavy concrete pieces into tool sheds or garages for winter protection. But if you choose quality concrete, this isn’t necessary! 
If you’ve been in any long standing classic garden or visited places such as Versailles in France, they have very old concrete sculptures, and you’ll realize that these pieces are too large or numerous to be brought indoors each winter. Also, the longer they live in a garden the more beautiful they become. Moss and lichen begin to grow within crevices highlighting the detail in each sculpture. On this episode of The Garden Gate I provide some tips on what to look for when purchasing concrete pieces for your garden so your art will last for many years.
Garden Gate: Episode 39 – Sugar Bush Fairy Doors
CHEX TV air date: June 6th, 2014 Click link to watch 3 minute video
On this episode of The Garden Gate, I’m joined by Alan Cornfield of Sugar Bush Fairies.
Sugar Bush Fairies is a unique and exciting home based business located in the Horseshoe Valley area that?caters to the decorative needs of the fairy folk realm. ?They create enchanted handcrafted wooden fairy doors for your home and garden. ?Alan suggests that we simply lean the beautiful doors against a tree or rock, place them on a bookshelf, hang them on a wall or set them against a baseboard.? These doors are available in a variety of adorable styles to capture the eye of even the most discriminating pixie, brownie, goblin, hobbit, elf, leprechaun, sprite or other fairy folk.? Each door is a portal allowing the fairy folk to enter into our lives, bringing with them the special magic of their realm.
The chief designer behind the Sugar Bush Fairies is Alan Cornfield.? Alan is very experienced in the design and crafting of wood products.? He has been a design engineer in the furniture industry for the past 20 years.? Alan?s expertise can be seen in the meticulous work he puts into each door?s individual details.? He has the ability to capture the magic that every door promises and create it for your enjoyment.
After the doors are designed, they are then artistically painted by his partner, Sarah.? Sarah discovered her passion for painting several years ago.? She enjoys various mediums of painting, from folk art to nature.? Sarah has always been intrigued by tales of the fairy folk and was very excited to be able to assist in these creations.? Some of the fairy doors have very detailed paintings on them, which makes them one of a kind artisan collectibles.? A lot of thought and time is put into each door.
Together, Alan and Sarah have developed the Sugar Bush Fairies Studio that is located in the loft of their workshop. ?Their home is located in the Sugar Bush of Horseshoe Valley, in Oro-Medonte. ?They are inspired everyday by the nature that surrounds them in their little home in the woods.
Available at The Avant-Garden Shop and online.
Garden Gate: Episode 38 – Fair Traded Beaded Art
CHEX TV air date: May 30th, 2014
Click link to watch this episode
We strive to carry as much Canadian made product as possible as we feel it is very important to support our friends and neighbours. ?We do however know that there are many very talented artists around the world. ?If we find an item we love and it meets other criteria like Fair Trade, we’ll also add it to our selection of offerings.
This episode of The Garden Gate highlights just such a product. ?The beaded art from Beadworx is made by artisans from South-East Asia. ?The supplier works directly with the artists giving them ideas of what items and designs would sell best to their buyers and they pay them a fair wage for what they do.
There are many beautiful beaded pieces that the artisans produce including dragonfly’s, birds, butterfly’s, frogs, grasshoppers and geckos!
The beads are glass and the frames are aluminum which makes them very durable if placed outdoors. ?Aluminum won’t rust and the glass beads don’t deteriorate like plastic ones do.
Chimes, garden stakes and large wall pieces are also available.
Orders usually arrive in early spring. Due to limited supply, shop early for the best selection. ?See some of the items on our website.
Garden Gate: Episode 36 – Outdoor wall art
CHEX TV air date: May 2nd, 2014 Click link to watch this episode 
At The Avant-Garden Shop we pride ourselves in offering beautiful wall art that is Made in Canada and high quality. During this episode I’ll highlight a few artists and show their beautiful work, which is now in stock. ?I’ll also discuss what metals are good for the outdoors and what treatment can be done to keep product from rusting. Placement of your wall art is key, so I’ll make a few suggestions on where to locate your pieces as well. For many of the works that we carry, we are the exclusive retailer of these artists works in this area. So please drop by The Avant-Garden Shop often to see what’s new. ?Because we work with artists, often the product offerings are limited they can often take time to get in again. It’s a good thing that we don’t have 100 of any item! It makes your wall art extra special and unique. Visit our website to read some information on some of our artists. We have over 100 artists
Garden Gate: Episode 30 – Motawi Tiles
CHEX TV air date: Friday Jan. 24th, 5-6pm
Click here to watch this episode of the Garden Gate.?
