Friends and foragers,

You have been SO patient with me as I’ve gotten this ready for you. Thank you.

I have more badge-making goodness coming your way over the coming weeks, but this is what you need to get started on your own or as a troop.

Inside this Field Guide:

• All about Celebration Badges. What they are and how they work.

• A mini-badgemaking tutorial.

• Lists of badge ideas, materials, and so much more.

• A printable DIY Badge sketchbook page and shape templates. (You can print the entire guide, but the color pages are intended primarily for digital use. The printable pages are grayscale and made to be kind on your printer.)

Our Make Your Own Badge Field Guide

28MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

I hope this gives you a whole library’s worth of ideas to play with. I can’t wait to see the badges and stories that begin showing up on your Story Sashes.

Make a badge for something new you learned or tried. Even if it didn’t end like you expected. Create a badge to celebrate a favorite place you visited. Make one for a friend to celebrate something about their journey. Create a troop badge about the spectacular outing where you all for stranded in the rain.

Celebration badges aren’t badges to collect for the sake of collecting them. They are badges connected to your story. Badges that celebrate the whimsical AND the completely ordinary parts of being human.

Whether that’s changing the air filter or overcoming something holding you back. Maybe that’s the same badge even.

I am SO excited to see badges only you can create because they speak to your uniquely unfolding story.

I’m working on a new badge for myself this week. Poetry writing surrounded by inebriated bees. I used to be terrified by bees, and especially wasps. I still don’t like wasps if I’m honest. But I am not at all worried by honey and bumble bees now.

I was sitting surrounded by them in my backyard grove of bidens pilosa, some of their favorite local food, and I was mesmerized by it all. This deserves a badge.

All my love,

Hosting a Troop? Tell Us About It Here

Hello you,

It’s Tuesday. I spent most of yesterday thinking today was going to be Monday. Is it just me or do holidays discombobulate you too?

This week I’m updating our directory with our new troops. Troop hosts, keep an eye on your inboxes. 📪 I’m going to be emailing you individually over the next couple of weeks just to say hello.

There’s no big ask. I’d just love to get to know you a little better, if you’re up for it, beyond what we can manage here online. I’m just going to be wandering through our troop directory with a basket of gratitude.

We sprang up in the world like mushrooms after a summer rain in July. Suddenly here we were with all of you and troops popping up everywhere. It is one of the coolest, most humbling things I have ever been a part of. Your trust is a gift.

Now our pace is slower by intention as we create pathways between all our mushroom troops. And build our online clubhouse into something I hope feels a bit like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood meets a whimsical fairy troop on a scouting adventure.

PBS in the US just started releasing the entire series for free on its very own channel. 😭 They are publishing 10 episodes at a time. The kindness you feel here… I first saw it in action watching Mister Rogers growing up. It was one of the best parts of my childhood.

(You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/@MisterRogersNeighborhood)

Things I Learned from Mister Rogers

I started learning these things as a child watching Mister Rogers reruns. They have shaped the way I see and move through the world. And they are foundation stones to what I do and how I create as an adult who is in the content creation space.

• You belong here because you are you. You don’t have to keep up, make a masterpiece, join in, or prove your worth. There’s a seat at this table with your name on it.

• Small things are worth paying attention to. A flower growing in a sidewalk crack. Tiny gestures of kindness. Noticing ordinary things and moments with curiosity can help us find wonder everyday.

• Playing is the point. Making things, wandering on walks, trying something new, exploring our creativity—these things don’t need to be “productive” to be essential to our wellbeing.

• People matter more than content. Frolic isn’t about building an audience. It’s about building a community. I don’t want this to become a content machine that creates more noise. I want it to be a place where we are actual neighbors, get to know one another, gather, and create a shared history.

• A good online world should make your offline world bigger and brighter. If something you find here moves you outside, gets you making, introduces you to a neighbor, sparks a conversation, or helps you notice something you’ve walked past a hundred times, then we are building in the right direction.

