Hello Dear Friends & Foragers!

Hearing from you and seeing you find one another online and in real life means more than I can say. A few of you wrote in and asked if there might be more optional activities or creative projects than what is in the monthly meeting Field Guides.

Thank you for asking. Knowing how to best serve you makes all the difference in the world.

So, we are adding a LIBRARY to our clubhouse.

Like most online projects, it will be a long-term work in progress. But my dream is to create a growing trove of ideas, simple tutorials, creative prompts and things you can explore, either on your own or together as a troop.

I’m thinking cozy book nook meets your favorite coffee or tea shop that now offers all your favorite crafts with all your favorite people. That should totally be a real place, right? 🍄 📖 🍀 🎨 🧶☕️✨

I want you to have the flexibility that if something doesn’t land for you or your group in a monthly field guide, you have options. And if you want to hang out more than monthly, you have options.

If you visit our home page here, you’ll see our navigation menu got a mini makeover.

You can now find all our field guides in the same place. Woot! Now, if only my house was as organized as our clubhouse is becoming. 🤣

The library is organized by our 4 Society cloverpoints.

• MAKE: Creative projects, simple activities, and mini tutorials to make by yourself or when you gather with friends.

• EXPLORE: Whimsical ideas for wandering out and about, looking at the world more closely, trying new things, and seeing what you discover.

• GATHER: Activities, games, recipes, and easy ideas for spending meaningful time together.

• GROW: Creative prompts and activities for your Frolic & Forage Field Journal. (« I can’t wait to tell you more about this fun surprise very, very soon.)

And yes. The library is open for everyone to explore.

I’ll send a few of my favorites to your inbox, but I won’t make you hear from me every time I put something new on the shelves. Because, hi, inbox overwhelm is real. And I imagine there will be quite a bit of shelf-stocking around here for the foreseeable future. So most of the time, I’ll point you toward the new additions here in the Monday Mushroom going forward.

But you can always pop over to the library and peruse the shelves whenever you like.

Our other big news is about virtual troop meetings.
So many of you were asking for this.

We know meeting in person isn’t always possible. Schedules, health, transportation, caregiving, location, and life itself can make gathering around the same table difficult.

So to clarify, Frolic & Forage independent troops can absolutely gather virtually, too.

Meet in person, meet online, or do a little of both. What matters is making room to connect and create together.

Read more about virtual gathering here and about creating a troop-specific presence online here.

In case you missed it, here is our very first Field Guide for your first meeting.

We'd love to see what you're making and how your troop is growing. If you have a handmade project you or your troop created, or a story, milestone, or meaningful moment from your troop that you'd like us to consider for a future Monday Mushroom, just reply to this email. A dedicated submission page is coming soon.

All my love,

Thank you for your patience. I really wanted it to be special. I have a self-taught background in graphic design (among many other things) and I love creating resources for you that are functional and beautiful.

William Morris famously stated,

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

It’s one of my favorite quotes, and it’s something I try to apply to my digital spaces as well.

Inside this Meeting Field Guide:

• Recipes for your meeting

• Conversation starters

• Worksheets & resources to make gathering easier

• A very exciting introduction to a new contributor

This field guide isn’t a rule book. It’s not prescriptive. It’s filled with suggestions and resources and encouragement. Take what resonates. Use what is helpful. Leave the rest.

First Meeting Field Guide

34.9MB ∙ PDF file

Download

All the basics you need to have a lovely first (or next) troop meeting.

Download

For our friends who are in the Southern Hemisphere, if it is still on the cool side substitute the iced tea with a hot tea or cocoa bar. Everything else should be equally applicable.

What is Coming in the Next 1-2 Weeks:

• A Troop Roster (Directory)

• Our MYOB (Make Your Own Badge) Field Guide (I am SO excited about this!)

• Our first Celebration Badge Sketchbook

• A mushroom beret tutorial. If yours truly who has never sewn anything in her life before can do it, so can you.

• I’m also working on a print option for our Field Guides. (These would not be free, but I’d keep them as affordable as I can and still cover costs.)

What You Can Do to Help (For Free)

I have had so many of you reach out to ask how you can help. Here are a few practical things that make a huge difference.

• When you have a troop meeting or activity, snap a few pictures and send them my way. I want to celebrate you in The Monday Mushroom. For right now just send them to me by replying to this email. Tell me 1-2 lines of what is happening. And also let me know that it is ok for me to share the photos.

• Share about The Frolic and Forage Society with friends.

• I’ll be posting a link to a questionnaire on Monday as well. I want to know how I can best serve you here and hearing from you is crucial to making that happen.

I have gotten many requests for virtual Zoom options. If that is what you need to gather, I think there is room for multiple troops like this as we grow.

