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.
Art
March 3, 2020

Humane Society Will Create a “Bad” Drawing of Your Pet If You Donate $15

The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) was determined to put the “fun” back in fundraising and were amazed at the response when they did just that. “If you donate $15 to the animals at WHS, we’ll draw your pet,” they wrote on their Facebook page on February 25. “The catch? We’re a whole lot better at caring for animals than we are at drawing them.

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Furniture
February 27, 2020

Former Shipbuilder Creates Spectacular Wooden Bathtubs That Resemble Small Vessels

Craftsperson Nathie Katzoff uses his background in ship woodworking and restoration to create striking wooden bathtubs. With his team at NK Woodworking & Design, he produces custom pieces that mimic vessels you’d find on the sea—although this time, they contain the water. The variety of designs, culminating in The Lotus Bath Collection, are crafted from sustainable domestic and exotic hardwood and assembled in their Seattle, Washington studio.

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DIY
February 22, 2020

10+ “Book Nook” Shelf Inserts That Are Adding Miniature Magic to Bookshelves

Great books have the power to transport us to different worlds, so why should their bookshelves be any different? A recent decor trend called “book nooks” is changing that. They are crafty creations that live among the novels on your shelf. Measuring roughly the height and width of one or two books, they are reminiscent of dollhouses or slender dioramas.

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Animals
February 20, 2020

Photographer Discovers Three “Dancing” Bear Cubs Having Fun in Finnish Forest

Dancing bears seem like something out of a fairy tale, but teacher and photography enthusiast Valtteri Mulkahainen found the magical scene happening in real life. Upon exploring the Finnish forest near the town of Martinselkonen, he saw a bear and her three cubs walking to a clearing. “I hid and watched to see what they would do,” he tells My Modern Met.

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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.