Category Archives: crafts

Free 99 Cents Shelf

September 23, 2013Art, crafts, DIY, Environment, Etsy, Gay, Green, Homemade, How-To, Inspiration, Latina, Lesbianart, Cara Reynolds, DIY projects, handmade, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, rainbow shelf, refurbished furniture DIY, shelf, spray painted furniture, trash to treasuresMaria Emilia

Sometimes we drool over the furniture on the street. Ok, correction. I drool over the furniture on the street and Mushpa tries to convince me not to bring trash into our home, and be a bit more…what shall we say, selective?

When we have more space, we will be bringing in all sorts of furniture to re-vamp and re-furbish, and potentially sell in our shop as well! This goes back to our idea of making things “from scratch”. On our 100th Blog Post we tried to explain our approach to doing things from now on. If we have the tools to be able to make it, then why not try to do it ourselves? Here is a perfect example.

This is one of the pieces we found a block down from our home. We decided that if it was still there when we came back from our walk, that we would take it in.

We needed storage, and we got some for free! With a few left-over spray paint cans, we painted it and now it looks fantabulous on our studio!

Thank you Mushpa for this one!

: )

-Mensa

The End of Summer

September 17, 2013Art, craft, crafts, Environment, Fashion, Green, Small Business, Womenart, Cara Reynolds, eco, eco-friendly, fashion, flip flops, green, handmade, lesbian, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, ocean sole, recycled, recycled flip flops, summertdaait

Well 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

The 100th Post of La Mushpa y La Mensa

September 11, 2013accessories, Art, craft, crafts, Cuban, DIY, Ecuadorian, Environment, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Green, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, Photography, Queer, sewing, Small Business, Stuffed Animal, T-shirts, Woman Owned Business, Women100th post, artist, Cara Reynolds, diy, etsy, fashion, from scratch, gay, handmade, home-made, homemade, lesbian, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic, plush animals, queer, recycletdaait

Mensa and I are always talking about consuming less, needing less, getting rid of excess. Things that anchor us to one place be it literally, monetarily or mentally.

We do little things like take our worn out old clothes, wash them and then cut them into a million little pieces to stuff our Plush Pets…

Plush Rabbit — Pierre, the Lavender, Recycled Fabric, Eco-Felt Plush Pet

…or make some deeelicious seitan from scratch, while whipping up some organic, coconut oil based mayo… I personally am extremely gifted in mixing alcohol with almost any “leftover” liquids (frozen or flowing) and it tasting like nothing you’ve ever had before (in a very good way).

Some bigger things are Mensa creating an amazing backpack out of an old bag, after her million year old bag disintegrated right before our very eyes. The very backpack we packed with soy milk (something we have talked about learning how to make since we consume so much of it…stay tuned) and such this weekend after working in the co-op (don’t ask). We biked over 8 miles and this revitalized beauty made it through like a champion!

We also made our fantastical Mushpa y Mensa cloth sign out of old pillow cases and fabric pieces. See below…

Mushpa y Mensa Sign — Mushpa y Mensa – Arts Not Crafts!

We are making it happen more and more every day, but we need a challenge….something to keep our momentum soaring towards our destiny. What we came up with is…well let’s start slow, why don’t you get to know us first…see what we mean when we say “from scratch”.

From the Inside — La Mensa’s Robot Girl With a Twist

We are here for a reason, all of us. Let’s make some stuff together, see what we think, then figure something out. Let’s connect as they say, in a good way.

This is our 100th blog post and the start of something gargantuous! :] Life, as La Mensa would say is, “pretty bad-ass.”

– La Mushpa

More Name Cards!

September 10, 2013Art, crafts, DIY, Environment, Gay, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, Small Businessarts not crafts, Cara Reynolds, handmade business cards, handmade stationary, Maria Emilia Borja, Mushpa Y Mensa, original name cardsMaria Emilia

At the Mushpa y Mensa studio making more name cards!

We are still making them by hand and each one will be unique like the other. This time we are making the process much more efficient so we can spend less hours making them (at least five hours each set before) and spend more time, as Mushpa would say, crafting other amazing art!

With love,

Mensa

Sketches of Lavender-Stuffed Animals

August 22, 2013Art, crafts, Environment, Etsy, Homemade, sewing, Stuffed AnimalCara Reynolds, conscious kids toys, lavender, Maria Emilia Borja, Mushpa Y Mensa, process, sewing, sketches, studio time, stuffed animalsMaria Emilia

How do we do what we love to do?