And speaking of taking things offline…

Here’s something I made in our MendTember project! I want to share more of your images here, but I’m going to ask you first. Permission is such an important part of building trust. I want you to feel free to share here or on my Facebook page without wondering if your photo will pop up somewhere else without your knowledge.

What’s Coming Soon

• Our Make Your Own Badge Video Field Guide and our first Celebration Badge Sketchbook is coming this week.

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

• Some simple MAKE ideas in the Activity Library.

Starting a Troop? Tell US About It Here

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.

All my love,

Friends and foragers,

We have finally entered the ‘ber months and I could not be more excited to share them with you.

Thank you for being here.

Inside this Meeting Field Guide:

• Recipes for your meeting

• A Discussion Theme

• A simple crafty activity

• Additional resources to make gathering easier

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.

September 2026 Meeting Field Guide

27.4MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

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.

Hosting a Troop? Tell Us About It Here

All my love,

PS I’m getting ready to film a few more crafty videos for the MAKE part of our activity library so we can have a growing selection for you to use when thinking about what to do with your troop or on your own.

Hello Dear Friends & Foragers!

I’ve been creating our MendTember Field Guide and I am so excited to share it with you along with our updates. Let’s jump in!

We start tomorrow…

Here are our prompts. These are for the materials you use in making something for your autumn (or spring) not the subject itself. But if you’d like to sketch out some cardboard, we will cheer you on there too.

And here is your MendTember Field Guide PDF. It is packed full of good things, including a printable prompt list, the information on how to share your projects, additional creative sparks to help you get going, and a bonus month of September journaling prompts.

And this is the link to our chat for MendTember.

• If you enjoy Facebook, I’ll post an image with each prompt on its scheduled date in the Mendtember album. The comments will be open so you can share a photo of what you made. On Instagram, tag me and use #Mendtember2026 so I can find your creations there too.

• Already have a troop? This would be such a fun project to do in person too or in a private group online.

How gorgeous is this Mushroom Hat by Kiana? I didn’t even know black and white mushrooms existed before this!

She graciously allowed me to share this. Here’s the link to her Instagram.

If you have photos of your mushroom hat or your troop gathering, please send them my way. I’d love to celebrate with you what’s unfolding in Frolic and Forage. And if you’re ok with me sharing them, I’d love the option of featuring some here.

What’s Coming Soon

Instead of having a What’s Next page that I’m terrible at updating 🤦🏻‍♀️, I’m going to keep you updated here. If you are looking for something in particular, you can always reply and let me know.

• Our September monthly troop field guide will be out Friday.

• Our Make Your Own Badge Video Field Guide and our first Celebration Badge Sketchbook is coming next week!

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

• 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.)

Starting a Troop? Tell US About It Here

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.

All my love,

I could not be more excited to be doing this with you throughout September 2026.

Inside this Meeting Field Guide:

• How to use this guide.

• Instructions on how to participate and find us online

• Printable prompt pages (one in color and one in grayscale)

• Creative sparks… ideas on what to make in case you get stuck

• A bonus set of September journaling prompts to complement our Mendtember project.

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.

MendTember Field Guide

29.6MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Everything you need to join us all month long.

Download

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.

Hosting a Troop? Tell Us About It Here

All my love,

This field guide is free. But it isn’t free to make. If you are able and would like to help make projects like MendTember possible, consider becoming a supporting or sustaining member (paid subscriber) here.

Subscribe now

Or support through a one-time contribution to our » ✨🫙 Generosity Jar

Hello Dear Friends & Foragers!

Things have been a little quiet here this last week because I’ve been navigating so many details behind the scenes. Never in all my days did I think I would need to know what DNS settings and Sender Policy Frameworks were. 🤣. Add in impaling my hand while gardening, it did slow my roll around here.

But we are back and running this week. I spent a day last week brainstorming the rest of the year and could not be more excited to share it here. Starting with a very first online community project, MendTember, Crafting a Season We Love Using What We Have.

Let’s jump in!

Welcome to MendTember…

One of my favorite things is creating fun community projects. So from time to time we will host original online community challenges and creative projects. This is our very first one!

