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HoofPrints Newsletter
November 10, 2012
Rob shoeing Rocky
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. 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.
The Story of Slim Chance
from the 2014 Horses and Hope Calendar: Chance is a 7 year old gelding who ended up at the auction. His breed is unknown, but by the way he flies around the pasture, it's thought that he's a Thoroughbred. Melissa Butensky saw Sarah's pictures of him on the Camelot Horse Weekly Facebook page
and decided he was the one for her.  After a rocky start, Melissa made a plan: she took Chance back to the beginning of his training, and taught him all the things his previous handlers left out. He's now a confident and fun mount for Melissa, and the two of them fly together.

Melissa tells how it started:
"Slim Chance. That's what I thought the odds were that I'd ever have my own horse. As a girl, I tried to convince my parents to keep a horse in our one-car garage and harvest hay from the lawn. That didn't work, so I rode whenever I could and enjoyed even challenging horses.

One morning in May, I was sipping coffee and looking at the Camelot horses on Facebook, hoping to offer a comment or anything that might help. Then I saw him - hip #348, a thin, nameless gray who had trust issues and didn't like the bit. With well-trained horses running through every week, what were his chances of getting out of there safely? Slim at best.

It was at that moment that I lost my mind. No magic fairy was ever going to show up with a gift horse, and looking at pictures was not going to save a life. Life is too short; I just had to make it work. With the support of my wonderful husband and enthusiastic boys, #348 became mine.
 
Ours was not an easy journey. Chance wouldn't stand still for anything. He would seem quiet when he was actually nervous, and would act nervous when he was just being bossy. After a year of struggling, I was afraid I'd never be able to ride him, but the sale loomed large and I could not give up on him.  Expert trainer Jeane DeVries taught me to recognize the difference between scared and obstinate, and gave me the tools and skills I needed to work with him.

Today, Chance is a different horse - curious, willing, energetic, funny, and a bit of a nosey rascal. Every milestone we reach together is a thrill to me."

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTES:
Whether Chance races around the pasture at liberty or floats across the arena under saddle with Melissa, it is clear that he is relaxed, settled, and comfortable. With hours of patient work, Melissa unlocked his potential and has helped him to become a lovely riding horse. She had no timeline, no deadline, and no expectations, and Chance rewarded her patience. It is a joy to see the two of them out on the trails or just spending time together at the barn. Every horse should be so lucky to have a human who not only takes a "chance" but also works hard to understand him. - SKA

See more pictures of Chance and Melissa on Sarah's blog here
HORSES & HOPE Calendar for 2014 is still at the printer. We will begin shipping orders shortly.
In the meantime, you can HELP US HELP THE HORSES by sharing the calendar with your horsey friends. 
In return we'll send you a FREE MAGNET as shown above featuring the cover art and the quote by Anne Lamott;
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." 
All you have to do is tell your friends about the calendar, via Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, blogging, whatever - let us know where you did so using this form.

Things you can read and share:
Horses and Hope Calendar Project Facebook Page (liking this page automatically enters you in a drawing for a FREE calendar)

Blog posts that feature stories from the Horses & Hope Calendar:
The Story of Slim Chance
Standardbreds at Horse Rescue United
Retired Racehorse Training Project
HoofPrints page to order the calendar is here 

Turd Sign
A CRAPPY SIGN tells folks where to go
If you are going to act like a TURD - Go lay in the YARD...
This goofy wood sign is a big hit every holiday season. It's surprisingly nice (if you can say that about something that refers to a turd). It's made of solid wood, screenprinted in multiple colors for a rustic look, and then framed with a raised edge (also in wood). It's got a hanger on the back, and measures an impressive 8.5" wide x 14.5" tall.

This is actually the first thing I go to when needing to choose an item for a White Elephant Gift Exchange; it's a good price (just under $20.) It always gets a chuckle, and is usually coveted by multiple gift openers before the game is over. To order click here here.  

