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.
Painting
December 23, 2019

Artist Finds Discarded Thrift Store Paintings and Transforms Them Into Pop Culture Masterpieces

Artist Dave Pollot takes otherwise overlooked thrift store paintings and transforms them into his own masterpieces. By seamlessly integrating elements from pop culture, the scenes featuring still lifes, boats at sea, and bucolic landscapes are given a surreal twist with additions like fast food, SpongeBob, and horror film monsters. The ongoing project started in 2012 as a joke between Pollot and his wife.

Read Article

Creative Products
December 13, 2019

This Woman Will Meticulously Construct a Scale Model of Your Home Using Only LEGOs

Shari Austrian, aka Little Brick Lane, celebrates people's homes by constructing LEGO versions of them that are built to scale. Using the iconic bricks and Minifigs, she meticulously recreates the interior and exterior of these places so that when she's done, they are a three-dimensional, pixelated version of the places her clients love. Austrian has had a life-long interest in miniatures and played with LEGOs as a kid.

Read Article

Inspiring
December 11, 2019

Baby Girl With Down Syndrome Is Adopted by a Doting Dad After Being Rejected by 20 Families

Take one look at Luca Trapanese and you'll see a doting dad who loves his daughter, Alba. And once you learn the extraordinary circumstances that led them to one another, it makes a strong case for the idea of fate. Trapanese, a gay man living in Naples, Italy, had wanted to have a family for years. But when he and his long-term partner broke up, Trapanese’s dream seemed like it would never come true.

Read Article

Photography
December 4, 2019

Photographer Captures Perfect Moment of Squirrel Leaping Over Water With a Nut

Photographer Dick van Duijn has a penchant for being in the right place at the right time. Over the past year, he has captured memorable pictures of animals doing adorable things when they think no one is watching. His photo of a ground squirrel enjoying the sweet scent of a flower went viral in the late summer; and now, another of these creatures has gained him fame across the world.

Read Article

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.