Mushpa + Mensa’s Journey

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belle and bear, Cara Reynolds, corona virus, covid 19, Craft Beer, el jefe, gay, hurricaine florence, lesbian, lesbians, Maria Emilia Borja, Maya the Magical Mobile Art Machine, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa + Mensa, NC Beer, NC State, organic cotton tees, organic t-shirts, robot girl, tuxedo cat, wilmington

Happy Thanksgiving Mushpa + Mensa Super Fans! We hope this newsletter finds you well in these 2020 times.

You may know us from when we used to travel up and down the eastern seaboard in our art truck Maya, the Magical Mobile Art Machine (our small mobile, solar powered tiny boutique) advocating for local, conscious, women-owned small businesses all over the world, all the while spreading our art, messages, laughter and love!

Things have changed a bit from then, for better or for worse in September of 2018, our art truck Maya was flooded during the destructive Hurricane Florence via North Carolina. Our little Maya was under 5 feet of filthy water and debris. She no longer started and was covered in black mold. It was her end and yet another new beginning for Mushpa + Mensa.

Yes, it did break our hearts, but we are firm believers that everything happens for a reason.  

Honestly, we are so happy to have discover Maya hidden in a corner lot in Staten Island, to have been able to transform her inside and out with our very own hands into the beauty she became. We are grateful that she took us on such great adventures, thousands of miles worth since we began in 2014. She was there for many a grand moment in our lives, always helping us spread our message of love to the masses. For that we are blessed.

Mushpa + Mensa did not give up their travels. We went back to tents, just like the good old NYC days. We kept touring and even made it to the Central Time Zone!

We did that for a year and then in March of 2020 came “The Pandemic” aka Covid-19 and all shows were cancelled until further notice. It is now nine months later and Thanksgiving weekend and we are thankful that our loved business endeavor has survived through it all! Nine months later and Mushpa + Mensa’s rebirth is a transformation from the streets to an amazing online presence thanks to all the support from our loyal customers and all the new ones we have found on this journey in the New World.new ones we have found on this journey in the New World.

We truly hope you see we love what we are doing, making a living selling our art, and get inspired to create change in the world through your own blessings and devotion to what you love.   We, Cara and Maria-Emilia, send love to all and a wish that we all stay safe this holiday season. Chins up, the vaccine is just around the corner.  

-Mushpa + Mensa (Cara and Emilia)

Everyday is Caturday

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Are you obsessed with cats?  Here at Mushpa + Mensa we are too, and we have discovered a few deliciously purrrfect fixes to get your caturday on.

1. The Purrrcast

We love podcasts. We cannot get enough. What happens when you love cats and you find a podcast all about cats? Well purrrfection that is. Steven Ray Morris and Sarah Iyer cohost the Purrrcast where they chat with their friends and other feline fans about the furry little creatures they love.

You can check out episodes on iTunes or wherever you get your usual podcast fix and be sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.

2. Cats of Instagram

Why is it that these creatures capture us so? Well even the Egyptians couldn’t help themselves. Now we can get a zillion pictures and cute videos of cats on demand! Here is one of our favorite accounts of cats on Instagram that we love.

Elvis, Mimi and Dot: the two furry friends behind My Favorite Murder (another highly recommended podcast). We most definitely enjoy Elvis, a cross-eyed Siamese cat who loves cookies. What a sweet baby angel!

Need more? Just look up #catsofinstagram but I am sure if you are obsessed with cats, that is your favorite hashtag.

3. Cats in Hollywood

If you google “movies about cats” you will find a gazillion. The other day though, on Netflix,  we found one that made us smile, had great actors in it, and truly got to the point of why cats are how they are…which is pretty much sassy human beings stuck in a cat body so we could learn a lesson.  It’s not an Oscar award film, but if you love cats, then you will get why we though it was fun.  Here is a preview. Enjoy!

4. Your Cat is the BOSS Shirt

So after all this cat obsession, what does that tell you? That YOUR cat is THE BOSS. That is why Mushpa + Mensa created a delicious organic cotton tee with the face of world famous Jefferson Brooklyn the First, AKA El Jefe which translates to “the boss.” Show your boss some love with this shout out to cats all over the world.