Christmas on the Farm
was a huge hit last fall. I kept it a secret because I couldn't get any.
Yup, the publisher let themselves RUN OUT of a CHRISTMAS title in the months preceding Christmas. That's an example of what makes mail order so fun/exciting (not) - as I was told when I put it in 100,000 catalogs they had good stock on this and it is a fairly new book (albeit a compilation of vintage material) I had a lot of disappointed customers who tried to order and couldn't. Anyway, now it's back and I can tell you all about it!
Christmas on the Farm is a Collection of Favorite Recipes, Stories, Gift Ideas and Decorating Tips from The Farmer's Wife magazine.

Christmas was the be-all, end-all celebration on the farm. Pages and pages on the topic appeared in The Farmer's Wife (published 1893-1939), and these pages weren't just about food-although recipes for all the various components of parties and holiday gift baskets certainly abounded.

The magazine's experts expounded on the best and latest ways to decorate home, tree, and parcels and to create homemade gifts for family and friends, as well as games to be played to capture the spirit of the season. In short, The Farmer's Wife presented its own opinion-both grand and humble, broad and minute, and always, always bearing in mind the idea of community among its readers-about the ways in which Christmas should be celebrated.

You'll find in this book a smattering of that opinion. Here are recipes to see you through the entire Christmas season; gift ideas guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing; tips for decking your halls; and even a few stories to delight both the young and the young at heart.

Even though this excerpt was first published in 1911, it's words are still relevant today:
 "Do's and Don'ts for Christmas" Pledge
Do, if you can keep it, sign this pledge. It was circulated by some enthusiastic young reformer and called "Yours for a courageous, sincere, and Christly Christmas" -
I will give no gift which I cannot afford.
I will give no gift which has not love behind it.
I will give some gifts which shall not be exchange gifts at all but genuine generosity to someone to whom it will mean very much.
Don't do up a parcel in such poor wrapping paper or in such a flimsy manner that the wrapper may easily be torn and separated from the contents.
Don't fail to put your name and address, preceded by the word "from", on the upper left-hand corner of every piece of mai.
Don't forget to mail parcels early.
Don't say that you expect nothing. You know that would not be so.
Don't sigh for a baby grand piano if a barrel of flour would do you more good.
Don't forget, if you are going to play Santa Claus, that cotton is not as innocent as it looks.
Don't go around complaining that the true spirit of Christmas has departed. That is not the way to bring it back.
Don't forget you were a child once yourself.
Don't give simply for the purpose of showing that you can afford to do so.
Don't value the gift by the amount of its cost.
Don't put aside until tomorrow the good cheer you may spread today.

To order Christmas on the Farm click here
Clean Up CLOSEUP
 
SPRING CLEANING - (now FALL cleaning) continues at HoofPrints
My efforts to clear the warehouse (and my house- house) of accumulated oddball products continues to gain momentum. I've written about it before. The point continues to be, sometimes the space becomes more valuable than the items that are occupying it. So this is where most places say... "our loss is your gain!" Well, check out this super-cheap stuff and BUY IT. And your gain will be my gain, too. Because I need that space on the shelf. 
 
The Half Price Page is here - check this often as they're one-of-a-kind things that will sell quickly and be replaced with whatever else starts to get on my nerves. I am currently going through a large stash of samples* - so many wonderful things, it's hard to choose just a handful for the catalog. And the rest have got to go! Only one of each available so act fast if you see something you like.

*A note about the samples - Someone made a comment on the HoofPrints Facebook page that the samples are free to me and implied should thus be priced accordingly. Just to set the record straight - I pay for almost every sample I acquire. Occasionally an author or publisher will send me a book unsolicited, but I prefer to buy these anonymously so if I review and don't think it is a good fit for the product line, I don't feel guilty about not including it.

