|
|
|
|
|
HoofPrints Newsletter
|
May 5, 2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THIS NEWSLETTERFarriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for farrier husband Rob. Along the way we became HoofPrints.com, too, adding a selection of fun horse and dog products geared toward women of a certain age. 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW!
Cowboy 10 Commandments
1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No telling tales or gossipin'
4. Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
5. Put nothin' before God.
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
7. No killin'.
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don't take what ain't yers.
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.
This sturdy embossed tin sign measures 11" wide by 16" tall. It's drilled for hanging and the price is UNDER $10! To order click here.
|
NEW!
Horse Breeds Playing Cards & Dice 2 Decks of Casino Quality Playing Cards and 5 Dice, displayed in a felt lined collectible tin in an impressive sturdy full color clam shell package.
These cards feature a unique Horse Breeds of the world image for each card of the suit. Great as a gift, or to keep around for get-togethers, etc. Put away the Iphone or the computer and play some old fashioned card games! For only $14.95, these make impressive, thoughtful gifts. To order click here.
|
The Doctor Is In! All I Pay My Psychiatrist is the Cost of Feed and Hay - and he'll listen to me any day!
Here is a delightful way to keep track of those early May temps we've been experiencing! We found this spiffy metal thermometer - with the perfect horse saying - for only $14.95! It's made of durable, fade resistant tin, measures a big 17" tall, and is suitable for indoor our outdoor use. The thermometer glass is a FULL 6" tall - and the numbers are big enough to read easily.
What a great (and useful) gift idea for a horse-loving friend. And it's inexpensive enough to send "just because".
I have dozens of folks I call my friends - that I've met along my "horse challenge journey", who I have never actually met in person. They're part of various internet communities that I frequent, and they've all helped me immensely with their wise words and advice for all manner of equine quandaries. Training, nutrition, tack - you name it - someone in cyberspace has answered my questions about it. In my experience, this information has proven to be every bit as helpful and valuable as the advice that I have gotten from a myriad of professionals that I have PAID along the way. When one of my internet friends goes out of his or her way to help me - I always wish I had something appropriate that I could send as a thank you gift. This is the PERFECT solution. To order one for yourself or for your friend(s) click here. |
 CRAPPY GIFT IDEA FOR MOM... Horse keeping is the only hobby I know of - that for the most part the cleaning up is not considered revolting drudgery. By contrast - no cat lover speaks of litter box cleaning as "therapeutic" (ha ha)
When we started paying attention, we realized that we had lots of products that make reference to that equine by-product - horse manure. Hence the "Crappy Gift Ideas". Shown here is our SAME SH*T, DIFFERENT DAY mug. If you're like me, you're not exactly "Little Miss Sunshine" in the morning. Enjoy your morning coffee with this little anti-pick-me-up, and get your crappy thoughts out of the way for the day. Actually, if the worst thing that happens is the same horse manure as the day before, then we've all got it made! This mug holds a full 16 ounces. We've had rave reviews about how nice and heavy it is. The handle is thick and substantial so you can get a good grip - on your coffee and your day. To order click here. The ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PAMPERING YOUR HORSE includes a whole section on the correct techniques for cleaning a stall, including the "Strip, Bank 'n Muck Method" and the "Quickie Fluff & Muck Method". Also helpful hints for freshening and deodorizing, along advice on bedding choices. To order click here. Farrier/Author Ray Legel's book TAILS OF A HORSESHOER includes a crappy chapter; "Road Apple Assault". Ray's candid account of his attack on his now ex-brother-in-law is not something that many folks would be brave enough to put in print about themselves. "...He took off with juicy, green horse s**t smeared from sideburn to sideburn. I really do not think he was licking his lips..." Click here to order - and find out what happened after Ray meted out the deserved punishment on his good-for-nothing brother-in-law. Songwriter / Singer Mary Ann Kennedy even wrote a song; CLEANIN' STALLS. Mary Ann's affinity and appreciation for the finer points of horse care is apparent in each and every one of her songs. Our customers seem to agree - these remain a perennial best-seller for us year after year. We had a customer call last week and order 7 sets! She is confident that all her friends will love these as much as she does. Click here to listen to a snippet of Cleanin' Stalls from Music CD Hoofbeats, Heartbeats & Wings. Several of the phrases on our popular "THINGS NOT TO SAY TO A HORSE OWNER" series make reference to horse manure and that aspect of horsekeeping; "Did you step in something? Your boots stink." "Eew! Horse poop. How do you walk around here?" "Why don't you train him to go outside like a dog, instead of in his stall?" "If you kept the house as neat as the barn, we wouldn't have to look for things." Click here for the rest of the Things Not to Say to a Horse Owner. And last, but not least, our LITTLE BOOK OF HORSE POOP. The perfect silly little stocking stuffer - full of fun and useful facts about horse manure. According to the book, a single horse produces 50 pounds of manure per day, taking an average of three weeks to produce it's own weight in poop. If all the manure produced by horses in the US were properly composted, it would be valued at $147.3 million. With numbers like that, you'd better learn all about it that you can! |
 Note pads with paper made from HORSE MANURE!... With the concern these days about deforestation and the need to recycle, these products are a fantastic example of sustainability and responsible consumption. The folks at PooPooPaper take a material that's available in abundance (Horse Poo) and make functional and completely useful products while sparing a lot of trees in the process. Horses eat lots of grass every day and they poo almost as much. Since their digestive systems don't break down the grass completely, their poo has plenty of fiber! Seeing as though grass is fiber and fiber is the base material used in making pulp for paper, they've devised a special (and sanitary / odor free) process to make the poo into paper.