You can get this tee online at www.mushpamensa.com and enjoy a FREE gift for your cat (an awesome catnip filled toy handmade by us Mushpa + Mensa) with coupon code: CATURDAY.

Happy purrs,

Mushpa + Mensa

Mushpa + Mensa in the 21st Annual Cucalorus Film Festival 10×10

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10x10, 21st annual Cucalorus Film Festival, Andy Nielsen, artist, Brianna Okamoto, Cara Reynolds, CastleBranch Inc, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cucalorus, Cucalorus 10x10, handmade, Hillary Scott, ILM, Josh Stowe, kickstarter, Maria Emilia Borja, Mushpa + Mensa, Mushpa + Mensa in the 21st annual Cucalorus Film Festival 10x10 2015, Mushpa Y Mensa, North Carolina, Norwood Cheek, Stray Local, tekMountain, Willow Garden, wilmington

 

Last week we went to Cucalorus’s opening night party.

The next day I got the flu.

The next day we made a movie.

The next day I was in the ER.

The next day I hurled all day.

The next day we were at the Cucalorus 10×10 Screening and CONNECT Presenters Party.

This was my last week and this is the film we made with our great team (Brianna Okamoto, Josh Stowe, Andy Nielsen, Hillary Scott). I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, the movie that is, but when you have a dream and are given an amazing opportunity you push through it all to get there.

-Mushpa

Happy Labor Day

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Happy Labor Day to all! For those who don’t know what Labor Day is all about, here is the skinny. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement (mostly promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor in NYC). Groover Cleaveland made it official in 1887. Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Now on to some interesting Labor Day trivia!

• To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers free to shop, Labor Day has become an important sale weekend for many retailers in the United States. Some buyers retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season’s Black Friday. Ironically, because of the importance of the sale weekend, some of those who are employed in the retail sector not only work on Labor Day, but work longer hours. More Americans work in the retail industry than any other, with retail employment making up 24% of all jobs in the United States. As of 2012, only 3% of those employed in the retail sector were members of a labor union.
• Women were among the earliest factory workers in the mill and textile industries and also among the earliest to organize.
• 21.3% of women work in service occupations, some of which (domestic work, for example) are not covered by many of the employee protections we celebrate on Labor Day.  This lack of coverage dates back to 1938 when Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act based on a political compromise by which it excluded domestic and agricultural workers, who were primarily African-American. Today, high rates of Hispanic women work in the service sector (33.2%).
• In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white or seersucker.

We here at Mushpa y Mensa strive to contribute to the strength, prosperity and well being of our country, world and universe in everything we do. From the meaning we put into our art, to all the people we come in contact with at amazing events where we end up and through our online presence. We are blessed to have this job that pushes us to learn so many things from others and hopefully we give back as much to them.

Here is something tangible we can give back today, on the 2nd largest sale date of the year! ;] A free shipping promotion code MAYA007!!! This will get you out of shipping charges on any item(s) at our Etsy Shop. Exciting!!! 😀 Click below to get to our shop and check out our original designs on organic cotton tees, tanks and tops, plush pets with felt made from recycling plastic bottles and stuffed with real lavender, eco-jewelry, coffee and tea cozies made from unique, refurbished fabric amongst tons of other cool stuff. Spread the word!

We hope everyone has a chill Labor Day and you are doing whatever it is you want to do today and everyday.

– Mushpa y Mensa

Mushpa y Mensa Super Summer Update

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Hello Mushpa y Mensa Super Fans!

Yes, you see right, it’s Mushpa y Mensa’s Super Summer update, after a few months of silence. We are happy to say that in the last three months, Mushpa y Mensa have begun their “Gypsy Market Life”. Already, on this journey, we have met quite a few amazing people, like the folks at Seaglass Salvage Market, Brooklyn Arts Center, Beacon House Inn, and Satellite Lounge to name a few. We have also danced and tasted many sweet wines at the Duplin Winery’s Main Squeeze Music and Wine Festival, as well as met dozens of new, fun people at the annual Azalea and Strawberry Festivals in North Carolina. ;] We even partnered up with Wilmington’s Earth Day Alliance and enjoyed a wonderful Earth Day Celebration at Hugh MaCrae Park.

