“Brown paper packages tied up with string…these are a few of my favorite things!” is a phrase from a song from one of my favorite movies – The Sound of Music (and I’m sure most of you have heard the tune)!

There are few things I enjoy more than trying to simplify life while enjoying every little detail. Pick a cluster of daffodils and arrange them on my kitchen table. Always keep a basket of fresh fruit on the counter, available for friends and family to munch at their leisure. Write a note to my husband and stick it at the top of his lunch sack. Open the windows first thing in the morning to hear the birds and lambs out in the pasture.

One such little pleasure is using twine. I usually wrap it around packages for friends. But recently I found two simple uses that made both breakfast with family and a picnic with my husband just that much more enjoyable.

Next time you’re on a picnic, forgo the foil or the plastic bag. Wrap your sandwiches in brown paper and tie it up with string. It’s charming and eco-friendly!

This past week, my sister and her family stopped by for breakfast; they
were just starting out on a cross-country road trip to Arkansas. I
didn’t want the table to be overwhelming; just simple settings with fresh fruit, ready to be eaten. I decided to roll up
and tie up the napkins with black and white twine, and that really made the table complete.

Think about ways you can make much of life’s simple pleasures; it usually doesn’t take much effort, but shows that you care and want those around you to feel comfortable and enjoy what you have done for them.

Twine and scissors from Fifteen / Eleven.