The Avant-Garden Shop: Your Garden & Bird Store

GARDEN GATE: Episode 271 – Quilling Cards (July 21, 2023)

New to the Shop this year are these beautiful quilling cards! Quilling is an art form that involves using strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. These cards are a fair trade item from Vietnam. The employees are paid fair wages, and trained for six months as each … Read more

GARDEN GATE-Episode 230: Christmas ornaments (Dec 3, 21)

At this time of year the shop is filled with beautiful gifts for Christmas. One of our favourites are the Stitch by Stitch ornaments. These are hand made in South-East Asia by artisans in their homes. While we tend to avoid items made over seas so we can support our own Canadian artists, these items … Read more

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.

frog with tongueThis 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.

 

The Avant-Garden Shop