It’s been surreal so far.

It’s amazing what faith, love, encouragement, and a little help from our friends can do. In terms of our little cottage industry, we are, as you say, busting a hump. We are constantly checking ourselves on how we can make things better from our art, to our business, to our life.

We have actually just updated the “Photos of Our Peeps” page on Mushpa y Mensa’s site. We added a photo uploading tool, so you can upload pictures of you in our organic tees, wearing our amazing jewelry, hugging our lavender filled plush pets, or even just keeping your hands cool with one of our coffee cozies. :]

And in terms of our Art? Well we keep on bringing to life tons of ideas in our head. For example, we recently created 3.5 new shirt designs. A cool Octopus Olivia with an Anchor Tattoo on her forehead,as well as R6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish, Reflect, Reimagine inspired by Earth Day.

We also have new organic Pima cotton relaxed fit tops that are flying out of the truck. Here is an example of the Pima tops with one of our new designs, Argema Mittrei, a female moth. Lastly, we spruced up Robot Girl and added a cute heart. All these designs we print for the ladies, the gents, and of course the smallest people around.

Mushpa y Mensa have also been focusing on custom shirts that have been selling off Maya so fast we don’t even have time to list them on our Etsy shop!

Spread the art, spread the love.

A few questions answered…

Where can I find the Art Truck?

Follow us on Twitter @mushpamensa. We are constantly posting when and where we will be. There is also an events page on our site, www.mushpaymensa.com/events we keep updated, but Twitter is best for the most up to date information.

We are doing some art shows, markets and fleas, but are hunting to find good spots to park around town. We are partnering up with cool people like the folks at the Beacon House Inn on Carolina Beach and Satellite Bar and Lounge in Wilmington.

And for all the natives and people in the know, since we are new in town, feel free to hit us up at info@mushpamensa.com or our contact page with any ideas where to park, festivals to do or whether you’d like us to rock a party or event with you!

Are you going on the road anytime soon?

We want to explore the grounds of NC and the surrounding area, so we will keep the max to weekend trips. But worry not, we will definitely be making it into the mid-west and west-coast! Maybe even an occasional trip to NYC sooner than you think!

If you have any questions about anything, make sure to ask! We love to hear from you all.

Until the next super exciting Mushpa y Mensa’s and Maya, Magical Mobile Art Machine update we say good day!

With lots of love,

               Cara and Maria Emilia

                                                             a.k.a.

The Spring Flea @BAC

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Guess where we are going to be this weekend… That’s right the Spring Flea at The Brooklyn Arts Center! :]

Renowned as the “ultimate vintage flea” and attended by more than 1,500 shoppers and dozens of vintage vendors from around the region, The Spring Flea is a three-day event that will again be the go-to shopping experience of the season—with a wide array of vintage, retro, and up cycled treasures—and tons of fun, with Wilmington’s finest food trucks feeding the crowds, a coffee shop in the courtyard, and the BAC cash bar serving liquid refreshments.

See you there.

-Mushpa y Mensa

FREE HOLIDAY SHIPPING WITH COUPON CODE MAYA007 STARTS NOW!!!

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art, Cara Reynolds, Christmas, eco-friendly, etsy, free shipping, gay, handmade, Hanukkah, Happiness, homemade, Kawaza, Koliada, lesbian, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, mushpa y mensa coupon, mushpa y mensa coupon code, mushpa y mensa discount code, mushpa y mensa free shipping, Mushpa y Mensa Holiday Gingerbread Ornaments, mushpa y mensa promo code, new year, plush animals, queer, t-shirts, Thanksgiving, Yule

Hello All! Sorry we’ve been a bit MIA lately. We, as you saw from the last post, are all absorbed with finishing Maya, our mobile art store.

