Got leaves to pick up? West Seattle artist’s green (& orange) bags

| Environment | Gardening | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

West Seattle artist Oleana Perry shared this photo and explained what the bags are all about:

Yesterday I spent the day making decorative harvest-leaf bags out of burlap coffee bags. My leaves are out of control in my yard and I don’t like the big plastic pumpkin bags (plastic is forever), so I solved the problem. The decorative burlap bag will break down and compost the leaves over the winter season. Then I will mix the leaves in my garden soil and use the bag as weed block or for my garden path. The West Seattle Nursery liked them as well, so I had to make about 25 of them in my front yard yesterday. People walking by kept buying them as I was making them, it was pretty hilarious. It amazes me that all of these burlap coffee bags come from all over the world and a huge majority of them go into landfills. I think this is a resource we should all be thinking about.

She says you can find her bags at West Seattle Nursery or you can e-mail her about bulk orders – art4thoughts@yahoo.com

Amanda October 19, 2010 (7:17 pm)

Oleana! You are awesome, what a fantastic idea ;)

sarelly October 20, 2010 (9:51 am)

Awesome idea, very pretty. Great colors, too! I’ve never seen a coffee bag that big. It’s always exciting to hear about creative ways to re-use things that would otherwise get tossed. I’ve experimented with making flowers out of cut up shampoo bottles, but to do it well would require an investment in tools. Other things I’ve seen include making curtains out of unwanted video tape, shelves out of old oven racks, and a boat out of plastic water bottles. Tres cool!

Seattle Burlap October 20, 2010 (1:51 pm)

Hey, if you want to get these same size bags (though without Oleanna’s amazing art on them), you can visit SeattleBurlap.com to see a list of our retailers. There’s also contact information for bulk purchases of weedblock, mulching, and art-grade bags. Yea!

Joyce October 20, 2010 (3:05 pm)

What a great idea…..I’ve never seen these big coffee bags either. Since we’ll be raking leaves for the next month or two, might want to make a few with big organtic bows on them for Xmas. You’re always coming up with something that’s unique and original…..good job.