Coffee is Steamy

People who know me, or have bought Three Stone Steps' products, read this blog, or just browsed the about us section of the website know of my deep commitment to fair trade. It's not just trade I care about, but like many of us, I have this thing about fairness and justice. This extends to women's or feminist issues as well, obviously.

So, I was reading Bitch Magazine's blog, and came across an entry, Um, May I Have that Without Cleavage Please? In the entry they describe a mobile coffee house that features female workers in lingerie, with coffee cup sizes in A, B, C and Double D. Get it? That's bra sizes. Funny! I mean, selling coffee in cup sizes that are in alphabetical order is much clearer than that lingo of tall, grande, and vente. But, the letters are meant to be cute. They are adolescent: Women wear bras! Hee-hee!

But, back to the coffee shop in question. I follow the link to their site. (I don't feel the need to link to it here since I'm not trying to give them a bump in the google ranking.) Anyway, the very first thing I see on the site is a fair trade certified logo. Immediately, it made me feel as though I had found a kindred spirit. But, had I?

After that recognizable logo, I looked further and noticed that the coffee shop's logo was a drawing of a sexy woman, a la a beer commercial, coming out of the steamy coffee. How cute! So, they support their local, fair trade roaster. And, they marginalize women. Mmmmm.....and, like those who read Playboy for the "articles" or go to Hooter's for their "chicken wings," I'm not really sure that their clientele is their for feeling good about drinking a responsibly produced and roasted cup o' joe. I mean, it's fair trade on one hand, and objectifying women's bodies on the other. To me, it's sort of a wash. One cancels out the other. In fact, it's really not that much better than that chain coffee shop that that offers tall and vente sizes. At least at the coffee chain we love to hate, the workers can wear day time clothing and aprons.

As for me, I'm still dreaming of my coffee on the beach.

Fat Bags and Skinny Models

Being in the quality fashion accessory biz, Three Stone Steps tries keeps up with the latest trends. It's sort of kind of required to have a general sense of what's going on out there in the non-fair trade, non-eco-chic, more mainstream world of style and color. You know, the world where no one bothers their pretty little heads worrying about how workers are treated or the impact on the environment. I guess, unfortunately, it means the fashion world to many, many people out there.

This was a good weekend for following fashion, of the mainstream sort. The big even last night, of course, were the Academy Awards. I didn't watch them, not even the stars trotting down the red carpet. I didn't really read anything about them either, but did see a photo on the front page (below the fold) of pretty starlets dressed in red. To match the carpet, perhaps?

The same paper, the New York Times, actually, also had its large Spring 2008 fashion supplement in the big Sunday paper. I couldn't wait to learn what the paper of record thought would be the must-haves for the next few months.

Big, actually mammoth handbag and shoulder bags are in. Still. And, they are being carried by by women who must end up weighing even less than the bags do when they are full. Still. While stick figure models are the norm, they still shocked me a bit in a I-thought-we-were-
moving-beyond-this kind of way.

And, as if to rub it all in, this fashion supplement had an article called Weight Watchers. As you may have guessed, this doesn't have a whole lot to do with having skinny models lose even more weight, but rather the cost of a designer dress by the pound. So, that little evening dress that weighs a mere 4.15 ounces costs $3,150. If you don't want to do the math, that comes to $10,610 per pound. Another example is an even smaller dress at 3.24 ounces for $4.175. Get our your calculator and it comes to $20,554 per pound.

Sort of makes you wonder about the phrase: worth one's weight in gold. In which case, it would help to wear wool and other heavy clothes, load up that huge handbag, and not worry about those extra pounds.

I like that.

Your own holiday: a post President's Day post

Ahhh, another holiday as come and gone: President's Day. I'm not so sure that I understand it, and I'm not sure if that misunderstanding comes from the fact that it's not a particularly consumerist holiday except, it seems, for cars. Not that I like it, but I'm used to most big holidays in the US as being an excuse to shop, or, at the very least, go out for a good meal. The fact that none of this seems to happen on President's Day confuses me a wee little bit. But, for vehicles, I just need to say enough with the car commercials that play Hail to the Chief in the background already.

But, it's occurred to me, in this holiday rich month of February, that one's own personal holidays mean so much more. I've received some orders lately for silk screen on silk jewelry rolls for bridesmaid gifts. They are really lovely, and not something that I think someone often buys for herself. While I'm running low on my existing colors, I will soon be getting more, great new colors that you're sure to love.

I imagine that for a bride, finding a perfect, affordable, unique, and fairly traded gift is not the easiest thing that one can do. I'm very pleased that Three Stone Steps can help fill that niche for some people embarking on a great personal adventure, who will then create their own personal holidays: their anniversaries, for year and years to come.

