Tag Archives: recycled

Mushpa y Mensa’s Magical Motor Machine Makeover!

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In conjunction with “Care-About-Mama-Earth” week we are launching Mushpa y Mensa’s Magical Motor Machine Makeover (a.k.a. Our Super Cool Kickstarter Project)! Yes!

We will make this short and sweet as all the information you may want or need to know about Our Magical Motor Machine Makeover is here. You may also click on our 3 minutes and 33 second amazing docu-drama above to find out what we and this project are all about.  :]

Mushpa y Mensa’s Magical Motor Machine Makeover is something cool, different, and amazing. It is a way to connect with people all over; a way to find, have and give hope to our fellow humans…and there is some fantabulous functional art to take with you as well!!! A win/win situation.

Go see!!!

With much love.

— Mushpa y Mensa (Cara Elaine and Maria Emilia)

Here Comes Mushpa Y Mensa!

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Fulton FleaGuess what time it is??? Flea Market season!!! Oh snap, you mean you can check out our wares in person, hang with us, tell us all your deepest, darkest secrets and buy amazing art all under the gorgeous NYC sun? Yes, that’s exactly what I mean!

Such LoveClick here or any of the cute market photos in this entry to see where we will be at, when we are there and how cool it is going to be when you get there. We are even venturing out to that other world called Long Island in May, so if you live on the island and stay out of the city, you to will have the opportunity to chill with La Mushpa y La Mensa! Seriously. :]

We can’t wait to see you.

– La Mushpa

Before January ends….Re-Calendar!

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In the time it takes you to get in your car, subway or bike to the office supply store to buy a calendar, you can easily make a calendar for the new year yourself! For free if you have the supplies, and Eco if you reuse old paper and use supplies from home!

mushpa y mensa

We did this half way through last year, and last week we took the old calendar down, flipped over the old pages and drew new lines for the new days and months of the new year!

Steps.

1. Find any 18×10 inch paper or card-stock. We had some around, and it turned out to be the PERFECT size.  You can make a smaller too, just make sure you divide it in 7 equal parts for the days of the week.

2. Using a ruler, mark off every 2 inches on every side, and draw vertical and horizontal lines to make the little boxes. This size was perfect for 7 days (each day was 2×2 inch squares) and it left a nice (2×4 inch space each week) for additional “notes”.

mushpa y mensa

3. Mark the days of the week with a marker, and while LOOKING CAREFULLY at a calendar (I looked on my phone) mark the days down when the month starts, through its end.

4. Add some colors and decorations….and any special dates you may wish to remember….and you’re done! : )

Happy crafting!

-Mensa

Happy Two Days After Thanksgiving Save Money Day From La Mushpa y Mensa!!!

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What can we say, after an amazing bounty of family, food and fun we are in a good mood and want to share that happiness with our Mushpa y Mensa family. What does that mean? Free shipping until we ring in the New Year!!! Nice…

Who are these little guys? They are a perfect “Bring the Cheer” gift you can find right here, right now. Our brand spanking new, limited time only, eco-felt, naturally holiday scented (peppermint or cloves), Gingerbread Peeps (GBP). They are so delicious that someone has already taken a bite off of their cute head and leg! Each one is unique in their own way. GBP are all made by hand, hand-stitched, hand-stuffed and such, right here in our Brooklyn studio.

tablet case

We also have new iPad/tablet cases and gorgeous pillow cases all handmade using recycled fabric. Theses are fabulous, unique gifts…we’re just putting it out there. :] Something else exciting to look out for in the next few days is our handmade, out of recycled fabric, super fly coffee cozy!

Pillow C

If you are in the New York area and want to check out our art in person Saturday, December 7th and Sunday the 8th and Saturday, December the 14th and Sunday the 15th we will be at LIC Flea & Food @5-25 46th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens. It’s indoors in a huge warehouse, free parking! :] There will be all sorts of vendors, food, live music, djs, Santa…so come.I think that is enough updates for now.

Chau!

La Mushpa y La Mensa

The End of Summer

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Ocean SoleWell my friends it is the end of the Summer of 2013. I hope for all it was a fantabulous one! I know for us here at Mushpa y Mensa it was inspiring and wondrous! This entry goes out to those who are looking to do something creative with their old flip-flops of summers past. Check out this video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzHUwmrOpFE&w=560&h=315]

Thanks Ocean Sole!

– Mushpa

Mini-Sewing….A Teddy Bear From Scratch

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I went to visit my family this week in VA, and of course there had to be craft time with my small siblings. What better thing to do than sew a stuffed animal with Isabela’s mini-sewing machine!

diy kids sewing patterns

It’s no industrial serger, nor does it even come close to stitching zigzag or reverse stitches….but it gets the job done! It was actually trickier to figure out that my own machine! After getting to know it though, Isabela, Abuela and the rest of the crew (aka Juan Lorenzo) sat around the dinning room table learning step by step how to make a little bear.

Steps we took.

1. Isabela sketched out a simple drawing, including the fabric that she would use for the body, tummy, ears and face or her bear.

2. We drew a simple pattern for the bear and she cut it out and pinned it to the fabric. She cut the fabric and began to pin the pieces together.

diy kids sewing

3. We found some old clothes, y la Abuela helped us cut out pieces of scrap fabric to use as stuffing for the bear. We also heard stories of la Abuela’s first sewing machine, which was operated by foot, and later adapted to sew with a small motor inside. : )

diy kids sewing

Then the sewing began….

It got a little tricky at times, but Isabela got the hang of it pretty quickly.

kids sewing

4. Finally we found some nice smelling tea leaves to stuff in the bear to give it a nice smell, and she closed  and hand-stitched the body and head together. Y listo!