We haven’t forgotten though that the holidays are coming up, so for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yule, Koliada, Hanukkah, Kawaza and the New Year we are offering free shipping on all Mushpa y Mensa art. If you go through our site, www.mushpamensa.com or our Etsy shop and put in the code MAYA007 you will have free shipping! That’s right, free shipping, get it while it’s hot.

Much love from us to you.

– Mushpa y Mensa

Mushpa y Mensa’s Fall Update

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art, artist, Cara Reynolds, clothes, crafts, diy, eco-friendly, etsy, fashion, gay, handmade, Happiness, homemade, kickstarter, lesbian, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic, plush animals, queer, stuffed animal, t-shirts

Hello To All of Our People!

We here at Mushpa y Mensa wanted to send out a Fall 2014 update about what’s going on with Mushpa y Mensa’s Magical Motor Machine Makeover! We wanted to let you all know where your gracious support has taken us thus far.

Solar It

With the help of Alberto Borja, Mensa’s magician electrician father, we set up the amazing solar powered system to power all the electrical things Maya, our mobile art truck, will need. We installed a 150 watt solar panel on the roof of the truck, hooked it up in a series to two 6 volt golf cart batteries, and did some serious wiring. We did this so we could set up track lights, LED lights, a fan, plus working outlets to charge our laptops and basically work off the grid with the help of the sun! It’s pretty amazing.

Workin’ It

We have become best friends with our jigsaw, circular saw, wire cuter and drill. We cut plywood not only for the electrical set up, but also to put up new walls, and to create different types of storage boxes! We have screwed in, nailed, spackled, siliconed, sanded, painted, painted again, wallpapered and distressed many a thing inside our truck. Our old dashboard got a fresh coat of robotic silver paint, and we built a curvy, new, purple dashboard panel with cup holders!

Making It Happen

Soon to come:

– installation of floor

– birch poles to hang our shirts from!

– a million little touches

We’re Getting It Done We’re Getting It Done

We will be done on November 25th when we get our marmoleum flooring installed. We can’t wait! Just in time to hit up all the Holiday Markets!!! :]

Stay tuned!

Much love,

Mushpa y Mensa aka Cara and Maria Emilia

www.mushpaymensa.com

Hester Street Fair Here We Come

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art, artist, Cara Reynolds, eco-friendly, fashion, gay, handmade, Happiness, Hester Street Fair, home-made, homemade, jewlery, lesbian, love, lower east side, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, necklace, New York City, organic, plush animals, queer, recycled, screen printing, Street Fair, stuffed aimals, stuffed animal, t shirt designs, t-shirts

If you are in the New York area and want to check out our art in person you may!!! Good times!

Where exactly, Hester Street Fair, located in the heart of the Lower East Side and housed on the historic grounds of New York City’s largest pushcart market at the turn of the century, the Hester Street Fair pays homage to those roots by bringing together a collection of NYC’s best vendors in a bustling outdoor marketplace.  They curate the finest artisanal food, vintage clothing, jewelry, crafts, home goods and much more.  ​

Corner of Hester and Essex, take the F J M Z to Delancey F to East Broadway!

See you there.

– Mushpa y Mensa

Photos of Our Peeps

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art, artist, Cara Reynolds, clay bead necklace, clay beads, crafts, DAS, eco-friendly, etsy, fashion, felt, gay, handmade, Happiness, home-made, homemade, jewlery, lesbian, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, necklace, organic, organic cotton t shirt, photography, photos, plush animals, queer, recycled, screen printing, stuffed aimals, stuffed animal, t shirt designs, t-shirts

What, Mushpa y Mensa has a new section on their site featuring their amazingly gorgeous super fans sporting their art? YES…yes, we do! You need to go check it out here, www.mushpaymensa.com/photos-of-our-peeps/.

If you too have a photo of you in an original, organic cotton shirt, unique handmade jewelry, or your lavender stuffed plush pets made out of recycled plastic bottle felt doing something, or whatever art you may have gotten from us here at Mushpa y Mensa, send it in.  We will put you up on Mushpa y Mensa’s “Photos of Our Peeps” page. Just email the photos to info[at]mushpamensa[dot]com and we’ll do the rest.

Much love,

– Mushpa y Mensa