Yes We Can....or a happy Friday post

I've realized here at the superduper worldwide word headquarters at Three Stone Steps that my blog postings have been a little bit depressing. Well, I don't know about you, but they are depressing me: all this talk of blood diamonds and un-fair trade roses, and unabashed consumerism for Valentine'$ Day. This is not to mention my preoccupation with how the superdelegates work for the Democratic Party, what the polls have been saying with regard to the upcoming election, and the super huge pile of trash on the bottom of the ocean.

Well, it was not that long ago that I was at the ocean, ok, the sea, ok, a gulf, specifically, The Gulf of Thailand, where I had some r&r after working so hard to find the perfect eco-chic fashion accessories, including some new bags and wallets made from repurposed and recycled mosquito netting, and new cosmetic bags in silk, and cotton traveler and messenger bags in great new colors.

I chilled, a bit, in Phu Quoc. Now, Three Stone Steps is of the belief that photos of sunsets are part of the unholy trinity of trite subjects for travel photos, along with fireworks, and waterfalls. (Actually, rainbows falls into that category as well, but four just doesn't fit.) But, I can't resist, on the winter Friday, posting a photo of a lovely sunset from the beach.

There. Don't you feel just a bit better and a bit relaxed?
I knew you would.

For my non-beach time of this trip, I did get to spend some quality time with the artisans who produce the silk and cotton products I sell. I met with these workers in their house--a very modest house, where each family had their own room, own area for cooking, and a shared bathroom. On the Three Stone Steps website I will talk further about the workers who make Three Stone Steps' great fashion accessories, and will go into detail at another time on this blog. But, for this happy Friday, Yes We Can thread, I'd prefer to show you all a photo of a lunch outing a had with the workers.

We shared food, and drink, and smiles. I shared postcards that I brought with me of Beautiful Baltimore, Maryland, USA, home of Three Stone Steps' global hq. We talked, as best we could, about Chinese horoscopes--for some reason, someone thought that I had to be a dragon.....and hair. A fun outing. I would do this weekly if I were only a bit closer.

I'll be back soon with more tales from Asia and the workers who produce Three Stone Steps' great items, and whatever thoughts (and, I promise to rein in all the doom and gloom ones) I have on the general state of everything.

Happy Valentine'$ Day, or a little lament

Here at Three Stone Steps, we take a pretty dim view of negative posts. But, today is Valentine's Day and I must admit that it's just not my kind of holiday. I sort of bristle at the thought of flowers and chocolates (more about how they are produced later), and canned & sometimes clever sentiments supplied by the large greeting card companies. Of course, if Valentine's Day is your thing, well, good for you. It's just that I would prefer to share my feelings about a person in a less mainstream and consumerist kind of way.

And, sorry, now having a flashback to Bedford Elementary School, where we decorated paper lunch bags and gave Valentines cards, bought in boxes of what, two dozen, to our classmates. Thinking about this now, it just seems very, very odd.....

This morning I read some staggering figures about the money spent on this holiday of love. (I've had some trouble with linking this morning, but this is all from http://www.businessshrink.biz. I will try my best to get a direct link for this.)

You can expect the typical things that are always traded on Valentine’s Day to be given as tokens of affection. Flowers, chocolate, greeting cards and jewelry always keeps the typical lover in check with the Joneses. When you combine all these items in addition to the offbeat tokens of affection you get a figure of about $17.02 billion dollars. The National Retail Federation did their yearly survey of consumers about their planned spending habits for Valentines Day and arrived at these numbers. Every year the numbers end up well on par and show American’s are good at predicting honestly what they will spend on Valentines day.
With survey results tabulated and the final numbers in from National Retail Federation, American’s are predicted to spend $122.98 on average per person. In 2006 predicted spending amounts rang in at $100.89 per person on the average. This is nearly a 21.9% increase in spending in only 2 years. If the potential recession is getting consumers down, Valentine’s Day seems to be getting them back in love with opening their pocketbooks. There is one hint of a predicted spending hit due to the recession and it lies with women and their spending. Women’s predicted spending declined in every category except jewelry this year according to some numbers produced over at Marketing Daily.

We're certainly talking about of chunk of change here. And, I don't even think this includes going out for a decent meal in an overcrowded for Valentine's Day restaurant. I am also wondering about who gives Valentines to the workers who pick the flowers (which are, I'd hazard to guess, not exactly grown in pristine organic conditions, exposing workers--and the environment--to all sorts of toxic chemicals), and unless you get fair trade chocolate, who knows under what conditions its grown and made. Jewelry, like diamonds and gold, have their own labor problems.....