I, personally, have many medical challenges that don’t always play nice when it comes to letting me hang out in person. I LOVE it when I can. But creating online community projects (like this one) brings me so much joy and lets me connect meaningfully. I hope it does the same for you.

After hearing from many of you who have similar constraints, I thought occasional group projects like this might be a welcome addition.

Here’s how it works…

• Firstly, there’s no wrong way to do this. You don’t have to do every prompt. You don’t have to do them in order. And you definitely don’t have to finish them on the scheduled date.

• I’m sharing all 15 prompts below so you can peek ahead, gather what you have, and start dreaming up ideas.

• On September 01, I’ll start a MendTember chat thread here in the clubhouse so we can share what we made!

• If you enjoy Facebook, I’ll post an image with each prompt on its scheduled date in the Mendtember album. The comments will be open so you can share a photo of what you made. On Instagram, tag me and use #Mendtember2026 so I can find your creations there too.

• Already have a troop? This would be such a fun project to do in person too or in a private group online.

Here are our prompts…

I also made this a phone screen so you could save it and have it on hand for when you find the perfect jar to makeover.

Is it just me, or do any of you glass jar collections too?

Our New Troop Directory

This deserved a video walkthrough. I’ll be the first to admit it isn’t slick or perfect. But it’s human-made and maintained because your contact information and preferences are sacred space.

The blocked areas are to preserve privacy outside of the chat.

Starting a Troop? Tell US About It Here

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.

And I will be updating the what’s coming next page a little later this week to keep you up to date on our growth.

All my love,

I am so excited to see you already finding one another online and in person.

👏🏻🍄✨

Every project here will be slightly different. Some will have videos. Others will include printables or different kinds of resources. Some will be prompts or ideas to spark your imagination and creativity.

I am so excited to share things I’ve learned through the years, try new things together, and learn from you too.

What’s a Frolic & Forage Field Journal?

It’s a place to write, sketch, list, collage, scribble, and capture meaningful moments you don’t want to lose. Our online 3-second attention economy has trained us to strip our focus down to soundbites and social media hooks. Putting pen or paint to paper helps us slow down so we can really celebrate and savor what is unfolding around us beyond our screens.

Our field journals are also where our GROW notes and celebration badge reflections can live. More on both of those coming soon.

Grow notes (from Make Explore Gather Grow) are whatever you decide to journal about or engage with from prompts in our Grow Cloverpoint in the library.

It’s my dream to fill this space with inspirational ideas, practical prompts, and whimsical projects we can all share together.

You can use traditional sketchbooks, journals (LEUCHTTURM1917 A5 soft cover is my favorite for writing), junk journals, or any format notebook you like. The options here are meant to offer alternatives, not tell you what to do.

There is really no wrong way to do this. It’s about having fun and making the most of what we have on hand to connect more deeply with ourselves, one another, and the world around us.

Supplies Used in the Video

(I get a tiny commission if you purchase using the provided link. If you can source your supplies locally or thrift them sustainably, please consider doing that. Use these as fallbacks.)

• Ohuhu Acrylic Markers or Arrtx. I picked the best brand/price combination at the time of writing this.

• Mini Composition Book. Also available at most office supply shops.

• Bulk Mini Composition Books (Great for buying as a troop)

• Traveler’s Notebook Insert — Blank (My favorite for this use.)

• Washi Sticker Pack (If you want an easy, quick option.)

• Stamp Punch Tool

• Exam table paper

• Glue stick

• Colored pencils

Once your field journal feels like yours, here’s a little GROW note prompt to get you started.

On any page you like (you don’t have to start this notebook on the first page), doodle or write three things you’d like to make more space in your life for this season. Nothing is too small, specific, or silly. And no dream is too farfetched or big.

We have so many adventures ahead friends.

I am beyond grateful for you being here.

PS. In case you haven’t seen it, our Troop Directory is live and growing! You can visit it here:

Troop Directory

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.

Starting a Troop? Tell US About It Here

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.

Hosting a Troop? Tell Us About It Here

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.

Also…

Tell Us About Your Troop Here

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

Tell Us About Your Troop Here

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!

Share The Frolic & Forage Society™