ige has got to be one of my favorite stores in LA. whenever i'm in the neighborhood (beverly blvd. near martel) i make a point of stopping by. helene ige carries her own designs as well as a delightful mix of new & vintage gifts, toys, stationery and housewares.
helene has an amazing eye and sells some very special vintage crafts. a couple of years ago she displayed some of those framed jeweled christmas trees in her window. don't even get me started on just how beautiful they were.
you could only imagine how i felt when i saw that she was selling a few pieces of tin can doll furniture. almost the exact same ones as pictured in one of my fave hazel pearson books. i nearly passed out!
they were made by cutting tins cans into strips, curling them into your desired design, spray painting and upholstering them. pictured here is a chaise lounge (center) made from an insect spray can (!) and a rocking chair (right) made from a juice can.
(from "tin can doll furniture, how to create beautiful miniature furniture from cans - without soldering" published by hazel pearson handicrafts, 1973)
how amazing! She must be pretty creative :-)
Posted by: Amy | March 27, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Amazing. Anyone still making them?
Posted by: Old Round | March 27, 2007 at 04:14 PM
I remember these so well from when I was a kid. I loved them! I was fascinated when the detail and intricacies and marveled at how such a thing could be done. Thanks for letting me stroll down memory lane!
Posted by: Felicia | March 30, 2007 at 03:16 AM
I was so surprised when I googled "tin can art" and found your web site with the exact furniture I made in 1967 (thanks for your exact date...I couldn't remember when I made them). I used the Woman's Day magazine and it's probably stored in the attic somewhere. I found the pieces I made just about a month ago...a table and chairs, a love seat, and a rocking chair...and decided to use them as Christmas tree decorations. They look great on the tree. It's ironic that my son and his family lived on Beverly Glen for a while but have moved to the valley. So the next time I'm in LA, I will have to stop in at the shop you mentioned. These were really fun to make...I just might get my little needle nose pliers out and get busy again!
Posted by: Linda | December 03, 2007 at 02:42 PM
My father use to make these after seeing them in a magazine while he was out to sea in the Navy. Unfortunately after many moves they did not survive. He recently passed and I have an old black and white article that is hard to see of him on board the ship making these. They were absolutely beautiful and my cousin still has her till this day. That was 34 years ago.
Posted by: Lisa | June 02, 2009 at 05:29 PM