But, Three Stone Steps is into solving problems, and not creating them! So, if you're looking for a great gift, how about a nice silk scarf, or a messenger bag made from repurposed mosquito netting, or a wallet from that same mosquito netting material? A nice silk handbag or business card holder also makes for a great, and guilt free, and affordable gift for your Valentine's sweetheart.

But, just to show that I like flowers, and I like love, I present to you a lovely photo taken from just outside of my little hotel in Singapore.

This woman was just outside of my hotel everyday, and was selling flowers (and incense) for those entering the neighboring Goddess of Mercy Temple. I still thought the flowers were special, and I really do like the idea of Mercy, just as I'm pretty fond of fairness and justice. I don't know if there are goddesses and temples for these ideals, but Three Stone Steps would surely buy flowers when entering those temples.

Of course, I wish everyone who celebrates this holiday the happiest of Valentine's Days ever. And, honestly, who couldn't use a little more love in the world!

waiting and tired

Ok, let's not start on a negative note. That is not the Three Stone Steps way. But, I find myself waiting a great deal. In fact, I feel as though I've been waiting so much that I have the Kinks song in my head.....but, I'm not tired of waiting for YOU, really....I'm just a little tired and I feel as though a lot of waiting.





The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You


So, what I am waiting for? It's noting existential. I'm waiting for a new shipment of messenger bags, wallets, big bags, little bags, and jewelry rolls to make it from Cambodia to Three Stone Steps' world wide headquarters here in lovely Baltimore, Maryland USA.

And, here in Maryland, yesterday we had, what the talking heads were fond of calling the Potomac Primary. (What would they have done if the river not touching the three jurisdictions of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia not started with a "p?" I think they loved the alliteration....) Anyway, I digress. Being the political nerd that I am, I was waiting, waiting for election results. Unfortunately, here in the land of Three Stone Steps world headquarters, we were slammed by a nasty ice storm, so a judge decided the polls should be open an extra 90 minutes (a move that I applaud by the way), which delayed my scrutinizing the results for an entire hour and a half.

Other than that, I'm waiting for a few phone calls and emails to be returned.

It's not all that bad, since this waiting and tired spell of mine (it's just today) made me realize just how much I actually liked the Kinks!

Back soon in a rosy mood!

And now I'm back, from outspace....

...ok. I've been back for a few hours under a week now. And, so much I missed here on this Three Stone Steps blog: I missed Chinese New Years and Vietnamese New Years, or Tet. In honor of the holidays, I present this photo from Singapore's Chinatown. What this has to do with the new year of the Rat, I'm not certain, but it's a fun and festive and a little scary reminder of a huge holiday elsewhere in the U.S.

I'm home long enough that I'm back to work, and getting low on inventory and waiting to replenish it. In case you're wondering, I'm very low on the mosquito netting messenger bags. Very few of these are available, and in very select colors. I'm also currently low on the cotton messenger bags with the lovely Khmer pattern. More are coming soon, in some very great colors. Although I hoped, as mentioned below, to find more great handbags, messenger bags, wallets, and scarves from all over the region, all my ordering has come, so far, from Phnom Penh. If you've not been, here's a picture of the Independence Monument there. A really fantastic landmark, although mild confusion at times about exactly which turn off it is for my guesthouse!

As usual, being in S.E. Asia gave me loads to think about with regards to fashion accessories, and products, and designs and colors. Next to my hotel in Singapore, there was a great, historic Buddhist temple. The street was full of flower sellers, and most of them were selling lotus flowers in various stages of bloom. Of course, my little cosmetic bag (currently on sale!) and my business card holders (also on sale) and the lovely Angkor Bag are all based on the lotus pattern, which are the lovely flowers shown on the left.

Finally, I'm back from outerspace in time to vote in the Potomac or Chesapeake or Crabcake Primary. Very exciting election and very exciting time.

I'll provide more updates on my new products and new colors as I receive them. And, back to work for the rest of the day, until I can stick around and be my nerdy self and keep tabs on the election results as they come in.

Adieu, Asia

This is my last night in Asia. It's been a relatively quick and relatively eventful trip. I'm excited to get back to Baltimore (well, as excited as one can be when confronted with close to 20 hours of flying....and, in coach!).

Here as some of the new offerings on tap: new bags made from mosquito netting, and made especially for Three Stone Steps. One is specifically a women's bag, and two others are unisex. There will be a man's wallet, too. In addition to mosquito netting, some of these items will be offered in a woven black plastic bag material. Just wait until you see them!

I'll be some of the same great cotton and silk bags, but with some tweaking, and in some fantastic new colors. And, new, fantastic cosmetic bags are coming soon.

Anyway, there's more of course. But, I have a very early morning flight, and must try to get some sleep.

I promise some photos and more tales of travel soon.