|
|
|
|
|
HoofPrints Newsletter
|
April 22, 2014
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 the company 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A funny story involving crazy dogs
First, a little background: Longtime subscribers already know
 | Bailey never holds still.
Here she is mid-roll |
that I have been on an epic journey involving my horsemanship. I went along fine for years, quite fearlessly, with no trouble at all from my mounts. Then, I got a little (ahem) older, and along came a horse (chestnut mare Allie) who didn't appreciate my bossy attitude. We had some spectacular confrontations that left me shaken to the core, any confidence I had in my abilities to ride, let alone train, was vaporized. I spent considerable time sulking, in a despair that no animal would ever want anything to do with any kind of partnership involving me.
Then, along came Bailey. Bailey's a black lab who was dumped here at our farm a few years ago. She could be legitimately classified as a "crazy dog". Her default behavior is jumping. Like she as springs for legs. For the most part I've stifled her her urge to jump and put feet ON people - but that doesn't stop her from springing along beside me as I walk, leaping shoulder high and occasionally planting a friendly lick to my cheek. Which I allow as long as no muddy paws touch my clothes. A little weird, but she's a happy girl, and tries really hard to please. As I worked on helping her improve her manners, she proved to be an astoundingly willing pupil - and would try anything I asked her to do. If she didn't understand a request, she just kept offering up answers until she got it right. And jumping.
So an idea hatched in my head. Finally, an animal who is totally interested in working with me - no matter how badly I messed up - she just kept trying. In between bouts of leaping around. It was the perfect solution for my lack of confidence. A happy-go-lucky dog that was always ready to learn, AND was not one bit scary or dangerous to interact with. Unlike my poor Allie who'd learned to consider freaking out as her best option whenever my cues got muddled or I lost my confidence.
I signed Bailey and I up for an obedience course and she passed her tests with flying colors under the tutelage of a lovely positive trainer who helped me work on my cues, timing, and rewards. There's a story about that here. Even though it wasn't part of the curriculum for the class, at home I experimented with makeshift jumps (buckets with a stick across) to take advantage of Bailey's propensity for flamboyant leaping. Soon, I could hold any sort of rod (usually a broom handle) and she'd joyfully leap it - back and forth - until I told her to stop. It is a game she never grows tired of.
 | | Tony Hoard and Sprocket (the Rocket) . Sprocket's a heeler mix who was rescued from a shelter. The dogs all wore little boots to give them traction on the slick wood floor. |
Recently, the Jay County Humane Society hosted a fundraising event featuring Tony Hoard and his troupe of performing dogs. I attended with my parents and son, and was impressed with what I saw. High energy dogs, zooming around catching frisbees, jumping over things, doing acrobatics, etc. Tony's proclaimed "crazy dog" Sprocket had a special Frisbee that, as a reward, he was allowed to attack like some sort of rabid fiend. Not what I would expect to see as a conventional reward, but it was apparently very meaningful to this particular dog. As we watched the variety of tricks, at one point Tony squatted down, held his arm out at shoulder height, and his dog raced toward him and leaped smartly over his outstretched arm.
I commented to my son that I was sure that my Bailey could do that trick.
The performance came to an end and I made the hour-long trek home. It was late when I got here, and time for the dogs to go to the barn to sleep in their cozy straw nest for the night. Even though it was bedtime and I was really tired, I just had to try the jump over the outstretched arm trick. I squatted down and held out my arm and told her to "JUMP!" She just wasn't getting it. She kept running up and sniffing my hand - which was, sensibly, a variation of a targeting exercise that we'd learned in the obedience course. Then, I had the bright idea to get the broomstick that she already knows how to jump over, and hold it out as an extension of my arm - until she figured out that I wanted her to jump over my arm.
More background: Whenever this dog sees me get out the broom - she excitedly starts randomly leaping around in anticipation. So, when I squat down to hold it out to the side, she isn't expecting that and she is still randomly jumping. Except this time my face is down on her level, and she leaps into me. Her head hit me right in the chin. Hard. It knocked me down. I bit my tongue and can feel crunchy pieces of broken tooth in my mouth because we collided so hard.
At this point, I am sitting there on the barn floor, trying to sort out if the impact has knocked a crown off my tooth , and figuring out where all the blood in my mouth is coming from... still holding the broomstick in my hand. As the stars start to recede from my field of vision, I can see that Bailey's there, frantically jumping over it - back and forth - over and over again - waiting for me to notice her. I can't help but laugh at her continued effort, even though my jaw feels like it's quite a bit further to the right than it really should be.
Fortunately, it must have been just a small chip off the still attached crown (or somewhere else) because I never could figure out where that grit in my mouth came from. And I didn't have a bruise on my face, thankfully, but my neck was sore from being torqued by by the hit to the side of my chin. So much for dog training as a completely safe endeavor. I never considered that I could get clocked in the chin like a boxer by a 50# dog!
As a follow-up, not to be bested by the unfortunate chin incident, I figured out a safer way to practice this trick. Rather than issue the "JUMP!" command willy nilly, I instead place Bailey in a sit/stay position a short distance away. Where she can barely contain herself, tail wagging and butt wiggling, until I then give the "JUMP!" command. I am a lot safer - as her focus is on what she's supposed to be jumping, and she heads straight for it as soon as she's told to. My next plan of action is to attempt to get some video of these silly antics, so I can share with you all. Still pics are a dismal failure as all I can capture is a black blur...
|
Preserve your doggy memories!
Life with Bailey has been an adventure, so there was no shortage of ephemera to use in this example. I decided to focus a bit on her "crazy dog" persona - and the most fitting pictures for that are the ones that most folks delete without giving a second look. This dog didn't hold still for an instant, and the dozens of blurry pictures in my archives attest to that fact. However, they ended up being perfect for this application, nicely contrasting the photo on the bottom right - where she is staying quietly, eagerly awaiting her next command. The silly background on this page is from the Underwater Dogs Calendar - on sale HALF PRICE here.
