HoofPrints Newsletter
September 5, 2011 Labor Day Issue
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PROTECT THIS RIDER... and the HORSE SHE RODE IN ON
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New Lead-free Pewter Pendant from Sweet Bird Studio
|  is made in USA, and hangs on a beefy ball chain. Sweet Bird's stuff is awesome, and I have fawned over it for a long time, but she works in sterling silver mostly, and with found objects, antique imprinted tin, stones, baubles, etc - so her stuff is expensive AND one of a kind. More appropriate for an upscale boutique where customers can see in person than for catalog sales.
So, I was delighted to learn that this hand-stamped PROTECT THIS RIDER medallion is being produced in pewter. This is a great little company and we are proud to support them.
In the words of the owner Nancy Anderson:
"Stand for something. Release the brakes. Be your own hero. Tell kids they have the power to change the world. Go outside and get dirty. Rethink the idea of cool. Remember when cool meant different? Turn off the cell phone and have a conversation with the person next to you. Legalize freedom by causing a riot in your soul. Write your own eulogy. NOW live it. And when you're going through hell, keep going. Via Con Dios..." -Nancy
To order PROTECT THIS RIDER click here
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Hungry? We've got cookbooks for that... The Trail Boss's Cowboy
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Cookbook includes 458 recipes from 24 states & 8 countries
|  Not just a meat-and-potatoes cookbook, this collection of authentic rangeland dishes and the historical notes behind them will surprise and satisfy everyone from seasoned gourmets to casual cooks. With recipes for foods in 31 categories, including hors d'oevres, sauces and condiments, casseroles, game, Mexican dishes, breads, cakes and pies, and of course, meat and poultry; compiled by the Society for Range Management. This book contains recipes for traditional dishes prepared for cowboys working on the range. Some of the recipes have been handed down in ranch families for generations.
There's nothing fancy about food prepared by cooks who man the chuckwagon. It is plain, wholesome fare designed to satisfy the appetites of men who spend long hours in the saddle. But such hearty dishes can be appreciated by the most discriminating palate.
Here's one that sounds good:
Garbage Can Dinner (For a very large crowd) Layer 1 - scraped carrots (whole) Layer 2 - unpeeled potatoes (whole) Layer 3 - onions (whole) Layer 4 - corn on the cob Layer 5 - cabbage wedges Layer 6 - sliced & tied ham and/or polish sausages In a new garbage can (30 gal) or large restaurant cooking container: Place 2" of corn husks in the bottom, add a grate. Then add at least 2" of boiling water. Place layers of vegetables and meat according to above sequence. Place on outdoor fire or grill and steam for 1-2 hours.
Gina's note: I am not sure I would recommend using an actual garbage can, since they're not made for heat/food prep - but it makes for a great, memorable recipe name. Any huge cooking pot would work - and it would be easy to scale the proportions according to the amount of folks you're needing to feed.
To order click here
To see another yummy recipe from the CowGIRL's Cookbook, click here
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OMG - who's thinking about CHRISTMAS!?!
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I am... and last week it was 100 degrees out...
|  but we have to press on with the planning, otherwise our loyal catalog recipients would have no gift giving ideas come fall. Here's a fun find - a new area for us as we've not done holiday-themed clothing in the past.
Oh what fun it is to Ride... imprinted in wintry white on a soft, long sleeve red t-shirt. What could be better to usher in the holiday season?
Order yours early here.
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WHERE'S MY STUFF? PLEASE READ:
| If you've been waiting patiently for the item(s) you ordered
|  Sometimes I get so excited about new stuff that I put it out there for sale before it's actually on the shelves. Most times this is not a problem, however occasionally things can, and do, go wrong.
I will start with the BEST NEWS: Many of you pounced on the Deerskin Heart Necklace when we talked about it here. And rightfully so - it's an awesome bargain for a unique piece of American made jewelry at only $24.95. The artist was in the process of casting these and our order took a while to complete. They are HERE NOW and if your order was waiting for one it will go out Tuesday (9/6)
Some GOOD NEWS: Probably the longest "waiters" are those who wanted the Farriers Wood Grain Travel Mug. Some of you have actually waited YEARS since this was discontinued for us to get it back in stock. They're en route from the vendor now and we hope to see them this week.
