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HoofPrints Newsletter
January 29, 2012 Issue - Don't forget: 20% OFF SALE ends 1/31/12!
Preserve your horsey memories! Shown here is a sample scrapbook page
"All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl" (even if that 'little girl' is 50 years old) 
Billy Scrapbook album pages Even the "ordinary" story of taking a guided trail ride on vacation is potential scrapbook material. Shown above are scrapbook pages of HoofPrints' owner Gina Keeslings' mementos of a very big souvenir brought home from a South Dakota vacation. Old, worn-out Quarter Horse Billy earned himself a cushy retirement by doing his job well, carrying Keesling on a fun trail ride through the Black Hills. And silly stuff that you'd ordinarily toss has the potential to incite the fondest memories years down the road. Billy's sales receipt (an official document needed by the hauler for transport from South Dakota to Indiana) was scribbled on a restaurant receipt. A picture of Billy at his old job was found on former owner's trail ride business website. A photo of the picturesque highway leading into the vacation destination town was found via a Google search. The borders, stickers "r-i-d-e",  "howdy", etc, are from our Cowgirls Scrapbook Kit (sold here)  And, the lovely photo backgrounds are pages from the Horses and Hope Calendar here, which fit perfectly into our Tooled Leather Scrapbook Binder (order that here).

Gina's note: My mom is the photo-archivist in our family - she's always there snapping pictures to document every event - large or small. One of the best gifts I have EVER received in my life, bar none, is the scrapbook she presented to me as a college graduation gift. It was chronologically arranged, from my birth through all my school years, and finally college. Most of the photos had horses, and there were lots of newspaper clippings of 4-H accomplishments and what-not. Little mementos that didn't seem like they should be important enough to even save, suddenly became part of a cohesive story that documented my life from birth, until that day. What a wonderful treasure - a visual spark for hundreds of small memories that otherwise would have been forgotten. Thanks Mom!
Another scrapbook helper - that didn't start out that way...
Sarah K. Andrew's Horses and Hope Calendar is a work of art
SKA calendar August page that is continuing to help horses with 100% of profit being donated to One Horse At A Time. Yet another awesome thing about these calendars is that they are sized (12"x12") to fit perfectly into our Scrapbook Binder pages. So, once the year is past, you can use the lovely photos as backgrounds for your creations. (That's what we did above)

Can't you just visualize the photo shown here surrounded by small newspaper clippings or other ephemera*? Each month also has an inspirational quote that could also be incorporated in the page. Many of the months have dramatic, dark backgrounds - perfect for lettering with a silver (or gold) paint marker. If you've not ordered your calendar yet (or want to get additional copies) you can do that here.

*What's ephemera?  Ephemera is anything that wouldn't normally be considered something to collect, save, cherish or keep. Such as playing cards, fabric scraps, postcards, coins and paper money, ticket stubs, keys, old maps, watch parts, feathers or hair, leaves, office objects like paper clips, post-its, Rolodex cards, magazine ads, etc. More about ephemera here. 

Still think you're not creative enough, or don't have enough stuff to put together an interesting scrapbook? Check out the treasure trove of ideas here. There are ideas for just about everything, including suggestions for wording, tutorials, and a whole hoard of other inspiration. They even say a good place to start looking for fun ephemera is your junk drawer! 
More about preserving memories...
This is so incredibly important, please take a moment to consider
Beautiful Jim Key Book Cover how many times you've stumbled upon a forgotten photograph, or other momento that brought with it a flood of wonderful memories. Memories that may well have faded into obscurity had you not had a visual reminder of the time in your past.
There's no better time than the present to archive mementos from a horsewoman (or man)'s life. Many a great story has been told based on someone's "ordinary" life and the accompanying memories. Having something tangible to pass on is of utmost importance.

The wonderful story of Beautiful Jim Key would have been lost forever had author Mim Eichler Rivas not stumbled upon a dusty old trunk of mementos and newspaper clippings that Dr. Key had collected, chronicling his and his horse's life. Her discovery propelled her on a journey by which she pieced together this incredible true story of a man and his horse. Rivas' exhaustive research led her to a variety of sources, a significant amount being personal collections and mementos (scrapbooks) as well as libraries and other genealogical sources. The photo used on the cover belies it's fragile heritage - creased and frayed - it could have easily been discarded because of the damage - a snapshot of important history would have been lost forever.

The back of the book cites all these sources - a whopping 42 pages worth! So, if the story wasn't wonderful enough by itself, you can marvel at the incredible thoroughness by which the author researched the facts and wove them into a cohesive (true) tale. Here's an excerpt from the author's note at the beginning of the book:
"Initial research very quickly turned up a wealth of documentation that provided answers. But other questions emerged, questions that plagued Beautiful Jim Key even at the height of his career. Was his act a hoax? Were ten million Americans taken for a ride? On the other hand, if Bill and Jim were faking it, what kind of elaborate system allowed them to pull it off?