The other page background is one from the Doggone Cute Memory Scrapbook Kit. The right side of that page comes preprinted with a series of questions that prompt the crafter to answer creatively. The kit comes with coordinating pre-cut adhesive letters that give this one a unique effect. Again, the silly pictures that might not get a second look are the ones that end up starring here. The goofy folded-up ear, and her proud display of a favorite treat - an ear of corn from the neighboring farm field will evoke fond memories for years to come. I also chose this page to elaborate on how Bailey got her name. I was reviewing the book A Dog's Purpose at the time, and the main characters were Bailey and Ellie. Little did I know that the wild pup that showed up here out of the blue would end up being so much like the one in this lovely, spiritual book. The Protect This Dog Medallions were a good fit, too, but I found the actual medallions were too bulky. I cut out the pictures from our catalog and fastened them on for a similar effect.  The Dog Lover's Scrapbook Binder
measures a big 12.5" x 13" (comes with 20 starter pages) It's covered with sturdy clear vinyl to protect and keep it nice. On the front is a special window to insert you own photo and I did choose a rather serious/elegant version for here.
All components of the scrapbook pages and the Doggone Cute Memory Scrapbook Kit are Archival, photo safe, acid, lignan and PVC free. Both the kit and the binder are ON SALE here
|
Preserve your horsey memories!
Here's a fun scrapbook page using products from hoofprints.com
The headline reads: "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)
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 2012 Horses and Hope Calendar here, which fit perfectly into our Tooled Leather Scrapbook Binder (order that here)
Here's another example of scrapbooking using the Horses and Hope Calendar pages as backgrounds. A treasured appaloosa pony carries his owner through a variety of classes at the county fair - complete story here. This is the creation of veteran 4-H member Sarah Hardin. She's made great use of a variety of ephemera (more about that below) - integrating items from our Cowgirl Scrapbook Kit - letters, ribbons, horsehead paper clip, etc. along with her own special objects; a 1st place blue ribbon, a lock of Roany's braided hair, and a touch of glitter... In the background is Horses and Hope's March (2012) which states: "Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren't any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn't be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life's challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person. -quote by Richard Buckminster Fuller
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!
|
A great scrapbook helper - that didn't start out that way...
Sarah K. Andrew's Horses and Hope Calendar is a work of art 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 (from the 2012 version) 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. Back issues of the calendar are on sale 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 how many times you've stumbled upon a forgotten photograph, or other memento 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.
|
Clutter busting 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. 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. Now that Christmas is past, 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.
The Closeouts Page is here
It features items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too.
|
|
|
|
Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are here
|
|
BAD DOG
A Love Story
This story is an epic journey to sobriety and a well behaved dog at the same time. At one point a professional tells the author that his angst is responsible for a great deal of the reason his dog acts out. (How many of us horse owners are learning the exact same thing?) There's excellent commentary on dog training methods currently popular today woven in with the author's experience with AA's 12 step program. This book is funny, serious, and thought provoking. To order click here
|
|
This Hug's For You
Equine Sympathy Cards here |
|
Silver Dog Whistle
Solid Sterling Silver Whistle on waxed cotton cord here
|
|
Collectable Horse Whispers Sculptures
Wish Upon A Horse, and more here
|
|
Tin Sign Just 99�
HORSEwork before HOUSEwork
Sturdy Tin Signs just 99� each
To order click here
|
|
Horsewoman's
HAIR CONTROL IDEAS
HORSEwork before HOUSEwork Plad Cap here
|
|
WHAT'S NEW?
SALE on Spring T's
3 Springy Horsey T-shirts less than $10 each here!
|
|
HoofPrints has it! The classic print "FOUND"
12x16 Print available here
|
|
HALF PRICE!
Underwater Dogs
Freakishly funny photos of dogs diving underwater to retrieve toys. A fun, creative way to enjoy the year - makes a great gift for the dog lover on your list. Order here
|
|
BELOW HALF PRICE!
"Hug" clay plaque
Regular price $14.50
now only $4.99 here
|
|
COFFEE & DOG HAIR
I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM
16 oz Ceramic Travel Mug with leakproof lid only $16.95 here
|
|
BOOKMARKS
~ 50% OFF! ~
A Rider's Prayer, A Dog Lover's Prayer & Use Your Talents Bookmarks just 99� here
|
|
American Farriers Journal Supplies & Services Directory 1�
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. Shipping charges apply.
To order click here
|
|
Copper HoofPrint Bracelets in 7 colors!
Hand tied right here at HoofPrints - see them all here
|
|
Horsewoman's
LONG TALL LIST
OF THINGS TO DO here
|
HORSEY
AIR FRESHENERS
Leather - Hay - Carrot
|
|
Horse Lovers Bible
Leather bound Bible is gift boxed - it's the bestselling NIV version with additional 12 pages of horse photos accompanied by inspirational thoughts and scripture verses.
Bible Pocket Partners
31 days of meaningful devotional pages - perfect for cowboys and cowgirls of all ages! HoofPrints Christian products are here
|
|
Cowboy 10 Commandments Sign
Sturdy Embossed Tin Sign is under $10. - order here
|
|
3rd in the Series!
I Make Horse Calls, More Horse Calls & Call Dr Tebow - She Makes Horse Calls (new) Books about living a dream with horses here |
|
Mule & Donkey items
Check out this brass longear charm and more here |
|
Stay Warm with a VEST
|
|
HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly Order here |
|
Message
I love hearing from 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 |
|
|
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)
|
|
|
|
|
