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Mushroom Trove: Enamel Pin Collection

Created by ki

An artist's love letter to real living fungi: To share the fascination of these amazing, important creatures with you and your friends!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Small Hiccup with Surveys! Next week!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 30, 2023 at 05:10:05 PM

Hello folks! 

It's June 30th! Surveys are a little delayed! 

Bosworth the toad has fallen over dramatically. Bonk.
  • There is a 2-day survey review process in Backerkit I wasn't aware of. Submitting it in for review wasn't possible from what I could tell until we hit the 14-day post-Kickstarter campaign mark (today!).  
  • I also didn't realize Backerkit employees would be out of the office Monday and Tuesday due to the 4th of July, so it may take a couple of extra business days for the survey review to finish. 

I will send it out asap and send an update here upon release. I will add a few more days to the survey deadline so you will still have a full 2 weeks to complete the survey. This should not affect the current project timeline.  Backerkit is new and very complex to me, so thank you for your patience through this learning process! -Ki 

Backers: Please make sure your card is being charged! + New Pre-Order Store + Update
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Jun 22, 2023 at 10:22:26 PM

Hi mushroom admirers! 

We have less than 7 days left to make sure your card is successfully charged! Please recheck your payments to make sure you can get your mushroom goodies.

8 days until I send the surveys; They are fully written up and ready to send! I highly recommend making sure you fill them out asap once you receive them on June 30th!  

Showing there is a new pre-order button on the main page of the Mushroom Trove Kickstarter.

Pre-order Store!: I've discovered a cool feature in Backerkit that lets me have a store! This is specifically for folks who missed backing the project. It is open now until it closes on June 30th at 11:59 PM CST. Apparently, Backerkit will not charge your card immediately unless it's close to the shipping date, so expect your pre-order payment to charge around October 1st!

I suggest if you backed the project already: please don't use the pre-order store and wait until the survey! The survey will have everything you want in the pre-order store, plus more! You'll be able to change your pledge level, acquire as many add-ons as you'd like, and get your freebies. Plus, if you pledged for 2 pairs or more--

Update: Everyone who pledged for 2 pairs minimum ($36 USD) in the Kickstarter will have access to individual pins as add-ons in the survey! This feature is not available in the pre-order store since it is a Kickstarter special. My original idea was to give this access to folks who pledged $50 USD, but it won't let me grant the same access to folks who pledged $50 USD+ because of add-ons. So, instead, I went ahead and made it more accessible! I hope that is helpful and a nice surprise!

tiny excited Bosworth the toad

That's all for now! I'm still coordinating with my manufacturer to make sure we get all details right; since we're making 63 very complex designs, it can sometimes require multiple art revisions and color adjustments to get the artwork to 100%! Once we start making more finalized samples, I'll happily share them with you all!

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below or in my Kickstarter inbox! 

Thank you! Ki 

WE DID IT! Mushroom pins and unlocked goodies galore!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 12:49:44 PM

On top of all 60 pins, here are all the extra goodies we unlocked!

The cordyceps pins! Large and small. Also known as cordyceps militaris, and the sizes are about 1.73" and 0.83"
Enamel pins #61 and #62!
Backing cards have unlocked! They have similar style as cover image. Very subtle sparkles that look like stars and moons. There are two cards: One for large pins, with little symbols to represent all original 30 large pins, and one for small pins, with symbolrs to represent all original 30 small pins. It says Mushroom Trove on the top, and gawki.net on the bottom of each card.
Mushroom stickers have unlocked! There are 3 small stickers about 1-1.5": Amethyst Deceiver, Shaggy Inkcap, and Verdigris Toadstool that are available for free for all backers. There are 3 large stickers: Fly Agaric, Pink Oyster, and Golden Halo that are available for all backers as add-ons via the survey

PLUS, WE HIT OVER 45k! 

Stretch goal unlocked! Everyone who pledges 50 USD+ will be gaining the ability to select individual pins as add-ons via the survey! 

Extra notes on the unlocked goodies!

  • Cordyceps enamel pins will be available as Pair #31 on the survey. More info in the FAQ!
  • All pins will have backing cards!
  • Sticker freebies will automatically be added to your rewards, no need to select them!
  • Add-on mushroom stickers will be made available in the survey as a set for $10 USD! They will have the same specs as the Bosworth stickers, but they'll be a bit bigger! Opaque design with transparent edges! 
  • All stickers in this campaign are Kickstarter-exclusive! (Not available for sale anywhere else!)
  • If you didn't pledge $50 USD+ but want to get individual pins, you will be able to upgrade your reward tier in the survey and get more add-ons, too!

The schedule continues as such: 

  •  The survey goes out on June 30th. You will be able to select the pairs you want in the survey.
  •  The survey will be finalized by July 15th. I will be announcing a 48-hour/24-hour notice and so on to make sure y'all lock it in! Addresses will still be adjustable after submitting the survey. If you're nervous at all you don't have to fret: You're also very welcome to message me on Kickstarter for any last-minute address changes just in case!

I suggest filling out the survey as soon as you can once you receive it! The faster we get them done, the sooner we can get pins into production! 

In the meantime, I will continue to coordinate with my pin manufacturer on getting all the pin samples made while drafting up the surveys. Please feel free to comment below or message me on Kickstarter if you have any questions! Thank you so much, everyone! - Ki  

Bosworth, bein' happy!

