Miss Landmine and other "beauty" contests

The always interesting site, Global Voices, had an especially fascinating post about the Miss Landmine contest being canceled in Cambodia. As detailed in a statement in The Mirror, an overview the Khmer language press, The Ministry of Social Affairs Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation does not support the Miss Landmine contest, because it can create misunderstandings among the public towards the honor of disabled people, especially of disabled women. And, while I might not have worded it that way, I definitely agree.

Let me give some background. Many, if not most, of Three Stone Steps products are made in Cambodia. And, most are made by landmine and polio victims. In fact, Three Stone Steps' silk and cotton producer has horribly disfigured hands due to something that happened to her during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. She has never showed the slightest bit of discomfort with her appearance. In fact, why not just let you see her? (She's the one in the gray shirt, and apologies for the bad photo of her):



Now for a very long aside:

Whether I like it or not, Three Stone Steps, which sells bags, wallets, scarves, and jewelry rolls, etc., is part of the "fashion" industry, or at least part of the "fashion accessory" industry. And, as a progressive and "green" business, I often gasp when some of my "eco-fashion" cohorts shoot photos of their organic cotton shirts or bamboo bamboo bags using conventional fashion magazine models and poses. Really, the way I look at it, if you're going to take on conventional clothes and accessories, you may as well take on the conventional way that they're shown.

But, now back to the the Miss Landmine contest. According to an article in The Guardian last year, the pageant was started by a male film and theater director from Norway. (According to the article, Norwegians find beauty pageants very "politically incorrect." And, while I wouldn't use a loaded term like "political correctness," I also find them sexist and dehumanizing.) The pageant organizer thought that juxtaposition of a pageant and landmines was theatrical. He's right. It got attention. It got me to write a blog post on it. But, of course, that doesn't mean it's right. It's just as exploitative as regular beauty pageants, and on top of that, it reinforces Western notions of beauty.

So, in honor of the canceled Miss Landmine Pageant, below are pictures of some of the truly beautiful women who create Three Stone Steps' products:

Except for the final photo, all of these photos are taken in the outskirts of Phnom Penh:

At the sewing machine:



Sewing beads on jewelry roll by hand:
Sewing by hand and by daylight:
Silk dyer, Takeo Province:

Just in time for Mother's Day: A Trunk Show!

Please join me at Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry, on May 7, from 6 to 8 pm for a Three Stone Steps trunk show, where we'll be unveiling brand new items from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Pictured left is a great new travel set, a cosmetic case and jewelry pouch, made of jacquard silk from Vietnam. The set costs $25, or $15 each piece.




And, to the right, we have a cute, perfect for that summer event clutch fairly made in the Philippines of seagrass. If seagrass isn't eco-chic enough for you, the lining is made from recycled flour sacks. And, you can carry this this incredibly sweet bag for a sweet price. It's a mere $23!


Oh, and there's so much more! New hand loomed silk scarves from Cambodia. New colors of the very popular silk screen on cotton messenger bag, more colors and styles of the lovely Angkor bag, complete with matching silk wallets, and purses made from recycled junk food wrappers.

We'll be serving some light refreshments, and hope that you'll join us.

Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry is in Federal Hill, at 1028 S. Charles Street.

And, why do you think they call it the "Manila envelope?"

I received a shipment from the Philippines last week. Three Stone Steps now has brand new colors and designs of messenger bags and other personal accessories. Very exciting. But what's actually blogworthy is that these bags come in rarely seen in the U.S. fibers. So, in addition to mosquito netting, recycled metal, silk, and cotton, Three Stone Steps now boasts such fibers as recycled tetra pack (think those little juice boxes where you poke a hole with a straw) and used (but clean) junk food wrappers, bamboo (made into hip jewelry), seagrass, and abaca. Of all these wonderful fibers, I must admit to having somewhat of a mini-obsession with abaca. Plus "abaca" is just such a magical sounding word.

I've posted photos of my abaca products before on this blog--in the should Venus, the mannequin, be naked post--but it's time to do it again so you can see just what I'm talking about:


Cute, huh?

