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HoofPrints Newsletter
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August 6, 2015
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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.
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CHAOS REIGNS!
Last week I bragged about selling USELESS products for farriers.
but at least I kept the theme of the newsletter consistent and all the products were Farrier-related. This time I just couldn't get my act together well enough to produce a collection of related items, so chaos it is. First, I will start with this new book by Christian author Rebecca Ondov. Her newest book Great Horse Stories for Girls is being marketed to tween girls (ages 8-12) but I read it myself and enjoyed the lessons and straightforward story telling style. Like Rebecca's other books, this one's broken down into short chapters, so it's a fun, easy read. Rebecca's publisher (Harvest House Christian Publisher) is wonderful in that they make generous excerpts available to read before buying the books. To check out Great Horse Stories for Girls click the sample chapter link here
Three more volumes of Christian Horse Stories...
Rebecca's first three books have been huge hits with HoofPrints' customers.
Great Horse Stories,
Horse Tales From Heaven & Heavenly Horse Sense are fascinating - who knew one person's life as a wilderness pack horse guide could hold so much adventure? And some of it not so safe... Fortunately, she's got her faith to guide her - and luckily for us, she's chronicled her stories in these books so we can learn and be inspired, too.
We even offer these three as a set so you can read them all and SAVE - Order the set and these books are under $12. each!
We have some sample chapters to download, and you can order the books here.
Gina's note: Rebecca's books are divided into chapters (Horse Tales is 54, Horse Sense is 50, and Horse Stories is 48), each is a short (adventure) story with a Biblical lesson tied in. Some are humorous, others serious; you can pick this up and start reading from anywhere, and enjoy what you read. Here's one of my favorite stories from Horse Tales from Heaven:
Excerpt from Chapter 28 "Frozen Long Johns"
"Snow squeaked with each footstep. From the way it sounded, the temperature had dropped below zero already. Untying my tent door flap, I remembered my long johns. I walked behind the tent. The glow of the lantern illuminated a sheet of ice on the clothesline. My jaw dropped. They were frozen - spread eagle. I tried pinching the clothespins open, bu they were frozen solid. If I had a decent tent I would be out here freezing, trying to get this off that line, I murmured. I tried using both hands to pinch the clothespins open, but it was like they were super-glued. Setting the lantern in the snow, I grabbed the long johns by the ankles and jerked. Whop! They came loose from the clothesline and fell like a chunk of lead into the snow.
Steam rose from my breath as I picked up the lantern with my left hand. Reaching down with my right, I picked up the board-like long johns. Carrying them by the top, I walked to the tent and pushed that itty-bitty tent flap open a crack. Waves of heat rolled off the lantern. Holding it so that it wouldn't burn a hole in the tent, I held the long johns in my right hand and tried to manipulate them through the door... but the outstretched legs were wider than the tent flap. I tried using my knee to poke the legs through that small hole. I got one leg in. The other leg caught on the tent frame. This is ridiculous!
I backed out of the tent and turned the long johns sideways, carrying them like a suitcase. This time one leg hung up on my duffel bag and I tripped. I hope nobody's watching me dance with frozen underwear! Suddenly I broke out laughing. I'm dancing with long johns because they are stiff. They're not flexible at all. Not flexible... Something reverberated in my mind. Hmmm... the long johns were exactly like my frozen attitude about this tent. My attitude was making my life miserable, not Jack for choosing this tent."
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A Farrier's Prayer
I had this one ready last week, then totally FORGOT to include it in the Farrier-themed newsletter, so here it is this time.
HoofPrints carried this for years as a matted and framed 8x10 version. If you have one of those, consider it a collector's item as the frame stock that we used to make those is no longer available. I spent the whole summer looking for a replacement, to no avail. Picture framing is EXPENSIVE - and even my best suppliers came up empty when I requested they find me a suitable replacement at a good price. So, I had to get a little more creative, and the result is actually BETTER than I could have envisioned had I not encountered the difficulty sourcing the frame in the 8x10 size.
This 20" tall, skinny frame has 3 horseshoes with openings under glass. It's made of wood composite and resin, but is surprisingly realistic. I've broken the prayer into three sections and it fits perfectly:
Dear Lord, give me strength to start this day And wisdom and courage to face whatever I encounter in my travels. Even though my work with horses is difficult and dangerous, Grant me patience for his flighty and unpredictable ways, And keep me safe from harm as I do my task. Let me remember that my satisfaction comes from helping A lame horse to go sound, and a sound one to do his job with comfort. Help me to have patience with my fellow humans, and to remember that Most love their horses and want what is best for them. Let me have respect and fellowship with my peers, so that we are
Not alone in this complex and challenging vocation.