This is how it starts…..

Working hard at the Mushpa y Mensa studio!

-Mensa

Flick This!

August 15, 2013Clothes, crafts, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Jewelry, Latina, Lesbian, Photography, Queer, Stuffed AnimalCara Reynolds, eco-friendly, etsy, facebook, flickr, gay, handmade, homemade, instagram, lesbian, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic, plush animals, queer, The Market NYCtdaait

We here at Mushpa y Mensa had an Instagram (which is owned by Facebook), but decided like Facebook, it is a tantamount waste of time and a way for a large group of people to convince others that their lives are more exciting, interesting, happier than going out and making it true. Not only that, but people should be aware how Facebook makes most of their money is by selling your information. Not through ad clicks and charging people with business pages money to have their posts reach ALL their “Fans” and “Friends” as you may believe. Listen, I want to live my life not spend hours stalking others’ make believe life or promoting my own better than reality life. Been there, done that and every time it left a bad taste in my mouth. Thanks to Mensa pushing us we have been Facebook free for almost a year now and I have yet to miss it. Not surprisingly, I accomplish much more without it, so to my friends who tell me things like, “You would have known I was out of town if you had a Facebook“. I say call me, email me, hangout with me as I am never going back!

Next, people are always asking us if we have a Facebook so they can “Like” the Mushpa y Mensa page or link back to us. When we answer no they seemed shocked like for sure we will never be a success without Facebook or it will be soooo much harder. I find that to be a misnomer. We have already had movie stars, a big time movie producer and a composer of modern day operas among multitudes of other amazing human beings love and buy our art in the last 8 months since opening. We believe in ourselves, our art and the idea that if you do the work and right thing the Universe will always reward you and thus far it is working. I have asked other people with businesses and Facebook pages how much business it has generated for them and the results are nil to nothing. That says more to me. Honestly, you can’t use something bad to achieve good, that’s just the way it is.

Let me stop and get to the real point of this blog entry. Maria Emilia and I want to be able to take pictures and post them somewhere instantly, link back to them in our blog posts and document our journey through photographs of the making of Mushpa y Mensa, without using Instagram, so how can we? Flickr!!! Yes, ladies and gentleman we have a Flickr account now full of our fantastical photos!!! :] There are photos of our amazingly unique organic tees, of the fleas, fairs and markets we’ve worked, photo shoots, crafting, us and whatever else our little hearts desire. Go look at it and tell us what you think? I am so excited!

Never forget in life there is always a workaround, so don’t get stuck.

With so much love!!!

– Mushpa

Mini-Sewing….A Teddy Bear From Scratch

August 8, 2013Art, Clothes, crafts, DIY, Environment, Homemade, How-To, sewing, Stuffed Animalart, bear, Cara Reynolds, diy stuffed animal, family, kids sewing machine, kids sewing pattern, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, recycled, refurbished materials, reused, sewing with kids, teddy bearMaria Emilia

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!

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.

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. : )

Then the sewing began….

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

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”

I Say, Stay In Air!

August 5, 2013Art, crafts, DIY, Environment, Gay, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, sewingAC crafts, Cara Reynolds, draft stopper, easy crafts, handmade, lesbian, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, rice in crafts, summer crafts, thick fabric, winter craftMaria Emilia

EASY PEASY!!!

So a really easy and fast way to make a draft stopper for when you have the AC on and you don’t want it to leave the room in the summer, or you are stopping the chilli air from coming in into your warm home during the winter months.

Here’s whats up.

1. Find a long thin bag. Like a newspaper plastic bag. I got mine from staples where they stuff large prints in thin plastic bags. Fill it with rice and knot it/tape it on the ends.

2. Measure around and trace a handmade pattern on a sturdy fabric that will not rip easily. I re-purposed fabric that I am using in my backpack project. A rectangle is straight forward and easy, so you won’t mess up.

3. If you want, use a larger stitch (around 4) so you can flip it and see if it fits in your case. Once fitted, sew over the stitch with a smaller stitch and finish it off by sewing the ends and VOILA!

Like I said…Easy peasy!

-Mensa

Making some Organic Mayo….with Coconut Oil

July 25, 2013crafts, DIY, Environment, Food, Gay, Green, Homemade, How-To, RecipeCara Reynolds, coconut oil, curdled, eco-friendly, homemade, Maria Emilia Borja, mayonnaise, Mensa, messed up mayo, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organicMaria Emilia

We bought a jar of coconut oil at the super-market the other day.

