Category Archives: Latina

Love is Love

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0]

I can’t change, nor do I want to. Love is love, strangers may judge, but family should stand by each other in times of struggle and change, not just for the times when life seems easy, but for those times when we need them most.

Label me as I do and as you label others. Just as we have pride in being a Latina, Black, Brown, Greek, Jew, left-handed can we not have pride in who we love. I am truly blessed to love who I love and trust me I am loved by the universe as well. I see it everyday.

My love keeps me warm.

I am free.

-Mushpa

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

accessories, Art, Clothes, crafts, DIY, Environment, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, sewing, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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….

DIY Backpack

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.

DIY Backpack

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.

DIY Backpack

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.

DIY Backpack

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!

DIY Backpack

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

 

 

So Big Brother is Watching Us?…..

Activism, DIY, Latina, Lesbian, News, Political, Politics, Social Media, War, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The latest debate over whistleblower Snowden and the NSA has finally gotten people  talking about the outrageous (is it that surprising?) fact that our government “checks in” on millions of people….just because they can.

whistleblowers nsa

“Fighting terrorism” is an excuse that many people are getting sick and tired of hearing, specially when we are still investing (and corporations making money) in multiple wars in the Middle East with no true solution to getting out, and leaving these nations in a so called “peaceful state”.  And now Syria?…. Ok Obama….

nsa war on terror

So people are now saying…. “Oh no! Google can read my chats! Oh no… Facebook’s privacy policy sucks! Oh no! But the constitution says….!”

I have a proposal.

Let’s not stop at the saying….and let’s actually get some DOING done.

Here are three easy ways to at least try to avoid getting sucked in this “system”.

 

***3 EASY THINGS TO DO…..****

nsa google

1. Change from Gmail to another email provider, like Zoho…. research it. It’s not evil like google. Lovely IT Phenomenon Cara Reynolds (Mushpa) has written multiple posts about Google and has pointed me and a several others to the world of Zoho email. Same functions as Gmail, but has no red tail and horns. You can chat, save conversations, do document transfers…the whole shabam!

Check these out:

From The Day After an Inconvenient Truth: 1.“Just another reason I can’t stand google” 2. “Scroogle: the new and less evil Google” 3. “Some More Scroogle” 4. “The Grid”  and 5. “Google is Everywhere”

nsa facebook

2. Get OFF facebook. I’ve been facebook free for 6+ months after having had it on and off since 2006…. its worth it. Facebook is like a reality tv show. Entertains the masses, and keeps them occupied…. if staying in touch is what you want, then email, phones and even letters (which is so nice to get) gets the job done when you actually TRULY want to stay in touch. You know, and often hear, how much time we “waste” on the book of face. There is so much world out there! And so much to do! Let’s ditch the “like” and get real things done : )

verizon nsa

3. Phone companies? Well this one is trickier. I’m trying to get off Verizon with a contract….and a chunk of a fee, huh. No surprise there. They have their little Verizon drones trained so well, that they even tell you that the NSA scandal might all just be a rumor! I didn’t stick around too much to have a discussion with my Verizon rep, but so far I have ditched my cellphone (mostly because it’s a shattered iPhone, which magically breaks every year so I would have an excuse to buy a new one). It is much harder to keep up with the world with a landline…. So far I’m stuck on this one. T-mobile with their “no contract” deals still get to you in other ways.  So for now a landline will suffice….and taking pictures with a real camera (which is already better) and uploading to my computer might also take an extra minute…. Apparently I’ll be going back to the dark ages….

But being righteous takes work no? Who said fighting this battle would be easy? It’s kicking my butt for sure….On to the next challenge.

Bring it world!

-Mensa

Happy Photoshootin’

Art, Clothes, craft, Cuban, DIY, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Green, Homemade, How-To, Latina, Lesbian, Photography, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A nice afternoon, two cold and delicious ginger lemon cocktails, a bright colored wall, some nice shirts and your everyday fire escape was all we needed for an amazing photo-shoot.

easy photoshoot

To make something beautiful pop even more, I really feel like you only need a couple of essential things. And that’s all we used:

 Amazing light, music, and a nice camera…

easy photoshoot

Here’s a sneak peak to our latest photo-shoot….

easy photoshoot

cute….

easy photoshoot

boom!
-Mensa

What, You Want to Be a Rockstar?

Cuban, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Music, , , , , , , , ,

BC Rich Warlock

That’s so funny because I am selling a BC Rich Warlock, NJ Series on eBay! Go check it out!!!

Here are the specs!!!

Details:

– Includes Free Sabine ST-1000 Chromatic Guitar Tuner!!!

– Includes Free New Strings!

  •        Sit Power Wound- Nickle set, extra-light (.011-.016-.024-.032)
  •        Sit Royal Bronze (.042RL-.054RL)
  •        Sit Phosphor Bronze (.042)
  •        Sit Plain Steel (.016)
  •        D’Addario Guitar Strings–.011(2 string set)-.016-.032-.042(3string set)

– Also includes, a used B.C. Rich soft case. Has some paint on the case (see pics on  eBay), but in good condition otherwise.

– Green Heart tour cloth sticker on back plate

Product Description

The Warlock features an aggressive body style, dual B.C. Rich humbucker pickups, and a 24-fret neck. The body is built from agathis wood, the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard, and all hardware is chrome, including the one-piece adjustable bridge. A number of B.C. Rich guitars use a classic bolt-on construction. On these instruments a neck (typically maple) is bolted on with 4 screws to the body. This construction offers some added flexibility in the instruments adjustment and provides the option to change the neck in the future.

