Don't be a Naked Hooker

Tee & Hoodie sales are now closed... until next time!

It's Playin' Hooky Tee and Hoodie Week!

If you've been with me for a while, you know that I hold sales of my tees & hoodies every few months. And it's TIME!! They're available through Saturday, 6/14 exclusively in my Etsy shop. - https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns

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"Why don't you have them available all the time?"... I have my reasons, a few of them!

The tees and hoodies are in my shop for a limited time. Then I take your orders to my local screen printer (yes, he's a real guy that I talk to face-to-face!).

We custom order and hand print each item making sure each design is done right, printed on high quality fabric.

Doing things this way also lets you pick your favorite color and style without having to worry if it's out of stock and you don't have to be stuck with the color I choose!

Finally, each order is packaged and hand delivered to the post office by me to make sure your order is right and up to my standards. If there is still something not quite right with your order, I'll make it right.

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BONUS I've added a giveaway where you could win a free fitted or unisex tee! One lucky winner will get to pick their favorite color & style for an all expenses paid tee! Friday the 13th will be lucky for one winner... the winner will be announced on Friday, 6/13, so go ahead and order your shirt. If you win and have already bought a shirt, you can choose to either add the free shirt to your order OR get a refund. Use the Rafflecopter widget below or on my FB page to enter. Mobile-friendly link: http://tinyurl.com/molea3m
Come back everyday for more entries!

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Show off your hooky love

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

play hard ... play hooky

34 Signs You Might Be (or know) a Crocheter

If you've been with me for a while, you know that I like to throw out this question every once and a while. I never get tired of your comments and stories. This list is an insight into the weird little world we've created for ourselves, and the people who love us in spite of it all.

Here are the most "liked" comments from my Facebook page. If you have some time to kill and want to read the whole list, check it out here.

WARNING: don't drink while reading this! I just spit coffee on my keyboard. At least there wasn't any yarn on it.

1. When your kids try to ask you a question and you respond with counting louder.
2. You can quote any movie or TV show and know exactly what's going on, but have NO CLUE what the characters look like.
3. Your phone autocorrects to sc/dc/st/FLO/fpdc when you try to type real words
4. You find NO offense in being called a hooker!
5. You count loudly and stare down people that are trying to talk to you while you finish a row. 
6. You lose multiple hooks/needles/supplies without ever leaving the spot youve been in for hours.
7. You just nod your head and roll your eyes when your hubs calls it knitting for the 749th time this week.
8. When "frog" is no longer an animal that croaks
9. One of your top priorities when looking for a new home is finding adequate storage for your yarn.
10. When you have a hook and a skein in your glove compartment in case of emergency.
11. When your pattern stash is larger than what you'll ever finish
12. You have more yarn than clothing
13. Your kids don't ask you to buy them toys they ask if you will crochet them something, and you are so honored that you drop everything to complete it despite any other WIP.
14. You go on vacation and google ahead of time where all the yarn stores are. yep, true story.
15. You have to start thinking about Christmas gifts NOW!
16. You spend your time trying to prove to people that crocheting isn't just for little old ladies!
17. Your before bed mantra is "one more row, one more roll, one more row "
18. When every pattern you find requires a yarn you don't have and therefore, you are FORCED to go buy more yarn.
19. when your hubby knows he can bribe you do do almost anything with the promise of new yarn!
20. The phrase "I've got balls" is't dirty!
21. You follow someone in a store wearing a cute crochet scraf or hat, trying to figure out what stitch was used, what type of yarn without letting said person know you are following you.
22. you're working furiously on a piece to get it finished, hold off going to the potty till it's an emergency, & then get caught up in your yarn while making a mad dash to get there! Only to pull out half of the last row you were working on!!!!
23. Your lint roller is covered with mohair, wool, fun fur AND pet fur.
24. You pack your yarn bag for a road trip but forget your tooth brush. (True story just this morning.)
25. Your husband is proud to tell people his wife is a hooker who works with hard wood (since I carve hooks, also...)
26. you wake up in the morning wrapped up in the yarn you were using before you fell asleep last night. 
27. When you go to take a shower you find crochet hooks stashed in your top, pockets, and hair. Not to mention in the car, in your purse, and every room in the house!
28. You have tried telling your husband that your yarn habit helps keep the heat bill down and we even need more yarn because we live in an old, poorly insulated house.
29. If, when pregnant, the first thing that gets packed in your hospital bag is yarn!
30. You might crochet if the words " baby weight" have nothing to do with a well child visit!
31. You only ever shout at the dog ( or dogs in my case) when they catch your yarn ( usually by accident) and drag half your project round the room .....happened again today lol!
32. You cant watch a TV show with out looking at the crochet items saying I can remake that. As you pause it till you can figure it out or till the kid and hubby yells
33. Craft store employees know your kids by name!
34. when you get up from your chair you drag a long string of yarn with you and you don't notice it until you're already in the kitchen. And then that last row you were working on is completely undone.

