Your Yoko: Cream-coloured ponies.

So, I'm rethinking my "3 Things" posts. The title has no zing. No "je ne sais quoi".

Then I was inspired.

I was covering the launch of Seventy Seven, the new flagship store for Kim Newport-Mimran's Pink Tartan line (opens today in Yorkville, by the way), and she had some rolls of brown paper for sale with little packets of linen string. Ahh, such chic wrapping.

[ just me n' kim, hanging out at seventy-seven. whatever. ]

I immediately started humming "Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens...". Pretty much one of the best songs. Ever. But I hadn't realized that the paper roll's label ACTUALLY read "Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String". So clever.

So maybe my favourite-things-of-the-week posts should be inspired by, well, one of my favourite things - The Sound of Music (and childhood nostalgia, of course). So what should it be? "Girls in white dresses"? "Warm woolen Mittens"? Nope. "Cream-coloured ponies" is by far the most absurd, so I'm going with that. For now. You know I've never been really that good at being faithful to anything. Except boys. Well, this one at least.

And this gives me flexibility to love ONE thing or ONE-HUNDRED-BILLION things each week (I'm aware that it is entirely lame to quote Austin Powers).

Today I love three things. I don't necessarily share Fraulein Maria's enthusiasm for satin sashes and kitten whiskers (at least not enough to break into song), but I do have to go with her on the brown paper packages thing. Gawd, is there ANYTHING better than snail mail? And isn't kraft paper just so romantic?!

So here goes. New format. Yay!

These are a few of my favourite things:

ONE •

Brown paper packages (tied up with string). If you don't want to buy designer kraft paper, obviously butcher paper will do the trick. And if flesh makes you squeamish (hi.), use the inside of a paper shopping/grocery bag. That's what my mom used to do. She's so crafty. (Everyone says that I get the creative blood from my dad's side of the family, but don't underestimate my mother.) Whole Foods still has a "paper or plastic" option, so that's a good bet for bags. Pretty!

TWO••

There are very few things in the world that compliment kraft paper packages better than twine, especially that amazing candy-stripe version above. But I have to say, that Japanese paper tape is in the running. I bought a few rolls to use for the wedding last year. I didn't have any specific use in mind, and I actually didn't ended up finding one, but the wedding was a good excuse, anyway. I'm excited to use it to wrap gifts this year! (If Japanese paper tape was available in WWII Austria, I'm sure the Von Trapps would have been all over it.)

Find it online - Happy Tape is my fave.