Anyway, without getting all Latin plant name on you, abaca is the fiber from a tree that looks exactly like a banana tree, just without the fruit. The fiber is harvested from the outer sheaths of the trunk, a process done by hand that doesn't harm the tree at all. In fact, in a couple of years, the same outer sheath grows back. And, while abaca is grown in various parts of the world, it's said to be indigenous to the Philippines, and the Philippines leads the world in its production. Ok. End of botany lesson.

Abaca is generally considered to be the strongest natural fiber available. In fact, cordage, especially for ships' ropes, is among its most notable use. And, not only is its strength legendary, abaca is incredibly lightweight. Talk about having it all.

But wait, there's more. Abaca, this friendliest of eco-friendly fibers is, at least in the Philippines, grown by small farmers, working maybe five or ten hectares. So, we're not talking some big multinational paying workers peanuts to harvest this fiber on plantations, this fiber comes from real small farmers. And, once it's in fiber form, it's taken to another small producer to dye and weave. All this is done by hand, too. And, then the producer I work with, on the big southern Philippine island of Mindanao, and I figure out how to design this woven fiber into bags you will love.

These bags have other special, eco-friendly features like lining made from recycled flour sacks, but I'll leave the inside of the bag for another post.

Oh, and the Manila envelope trivia question thing? Abaca is sometimes called Manila hemp. And, envelopes used to be made out of it, hence the Manila envelope. And, now you know.

Shooting in Outerspace. Booblehead Not Included.

I'm on the seemingly never ending journey of shooting my new products (many of which aren't even here now, but I have samples. And, they should be here soon. Fingers crossed.)

Anyway, most of the photos are just suspended in outer space. You know, white background. A focus on the product. And, the photos end up looking like this:


Actually, these are lovely (and, in stock, although not on the Three Stone Steps site yet). I mean, who wouldn't love a cute jacquard silk cosmetic bag and jewelry pouch set, fairly traded from Vietnam?

But, you know, shooting photos like this doesn't exactly scratch one's creative itch. (Ok. I did use my little light box outside, instead of inside with a lot of lamps. Chalk that up to my concern with my carbon footprint, my desire not to give our dastardly gas & electric company, BGE, one more cent, and wanting to be outside on a gorgeous day. And, that did provide some challenges, although not exactly of the creative kind.)

So, I moved on to shooting my very eco-chic bamboo earrings, which should be here Friday. At this point, I'm pretty much just testing. And, in a moment of incredible inspiration some weeks ago, I decided to name these the Let's Go O's earrings. (And, yes, they will be available in O's orange.) And, what could be better than O's earrings, than pairing them up with Cal Ripken?


I don't really know if a photo like this will make it to the website, but, we'll see. Bobblehead not included.

Photos with Backgrounds: A Little Test

While I'm waiting for my brand spankin' new products to arrive, maybe tomorrow, from Vietnam, and the very great, very unique items from the Philippines sometime next week, I thought I'd experiment a bit with shooting the products with a bit more flair, and just not, as a friend described, floating out there.

I've done a little test with my lovely fake grass. I shot a sample of my new little purses, made with raw silk, and decorated with a mod flower. Here it is:

I can't wait to get them. I'll also have these amazingly cute and oh so affordable purses in black with gray flowers, and yellow with purple flowers, but thought I'd start my test with just one.

So, what do you think?

Krakow, Phnom Penh, and Remembrance: A difficult post

I returned on Sunday from a two week, unexpected, free, and non-Three Stone Steps related trip to Poland. I've never had much desire to go to that Central/Eastern Europe nation, but my partner's provenance is, as he likes to say, 100 percent pure Polish, and, well, free airline tickets are hard to resist.