It was a bit hard to find a good use for it because even after trying some recipes, it of course didn’t behave like the olive oil which we use regularly.

I did use it as a hair mask, which was nice, but there was still a lot left on the jar….

So out came the idea to make Mayo with coconut oil. I looked up some recipes and it is totally possible and doable.

We used…..

1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of fancy mustard
1/2 a lemon’s juicy juice
a good pinch of salt
some pepper
1/2 cup of Organic Coconut Oil
1/2 cup of nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Disclaimer.… if this is your first time making mayo (like it was mine), be careful and do it EXACTLY as the instructions tell you… After you learn, then you can experiment. I should have done so…

Do the following:

Mix your two oils together.
In a food processor, blender or bowl (if you are hand whipping with a whisk grandma-style) mix the eggs, yolks, mustard, lemon juice and condiments.
After all is nice and even start adding DROPS of oil to your mixture and continue the blending and whisking process. *** this is where I messed up***…If you add the oil too fast, the mixture will curdle and you’ll end up with oily egg juice… So sad.
Keep adding drops until it turns a lighter color…you will be able to tell if they start mixing well.
SLOWLY add little streams of oil and continue to blend…and just keep doing it slowly, oh so patiently…
After you are almost done with the oil (about 1/4 cup left) you can speed it up a bit if using a blender, and add the rest of the oil. It should start to become a heavier mixture….continue on until its silky smooth.
Let it set for 30 minutes in the fridge.

*** IF YOU MESS UP***

I saw many posts and recipes say how you could not save your mixture if it curdled….NOT TRUE! You can mess up and still have delicious mayo!

Since I had done it the first time in the blender and messed up, I decided to hand-whip it.

I added another egg yolk in a bowl and whipped it….and to that base I started to add the droplets of the curdled mix slowly, whipping it by hand. I followed the instructions clearly this time, and poured the messed up mixture in without having to throw it away! And it worked!

FANTABULOUS Home-made, coconut oil mayonnaise.

Since it’s home-made, with NO preservatives and whack ingredients, it only keeps in the fridge for about two weeks or less….but its worth it!

YUMMMM……

-Mensa

Out with the Old…In with the Re-vamped!

July 23, 2013accessories, Art, Clothes, crafts, DIY, Environment, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, sewingartist, backpack, Cara Reynolds, crafts, diy, eco design, ecofriendly, home-made, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, sewingMaria Emilia

So my backpack was on its last strides… I have had it for seven years and it has served me well. It had been to many places around the world, including little towns in Italy, many Christmases in Ecuador, and it carried everything from heavy college books, community organizing flyers and papers as well as our regular weekly groceries. She was definitely a trooper.

So now I need a new backpack…. And what better way to keep it real than to bust one out yourself! So instead of buying a bag, I’ve decided that I will make it! Not from scratch, BUT I will re-vamp a small bag I had,. I’ll add a couple of pockets, new heavy duty straps, a new flap with velcro….all done with my little hands!

So far it’s been a challenge. I didn’t think it would take so long….but it is not as complicated as it seems.

I had the foundation….

It’s a backpack with “ugly grandma fabric” but I think it is still very cute. I exchanged it with my sister in a clothes swap. It had a funny zipper an the straps were broken down from so much use.

I measured everything and sketched out a drawing of what it would look like with approximate measures.

The seam-ripper was my best friend for a couple of hours….while I un-did the previous straps, the zippers and the lining in order to have full access and revamp all the necessary details.

Since I had the foundation, I cut out patterns for the POCKETS, the FLAP, and the STRAPS. I didn’t use an offical pattern for the pocket or flaps, and I instead free handed the drawing making little updates as I moved along! I did use a pattern online for the straps through, and drew with the measurements given the two straps using newspaper.

I cut out all the main pieces and placed them with pins to see what it would look like…. it’s resembling something fancy now!

Using some bias tape, and an old pillow case for the lining, I finished the main flap, and the small pockets…. and so far its looking good.

This is the first update, but I will post the finished product once I am done this week.

Mushpa and myself have been having conversations about a bigger and better project in relation to this backpack. We have been asking ourselves…. Why not make it?

If I need a backpack….and we have the capable hands and tools to make it ourselves, then why not make it!?

It makes sense, right?

Now on to the finishing this beauty….

Until next time!

-Mensa