While gathering in person is powerful, for many reasons that is not possible for everyone… including me some of the time. I am working on a few guidelines and resources pertaining to virtual meetings to keep things easy to navigate. I’ll share them in The Monday Mushroom.

I am just blown away with your support and kindness. It is the privilege of a lifetime to get to do this with you.

All my love,

Hello Friends & Foragers!

Grab a cuppa, The Monday 🍄 Mushroom has arrived. I’ve been playing with different options behind the scenes to keep things whimsical, informative, and full of delight without overloading your inboxes. Because inbox overwhelm is real 👀.

Thank you so much for your incredible patience with me as we figure out our rhythms and routines. Instead of giving you field notes on Fridays and something else on Mondays I’m rolling everything into one update that I hope brings you joy as you enter your week and helps you feel connected to all the goings-on.

This week we’ll unpack what to expect and how you can get involved with helping turn this newsletter into something that would rival The Pickwick Portfolio and make even Jo March herself proud.1

Without further ado, let’s get started!

The Monday Mushroom follows our four society cloverpoints: Make, Explore, Gather, and Grow. You’ll see these crop up clover and over again. (Pun totally intended.🍀 ) They are our four simple guideposts that help us move off our screens and toward shared tables, creative play, and real-world connection.

Things we’re making or creating.

It has been a busy week here at the clubhouse. You may have heard me say we are building the plane while flying the plane. And I love it! As we get our basics pinned down and settle into our more normal rhythms, I am so looking forward to just getting a chance to hang out here with you and get to know you more. I’m working my way through comments and chats as I’m able.

And there are so many exciting things on the horizon. I applied Friday for a possible project grant. It’s a long shot, but then this didn’t exist one month ago!

Here’s a photo of our first celebration badge. 🎉 I Did It Scared for when you want to celebrate doing something or taking the next step when you were still scared.

I’m working on our Make Your Own Badge Field Guide that explains exactly how to make a celebration badge. And you don’t need to be an artist. Plus each individual badge that I design comes with its own printable digital Badge Sketchbook that includes a traceable design for the badge, space to reflect on the moment the badge celebrates and some additional journal starter prompts. That’s coming in about a week.

Maker’s Corner: Lea’s Story Sash

(who I can’t wait to introduce to you formally very soon) sent me these photos of her creating her story sash. She even trimmed it out with gorgeous tartan fabric.

The story sash (vest, jacket, or whatever works best for you) is the part of our ramblewear where we put our celebration badges. We don’t have an official uniform. Wear what makes you feel comfortable and then add a story sash with your handmade badges and a mushroom beret. Or simply come as you are.

Things we’re exploring or curious about.

I’ve had quite a few questions on why the mushroom is our emblem. Mushrooms are fascinating. They create remarkable underground networks that help forests communicate and thrive.

We love the reminder that connection often happens beneath the surface.

As an added bonus, a group of mushrooms growing together in an immediate area is called a troop. I kid you not. That’s the actual botanical term.

The funniest thing, personally, was walking around my house and studio and suddenly seeing mushroom motifs everywhere. Apparently I liked them before I realized I liked them. 🤣

The mushroom reminds us that often the most meaningful things we build together are rooted beneath the surface. It’s in the million unseen connections and moments of kindness that community is cultivated.

Things we’re celebrating together.

I cannot wait to fill this section up with your troop photos and stories, to celebrate you here, as well as share the latest about the ways we gather. It is such an honor to serve you. Here’s what I’m working on for you this week.

• Creating this newsletter and getting it sent to you. ✅

• Our First Meeting field guide for one of your first few meetings. Starting in September we’ll be on a schedule creating a monthly field guide for meetings to take the stress and guess work out of things. A big goal here is to make gathering easy and delightful. But these field guides for meetings are resources. Pick and choose what makes sense for you.

• Building a database so y’all can find one another. There are many options and moving parts, so I’m figuring those out.

In case you missed it, here is our How to Start a Troop field guide to help you get started as a troop host if that is of interest. I’m also working on a simple way for you to submit photos and stories for your troops and the thing you have made.

How To Start A Troop

6.04MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Here are the basics on gathering your independent local troop. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.

Download

Things we’re reflecting on.

I want to take this final section to thank YOU_.

You are the hero of this story. None of this would be here without you trusting a stranger on the internet with a wild idea. How far we have come in a month is mindblowing. And it’s because we are building this together.

We'd love to see what you're making and how your troop is growing. If you have a handmade project you or your troop created, or a story, milestone, or meaningful moment from your troop that you'd like us to consider for a future Monday Mushroom, just reply to this email. A dedicated submission page is coming soon.

All my love,

Welcome to our first-ever Friday Field Log!

In case you don’t know the story, I have had this society idea tumbling around in my head for years.

