A good clip is hard to find. I remember playing with those long plastic bag clips my grandparents used to harness their bags of Cheese Doodles. They worked, but way too much plastic, and way too much clip.

To secure open bags of nuts and grains and such, we having a rotating band of characters: clothespins, rubber bands, and binder clips brought home from the office. But we recently came across these light as a feather aluminum clips from Japan at the cool and quirky shop, Kiosk Kiosk, in SoHo.

Old fashioned but still practical and functional, these clips have been packaged the same way for eons. "Beautiful, anonymous design," says Alisa, from Kiosk. At $9, the set is definitely pricey, but sometimes, in the name of great design, you allow yourself a splurge.