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.
Animals
March 24, 2016

Incredibly Fluffy Ragdoll Cat Resembles a Giant Cuddly Cotton Ball

Sky the Ragdoll cat might be one of the fluffiest felines we've ever seen–it's as if he's all fur! His piercing blue eyes are the only thing that stands out through his thick coat; otherwise, he's like a giant cuddly cotton ball or fluffy white cloud (hence, his name). With a lofty-sounding name, Sky is firmly planted on the ground–he seems to have an aversion to any physical activity.

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Funny
March 16, 2016

Simple Charts Express the Relatable Humor and Frustrations of Everyday Life

Designer Chaz Hutton has created an ongoing series of charts that focus less on the facts and more on the funny, frustrating, and relatable things that happen in our daily lives. On Instagram, where he's known as @instachaaz, he shares simple graphs drawn on yellow sticky notes, which cover everything from furniture to coffee to weekend plans. Hutton's hilarious handiwork is inspired by the little things in life.

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Art
March 13, 2016

Artist Swirls a Swarm of 10,000 Ceramic Insects Across Gallery Walls

Several years ago, Anna Collette Hunt “stirred the swarm,” summoning 10,000 insects into the towers of Wollaton Hall, which is home to the Natural History Collection in Nottingham, England. These weren't real bugs, but were handmade ceramics created by Hunt. The impressive collection of gold and jewel-toned creatures swirled across the walls and down the stairs of the Hall. Each insect was unique and had subtle variations–some were missing wings or limbs.

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Art
March 10, 2016

Vintage-Inspired Wooden Drawing Machine Produces Complex Designs with the Turn of a Crank

Long before there were plastic drawing toys like the Spirograph, there were wooden drawing machines. Dating back as far as the 1880s, these mechanical devices produced intricate geometric images using a pendulum or working along a curve, known as a cycloid. While both approaches created complex drawings, the old cycloid machines were limited in how they could be tweaked and hampered their design possibilities.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.