Often I thought how fun it would be to have a whimsical version of scouting for adults. A few weeks ago, I shared it on my Facebook page and it captured the imagination of the internet. Almost 3 million of you saw the posts and thousands raised your hands and said, I’m in. And here 👏🏻 we 👏🏻 are.

Going viral is a wild ride. I am still replying to comments. This is 1000% a situation of build the plane while you fly the plane. Thank you for your patience and encouragement and most of all doing this with me. This is one of the most magical things I’ve ever experienced.

A few of you made the comment over on Facebook that you have seen others try this kind of thing but it fizzled and there seemed to be perhaps a lack of follow-through ultimately. While I don’t have an insight on those situations, I want you to know I am all in.

Last time I was this all in I moved alone, sight unseen, to an active conflict zone in South Sudan with a few hundred dollars, bottled water and a camp stove. I was privileged to live locally in the community for seven years.

Even though things have slowed slightly in terms of sharing velocity, I want you to hear from me and be kept in the loop every single week.

But I do not want to inundate your inbox with every detail. (Spoiler: I’m the friend who gives you your gift early and then gets you a second one for the actual day because I can be a little extra.)

Here’s what happened this week so far:

• I’m still researching the best badge options and starting to order samples. This is a learning curve for me. As an artist/illustrator/designer I’m used to print, but this is a whole new world.

• I’m almost finished with our very first Field Guide designed to be used in one of your first troop meetings. It is gorgeous and comes with a very special introduction. I have taken my time because I want it to be something special. I should finish it this weekend.

• I am making plans to turn these PDFs into actual print magazines that can be purchased. It just feels so special to have something on paper. Paper people you get this— not just me, right?

• A BIG huge enormous deal is unfolding behind the scenes this coming week. I’m creating an application to submit us to a very special project/grant that might open some massive doors to help me serve y’all better. It’s a longshot and I can’t say much more than that right now, but fingers crossed. 🙏🏻

This space isn’t about me. It’s about YOU. So I’d love to know what questions you have about Frolic and Forage. Or hosting/joining a troop. Or my background. I am planning to do regular ask me anything videos where I answer your questions. Click the button to add as many of yours as you like.

Ask Me Anything

May I ask a favor?

If you are meeting with your troop, snap a few photos:

1. I’d just love to see your faces! If you are open to sharing them with me, I’d love to see them. Full stop.

2. It would be a huge help to begin having an archive to pull from to celebrate what is going on with our independent troops and gatherings.

If you are comfortable, you can send photos to frolicandforagesociety@substack.com In the message, let me know if I have permission to share and a little about what the photos represent. If you have selected a troop name include that and your city/state or country.

If you just want me to enjoy seeing your troop in action but not share them, let me know that too.

Our Friday Frolic Weekly Chat

This is new too. I don’t want to overwhelm you. You do not need to do everything. Pick one or two things.

I believe when we follow our intuition instead of the fear of missing out we will find the things that are truly meant for us in this moment.

This is a chat where we share what we’re making and exploring! A little like show-and-tell meets a circle of encouragement.

A Chat Thread to Help You Find One Another

In case you missed it, this is a chat thread to help you find one another while I’m building a directory.

And that’s a wrap. I am so deeply grateful each one of you are here.

With wonder and whimsy,

• I am currently building a directory. It will be simple and low-tech for now. So all of you looking for how you can find eachother, it’s in the works. See below about the immediate set-up and what’s in the works.

• We are working on creating the first-ever field guide for your first or second meeting. You do not have to have this to start gathering. My goal is to have it to you by the end of this week.

• If you want to start or are starting an independent troop, please read through the How to Start a Troop guide. It will answer so many questions.
  

Help us help you find eachother…

I created a chat with a few specific instructions that will build a central space for you to find one another, as we are building a directory page behind the scenes.

Please follow the 3 simple steps in the chat instructions just to keep it easy to navigate.

Working on this week…

• The field guide for your first or second meeting. Eeeek!

• Deep dive research into badge production options

• Our first show-and-tell chat later this week… I want you to have a space to share what you are working on and connect over that!

• A photo album option that allows you to upload photos of your gatherings. First, I just want to see and celebrate you. Second, with your permission, I’d love to start sharing the beautiful things that are happening because of you!

So grateful for each of you.

SO many of you on Facebook and here have raised your hands to be troop hosts and gatherers.

The last 4 days I’ve been working on creating a guide that should answer most questions and give you a solid foundation to start with.

In the following PDF, you’ll find:

• What an independent Frolic and Forage troop is

• How to name your troop

• What’s our why at the heart of all of this

• All about our society emblems

• Thoughts and tips on cultivating a healthy troop with a worksheet (if you like those kinds of things)

• Helpful links & things

How To Start A Troop

6.04MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Here are the basics on gathering your independent local troop. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.

