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.

Ok. Here at Three Stone Steps we seem to have a knack for stating the obvious. Not only is time for getting your Christmas/Holiday gifts counting down, but Three Stone Steps is starting to run out of some very popular colors.

Well, I certainly don’t want to be alarmist (Oh, no, no messenger bags in copper mosquito netting! Whatever am I to do?!?) , I just wanted to alert you that if you have your heart set on a certain color for that perfect gift, please order soon—then relax.

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!