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.
Books
November 15, 2022

Photographer Celebrates Rainbow Hummingbird Wings in Beautiful Bird Book [Interview]

A decade ago, Rio de Janeiro-based artist and photographer Christian Spencer made an amazing discovery. At certain sun-lit angles, hummingbird wings transform into tiny fluttering rainbows. They become prisms in the sky—a fact that Spencer only learned after seeing the creatures appear in his film The Dance of Time slowed down to 5% of its normal speed. The discovery launched Spencer into a series aptly called Winged Prisms.

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Creative Products
November 11, 2022

25 Contemporary Advent Calendars To Help You Count Down to Christmas in Style

With December quickly approaching, the countdown to Christmas is about to officially begin. One popular way to mark the time is with an advent calendar, in which each day reveals a new trinket until you reach December 25. Typically, these small items are an assortment of candy treats or toys for kids. But recently, companies have been introducing contemporary advent calendars that are a twist on tradition.

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Toys
November 8, 2022

Creative Crafter Transforms Kid’s Drawings Into Crochet Dolls They Can Cuddle

Kids have the best imaginations, and one artisan is helping to make their visions a reality. For nearly two decades, Violeta Vasilevičiūtė-Pocienė of VioletaOwl has been creating amigurumi crochet dolls based on children’s drawings. The results are adorable and highlight how these tiny artists are delightfully unencumbered by things like real-life scale and proportion to make sketches that are totally unique. No two projects are alike.

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Gift Guide
November 7, 2022

40 Creative Gifts for Foodies That Even Picky Eaters Will Love

Foodies are all around us. Chances are that you know someone who loves to try new restaurants or is excited to add an exotic spice to their collection. If that’s the case, then you’re in luck; there are plenty of great foodie gifts to give to someone, regardless of their palate. Within our collection of products are the ingredients of an ideal present. The stereotypical foodie is seen as someone obsessing over fine dining.

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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.