People often ask how I find the products that I carry in the shop because they are so diverse and unique. Besides visiting gift and craft shows I also keep my eyes open when we are travelling. These tiles are the result of just such a trip.
My husband and I are fans of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.? Over the last few years we have visited a number of his homes including Falling Water in Pennsylvania. Beautiful!
The visitors centres for these homes have little gift shops. We had noticed these beautiful tiles with some of his designs on them. I made note of the artists name and when we returned I began my research. I contacted the company and received information including a beautiful catalog.?
We felt more research was necessary, so we decided to take a road trip the next year to the Motawi studio in Ann Arbour Michigan.? There we received a personalized tour of the studio and saw every step of how their tiles are made.
There are 28 steps involved in the creation of these tiles! ?First a design needs to be chosen. The design needs to work in such a way to hold the glazes that they use within their edges. So the design often is adapted to work with their style. Once a design is approved, a template is made. Then a mold. Using their exclusive locally sourced clay a tile is created using a 60 ton press. It is hand trimmed and then fired in a kiln overnight.? Once removed from the kiln, an artist like ?Emily? adds the glazes in the appropriate sections. (You’ll see the name of the person who glazed the tile on the back of each piece) Once completed it is put back in the kiln for another firing.
If during any of these steps a problem arises, and the tile isn’t perfect it is either sold as a second or destroyed.
The results are here for you to see. Stunning pieces that can be displayed in a frame, on an easel or even worked into another tiling project.
Nawal Motawi founded Motawi Tileworks more than 20 years ago. A University of Michigan art school graduate with an interest in applied arts, Nawal learned tilemaking at Detroit?s storied Pewabic pottery. She returned to Ann Arbor after a few years and began making her own tiles in a small Ann Arbor garage and selling them at the local farmers? market. The rest is history. Today, Motawi Tileworks carries on the legacy of fine American art tile. They take great pride in their work, in creating something timeless and beautiful.
You?ll notice Nawal?s influence in the arts and crafts, art nouveau movement. Simply beautiful designs.
See more tiles on our website here.
Garden Gate: Episode 28 – L’Immaginaria
CHEX TV Air Date: Friday, Dec. 27, 2014
Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.
On this episode of The Garden Gate, I’m speaking with local artist Lisa Martini-Dunk about her wonderful scratch board art.
Lisa is inspired by nature and by her imagination to create her stunning works of art, and lives in East City (Peterborough).
Lisa begins with an idea and then a sketch. Once she’s happy with the image she begins to create her work. Using a special black paper board she scratches away the black parts to leave the image behind. Almost working in reverse. ?Then special paint is used to add colour. She will transfer the image to her computer where she is able to define or “punch up” the colours. ?She will print the card and then hand coat them with a product to bring out the sheen. ?You’d think she was done then, but no, she chooses a paper that specially matches the image or colours on the paper. What a wonderful and thoughtful gift.
We carry her beautiful cards. Each is a limited edition with only approx. 20 of each image being printed.
Garden Gate: Episode 27 – SolMate Socks
Chex TV airdate, Fri. Dec. 13, 2013
Click here to view this episode of The Garden Gate.
On this episode of The Garden Gate I spoke about our wonderful socks! ?Yes, we sell socks! ?
A few years ago while travelling in the US, I found these socks in a little shop with American made crafts. ?I fell in love with them and wore them a lot! ?I loved coming home from work and pulling on my comfy socks each night. ?As the cold winter nights progressed I would stare at my cozy feet (on the coffee table-sorry mom!) and wonder if this would be something that my customers would also like…
So I did some research and found out where they were from and excitedly placed my first order. I was so happy when they arrived and snagged a couple more pairs for myself. ?Customers responded well and also fell in love with them. See them on our website here.
As I was doing research for this Garden Gate episode I found out more about this company that I didn’t know previously. ?Marianne Wakerlin started knitting at a young age making colourful socks and scarves for friends and family. ?Years and 100’s of socks later she decided to turn her craft into a business. ?She now has a family run knitting mill in Vermont making the socks for her.
They do their best to reduce waste during the production process. Some socks don’t come out quite right so they are reused and made into hats! So far they have made close to 5000 hats out of sock seconds! But, there are still scraps from the hat making process and these are given away for free for re-purposing. ?They also send knitting waste to a rug maker turning over 5000lbs of knitting waste into rugs! ?In addition they take advantage of a program run by UPS and Native Energy to purchase Carbon offsets.
As many of our customers will tell you, these socks make them happy when they wear them. (We’ve nicknamed them Happy Socks!) ?I now have 7 pairs and wear them everyday – so I’m always happy! ?I hope you’ll drop in soon to see our wonderful socks, because LIFE’S TOO SHORT FOR MATCHING SOCKS!