Some INTERESTING NEWS that I wish were better: We got off to a rocky start with the company who's printing our Courage Mugs. We sell lots of mugs and it's typically not a complicated process to get them made. Not all manufacturers carry the same styles, so we searched until we found a new vendor who had the exact color/shape we were looking for. Maybe the planets were aligned wrong... I don't know what - but we had big trouble getting this order to move forward. "We received your payment - please send art." -then- "We have your art but we can't make a proof until we receive your payment." -then- "Can you send the art again? We don't have it." -then- "The art you sent won't work, please resend." -then- "The person who does the proofs is out of the office for the rest of the week." -interspersed several times with- "I can't find an order with that PO number." Anyone who thinks it might be fun/easy to buy products to resell and make big bucks might want to walk a mile in my moccasins that week... especially after I got word that shipping on this order (just 4 boxes coming from not that far away) is going to be $150. Sigh... Anyway, in a fit of frustration, I placed a second order with a different vendor (whose prices were higher) So, now I have TWO orders for Courage Mugs en route. We will see whose gets here first. The GOOD NEWS on this is there will be plenty to go around once they get here!
Thanks, everyone, for your patience. It's the early sales like these on new products that buoy my spirits and keep me slogging through the almost-insurmountable project of creating new items AND putting together the catalog that we mail to sell them.
The catalog that will be 48 (gasp!) pages this time. Pray for me.
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Recap - From the last newsletter
| Here's what we talked about last time:
|  Life is Short, Play with Your Dog T-shirt here
Snuggly Turquoise Thermal Jacket here
KEEP CALM & HANG ON Sweatshirt here
Pink Heart Riding Gloves here
We encountered an angel - story here
Copper HoofPrint & Yak Bone Bracelet here
Handle Stess Like a Dog wood sign made in USA here
New Gloves for Farriers save your hands here
Adams Lameness in Horses NEW 6th edition here
Dog Lovers Scrapbook and cute Doggy Memory Kit here
All our dog stuff showcased online here
I MAKE HORSE CALLS books here
3 Horsey T-shirts - set for UNDER $40. here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
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| More about HoofPrints - and miscellaneous ramblings from Gina | | Check out our NEW "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section! |  ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THIS NEWSLETTER
Farriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for farrier husband Rob. This newsletter is emailed to subscribers a few times a month, depending on how often I have something to share. Watch for special sales, interesting stories, uplifting quotes and more.
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This week's quote is by recovering addict Mark Olmsted:
"After moving to a working class neighborhood in Los Angeles, my first reaction to the trash-filled streets was to say a well-known prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." As I walked my dog every day, I thought the litter was something I just had to accept. After all, what was I supposed to do? Pick it up?
The thought was like a pebble in my shoe. Try as I might I just couldn't shake it loose..." Find out what happened next here -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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GOOD STUFF: The rest of the story
| With special thanks to Fran Jurga and her Hoof Blog
|  I can always count on Fran to find the most interesting news to share with the farrier and horse world. First, click here and listen to this Paul Harvey clip. If you don't already know what he's talking about, you'll be surprised at the end. If you DO know what he's talking about, you'll likely still be surprised at some of the details in his story.
Then, if you've got some hours to spare, check out Fran's 2 blogs:
THE HOOF BLOG and THE JURGA REPORT
They both go back for years - each post as fascinating as the one before. Way to go, Fran!
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Share our emails
| Viral marketing... it sounds bad, doesn't it?
| You can ask my husband - a frequent topic around here is that of forwarded emails - and the psychology behind them - just WHAT prompts people to decide; "I am going to send this to everyone I know!".
We receive a lot of them. Some are pretty good, and others are dumb. Dumb in a myriad of ways... Alarmist email rumors that have been around forever - that folks keep sending "just in case it's true" Pictures of someone's butt (or worse) - don't even get me started about the firecracker butt - but at least that one was timely when it showed up around July 4. Christian messages that are uplifting - until you get to the end and you're threatened "if you're not ashamed that you love Jesus, forward this - if you are, then delete." Pictures of cute puppies and kittens (awww)
I enjoy writing these newsletters - and sharing all this stuff with you all. But the fact is, it's also a way to help us stay connected with customers and sell products during the time between catalog mailings (which is only once a year) So I really, really like it when someone new stumbles upon the newsletter and is excited to "discover" our company and the products we offer.
In all my efforts to make the newsletter interesting and forward-worthy - it never occurred to me to JUST ASK you all to send it! Duh. Sometimes the obvious is elusive, I guess. So here goes - my request to ask you to forward our email newsletter to your horsey friends. All we ask is that you please be judicious and only send to folks who might be interested. Otherwise we are no better than the "firecracker butt". Click to get started. (please note - using this form does NOT subscribe anyone to our list - it is a one-time only forward) |
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