Arrow-right Camera

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

What would you make with burlap coffee sacks?

Megan Cooley

Well, it looks like the 2010 Spokane Earth Day celebration was a huge hit. The turnout was great, food was delicious (yummy bruschetta, Catacombs ), there was a variety of informative booths and I was very impressed by the activities offered for kids. (And I’m not talking about my own little banner-making booth when I say that.) Kids were walking away from the event carrying handmade wooden birdhouses, newspaper hats, freshly planted seeds, pinecone bird feeders and more yesterday. Oh, to be 8 years old again and in love with the planet. Yea, kids!

My booth was right next to the station run by Coeur d’Alene-based Doma Coffee Roasting Co. , one of Down to Earth’s sponsors. They were generously handing out bags of their organic coffee beans. I brewed a cup this morning: De-lic-ious! (I often order Doma espresso in local establishments, but this was the first time I made it at home.)

Our proximity yesterday reminded me to post something here I’ve been meaning to share. Doma had some extra coffee-bean sacks on hand a few weeks ago, and offered them up to me for my crafts. Fifteen burlap sacks, each with a different logo from bean growers around the world.

I strung them out on my clothesline the other day and took some pictures. I also snapped a few shots of the cute tote bags Doma makes with the sacks. (See slideshow above.)

But now it’s your turn. What should I do with those bags? I want to create something and then post a tutorial here so others can follow it at home. If it’s an idea that comes from a reader, even better!

Here’s what people around the Web have been doing with burlap sacks lately:

Burlap buckets by Maya Made

Burlap pillowcases by Funky Shique

Burlap and rhinestone cuff by Leslie Janson

Burlap purses by Ira Grant

Coffee sack bookmarks by Simply Renewed

Burlap coffee cozies by Bagel Creations (now that would be taking it full circle, huh?)

An owl-shaped bookend or door stopper by Tialys

An upholstered chair from Jayson Home & Garden. That one’s my favorite, but would you get little bits of burlap on your behind every time you sat down? Maybe not if I wash it a million times first?

Bring on the ideas, my creative friends.

* This story was originally published as a post from the marketing blog "DwellWellNW." Read all stories from this blog