Many of you know that I used to live in Africa. Swaziland, Africa to be precise.  I had a home there, a car, a bunch of friends and my now husband (then boyfriend) had a job that he really loved growing thousands and thousands of heads of lettuce in the countryside.

Always into handmade, I went wild for crafts in Africa.  The women there had both boundless ability and limitless creativity – a unbeatable combination for a crafter of any variety.  I took our old black car from town to town (in a teeny tiny country that it would be easy to drive around in one day) checking out what the women were up to, wandering through local markets and stopping on the side of the road in various outposts meant for tourists (there weren’t a lot of tourists, so I was a sight for sore eyes)!

In 2000, I convinced my brother to start a small fair trade importing business with me and he agreed.  We were certified by the Fair Trade Federation about a year later.  Our small import company lasted about 3 years and was as fun and fulfilling as I could have imagined.  We even got a teeny tiny order from Crate & Barrel!

After a few years, my brother decided to write the bar exam and my husband and I decided to move back to Canada. I began selling my fair trade goodies outdoors at the Byward Market, where I fortuitously met Christina and the real fun began!  We opened Workshop a a few months later.

I had a good friend with a barn (no that wasn’t a type-o, she actually had a barn) who graciously allowed me to store my fair trade goodies there (a whole barn full of carved giraffes and candy wrapper mirrors – my insurance company enjoyed that one).  Now, however, 8 years has gone by and those goodies need homes…so we’ve decided to have a fair trade sale!

From today until January 2012, the gallery space At Flock Boutique will be bursting with super cute hand-painted frames, suitcases for the kiddies, metal applique coat hooks, wire keychains, woven baskets and more!  Come and check it out!