And here's why you should always have a crocheter by your side... you know, in case of emergencies and stuff.

• You are on a road trip in a rental and hit a coon causing the front bumper to fall off on one side. Your only tools are: yarn, scissors and hooks. You crochet a chain to tie the bumper to the battery posts and cut away the debris with your favorite scissors and still drive 13 hours home with no issues.

I'll leave you with something to remember... even Disney likes us more.

play hard ... play hooky

Bryn's Candy

Wednesday, April 16th, is my Bryn's 7th birthday. But it will be the second time we've had to celebrate without her. Last year, with LOTS of help, we put a flower garden on the fence of the Kindergarten she was supposed to go to.

It took me a lot longer to decide how to celebrate this year. I could never find the perfect project, and well honestly, I just ran out of energy to organize something huge. But with your help, we can still do something pretty cool.

I love you more than candy... that's what she said when I tucked her in at night. So this year, we're going to spread love and happiness through candy, and Bryn would have LOVED it!

I scoured Ravelry and  found two free candy crochet patterns on Ravelry that remind me of Bryn.

Here's what you do:

• Pinwheel Candy Pattern - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pinwheel-candy
• Lollipop Pattern - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lollipop-brooch
• Make up as many or few as candies as you want.
• The brighter the colors the better!
• Write a note, or leave them bare. 
• Put them out as a yarn bomb... leave them in random candy dishes... hand them out to strangers... as long as it will make someone smile.
• Get a picture of the candies in action.
• On Wednesday, post your pictures to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with the hashtag #brynscandy.

Thank you for your help! I can't put into words how much it means to me that you're willing to help me celebrate my amazing daughter and keep her memory alive.

play hard ~ play hooky

Update: I did it! I actually finished making all the candies I had hoped to for her birthday tomorrow. If you want to leave a note with your ‪#‎brynscandy‬ tomorrow and aren't sure what to say, here's something I just wrote...

For Bryn, a girl who loved life, lived big, and shared smiles. Here's a handmade candy to celebrate and spread love on her birthday. She isn't here so we'll do it for her. I love you more than candy.

HE WORE IT!!!

An idea... thousands of messages... a year and a half... one country singer... the dream came true!

Zac Brown honoring my daughter Bryn by wearing the hat I made him.

I'm in tears and a bit of shock as I write this. Forgive me if my words are inadequate.

It started a year and a half ago on a particularly hard day. I had just released my Shockwave Beanie pattern and the picture I posted of my husband reminded one fan of Zac Brown. She had the crazy idea of sending him a hat in hope that he would wear it in memory of my daughter Bryn. The idea grew and became a campaign. My family, friends, and of course my fans got involved and flooded the band's Facebook page, Twitter, and website asking for a response. 

We waited, but never heard back. And I was ok with that. Maybe a little disappointed, but the point of the whole thing was to remember Bryn and help lift my spirits during an impossibly difficult time. You did that tenfold, so for me it was already in part a success.

Back to my amazing fans. A few very dedicated and loving people continued on the hunt to find someone, anyone, who could get the hat in Zac Brown's hands. A full year later, one found success. I got in touch with a friend of Zac's who volunteered to do whatever he could to help. I immediately made two new hats to send, the original Shockwave and an Avalanche, to give him a choice. I also couldn't resist making a matching one for his baby boy on the way. 

More waiting. I thought about the campaign off and on, I'd get the occasional message that someone saw him wearing my beanie only to find out that it wasn't. But again, I was honored to have come so far with the dream. 

Yesterday it came true. I got a message of another sighting and I thought, "here it comes, another false alarm." I watched the video and as the camera panned in I thought, this might be it but it was still too far away. And then I saw it. Instantly I had tears running down my cheeks through my smile. I felt overwhelming joy knowing that he was giving Bryn this little shoutout. For a brief moment, she touched his life too. It was like an inside secret and the feeling is indescribable. I feel like I'm on the cover of the Rolling Stone!!!

Thank you's seem trivial, but they truly come from my heart to the woman with the idea, the fans who jumped in, the woman who wouldn't give up, the man who volunteered, and of course Zac Brown himself.

It still amazes and overwhelms me that so many people did all they could to make this one idea happen. It's a testament to the caring and support of our little community. And it was for my girl. Even though Bryn's not here, her spirit will continue to bring smiles, love, and sparkles forever. She and God are definitely watching me smile today. Mommy loves you more than candy.

Find out more...

• The original campaign
• One year later and the hats I sent
• Playin' Hooky with ZBB in the Rolling Stone (the video)
• The news on the official ZBB website

play hard ~ play hooky