Ruby Re-Usable hoards the little pull tab on aluminum cans and sometimes uses them in her artwork, but she tends to toss the rest into the recycling bin (or saves them for Second-Hand Sid, who gets cash for them somewhere). So have you ever wondered what you could do with the whole can after the pleasure of stomping on them with your foot has lost its charm? Check out these awesome artists who utilize the whole can:

Alice Wyse Lund at Aluminous Publishing offers several e-books about creating with aluminum cans, including “Crafting Aluminum Art,” “Foiling Around,” and “Keeping Tabs.” Her site also offers free craft ideas, a recycled craft forum, and a recycled arts and crafts photo gallery. Alice has been on HGTV’s “That’s Clever,” the cover of “Waste Watch,” a UK Scholastic News, and in the Canadian Farmer’s 07 Almanac.

Snohomish County artist Kim Groff-Harrington uses all sorts of cans, as well as bottle caps and other junk, to create her wonderfully whimsical women. Kim participated in the Red Bull Art of the Can contest back in 2006. Ruby has a few of Kim’s creations in her collection, but doesn’t have a doll, yet!

We haven’t seen his work in person yet, but we enjoy viewing Charles Kaufman’s blog about his original hand-painted works of art on crushed cans at Crushed Can Art.

Olympia Dumpster Divers favorite Seattle dumpster diver is Ross Palmer Beecher; we have idolized her for like, forever, and finds the things she does with aluminum cans and other discards to be absolutely amazing. Someday Ruby would like to own a piece of her art work, but in the meantime, you can see Ross’ work at the Seattle Art Museum and at Safeco Field, amongst other places.

Robert Zverina first installed this spiral of flattened aluminum cans at the Seattle Re-Store’s Recycled Art Show in 2005; Ruby Re-Usable never tires of seeing it and thinks it should be on permanent temporary display somewhere.