We found the whole idea great fun, and think you will too. Use the note pads to send "crappy notes" to your co-workers (or even your boss). Keep the journal around for purging crappy thoughts, or writing down crappy ideas, or doing crappy art! The possibilities are endless. This paper has a lovely cream-colored finish, and is speckled throughout with bits of fiber. Just like the fancy stuff from the stationery store. To order click here. |
 RECAP - From the last newsletter
Here's what we talked about last time:
Special Mention for mothers and babies here
Cowgirl Note Cards here
Revisiting weirdness - Macaroni's horse hoof made into an ashtray (with pictures) here
Invisible Woman - a special story for mothers here
PROTECT THIS RIDER pendant here
Crossroads Sculpture Father's Day Gift here
Cowboy (and Cowgirl) Cookbooks here
Research & Development DOG products here
A Dog's Purpose book here
Leather Treat Pouch here
Life is Short, Play with your Dog T-shirt here
Hoof Problems Book UNDER $50! here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Catch up on the news here
|
|
|
|
WHAT'S NEW?
SALE on Spring T's
BIG sale on Springy Horsey T-shirts less than $10 each here! |
|
WHAT'S NEW?
FREE Spring Magnet
with every order shipped, while supplies last. Get one withOUT ordering by sending self addressed, stamped LONG envelope to:
HoofPrints Free Magnet Offer
13849 N 200 E
Alexandria, IN 46001
|
|
Father's Day Gift Idea
Crossroads Sculpture here |
|
WHAT'S ON SALE?
MORE stuff 50% OFF
Won't You Fix My Horse, Too? vintage art print $9.95 here |
|
WHAT'S NEW?
~ Horse Books ~
Horse Tales from Heaven and Heavenly Horse Sense Christian Horse titles here |
|
WHAT'S NEW?
~ Christian Products ~
Cowboy & Cowgirl Bible Pocket Partners here |
|
WHAT'S NEW?
~ for Horsewomen ~
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
|
|
Message
We LOVE hearing from our customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com |
|
Find us on facebook
Be sure to LIKE our facebook page - it's where we announce special sales, breaking news and everything else we find interesting. To see it go here |
|
Our Current Catalog
Request your copy of HoofPrints Spring Catalog by clicking here |
|
Mother's Day is May 13 - here are some ideas to get you started with your shopping. Shown above left is our Horses Leave HoofPrints on Your Heart Hoodie. The logo is intricately embroidered, a detailed hoofprint that we painstakingly developed to look just like the real thing. There's a wispy pink heart in the background, tying the whole idea together on this lovely sky blue hoodie. To see our complete garment selection, click here.
Shown on the right is the cute little silver pony rider has been inspiration for all sorts of products here at HoofPrints. The appropriateness of her nudity (or not) was discussed at length on our Facebook page here.A painting by Edward Robert Hughes serves as inspiration here
She's the logo on the Horsewoman Balm here (LOTS of Mother's Day gift ideas on this page)
We sold a tiny version of the pony girl for a couple years on a silver ball chain. Now we've found a matching large version (should we call her "horsey mama?") and paired her with some colorful, exotic gemstones for an exciting, new effect. These are made right here in Alexandria, Indiana, USA (by me) using stones from all over the world. The pendants are made in USA. To see all the Pony Girl stuff click here. There's still time to order, but not much... shop today! |
|
Memorable Quote:
|
A Virtuous Cycle - The Ripple Effect
In a world of six billion people, it's easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.
Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone's life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.
A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness. - From DailyOM - you can read more, and subscribe here
Gina's note: The above is about spreading positive energy. I also love Shreve Stockton's account of how she manages negative energy on her Daily Coyote blog entry here.
"
There's a powerful video of Nicole performing this sketch here
|
|
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)
|
|
|
|
|
