Waiting for Haiti

I wasn't able to get back to Haiti this year. No need to go into it, but it just didn't work out.

But, that doesn't mean that I'm not getting some new Haitian goods. I am! I am very excited to announce that new metal cuffs are on the way, as are very amazing recycled hanging Christmas trees. (You can call them a Hannukah bush if you'd like, and they'd work for Kwanzaa, too.)

Anyway, without further ado, the cuffs. Here's what they're made of:


Here's a photo of the artist working away on them:



And, here's one. (Really, it's wearable sculpture.):




I have a recycled metal Christmas tree for personal use. I'd post a photo of it, but someone stole my bag--with my camera in it--when I was vending at a festival recently. Such is life in the worldwide headquarters of Three Stone Steps, Baltimore, Maryland USA.

But, the decision on the new camera has been made, and it's only a matter of time until you can see it, and decide if you want you own, long lasting, recycled holiday tree. (And, the trees would be great paired with recycled paper Christmas ornaments. Just a suggestion, but, really, it's hard to get much funkier and greener for the holidays....)

These are (not at all) the Good Times

By the time you read this, who knows what the economy will be like: Will the public radio show about finances be playing We're in the Money or Stormy Weather when talking about how the market closed?

I know we've all head enough about Wall Street and Main Street, and Three Stone Steps is firmly and virtually in the latter. But, then again, so are most of us.

Of course, given the stories one hears daily about people losing jobs, facing foreclosures, having difficulty feeding their families, people don't immediately think of buying a new messenger bag of recycled or repurposed materials, or a silk scarf.

Three Stone Steps knows that no one really and truly needs these things. Your old bag can probably be used for another season or year, and a new business card case is nice, but the rubber band works well, too. Reduce is the first "R" of the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra.

But, we do hope that if you decide to spend some discretionary funds on fashion accessories, you'll spend it with a company that shares your values of being fair trade, and sustainable in all meanings of that word, and buy products from a company like Three Stone Steps that is highly sensitive to working towards a fair and just world.

Three Stone Steps new tag line is sustainable. fair made. style. And, I'll always adhere to those three words. Promise.

Working

Like most of us, I've been thinking a lot about the current economic crisis, the upcoming elections, and, in work in general.

On my way almost anywhere from my home/Three Stone Steps worldwide headquarters here in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, USA, I see men--almost always men--and almost always Latino--waiting around near the 7-11 and a few other corners hoping, just hoping, that someone will pick them up for a day's work, mostly on a construction site.

But, given the economic crisis, many more people are thrown out of work. This brilliant video imagines what happens when Wall Street types get really desperate:




Now, that was imagined, but here, White House spokesperson Dana Perino takes it a step further. It seems that the way to solve the unemployment crisis in this country is for people to get jobs.



Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but isn't the reason people are unemployed is because they don't have jobs. It's times like this, that I'm so delighted to be out and about meeting people and selling ethical accessories.

How about you?

Three Stone Steps in the Baltimore Examiner & The Scarf

Ok, while anorexic fashion models aren't quite Three Stone Steps' thing (ok, Venus, our tall, thin mannequin model is an exception), I was delighted with this little write up in the Baltimore Examiner's online edition last week.

And, delighted, too, that scarves were the featured fashion accessory. Really, I have seen fashionistas here and there, even in the heat and humidity of the Baltimore summer, wearing scarves. And, I must admit, that Three Stone Steps just received some great new hand loomed 100 percent Cambodian silk scarves. As with everything else, I'm still busy getting them up on the site, but honestly, these scarves are so beautiful and luminous and just so tactile that it helps to see them in person.

I'll have the colors on photos updated on the site by next week, but if you're in need of a scarf right this minute, please contact us.


http://www.examiner.com/x-403-Baltimore-Fashion-Examiner~y2008m7d2-It-Takes-Just-3-Stone-Steps-to-Look-Effortlessly-Chic



It Takes Just 3 Stone Steps to Look Effortlessly Chic!

POSTED July 2, 10:31 AM

One trend I really, really love right now is accessorizing an outfit with a colorful, thick scarf. It’s perfect for all ages (my grandmother got me hooked on to the trend almost ten years ago) and all climates. You can wear this trend in July, but make sure its after 7 p.m., because you’ll roast to death during the daytime.

One Baltimore-based company that sells this trendy look, along with other accessories, is Three Stone Steps. They have a selection for men and women, and best of all, their products represent globalization and going green at its finest. The name "three stone steps" comes from Chinese lore, where three stone steps at the foot of wooden staircase promises solid footing for a good journey.

If you’re not a fan of scarves, their bags are the latest eco-craze here in Charm City. Functional, durable, funky, and sustainable, they’re made from repurposed mosquito netting, and lined with repurposed waterproof industrial tarp. One style is made from post-consumer waste black plastic garbage bags, which have been collected by mothers in Cambodia and then washed and dried in the sun.

Ellen Reich, owner of Three Stone Steps and former labor union activist, states: "It's important to me that the appeal of these bags is on their design, and not, initially, on how and by whom they are produced. The only way that we'll move, as a society, into being more conscientious about what we are consuming is to sell things that people actually adore and want to use." Ellen started the business in late 2006 as a way to share the great products she found while traveling with a larger audience.

Contact Info:

ellen@threestonesteps.com
www.threestonesteps.com
443.927.9239 phone/fax

Earth Week in Baltimore

What a great scene right in front of my little Three Stone Steps space at the Eco Festival that kicked off baltimoregreenweek. All morning long, there were groups of kids drawing with chalk on the asphalt. While many kids came through during the day, this little group above came first.

Really, whenever I do one of those early spring festivals at the home of Three Stone Steps' worldwide headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, I'm always delighted.





In this case, I was incredibly amazed at all the positive things that people are taking on to make the city, state, country, and planet a better place to live now and into the future. Also, getting out with my eco-chic bags, silk scarves, and business card cases and getting feed back is always great. And, let's be honest, a sale or two never actually hurt either.

I also had fantastic neighbors. Reps from a new magazine, City Living Source, on one side, and the delightful Sharan, who's taken it upon herself to put together Baltimore's first Fashion Week on my other side. In fact, I was so impressed with both that I'll probably do some sort of ad thing in the magazine around the winter holidays, and am seriously thinking of taking my eco-chic bags to the runway for Fashion Week. Ok, it's not Milan, or London, or New York, but it's sure to be fun and new (for me).

I'll keep you all posted on my first foray into the world of the catwalk.

But, before I get there, I'll again be at a Springtime in Baltimore event at the Cylburn Arboretum on May 10. As always, I'll keep you posted!

New Three Stone Steps Blog Feature!

Here at Three Stone Steps we had such a delightful time talking about Hoopla Traders, that we decided to focus on other retailers of Three Stone Steps' line of fashion accessories made from silk, cotton, and recycled materials.

Three Stone Steps will be working with fascinating and fun and funky boutique owners with a variety of strong commitments, including to fair trade, eco-friendly products, buying locally, or just making sure they have a welcoming shop with a strong aesthetic sense, into this blog.

I hope you enjoy this occasional feature As always, I welcome your feedback!

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.

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.