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!

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?

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.

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.

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…..