These questions will be explored in the pages ahead. In order to both validate this story and allow readers to determine what processes were and weren't at work, I have resisted my storytelling temptation to invent scenic details and dialogue as texture to this narrative. Dialogue in quotation marks is quoted from actual sources; scenes described in detail are likewise taken from detailed documents, except in those instances where I have added connective tissue between events when certain moments have been suggested by sources but can still be considered speculative."

Wow. It's a marvel to consider that this gripping, "can't-put-it-down" story that's chock-full of rich (and historically accurate) detail, is pieced together with information gleaned from SCRAPBOOKS.

20% OFF Customer Appreciation Sale Ends Tuesday Jan 31!
Just a reminder - you can get 20% off your entire order through 1/31/12
Thanks banner 2012 All year we field calls and emails from customers asking how they can get a COUPON CODE that is requested online for special discounts/sales. The truth is, we don't do that very often. We pretty much need to sell our items for full price in order to maintain our business. Click here to download a short, but very enlightening article about how consumer-driven discounting ultimately has become a vicious cycle that's undermined the stability of our economy, and has cost more than anyone could have ever imagined. Then, before you order, view this coupon code NOT AS A DISCOUNT, but as a GIFT OF APPRECIATION from us to you.

With that said, in celebration of the successful completion of yet another year - we are offering this gift to all of you who've supported us along the way. Click here to get started. Remember, you need to enter the coupon code TY20 in the special box at checkout time in order to get the discount. The coupon code also works on our CLOSEOUT ITEMS and HALF PRICE ITEMS - so you get even more savings on those already marked-down products!  The fine print: Offer ends 1/31/12, and canNOT be used on previously placed orders.

Shown here is our Framed Mule Print titled Stop for a Fix. This lovely picture by Larry Schultz depicts a farrier and mule who are NOT at odds - each a servant carrying a "load". We've paired it with the phrase "You can tell a lot about a man by whether he asks for a light load or a strong back." , double matted it, and framed it with horseshoe (mule shoe) frame stock. You can also add your own custom wording at no extra charge. Click here for details.
Recap - From the last newsletter...
Here's what we talked about last time:
Ondov Book Set New book Heavenly Horse Sense here
Horse Woman's Balm
top pick for dry skin issues here
Deerskin & Pewter Necklace here
Purses
best way to use 20% discount here
Comments on Positive Training Products here
Come Join the fun with us on Facebook here
I'm Listening With A Broken Ear
book here 
Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife Horses here  
Tails of a Horseshoer
hilarious book by Ray Legel here 
Top Five HoofPrints Customer Favorites
here

Cavalia DVDs & books
here
I Only Clean Up After My Horse Sweatshirt here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
More about HoofPrints 
Be sure to check out the "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section 
Rob shoeing RockyABOUT THE COMPANY
Farriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for her farrier husband Rob.

 ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
It's written by Gina Keesling, and 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 maybe some personal stuff. Let me know if you like it, and if you don't. We aim to please.

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This week's quote is by Mim Eichler Rivas:

"During the late 1800's, a time that called forth for a being like Beautiful Jim Key, animal rights activists - many of the same groups who promoted such outlandish ideas as women's suffrage, racial equality, conservation, literacy, the humane reform of labor, welfare, schools, and prisons - were generally viewed as radicals and kooks. In a kind of spooky rerun, current advocates for animal and environmental protection - in fact, most progressive organizations - are once again being labeled extremists and nuisances. "Special interest groups."
 
In an age of terror, war, and plagues - by no means exclusive to our times - the values of nonviolence, tolerance, kindness, and the quest for peace on our fragile planet seem to have fallen into disrepute.

Maybe that's why this story has resurfaced now. It's possible that a horse and a man of color from Tennessee have as much to teach us today as they did at the turn of the last century. Maybe more."

from Beautiful Jim Key

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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner 

 Contact Information

GOOD STUFF :
This one was shared on Facebook. Artist is Charles Barsotti
Dog in heaven cartoon Here's what Wikipedia says about him: "Charles Barsotti (born 1933)  is an American cartoonist who has contributed cartoons to major magazines.
Born in San Marcos, Texas, Barsotti grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Texas State University in 1955. He has been the cartoon editor of The Saturday Evening Post and has been a staff cartoonist at The New Yorker since 1970. His work has also appeared in Playboy and Fast Company, among other publications. A signature artist whose rounded, elegant, sparsely detailed style evokes both the traditional world of a James Thurber and the contemporary sensibility of a Roz Chast. Barsotti's work features a simple repertory including a nameless, lovable pooch and a monarch whose kingdom consists of a guard and a telephone.
In 1992, his dog character was adopted as a logo by the office supplies company Niceday Ltd, which was taken over the French company Guilbert, leading to the nickname "Niceday pup" in the United Kingdom. On 26 February 1996, the pup also appeared on one of three United Kingdom postage stamps featuring Barsotti's cartoons."

A google image search yields a prolific amount of Barsotti cartoons, many of them featuring the lovable little dog here.

Want to see more GOOD STUFF that we like? Be sure to click "Like" on our Facebook page here. You'll get to see all sorts of random things like what's above, that we find and share.

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 the Forward email link below to get started. (please note - using this form does NOT subscribe anyone to our list - it is a one-time only forward)