Would you believe it…..trash sells!  In 2005 I was invited to a trash art event called the Trash Bash in Manzanita, Oregon.  So I made some tin can Dolls and they sold like hotcakes.  They were decorated with garage sale finds and quirky sayings like Bernadette: “Bernadette couldn’t do the cha cha, but she had a knack for the can-can.”

After 14 years I still make two varieties of the dolls, “Bernadette” and “Dire Warning”.  However through the years I made many tin can dolls that gave folks the giggles  as they passed through my section of Sunrose Gallery here in Seaside, Oregon.

I remove the can label for Bernadette but leave the label on the peeled tomato can for a fun burst of color.  (Cathy Tippen, owner of Sunrose Gallery faithfully saves her peeled tomato cans for me!)

Supplies:  ribbons and trims, wire arms and legs, ribbon roses to attach arms, garters and popsicle sticks for “Dire Warning” legs.

I use flat glass marbles (Dollar Tree) that are hot glued to clip art faces with a piece of mat board for the neck.

I wish I knew how many times I have printed out these sayings for Bernadette and Dire Warning!  Many times I have filled up my work table with 18 dolls which were assembled in mass production in a day.

I was cleaning out the “Tin Doll” drawer and came across these old sayings printed out as the labels on the dolls.   “Sheila” had a white tulle “veil” and white rick rack trim to simulate a bride and her label was meant to bring attention that she was a tin can.

Since Bernadette and Dire Warning were always the best sellers, they are the only ones I make nowadays.  It’s fun to make whimsical art that gives folks a reason to smile!