Poland, especially the area around Krakow--a lovely, if overly touristy city--was, during World War II, the epicenter of the Nazi atrocities. And, certain Krakovians are oh so cleverly taking advantage of this fact, opening "Jewish style" restaurants, offering tours to Schindler's factory, the Jewish ghetto, and, above all, to Auschwitz. It was all very disturbing, this overt marketing of a lost Jewish community in a Disneyland kind of way, and this marketing of a genocide. But, maybe some people need to be reminded, or worse yet, even learn what happened. Ok, and also disturbing is that no one running the tours, or really awful restaurants were actually Jewish. There was this mythologized version of it all; as if there was some really colorful people and past that is now gone. It's all well, it's too bad, but we'll play loads of uplifting Klezmer music anyway!





So, what does this have to do with Three Stone Steps' silk scarves, bags, and other fine fashion accessories? Well, they are from Cambodia, a nation with a much more recent genocide. I've been to Cambodia, specifically Phnom Penh, often. My first time there, I visited the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, a chilling experience since it's left pretty much it was when abandoned by the Khmer Rouge in 1979. It's very respectful, and the staff actually consists of actual Cambodians. I've met Cambodians over 35. Lovely people, as soon as they have some time alone with you, they talk and talk about life under the Khmer Rouge, still trying to make sense of the horrors.

So, it was with some dismay that today I read a New York Times article titled, "Pain of Khmer Rouge Era Lost on Cambodian Youth." It's all really chilling. As horrific as it is to remember the atrocities, it's even more horrific to forget.

I'm sure marketing gurus would tell me not to publish this post. Who wants to hear about genocide when purchasing a messenger bag? But, Cambodians still live in Cambodia. I work with one producer who has told me about life under the Khmer Rouge. All the people she hires are her age or older, and are mostly polio and landmine victims. Cambodia may the land of the amazing Angkor Wat, and incredibly beautiful silk products, but scratch the surface, and you'll find people still trying to make sense of the not too distant past.

Now that this post is finished, I promise that my next one will be more uplifting.

News from the United Nations

This fits in both the better late than never and the I didn't know that, but I lived quite well without knowing that departments, but as of January 2009, we are in the International Year of Natural Fibers, or Fibres, if you prefer.

And, why does this matter? Well, Three Stone Steps is proud to carry three of the fifteen natural fibers/fibres listed. In the silk category, we carry that great silk Angkor shoulder bag, and fantastic silk scarves, and jewelry rolls. We'll be getting more colors in the shoulder bag along with matching wallets, and great new colors of the silk scarves. And, while we're at it, we're also introducing fabulous new cosmetic bags, jewelry pouches, and great little purses made of silk, and a silk/linen blend from Vietnam.

For cotton, we will be getting in more of the popular silk screen on cotton messenger bag, and a new style bag in the same pattern.

But, what's most exciting about this year is that it's also the year of abaca. I won't spill all the beans now, but be prepared for great new messenger bags, and other great things to carry made of this amazing, sustainable fiber. If you want a sneak peek, courtesy of the UN, check this out. Much, much more soon!

More on Weaving

Ok, way back in January, I promised to post on embroidery in Vietnam, but I decided it was way more fun to contine on the theme of weaving. I hope you don't mind.

Three Stone Steps get the majority of its silk--and all its cotton products--from Cambodia, and, most of this is from Takeo Province, which is about two hours by car from the capital of Phnom Penh. Some of the silk we carry from the province is found in the Angkor shoulder bag, and in the luxurious silk scarf in two tones. And, this Spring, Three Stone steps will have new products from Takeo silk: scarves, in a mixture of organza and raw silk, in fantastic colors, of course, and new colors and patterns for the Angkor shoulder bag, with matching wallets to boot. But, as usual, I get carried away and digress.

Anyway, the silk weaving process in Takeo is very different from that found in Vietnam--as seen in the post below--since in Cambodia, almost all weaving is done by hand, whereas in Vietnam, much is done by machine. As you might imagine, this is what makes silk woven in Cambodia some of the finest in the world, and makes it more expensive than the textile found in Vietnam.

But, on to the silk weaving photos:
This is what the silk looks like before anything is done to it. Sadly (and, vegans, avert your eyes now!) I haven't seen the entire process, starting with the silk worm eating the mulberry leaves thing, but I do know that neither Thailand or Cambodia have much of a sericulture culture. In fact, most of the silk woven in those countries comes from the sericulture village in Vietnam. (And, that's on the list for the next trip.)