Download

Also for those of you who like roadmaps and having an idea of what’s coming next… we now have a page for that. I’ll do my best to include updates and what we are working on so we can be excited together!

All my love,

I just wanted to send this out for those of you who are new to Substack.

This is more of an introduction to how we will be using the platform, but if you have specific questions, drop them in the comments below and I’ll make some more walkthroughs.

This is a zero-shame space. Questions are always welcome!

And Substack just MASSIVELY upped their video game so we will definitely be taking advantage of that!

I’m so glad you are here.

Love,

Promises to do the dishes before going to bed or be more present at meal time. There are promises we celebrate with formal vows and ceremonies. And ones that are whispered late at night after everyone else has gone to sleep.

Promises are about trust. And the promises we make ourselves are just as important as the ones we formalize and declare in the presence of our communities.

They might even be more important. Because how we carry promises we make ourselves can shape our ability to trust and hold space for our intuition, creativity, and dreams.

You my friend are worth showing up for… just as much as everybody else in your world that depends on you to show up for them.

Plus, every society worth its whimsy must have at least a small pledge.

This isn’t about getting it right or following the rules. It’s about choosing the kind of world we want to be a part of building. And it’s about who we are becoming in the process.

So, you can place your hand over your heart, lift your teacup, or hold a half-finished craft and repeat:

I promise
to stay curious,
choose kindness,
make room for wonder,
and bring whimsy wherever I go.

I am so glad you are here my friends and fellow foragers.

Thank you for your patience as I have been getting all our foundational structure built around here. Anything we build is only as solid as the foundation we build it on. And that is too vital to rush.

The Latest Updates

• I massively upgraded our frequently asked questions. If you are searching for information about how things work here, this is the place to start. I will continue updating as we grow.

• Here is the section that explains how local troops operate.

• NEW! A form where you can submit your local troop information for an eventual directory of sorts.

• How to start an independent troop is coming 07/16

• Our first-ever Field Guide is coming ETA 07/24.

  • Field Guides are our monthly guides with a theme, ideas, crafts, a recipe, menu ideas… basically they are designed to make it easier to gather with your troop and not have to invent ideas from scratch. You do not have to use them. But there is something special about knowing troops all over the world are meeting around similar topics.

  • This field guide is special because we are creating it to help you facilitate your first or (2nd or 3rd) meeting.

• Badges and so much more are also in the works.

• I’m so looking forward to diving into the fun stuff— getting to know you!

May your pockets always contain interesting rocks. May your tables always have room for one more chair. May your curiosity lead you down paths that delight. And may you find whimsy waiting in places you least expect.

All my love,

PS Here’ss the lock screen image. Just save it to your phone like you’d save any other photo. (Long tap and select or right click usually works).

I’m literally spinning in my desk chair, I’m so excited you are here. I also might be slightly over-caffeinated and covered with pixel dust. It’s a smidge of a construction zone around here.

There is something so magical about being a part of something from the very beginning as it grows.

Over 2 million people on the internet have seen our posts in the last week. And thousands of you raised your hand to say, “I’m in.” Dang, I am humbled by your trust and enthusiasm.

I don’t take your trust lightly. In a world where it is increasingly difficult to tell who and what is actually real, trust is everything. And yours is a gift I hope to steward well. Thank you.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started! 🎉

Start by reading our community guidelines.

Then hop into the chat and introduce yourself!

Here are some things we are working on round the clock to get into your hands as quickly as possible!

• How to start a local independent troop. (In the meanwhile, check out the FAQs for the basics you need to know before you get started.) ETA 07/16
  —
  These are 4 major questions answered from our FAQ page to get you started.

  • Can I start my own local troop?

  • Are local troops official chapters?

  • What can I call my local troop?

  • What about international troops?

• A simple way you can let us know you are starting a troop and where you are from

• Practical ways you can help us grow.

• Our first badges 👏🏻

• A mushroom beret mini tutorial

• Our first Field Guide you can use for your very first troop meeting (or 2nd or 3rd… we know some of you may already be hanging out!)

• Our first Society Dispatch private podcast episode. Think of it as us sitting around the craft table together while you knit, embroider, paint, or fold laundry.

• Some posts that introduce more of the story about who we are, our team, and what we do as a society.

There are more things in the works, but if you were hoping to see something specific sooner than later, hit reply to this email and let us know what it is! I am still catching up on email, but things will go faster now that our doors are open here.

Wrangling all our tech and documents, well let’s just say my 48-year-old self pulled a classic all-nighter. Completely worth it. (Yes, the FAQs were indeed published by yours truly at 3:28 AM)

I am humbled, gobsmacked, delighted, and beyond grateful you are here.

With whimsy and wonder,

PS. Help us get the word out!

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