Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.


October 10, 2016

Enchantingly Rare All-White Reindeer Spotted on the Side of a Road in Sweden

There are always outliers in nature—anomalies that don’t seem real. The all-white reindeer is one oddity that takes you by surprise because it’s a far cry from the creature’s typical dark-brown fur. One of these elusive caribou, antlers and all, was recently spotted roaming Malå, Sweden in early September. Redditor nlsoy posted the picture of the colorless reindeer on the side of the road, but this is a serendipitous spotting—this variation is very rare.

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October 5, 2016

200-Year-Old Historic Books Reveal Hidden Fore-Edge Paintings

It’s commonplace to see illustrations grace the inside of a book, but long ago, some of the best imagery was displayed on the edge of a publication. Known as fore-edge painting, these incredible compositions were printed or drawn on the closed pages of a book. As the book lays flat, entire scenes span the stack of pages.

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