Half Price PRINTS are here - there are a lot of lovely prints languishing in drawers here that really should be hanging on folks' walls making them smile and beautifying their homes. Summer is NOT the time that people are inclined for "nesting" - that usually happens during the colder months when everyone's inside. But fall/winter is busy season here and I don't encourage print sales then - I don't have the extra time it takes to wrap these carefully for safe delivery. I've marked them way down now to sweeten the deal. 

ALSO New is Half Price JEWELRY here - The more I got to digging, the more I found. Jewelry doesn't take up much room - suffice to say there is a LOT of lovely stuff that needs to find a new home. Then there's that whole problem I have with the beads. It's getting worse. Stay tuned for details on that.

Newest is Half Price Books & Magazine Back Issues here
This represents a major turning point for HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling. This treasure trove of magazine back issues has been lovingly collected and hoarded for many, many years. It's getting to be a space problem, keeping them all stored AND due to the sheer volume of them, along with my busy schedule, they rarely get any attention. But even now, as I go through them to write sales descriptions, I am feeling sad at the prospect of letting go of this vast collection of pictures and articles about all the things I love - Horses, Dogs, Farriery and Blacksmithing, The West, Pretty Western Clothes and Jewelry, Awesome Country Homes, Recipes for Hearty Food, Healthy Living, Spirituality and more. I'll do my best to mention the content that stands out to me in the descriptions. Prices on these back issues reflect the fact that I am still very much in love with them, however they are at or below what the publishers are charging. The current sales list is small, but I'll be adding more as I am able; going through these is a slow process, as you can imagine, I get sidetracked frequently by all the fascinating content that lead me to hoard these in the first place.

Our Closeouts Page is here - it features items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too.

In This Issue
Horses & Hope for 2013
Manure Movers Sweatshirt
Christmas on the Farm
Links to SALE items
Underwater Dogs Calendar
Breyer Stablemate only $8.95
Request a catalog
Here's what we talked about last time
What Did I Miss? graphic
Last newsletter is here
ALL newsletters are here
It'll be here before you know it! Order Christmas Cards now

FOUR favorite horsey Christmas card designs plus all our old favorites are here
Underwater Dogs Calendar FREE
2014 Underwater Dogs
FREE 2013 Underwater Dogs Calendar with purchase of the 2014 version
This is not your typical dog calendar, picturing beautiful specimens of various breeds - this one features a shocking new image each month - of a freakishly distorted dog(s) face - as he or she plunges into the water to retrieve a toy! Calendars pages make great scrapbook page backgrounds too - example here.
To order click here
Breyer Pink Stablemate
Breyer pink stablemate
A sweet little gift that's only $8.95! To order click here
INSPIRATIONAL STRETCH BRACELETS
Stretch Bracelets 4
These comfortable stretchy elastic bands feature a two sided message plaque with horse charm. One size fits most - band is about 7" unstretched.
I love the fun messages that these feature: 

 

"I'm Still Hot - It Just Comes In Flashes Now"

 

"Life is Tough - But I Am Tougher"  

"The Biggest Risk In Life - Is the One You Don't Take"

"Count Your Blessings -  
Not Your Troubles"

 
They're inexpensive, lightweight and fun. They come nicely packaged on flat cards, so could be mailed (also inexpensively) as a thoughtful gift along with a card.

These are only $9.95 each and I have a special deal going - BUY 3 - GET THE 4TH FREE! To order click here.
 

~ for Horsewomen ~
Long Tall List of Things To Do
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
Keep Calm & RIDE ON!
Keep Calm Necklace
Vintage glass dome
necklace here
Spiritual Book
Desiderata cover
Desiderata for Horse Lovers makes a great gift! order here
Message

We LOVE hearing from our customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner
Gina Keesling via email at [email protected]
 
Find us on facebook
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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
 
NO Catalog this fall!

After 20+ years of doing a catalog, I decided to save some trees and encourage folks to shop online - to get started click here.
You can still sign up to be on the mailing list  here
 
Quick Links
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)