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.
Design
April 17, 2016

Elegant Bird-Shaped Speaker Sings You a Song as It Lights Up Your Home

The ever-presence and ease of Bluetooth technology has transformed the world of speakers, allowing them serve as more than just audio magnifiers–now, without the cumbersome and visually displeasing jumble of wires, designers are afforded the ability to create decorative objects that happen to play music. One such item is JinGoo, an elegant new speaker and light device that conceals these features by cleverly taking the form of a bird in a rounded wire cage.

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Science
April 7, 2016

Iridescent Opal Dazzles with Neon Fireworks Naturally Hidden Within

At first glance, the Ethiopian Welo Opal looks like something created in a lab. The dazzling gem radiates neon colors that seem almost too vibrant to be naturally occurring. It's completely real, however, and showcases a harmonious mixture of yellows, reds, greens, and blues. When rotated, the stone sets off a firework-like display of these hues. This opal is relatively new in the commercial gem world.

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Design
April 1, 2016

Ingenious Rocking Chair Knits a Hat for You as You Sway Back and Forth

Knitting and sitting in a rocking chair are both relaxing activities that designers Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex have combined into one innovative, low-tech piece of furniture. Aptly dubbed Rocking Knit, this multitasking chair uses kinetic energy, produced from the rocker's gliding motion, to knit a winter hat as you gently sway back and forth. The chair both resembles and is used as a typical wooden glider.

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Street Photography
March 28, 2016

Traveling Photographer Captures Couples Kissing in Public Around the World

Kissing is the universal way to show affection–no matter where you go, you can find amorous couples locking lips. Argentinian photographer Ignacio Lehmann demonstrates this in his endearing 100 World Kisses project, which captures culturally diverse street smooching from places around the world. For the past three years, he's traveled extensively–covering 12 countries and over 20 cities–to collect more than 1,000 images of people everywhere, from bustling metropolises to rural landscapes.

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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.