Pin samples, Pin Spec adjustment, and Stretch Goal update!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jun 07, 2023 at 09:08:59 PM

Two versions of pins are shown: Hard enamel and Soft enamel with Epoxy Fill
Besides editing out the background and resizing for accuracy, these photos are untampered with!

The first samples have arrived! 

After seeing them in person, I was astounded by the results! I was initially a die-hard hard enamel fan, but the soft enamel + epoxy fill blew my mind! Just look how vibrant and bright the reds and oranges are! The lines are so crisp and accurate! Even the white spots on the caps look robust in comparison to the hard enamel! The UV print looks much more mushroomy in texture because of the added depth! 

I will be adjusting all the pins in the project from hard enamel to soft enamel + epoxy fill. 

This can seem like a huge change for hard-enamel-pin-loving folks, like me, so I've outlined a few of my observations below in a little graphic!

Hard enamel vs Soft enamel plus epoxy fill: Hard enamel has dull color, thick lines, and feels very meh. Soft enamel plus epoxy fill: Looks like hard enamel, vibrant color, accurate line weight

There are even real shadows on the soft enamel + epoxy fill that makes the UV print pop out so much more! Chef's kiss!

Bonus pin research: I was also sent a screen-printed version, but it wasn't a good option for my designs. The print lost a lot of detail, was too transparent, inaccurate in colors, and scrapped off easily with my finger. 

Stretch goal update! 

  • Oldest fantasy mushrooms get remade: Went from $60000 to $52000
  • Small Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers: Went from $70000 to $54000
  • Large Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers: Went from $77777 to $55555

I haven't had much time with work to advertise online in the last few weeks, but now I'll be able to spread the spores around once more! Happy 8 more days! Thank you so much! - Ki 

At $17300 all 30 pairs HAVE NOW UNLOCKED! I've added 3 new reward tiers: "All 30 Large" & "All 30 Small" & "The Full Trove" -- At $20000 Backing cards for all pins have unlocked! I'll design 1 for large pins and 1 for small pins. -- At $30000 a new pair of mushrooms have unlocked! The pair is will be inspired by the Cordyceps mushroom! At $40000 more stickers unlock! Some mushroom designs will be made available as freebies and add-ons! -- At $45000 Individual pins will become available as add-ons via survey for pledges $50+ -- At $50000 Old fantasy mushroom pins will be remade and available as an add-on! Plus NEW Stretchgoals just added today!: At $52000 my oldest fantasy mushroom pins will be remade and available as an add-on! , At $54000 Small Fly Agaric Pin Included with all tiers! , At $55555 Large Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers!

CORDYCEPS UNLOCKED!
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 03, 2023 at 11:14:04 PM

THE 3RD STRETCH GOAL WAS UNLOCKED!

2 bonus pins, inspired by the CORDYCEPS MUSHROOM, are going to be real!

Pin #61 and #62! It's true! 

At $17300 all 30 pairs HAVE NOW UNLOCKED! I've added 3 new reward tiers: "All 30 Large" & "All 30 Small" & "The Full Trove" -- At $20000 Backing cards for all pins have unlocked! I'll design 1 for large pins and 1 for small pins. -- At $30000 a new pair of mushrooms have unlocked! The pair is will be inspired by the Cordyceps mushroom!

Wondering how to get the Cordyceps mushroom pins? It will depend on the reward tier you select!

  •  "30 pairs!", "30 pairs *EARLY BIRD*", or "THE FULL TROVE": You will receive the 2 cordyceps mushroom pins for FREE!
  •  "ALL Large Pins!": You will receive the large-sized cordyceps mushroom pin for FREE! 
  •  "ALL Small Pins!": You will receive the small-sized cordyceps mushroom for FREE!
  •  All tiers: they will be made available as "Pair #31" to choose from in the survey if you are selecting pairs. If you want them in addition to the mushroom pins that you are already planning to get, then you can either upgrade your reward now, sometime before the campaign ends, or wait until the survey to get it as an add-on.

 NEW! 3 bonus stretch goals!: 

  • $60000: My oldest fantasy mushroom pins will be remade and available as an add-on!
  • $70000: Small Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers!
  • $77777: Large Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers! 

Transparency: While they are not designed yet, I'll be designing the Cordyceps pins, along with the backing cards, between now and before the Kickstarter ends! Designing these during the campaign was part of my initial plan because I really didn't know if we could make it this far--

So, thank you so much everyone for getting us this far! Gosh dang, this is awesome!

Schedule: Remains the same for now.

Less than 8k to the next goal--stickers are on the horizon! I'm thinking of 3 tiny stickers and 3 large stickers that will be freebies and some for add-ons! Stickers are an item I don't make often at all anymore, but it's a special mushroom occasion! A treat! And Kickstarter-exclusive!

And that's all for now! It's late, and this was all created and designed after having a full Saturday tabling at a 3-day convention for me. I really need to sleep! Woo! Thank you times a million spores! -Ki 

At $40000 more stickers unlock! Some mushroom designs will be made available as freebies and add-ons! -- At $45000 Individual pins will become available as add-ons via survey for pledges $50+ -- At $50000 Old fantasy mushroom pins will be remade and available as an add-on! Plus NEW Stretchgoals just added today!: At $60000 my oldest fantasy mushroom pins will be remade and available as an add-on! , At $70000 Small Fly Agaric Pin Included with all tiers! , At $77777 Large Fly Agaric Pin included with all tiers!