So, this silk is lovely, but it can be lovelier by being dyed. In Cambodia, it's done by hand, and here's a bit of the process:

In caes you were wondering, it's being dyed a lovely deep aubergine.

More steps in the silk process include spinning the silk threads on to bobbins.



And, please not the bicycle tire rim used as part of the weaving process. A great example of reuse, the second law in the reduce/reuse/recycle mantra.

And, of course, the weaving:


Lone weaver.Working together to fix the warp.

And, some of the finished product:

Ready for market or for Three Stone Steps most discerning customers!

Silks and Threads

Greetings from Vietnam.

On Thursday, I was treated to an overview of the silk process when visiting the "silk village" not terribly far from Hanoi. The specialty of this villagers here --doesn't the word "villagers" sound so wonderfully quaint?"--is the weaving and dying of silk. (Just so you know, other villages around Hanoi specialize in things as different as making ceramics, carving horn and bone, and brewing snake wine.) So, given the way the craft system is split up, the "silk village" didn't really provide an entire overview in a soup to nuts type way, since silk worm raising is done in another village, and extracting the silk from the cocoon is done in yet another. So, by the time you get to the village I visited, all the real messy work has happened. Of course, once the villagers get finished with their part of the process, the silk goes hither and yon to be used for whatever....

Anyway, here's the earliest part of the silk process I saw. Silk thread in a rawish state:



Sometimes the thread is woven in its natural color, and other time the thread is dyed before weaving. Silk is made into different thickness for threads, and here's some silk that has been dyed and spooled out to use before weaving:



The workshop I visited had booth a loom to use by hand, and many machine looms. Below is a woman who did hand looming. She motioned for me to try it out. It wasn't a great start. First, I hit my head getting in the loom contraption, and then, well, it was similar to teaching someone steps to a dance when once doesn't speak the same language, so it was a series of pointing at one leg, my arm, another leg, my other arm. While it was funny in that universal way of watching someone mess up, I'm happy to leave silk weaving to the professionals.



A woman operating one of the many machine looms is just below. With all the looms going, it's very loud, and I expected a Vietnamese Norma Rae to emerge at any moment. [Cue to clip of Sally Field standing on a table holding sign that reads UNION....]



Like the sheets used in a player piano, silk patterns come on rolls in a series of dots.



As said above, some silk thread is dyed before weaving, and some afterwards. Below is a photo of a heap o' silk ready to be bathed in color.



And, here we have the dyer at work. The color was a gorgeous deep blue.



In my next post, I'll show you some of the "painting" done with silk thread. Of course, that's in another village.

One of my Favorites from Haiti

I found this fantastically wonderful, amazing beaded bag in Haiti. I have one in red, too, and it's below, but the blue is my favorite.They have great faces, and none of my existing bags have faces. In fact, none of the scarves have faces.

I'm selling these. They aren't on Three Stone Steps, but I'm selling them live, as we speak, in DC, at the Downtown Holiday Marketplace, in front of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art/National Portrait Gallery. I just, quite blissfully, have the day off.

The fashion accessories I sell are there, too. I have those great mosquito netting bags, in the cross body, messenger, and shoulder bag styles. I have those silk scarves that are affordable luxury, but I have noticed how people just look at my buddies, Le Roi.

If you're in the area, I hope you'll come and see the King(s) live!

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.

Three Stone Steps in Bolton Hill tomorrow

Three Stone Steps will be on the 1400 block of Bolton Street, in the lovely Bolton Hill section of Baltimore tomorrow to sell great eco-chic messenger bags, silk scarves, and many more of our great fashion accessories. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm.

Now, I know that given all that's happening with the election and the economy, not everyone's mind is exactly on buying a cross body bag made from post-consumer waste black plastic trash bags, but, really, it's as good a time as any.

Speaking of the economy, Bolton Hill is in Rep. Elijah Cumming's district. I'm not in his district, but Three Stone Steps is actually on his district's border. (His district begins across the street from Three Stone Steps' worldwide headquarters.)

