What could be more fun than a whistle combining color, puns and shine?

For Loran Scruggs, not much.

Scruggs has been making her own unique version of whistles over the past dozen years, with snippets of colorful tin cans, crafting each one by hand, and wit, paying careful attention to color placement and message.

The whistles have color and themes, from simple vintage pop bottles to the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Scruggs started with a basic survival whistle, a narrow rectangle of metal curved into shape to create a sound chamber when the sides are sealed with fingers.

She soldered pennies to the open sides to create her own version of penny whistles, and put in a dried chickpea for a nice rattle.

Over the years the whistles got bigger, as the pennies were replaced with bottle caps, and the chickpea, with a lighter cork ball. She added stainless steel to make the neck sturdier, and attached a stout neck chain for her current version.

The whistles are a favorite part of her art, but she also creates other pieces, including art plaques (popular for 10th-anniversary gifts), and various toys, all crafted with tin cans and bottle caps.

“I’m like most artists. I have to do it, and I would be depressed if I didn’t get to do my art,” she said.

Scruggs graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in sculpture. Shortly thereafter, she chose tin cans as her medium, because they can be worked with hand tools and don’t require heavy machinery or even electricity.

And more importantly, the cans are colorful, with a nice glint. She also enjoys the ability to reuse material, and to be playful and create smiles on faces.

“Joy and happiness is the main thing,” said Scruggs. “That’s what it does for me, and for others.”

Her first piece was a dragon head, made with slot and tab construction. She loved it. Soon she was making an airplane from a soup can, and a boat, and a car, and then dragonflies, little robots, pull toys and more.

Scruggs gets inspiration from Mexican playing cards and the printed metal itself.

“There are usually clear graphics on food,” she noted. “I’m in love with fonts and food packaging.”

She collects material for her work wherever she finds it, mostly at secondhand stores and ethnic groceries, where tin is still printed. About once a month, she finds surprise contributions on her porch.

“I’m always looking for interesting bottle caps. It seems like the more interesting the cap, the worse the beer. My partner drinks some pretty bad beer for my bottle cap obsession.”

“It is an interesting medium, but it’s being chosen less and less by manufacturers. I can understand why paper labels are cheaper, but it’s what was there before plastic. In 20 years, you won’t be able to find this,” she said.

Printed cans are getting scarcer, but Scruggs has collected enough for many years of work.

“My goal is to use up all my materials. We’ll see how well that works, because I think I have more than a lifetime collection,” she said.

Scruggs flattens and stores the cans to pull for color, or sometimes pattern, in her work.

She uses jeweler shears and meat-cutter gloves to break down cans, the most dangerous part of her work.

“I have a $10,000 finger,” she reported. “I almost severed my tendon.”

To avoid wear on her joints, and to save time, she now uses a foundry power hammer to flatten bottle caps.

On the other hand, she crimps home-brew bottle caps by hand.

And the pieces come together in bright and shining ways.

“I love the magic of cutting out shapes and being able to say, ‘That was so cool, and it worked out so well,’” she said.

Check out her work at the Port Townsend Gallery, 715 Washington St., or online at etsy.com/people/loranscruggs, or search “Whistles, Art, Toys!” on Facebook.