I first ran across Warbonnet Hats Works a few years ago on IG. I was drawn to the beautiful designs and colors and for a cowgirl that grew up wearing a cowboy hat every weekend at the rodeo, barrel race or just to work cows, I really appreciate a gorgeous custom hat. I was even more drawn to the people behind the company. A husband and wife team that not only works together, but creates together. Brooklyn McIntosh is the face behind Lady Warbonnet, the women's line in Warbonnet Hat Works. Her work has been gracing the heads of many of the fashion influencers, rodeo wives and musicians that we all love to follow. Although the design and aesthetics are what we see first, the message behind the hat is of even greater importance. This is a woman on a mission to show God to everyone she meets by treating them with kindness, conquering the stereo type of what everyone thinks a Christian woman should look like and loving on people.
Here's Brooklyn's Story:
Brooklyn and her fabulous style.
I grew up in a divorced home, I start off writing this because it happened when I was 4, so pretty much all I remember was:
“Whose weekend is it?”
“Whose Christmas is it?”
“Tell your dad I need money for this.”
“Your mom doesn’t do this right, etc.”
It was back in a time where divorce wasn’t that common, and I can’t remember but a handful of other kids who went through the things I did at home. I wouldn’t for a second say that I had a bad childhood though. Since my parents were single parents trying to make it and trying to have a little of their own life, it left me with lots of time spent with my grandparents, my Mammaw and Pappaw. My Pappaw leased and managed a 5,000-acre ranch just outside of Weatherford and some of my favorite childhood memories happened there. He ran cows, goats, raised horses, and he hand planted thousands of pecan trees that we harvested and sold each year. He was my hero. He was the toughest man I knew, the hardest working one for sure too. He taught me how to ride, how to work cows, how to saddle my own horse, how to take care of animals, how to do just about everything I needed to know to work on the ranch with him.
My Mammaw was pretty special as well. She had retired from her land surveying job and spent every day of the summer taking us on adventures. We went swimming at our secret water hole, fishing, picking wildflowers and pressing them in books and tending to her huge vegetable garden. I also learned how to cook and occasionally hunt rattlesnakes. One thing is for sure, when we were with them on Sundays, we never missed church. My Pappaw and Mammaw were God fearing people and they both served the Lord all the days of their lives.
Eventually, my mom remarried, and my step dad decided to move us to another church from where my grandparents went and where my mom grew up going. It was hard at first, but as I look back now, it’s one of the best things they ever did for me. I’ve been attending this same church for over 20 years now. I grew up learning all about the Bible and later became part of a wonderful youth group. As I look back now, I think my involvement in my youth group was something that really helped keep me out of trouble. Not only that, it taught me how to stand strong in my faith.
I had made a profession of faith when I was a child, but when I was 15 I felt the Lord tugging at my heart. We were at youth camp and I became overcome with the shakes. It was the craziest thing! We were listening to a speaker during the night service and I know now it was the Lord telling me I wasn’t truly saved. I pushed it off and thought it was just God telling me I needed to rededicate my life. Fast forward to November of 2009, I had only been married for a few months and I kept having these doubts about my salvation. In the middle of the night I sat up in bed and I was overcome with fear. Fear that if the Lord came back, my husband would go but I wasn’t sure I’d go with him. So, I woke him up and said I need to be saved. He said, “Okay, right now or do you want to wait until we go to church?” Being so overcome with conviction I said, “No, right now!” I asked him to pray with me and I will never forget the words I said to The Lord. I told him that I knew I needed a Savior that I could never get to heaven except with his help. I asked for forgiveness from my sins and asked if He would come and live in me. When I was done praying it was like 1,000 lbs were lifted off my shoulders. I cried tears of joy and I had a renewed heart and mind ready to tell everyone I knew about my experience and what God had done for me.
Brooklyn and her husband, Dan.
I am ashamed to say that that spark that was lit inside me hasn’t always burned as bright and there are many times when I’ve kept my mouth shut when I should have taken the opportunity to talk about my God. But I have thanked God a million times that He kept after me about getting things right with him and when I shook Him off He didn’t leave me, He kept convicting me!
Through my walk in faith, I don’t think there has been one certain time where I’ve had to choose God or something of the world. But there have been many times where I didn’t go the “popular” route, I went down the road less traveled…and I’m ok with that.
I don’t pat myself on the back and think I’m better than others. I’m just thankful that everyday God gives me a choice and grace and mercy when I don’t make the right one. I think every day we wake up, God is here asking and waiting for us to choose Him. With the many distractions that this world has to offer these days I believe less and less people are choosing Him and that’s why I choose to share my faith and not keep it quiet. When we started our hat business we said to ourselves and to God that this business will always reflect Him. He has given us this platform to share our faith with others. He has blessed us through this. When I decided to start the women’s line, I chose to stamp the verse Proverbs 31:26 into the hats. That verse reads, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” I think as women, we’ve heard many times over that we should be a Proverbs 31 woman. As much as I’d love to say that I am, I fall short of it. But what a goal to strive after and what better way to get that going than to show kindness to others. I know there are times where I’ve let the devil get the best of me and I’ve reacted in a way that wouldn’t be defined as a Proverbs 31 woman. I can honestly say though, that I’m striving every day to grow closer to what the Bible lays out for a Godly woman to be in Proverbs 31.
Cutest cowgirls around, Lyla (4), Brooklyn and Baby Leddy (6 months)
If I could go back to the younger me, I would tell her to choose God sooner. Don’t put it off. That even though it wasn’t the cool thing to do in high school, don’t shy away from walking and sharing your faith! God has blessed me with two beautiful girls, Lyla (4) and Leddy (6 months) and I hope every day I can give them a good example of what it means to serve and follow Christ, it is my greatest job right now. I pray that they will choose Christ and choose to live for Him in their own lives by the examples my husband and I have taught them.