While this is not new news, I did think that the Bolton Hill Representative did a knock out job when questioning our our taxpayer bailout money was spent by AIG:



If you have trouble hearing this, part of the text follows:

CUMMINGS: Let me describe for some of you the charges that the shareholders, taxpayers, had to pay. AIG spent $200,000 dollars for hotel rooms. Almost $150,000 for catered banquets. AIG spent $23,000 at the hotel spa and another $1,400 at the salon. They were getting manicures, facials, pedicures and massages while American people were footing the bill. And they spent another $10,000 dollars for I don’t know what this is, leisure dining. Bars?

Well, yet another one of those, it makes you think, huh?

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Fells Point Festival this Weekend!

One of the biggest festivals in the Baltimore area, the Fells Point Fun Festival, is happening this weekend. And, Three Stone Steps will be there, too! (Look for Three Stone Steps on Thames, between B'dwy and Bond--and not too far from the beer garden!)

There will be festival specials, so if you're in the area, and have had your eye on some eco-chic, repurposed bags, it'll be a great time to buy! Also, don't forget about great messenger bags in cotton, and shoulder bags in silk, as well as wallets, business card cases, and beautiful hand loomed silk scarves. And, since everything is fairly made, you can feel good about your purchase.

The weather looks to be most perfect this weekend, too. Please come by and say 'hi!'

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

Even More New Arrivals!

Oh. I have been busy, busy! But, aren't we all? As you've read on a prior post, I have received a brand spanking new collection of sustainable bags from Cambodia, from my new partnership in Phnom Penh. These bags are great!

The Fellini Pannolini is a great, big, workhorse of a bag that you could use for diapers, or going to the gym, or for your laptop, or your knitting, or while riding your bike (and with gas prices what they are, who doesn't want to ride their bike more?), and even overnight. Please check out the Fellini Pannoli bag here. And, I promise to get more photos up of this stupendous bag so that you can see all around this messenger bag, bicycle bag, whatever bag.


The Mingus is in. I'm carrying one, and it's been a good exercise in my trying to be minimal, and not through absolutely everything in what hanging on my shoulder. In addition to mosquito netting, this bag is also in recycled black plastic trash bag....cleaned and smell-free, of course, and woven into a great pattern.

The photo above isn't me!


Finally, the lovely Luna is making lots of fans!



This week, new silks and cottons have come in. While I'll be busy photographing everything, I have great new colors in the cotton messengers bag and cotton travelers bags. The gorgeous silk screen on silk Angkor bag is also now offered in black and gray, in addition to dark purple and red, and finally, the popular for bridesmaids gift jewelry rolls are in such fantastic colors that I am absolutely beside myself.

Here are some new photos of the colors on offer in the great Cambodian-inspired silk screen cotton bags.



With any hope, you can see all these great bags online, or if you're near a store carrying Three Stone Steps' fine products, in person very, very soon.

As for moi, it's back to talking photos.....

I'm still here....

Ah, but dear reader, I have been very busy.

I'm getting ready for my inaugural trade show, for museum store buyers, down in Tampa. I'm super excited to show off Three Stone Steps' new line of bags made of recycled, repurposed mosquito netting, and the new bag made of recycled big plastic garbage bags that are woven around blue yard.

Eco-chic at its greenest best, I tell you!

I'll also be showing off my gorgeous two-toned 100 percent silk scarves, which, by some crazy reserve of will power, I've narrowed down to carrying in only four colors. These are hand made of course, and woven in a traditional way, not often seen in Southeast Asia. I also will have my lovely silk Angkor shoulder bag, in some new colors, as well as new colors of the great little cotton travel bag along with the larger commuter bag, both with the same great traditional, yet non-ethnic hippie Khmer silk-screen pattern. Oh, and silk jewelery rolls, and, if my some magic along with the correct alignment of the planets, maybe, just maybe, I'll even have those brand spanking new striped and beaded cosmetic bags along for the ride. I am waiting, waiting, waiting for the USPS to bring this wonderful package to my little door. Please Mr. Postman, look and see, is there a package, a package for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

While the folks in Tampa will get to see all these goodies in person, never fear, everything will up on the site by later this month.....and, most everything should be available for purchase sometime this summer.

