Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Style
July 13, 2018

Japan Is in Love With This Bodybuilding Landscaper Who Became a Citizen

Many of us love to travel, but most of us wouldn’t dream of giving up citizenship to the country in which we were born. Swedish-born Jakob Sebastian Björk, however, fell so in love with the country of Japan that he became a naturalized Japanese citizen. In fact, he had to renounce his original nationality because dual citizenship goes against Japanese law. He now proudly goes by the name Tatsumasa Murasame.

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Funny
July 5, 2018

Couple Renovating Their Bathroom Finds a Hidden Note From Its Former Owners

Like many homeowners, Jess and Alex Monney decided to renovate their bathroom. During home improvements, you never know what you’ll find once you start to scrape wallpaper, remove flooring, or even tear down walls, but the Monneys came across a truly surprising discovery from the home’s former owners. As their contractor was gutting the bathroom, he found a note scrawled onto the walls. “Hi! We’re the Shinsekis!” It began. “We remodeled this bathroom summer 1995.

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Creative Products
June 29, 2018

Ingenious Phone Case Deploys a “Mobile Airbag” If You Drop Your Smartphone

Have you ever dropped your phone? If you’re like the rest of us, you hold your breath and say a silent prayer as it tumbles to the ground—hoping that when you pick it up that the screen won’t be cracked. Philip Frenzel, a master’s student at Aalen University in Germany, is giving the chronic phone-droppers of the world a little more security with his ingenious invention.

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Animals
June 18, 2018

Adorable Fat Cat Invades the Most Famous Paintings in Art History

Artist Svetlana Petrova finds a creative muse (or “mews”) in her ginger cat, Zarathustra, and the adorable fat feline has made its way into some of the most well-known works of art history. With crazed cat eyes, a fluffy belly, and a penchant for flowers, the creature seamlessly invades paintings to add his own dose of beauty while giving new meaning to them.

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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.