Hey crafty friends! Today, I want to share something seriously cool on my scrapbook blog that totally blew my mind—trash art. And no, I’m not talking about the pile of scraps left over from your last scrapbook session (we’ve all been there). I mean actual, stunning, jaw-dropping art made from junk. And one artist, in particular, is absolutely killing it in this space—Stephanie Hongo, aka Sugarfox.
This scrapbook blog post features creative trash art with a scrapbooking aesthetic reflecting some incredible work by Sugarfox. We think this is the ultimate in home decor with a scrapbook aesthetic. At the very least, it will get your creative juices flowing!
Scrapbook Blog: What Is Trash Art?
Think of trash art like upcycling on steroids.
Instead of tossing old plastic, broken toys, or random junk, artists turn them into something amazing.
It’s basically the same idea as scrapbooking—taking bits and pieces of stuff and arranging them into something meaningful—but instead of paper and stickers, it’s… well, whatever people can find in their recycling bin. Pretty genius, right?
Scrapbook Blog: Meet The Artist
The first time I saw one of these sculptures happened by chance, as I was just scrolling through some of my creative groups on social media. I stumbled across the Sugarfox_art instagram page & was immediately captivated and fascinated by her sculptures!
I have the Sugarfox instagram page as well as the Sugarfox website linked all throughout this post. Go visit them!
Stephanie Hongo is the creative mastermind behind Sugarfox.
She’s an artist from Connecticut who started making trash art because, honestly, art supplies are expensive. Instead of giving up on her dream of making art, she channeled her creative outlet into repurposing materials she already had, and boom—a whole new creative journey was born.
Now, she builds these crazy-detailed, life-size animal sculptures using nothing but recycled materials, and let me tell you, they are next level. Absolutely incredible and so interesting to look at! Not just for how gorgeous they are, but to see what they are made of.
It immediately made me think of scrapbook pages morphing into 3D sculptures.
Scrapbook Blog: How She Does It (AKA: The Magic Process)
She has a section of her website dedicated to the process, and it is fascinating to look at the evolution of all her pieces.
She states that all of her pieces start with a piece of wood or MDF. from there it is a building process of adding various materials (usually plastics) to achieve the desired creature.
Each sculpture is one of a kind and cannot be duplicated by virtue of it’s makeup!
Horse – “Praline”
Much like how scrapbookers or junk journalers layer patterned paper, washi tape, and sentiment strips in our scrapbooks & junk journals, Stephanie layers pieces of literal junk to create detailed and colorful sculptures.
Think broken plastic, old kitchen utensils, discarded toys—stuff most people would throw away.
For her project ideas, she finds a way to make them work together like a puzzle, adding paint for a unified color scheme and extra details until the final piece looks like it should’ve always been that way.
Isn’t it completely fascinating to see the evolution of the sculptures??? My mind is blown!!
I love how she shares the process of her pieces because it is so remarkable to see how it started to how it finished.
Raven – “Lucian”
I love everything ravens, and this raven sculpture named Lucian is INCREDIBLE. I cannot believe the beak is made out of plastic knives!!
I love how she names each of the pieces. It just adds additional life and lore to each of them.
Flamingo – “Norah”
When I first saw this sculpture I immediately thought of the beach, and what a super cool piece of art this would be for someone who lives in a beach community or in a beach house.
It’s so gorgeous, plus like all her sculptures, is such a conversation starter. You can’t help but stare at them and marvel at what was used to make it come to life.
Owl – “Twiggy”
I was positively dumbfounded when I saw this transformation! This owl sculpture named Twiggy is absolutely breathtaking! I want it in my office immediately!
Angler Fish – “Mariana”
We have all seen the story of the angler fish that made it to the surface of the ocean, and I just have to think this sculpture is of her back in her hey day on the bottom of the sea, luring all her prey with her light.
Dragon – “Tao”
Last on our scrapbook blog post featuring these completely gorgeous and creative works of art is the piece de resistance: this DRAGON named Tao. Wow!
There are several more sculptures to marvel over on her website and her instagram page, so be sure to go check those out.
You can also buy them!
Check out her Available Work section.
Why Am I Talking About Trash Art in a Scrapbook Blog?
When I saw these they stopped my scroll instantly!
They speak to my junk journaling heart. They feel like scrapbooking’s long-lost cousin who hit it big and became super famous! They are GORGEOUS!
Its perfect for one of my blog posts, and I love to highlight other creators and artists!
Stephanie’s work reminds me so much of what we do—taking bits of this and that, arranging them in just the right way, and turning them into something beautiful. I was riveted by it when I came across it on social media, so I thought that it is perfect for the blog today!
It’s all about creativity, storytelling, and making something meaningful out of whatever you have on hand.
I know everyone who looks at scrapbook blogs have a “junk drawer” full of random little things we keep “just in case” they might work for a scrapbook page. Its totally relatable!!
Scrapbook Ideas Inspired by Trash Art
If Sugarfox’s art has inspired you to get to work on your creative outlet, & you’re feeling inspired to mix things up in your scrapbooking, here are a few fun ways to bring a little trash-art magic into your projects:
Eco-Friendly Upcycling – Challenge yourself to make a whole layout with only repurposed materials—no new stickers or embellishments allowed! We regularly use “junk” in our junk journals!
Found Object Embellishments – Use buttons, broken jewelry, old ticket stubs, or fabric scraps to add texture and interest.
Mixed Media Madness – Layering different materials (paint, paper, fabric, metal, etc.) can create amazing effects.
Slowestuff Blog Scrapbook Division – Monsters of Mayhem Crafters
If you haven’t before stumbled across the Slowestuff website, we regularly post scrapbook & junk journaling content – and the crafting group of the blog is made up of monsters, check out their introduction post here!
Scrapbook Blog: Creative Trash Art Scrapbooking Aesthetic
We hope you have been as wow’ed by Sugarfox art as we are!
If it has inspired you to do some trash art, or, on a smaller scale, junk journaling, don’t overthink it! Scrapbooking and junk journaling are all about having fun, not perfection. Start small, focus on what makes you happy, and let your creativity flow. Definitely tag us with your creations! We would love to see them!
If you want more general scrapbook or junk journal inspiration, check out our scrapbook layout section of the blog for lots of inspiration!
Hey crafty peeps, let’s be friends on TikTok and check us out on Youtube at Slowestuff or Mayhem Crafters!
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Slowestuff newsletter for year-round content! We love to talk about seasonal topics, and keep an ongoing discussion about books and scrapbooking all year long!
Plus go check out Sugarfox Art!!!
Mayhem Crafters, crafty division of Slowestuff Blog
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This idea of upcycling as art is so inspiring! It really makes you look at trash in a whole new way. I can totally see how scrapbooking could be a great stepping stone for people wanting to experiment with trash art.
I totally agree! Completely captivating and speaks to a scrapbooker or junk journalers heart!