As always, stay tuned....and, updates from the road.

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.

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!

Hot Stuff

I'm still in Phnom Penh searching for great new products for Three Stone Steps. I had a bit of a disappointing day yesterday thinking that I was on to something with jewelry made from recycled land minds, but it turned out that I couldn't find a design at a price point that would work. I will continue today searching for the best in silks, cottons, and eco-chic.

I'm also debating getting water reed rattan/ish bags for Three Stone Steps's customers. While I did find some designs that you're sure to love, I am not sure about the quality of the product, and that's of utmost importance. I would never want to sell any handbags, messenger bags, wallets, silk scarves, or evening bags that I wasn't positive would wear well. So, I'll visit this place again this afternoon, and take these new bags through quite a workout. However, I'm not especially optimistic.

I'm also desperately trying to get in touch with this NGO that produces recycled products. It's hard, but I will venture on since there's no where I want to miss out on what looks to be a great eco-chic item for my great customers.

Anyway, it's now afternoon here, and time to get myself in gear to go searching in the Cambodian heat.

Stay turned. I shall return!

From the better late than never deparment: determining sweatshop-free status when shopping

Since I work at home most of time, I listen to the entire NPR lineup when going through all the daily tasks of owning a small business. I was a bit pleasantly surprised when Talk of the Nation dedicated part of its show to discussing how to determine if the item you want to buy as that oh so perfect gift was made in a sweatshop.

Well, good for you NPR, but wasn't this, coming about a week before people actually exchange presents, a bit too late. And, should people already be aware of where and how their gifts are made?

NPR made this sound like detective work. It isn't. Someone called up and said that they had the National Green Pages before them, which listed items that were not just 'green,' but also sweatshop-free and/or fair trade. You want to know what a stamp of approval from Co-op America looks like? Well, I just so happen to have one right here, on Three Stone Steps' main landing page. (You need to scroll to the bottom.) Businesses how have fair trade logos, which Three Stone Steps also hopes to get for this year, also have their logo. Anyway, what this all means is that someone cared enough and took the time to submit an application to a panel that judges the merits of 'fair trade' thoroughly.

Among the panelists, (I would say taking heads, but this is radio, so I guess it's talking mouths) was Dana Thomas, who wrote a book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. I read a review of this book in the NYT book review, and remember it sounding fascinating, yet I don't reading anything about the conditions under which 'luxury' goods are made. Of course, this could just be the reviewer skipping over this point, or my quick read, but I found it interesting that the discussion was more about determining if the Made in America label meant anything, or if something is made in Italy, does it mean its sweatshop free?

So, Three Stone Steps is its own label. No one is going to wear a silk scarf, carry a silk, cotton, or recycled material handbag based on my 'branding.' But, I know under what conditions the items I carry are made, and take pride in only buying from the most just and humane producers.

Now, what luxury brand can say that?

Eye see a holiday boutique

Well, nothing like stating the obvious, but, of course, the season of gifting and giving is upon us. I had a little boutique at Casa Three Stone Steps, showing my stuff, and also the 'eye-opening' jewelry collection of Susan Lowe, who actually starred, yes, starred in John Waters' film Desperate Living.

So, we had Three Stone Steps' fine silks, cottons, and recycled bags, wallets, scarves, and accessories, and Susan's incredibly funky jewelry, all of eyes. Quite a fun tour of the eyes of Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor, and Venus (as in the Botticelli painting). Anyway, this interesting jewelry was from her Eye Eye Eye collection.

Ok. So, you want pictures of the boutique. They are coming, and very soon. Please stay tuned!

Three Stone Steps in Web 2.0

Well, it appears as though I'm catching up! What is it with this Web 2.0 stuff? Anyway, if you haven't had enough of seeing the handbags, scarves, jewelry rolls, messenger bags, mosquito netting and assorted fashion accessories static...well, here you go with a slide version.

And, to think, those kids on myspace have been doing this already for years!