CHEX TV airdate: March 20th, 2015 5-6pm Click link to watch this episode. 
Goat’s milk soap is a customer favourite! For this episode of The Garden Gate I was joined by Jessica from Cross Wind farms in Keene to talk about their soaps and creams. ? They recently started offering their products across the Country! ?I was very happy to be able to add their soap to our offerings here at The Avant-Garden Shop. ?How much more local can you get than Keene!? Available in a wide variety of scents there is sure to be a “flavour” for you. So far it seems that the Apple Blossom is the favourite. They also have goat’s milk cheese which is often used at The Electric City Bread Company next to our shop on Sherbrooke st. Yum!
Artists
Garden Gate: Episode 54 – Northern Smittens
CHEX TV airdate: Friday January 9th between 5 and 6pm Click link to watch video here. On her way back from the One of a Kind Show, Josee Huard, maker of wonderful Northern Smittens dropped in to talk with me about her work. Northern Smittens are one of a kind felted wool mittens handcrafted from recycled wool sweaters found in thrift stores. These sweaters are often stained, shrunk or damaged making them unwearable. ?They often find their way into landfills or are sent by large shipping boats to third-world countries. By working around these problems, the artist is able to take these previously loved sweaters, cut them up and give them new life as beautiful pieces of art for your hands. 
All sweaters are at least 80% wool. ?The sweaters are processed in hot water so their fibers felt together making them thick and soft. ?This felting process creates a mitten that is incredibly warm and naturally water and wind resistant. ?The mitten lining is made from new polar fleece to ensure warmth and comfort. So warm and comfy!
Garden Gate: Episode 53 – Once around the shop for Christmas gift ideas
Chex air date: Dec. 19th, 2014 Click link to watch this episode. We have so many beautiful things in the shop, sometimes it’s hard to choose! ?But we are here to help! Guys love our beer glasses, thermometers and rain gauges. Tilley hats and tools too! ?That’s just a start – watch the video for 2.5 minutes
of tips!
Garden Gate: Episode 51 – Recycled socks. puppets and mittens!
CHEX TV air date: Friday Nov. 28th, 2014 Click link to watch video here. On this episode of the Garden Gate I’m talking about recycled content in some of our products. ?Instead of using new materials, these businesses all use recycled materials to make their products. ?This means less pollution in the environment and also that items are being reused before they are recycled! 
Our fun Happy socks for instance are made from recycled cotton T-Shirts! Leftovers are recycled into rags mats and other products. ?If a sock isn’t made quite right then it is made into a hat! You should see these fun and colourful hats! Scarves, mittens, baby and kid socks are also available. We also carry some really cute puppets that are made out of recycled wool sweaters. ?The puppets are made by sewers in Toronto. ?One of the owners (Josh Title) has even appeared on Martha Stewart Living! ?Josh showed Martha how to cut the fabric and put the puppets together. ?Puppies, elephants, cats, birds and even moose can be found in the shop!
? And most recently we added a line of mittens made in North Bay. ?The owner Josee, has in her first year of business, recycled over 1000lbs of wool sweaters into beautiful mittens! ?She is an excellent sewer matching up patterns from really weird sweaters and turning them into warm and fun mittens that she calls SMITTENS! And closest to home are some crazy metal animals and Christmas trees made out of recycled propane and oil tanks. ?Every one is unique. ?These come from Dog Bite Steel in Uxbridge, Ontario,
Garden Gate: Episode 50! – Maxwell pottery & Madoc Rocks
CHEX TV air date: ?Friday Nov. 14th, 2014
Click link to watch this episode.
On this episode of the Garden Gate I showcase a couple of items which are great for people who love to entertain, live on a lake or spend time at a cottage!
Dip sets shaped like canoes and stone coasters from Madoc!
In 1991 Daniel Maxwell and his wife Jodi returned home to Northern Ontario to establish their Pottery Studio. Using a strong stoneware clay, all work is made on the pottery wheel or is hand built. With his own recipe of glaze colours, Daniel hand paints each piece in one of his many unique designs.
Daniel attributes his pride of craftsmanship and tasteful use of colour to having studied and worked at Sheridan College School of Craft and Design in Oakville, Ontario for nine years.
Daniel says to his customers “I make funtional pots. I want people to enjoy them for their utilitarian qualities as well as their decorative appeal.”
Daniel’s lead free pottery is dishwasher, microwave and over safe and brings many years of pleasure.
Nick Butts creates wonderful stone coasters out of rock he mines near Madoc and Nephton. The rocks are cut down to coaster size in sets of four. At this point some stones have designs such as loons or moose added. Then they are coated to protect and bring out the textures and colours.
Again these are terrific items for a cottage, but also a great gift for a man. He can use these in his “man cave!”
Garden Gate: Episode 47 – Hand made Beer glasses!
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.
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.