Isabela made a bear, and Juan Lorenzo filled the cushion with pins and “sewed a tomato!”

If you mold kids minds, and teach them how to make their own toys, dolls clothes and whatever else their minds come up with, you will be surprised with what they can do! I was definitely impressed.

: )

-Mensa a.k.a. “Memi”

The Market NYC Here We Come!

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Mama EarthWe would love to share with you this fantabulous Mushpa y Mensa Earth Day extravaganza!!! It is happening this very weekend!!! What? Yes!

La Mushpa y La Mensa will be selling wares in the flesh at The Market NYC (159 Bleecker Street) all weekend long (Friday – April 19th 12pm-9pm,  Sat – April 20th 11am-9pm, and  Sun – April 21st 12pm-8pm).

Please, if you live in the city or are visiting, make sure to stop by and show us some love. We are unveiling our much awaited 100% organic cotton shirt designs (“Put a Bird on It” designed by Mushpa and “Mama Earth” by Mensa). These shirts are printed using water-based eco-friendly inks (301 ECO-Series by Matsui), free of PVC, phthalate, heavy metals, azo compounds, nonylphenol and formaldehyde. We clean up after ourselves using mostly water. When necessary, we may use a citrus and soy based eco-cleaner from Chemical Consultants Incorporated. We also do everything by hand from the design, to printing transparencies, exposing the screens and lastly, printing them on the shirts.

Put a Bird on ItIt’s exhausting, but we are making art!

-La Mushpa

p.s. – We also have an official web url, www.mushpamensa.com. So official, check it out!

A Little Bit of Self Promotion Never Hurt Anyone

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Mushpa y Mensa

We write a bunch of blog entries about this and that, but I want to focus a bit on our baby Mushpa y Mensa today. I am going to send out fantastically positive energy to everyone to want what we have to offer.

Listen, I want to make it, not just for us realize, but for all the other artists, inventors and nerds who desire their freedom from a job they’ve never really loved. For all those who want to believe that it is possible to be happy in what you do. I want us to be that example where people say, “See anyone can make it if they do the work and believe.” Seriously, that is all anyone needs to do and we will prove it!

Here is my shameless self promotion below.

Mushpa y Mensa Etsy Store –  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MushpaYMensa
Mushpa y Mensa Blog – http://mushpamensa.wordpress.com/
Mushpa y Mensa Twitter – https://twitter.com/mushpamensa
Mushpa y Mensa Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/musphamensa/mushpa-y-mensa-we-are-two-crafty-chics/

Go check out our sites and buy one thing, maybe an amazing tablet case, or plush sweet pigs who think they are elephants and aliens who have no name, and there is even a gorgeous handmade, clay necklace!!!

Please, do us a solid and send an email to all your friends, family, enemies we don’t care who, just do it. It will take two seconds and you will be helping two people who in turn will help millions. You help us and the Universe will help you. I promise!!!!

Until next time…

-Mushpa

Crazy Crayons!

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So we can recycle paper, plastic, aluminum and many other miscellaneous items, but how about recycling art supplies?

Did you know that more than 12 MILLION CRAYONS (which equals to about 120,000 pounds) are made in the US EVERY DAY?…that’s about 60 TONS of crayons made EVERY DAY! And crayons are made with petroleum based wax which end up in our landfills…How Eco is that? Not so much…CZCN000010002_dt

This really cool program called Crazy Crayons, takes all your old broken, unused and un-loved crayons from your schools, homes and studios and revamps them into 100% RECYCLED CRAYONS!

They also sell Fire Starters, perfect for lighting up your campfire or fire place with ease. This is another way they recycle and reuse ALL of the crayons, by using the wax covered crayon wrapers. Simply place a handful on top of wood or your fire pit and BOOM! Warmth that comes from a recycled source!

CZCN000020001_dt

If you want to participate in the program make sure to check out their site where they give you all the details on how to prep your soon-to-be-recylced crayons, ideas for collecting unwanted crayons, and directions on how to best ship your old crayons!

———————-  o ———————–

 Two MINI DIY PROJECTS:

1.Make Some Funky Crayons

-Take all your old crayons from around your house

-Peel them and break them into small little pieces and put them in an old cookie mold

-Preheat oven to 250 degrees and bake for about 15-20 minutes until they have all melted.

-Patiently wait until they have cooled…Pop them out, and start a new coloring adventure!

2012-10-25 22.53.41

2. Melt some Crayons into Wall Art

-Take a blank canvas or a slab of old wood and align peeled crayons on top of canvass

-Glue them down with either a hot glue gun or strong all purpose glue and wait until they dry

-Take a blow dryer and hold over crayons until they begin to melt…and HAVE FUN! It might take a minute for the full effect to take place and for all crayons to melt, but it is a relaxing and easy project that can add a little color to any wall! :]

2012-10-26 01.12.27

Keep on coloring!

❤

-Mensa

The Case of the Tablet – Part 1

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This is our most recent creation. A tablet case. Wooden buttons, hemp string and felt made from recycled plastic bottles! Perfect… Except for the tablet that could potentially goes inside…image(1)

I will let Mushpa (aka IT Phenomenon) take over on what makes tablets and other technological goodies a choice of ethical consciousness.

I have been guilty of buying into the Apple craze, but my iPod did not come from the best of the environments, and the workers that made my little music player work, have not been treated too well either…

So Mushpa, do you mind filling us in on why it is that inside this new case there should be, according to current research, the best choice of tablet currently in the market?

image

Meanwhile, check out our new product at our Etsy store,  and remember, we can always custom make you case with your colors of choice!

-Mensa