B.C. Rich BDSM Pickups

B.C. Rich designed their BDSM humbucking pickups to provide a solid sound and to be durable while delivering high output. BDSM stands for Broad Dynamic Sonically Matched. Which simply means that the pickup is designed to reproduce a wide range of frequencies accurately (broad dynamic). Then they are tested and matched in pairs (Neck and Bridge) by their inherent individual and signature tonal and output characteristics to give a solidly balanced tone (sonically matched).

Beveled Top

Most of B.C. Rich body styles employ a beveled edge around the shape. In many ways bevels on a top are similar to facets on a cut stone. They catch the light and reflect at different angles giving the instrument more of a three dimensional look. Some of the B.C. Rich top bevels are extreme and wide while others are subtle and narrow. Occasionally the shape of the instrument is accented by painting the bevels a contrasting color.

Specifications

  • Construction: Bolt on
  • Body wood: Agathis
  • Body thickness: 45mm
  • Top style: Beveled
  • Body binding: No
  • Headstock style: 6 in-line pointed
  • Headstock color: Onyx
  • Headstock binding: No
  • Tuners: Diecast
  • Neck wood: Maple
  • Back of neck: Natural satin
  • Neck binding: No
  • Fretboard: Rosewood
  • Inlay: White pearloid dots
  • Frets: 24 jumbo 2.7mm
  • Factory strings: 9 – 42
  • Nut: 43mm
  • Scale: 25-1/2 inches
  • Bridge type / Tailpiece type: Wraparound adjustable
  • Pickups: 2 black humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 volumes, 1 tone and 1 three-way toggle
  • Tremolo: Floyd Rose Original tremolo
  • Hardware: Chrome
  • Finish: Painted glossy

The time is now!!!

– Mushpa

Art in Action.

Art, Clothes, craft, Cuban, DIY, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, T-shirts, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , ,

Remember in science class we would do random experiments that would ultimately teach us something about our elemental world. Salt crystals, freezing flowers with liquid nitrogen and then shattering them, testing liquids and forming chemical reactions? Well, quite accidentally we did an experiment when dying a shirt this week and it was totally cool!

tumeric dye fabric

We dyed a batch of shirts with organic turmeric. Note that this was our first time using this specific natural dye for cotton fabrics. Pretty straight forward dying technique. Hot water + a good amount of turmeric + a natural mordant, like salt, y listo, we had yellow shirts.  We rinsed them with water until no more dye came out, like three times. Perfect!

Then we wanted to double test the fabric so we warmed up some water with soap,  dipped the shirts in the water….and…sayyy whaaaaaaaat? The water and shirts immediately turned red!!!! We had no idea what had just happened. Magic!?!? : ) It brought us back to doing those experiments in science class.

After a quick research we found out the following

“Turmeric has a pigment known as xanthophylls, which lends the yellow color to it. It also has a pigment called as carotene, which is reddish orange in color. When turmeric comes in contact with detergent, it reacts with the fatty acids present in the detergent and hence the carotene pigment gets more active than the xanthophylls and turmeric turns red. When turmeric is combined with any base liquid like soap it turns red in color while when turmeric comes in contact with any substance like that of vinegar, that is acidic in nature, it turns yellow.”

tumeric dye fabric

We had no idea, so for those of you who have bought our amazing turmeric shirts I would say make sure you wash them by hand, separately, just in case of any bleeding.

On to future discoveries.

– Mushpa y Mensa

p.s. – Come check out these amazing turmeric shirts today at The Fulton Flea (located at 650 Fulton Street between Fort Greene Place and South Elliott Place (near the intersection of Lafayette Avenue) in Brooklyn, NY.). We will be there from noon to 8PM. The market is right next to BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) http://www.bam.org/, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens http://www.bbg.org/, the Brooklyn Public Library http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/, good food and many other amazing Brooklyn sites! Make it a great day.

Let’s Go On An Adventure

Activism, Cuban, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, , , , , , , , , , ,

never

I see so many unhappy people around me stuck at jobs they hate, to pay mortgages (or rent) on houses (or apartments) in towns (or cities) they hate, trapped by debt they hate, with spouses (or significant others) they hate (or aren’t who they thought they were) and kids they use as an excuse to why they can’t live the lives they desire. No thank you. I want adventure. I want to live in a society not fearful of taking a risk, one where people have faith and are strong even when it would seem so much easier to be weak. That my friends is a lie. Fear will fuck you if you let it, understand this. No matter what you think the risk is, no matter who tells you to give in, to be safe and take that $70K job don’t believe the hype. Stop and take a look at the person’s life telling you this, then gauge their happiness. I bet you that safety they chose at the end of the day, did not reward them with the life they dreamed of, not even close. If this was the case people would be a lot healthier and happier, not to mention a lot of shrinks would be out of business.

We need to help each other fight against this brainwashing that only rewards corporations with employees and consumers. I have fought my whole life not to give in on many levels and I still fight, because at the end of the day I choose to  live not survive. It can be lonely, yes, especially when the people you love fight against it and you, but don’t give up. Lead by example and others will always follow, I promise.

I love you world and only want the best for all my fellow earthlings…on the real.

Let’s go on an adventure together.

– Mushpa