Remind me that while my work is important, faith and family should
Come first; help me to schedule my days to reflect these priorities
And at the end of the day, when my mind and body are tired,
Help me remember why I chose this profession,
And never let me never lose fascination and reverence for this
Wonderful creature You have given us, the horse.
-Amen
To order the 20" tall version, click here
Want a more traditional rectangle size? There's a 10" x 14" matted (no frame) version here
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Well, this is unusual...
At first I thought this idea was clever, now I am paranoid that it is just weird.
I have always had a fascination with the structures of a horse's eye, so I had these necklaces made up by one of my favorite vendors - Lizabettas.
These necklaces look like something you'd find tucked in the bottom of an antique dresser drawer, except this new version depicts in accurate detail the features of a horse's eye - the iris, pupil, and of course the unusual looking Corpora Nigra, which is said to reflect the sun's rays away from the pupil.
Lizabettas lovely jewelry is made one piece at a time. The glass dome covering the picture is NOT a separate component that's fastened into the bezel. An assembly process that, at first blush, might seem rather simple. On the contrary - it's actually a special resin compound that comes in liquid form - and Tiffany pours the exact correct amount into each one - to encase and preserve the picture permanently within the pendant. I can't imagine how messy this process could be - she must have it mastered as I have never, ever received a piece from her that wasn't absolutely perfect.
The new (weird?) Horse Eye Necklace, is available in four different chain colors for a limited time. Once I sort out which color is the favorite then the others will be discontinued, so if you have a particular affinity for brass, copper, gunmetal or silver you may want to order now here.
Lizabettas also makes four other necklaces for HoofPrints:
Found Vintage Necklace, featuring Walter Hunt's image of the print by the same name. You can order that here
Vintage Indian Horsewoman sold here
Pharaoh's Horses sold here
KEEP CALM AND RIDE ON sold here
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While I am at it - I might as well talk about dog stuff, too!
I love helping with gift giving... It's probably a dumb idea to promote a service I offer that doesn't make a single penny for the company, but it's one of those feel-good things that I'd like to share some stories about.
I offer to include a gift card at no charge should our customer be needing us to send the item directly to it's intended recipient. Probably the big companies have a clever computerized way to handle this, but we don't. It involves choosing an actual card from the specially reserved stash, and hand-writing the requested sentiment for the recipient to read. It can get to be time-consuming, especially if it's a long message, or one with a lot of names that I need to make sure are spelled correctly, etc. But I always appreciate being a part of a kind gesture between one person and another - even if it's two folks I don't even know. The Life is Short, Play with Your Dog T-shirt shown here was recently ordered by a woman, to be sent as a get-well gift to a friend who'd sustained a broken leg. She hurt herself PLAYING WITH HER DOG! This particular shirt is available in two colors here, but the grey version is being phased out so if that's your color of choice place your order ASAP while supplies last. Another was a Horse Woman Sweatshirt from a gentleman, to his sister - with the sweetest message honoring her love of horses. And I've sent a whole bunch of Courage Mugs as gifts to women facing all manner of challenges. Probably the most awkward (at least for us) was processing the order for the farrier who ordered several Sleeping With A Farrier Night Shirts, each for a different woman.
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Finally - some NEW products!
Coming up with new things is HARD.
I get a lot of wonderful feedback from folks, praising the unique variety of items that HoofPrints has available for horse lovers and equine professionals. This is a fairly fun process - wandering around the internet, and in stores and catalogs, looking for ideas for cool stuff you all might like to buy. Or getting ideas for things I could make or have made.
But the reality is, it's also HARD. If I didn't care about the PRICE, I'd have 10x the stuff for sale in my little online store. However, my warehouse would be packed to the gills with product just sitting - because no one could afford to buy it. That is the case a LOT with the really nice garments - the price to me is too high for me to be able to add horsey decoration and not have it cost a fortune to the customer.
A second facet is QUALITY. With digital cameras and editing capabilities being what they are these days, it's pretty easy to make any old thing look really good in a picture on the internet. But I never, ever want anyone to be disappointed with an item once they receive it. And that extends to after they USE it, too. All my garments are wash-tested, jewelry is worn for comfort testing, etc. Products are USED to make sure they perform as expected.
Finally, there's AVAILABILITY. It's really dumb to go through the first two steps to procure a great product, only to discover that the supply has run out and there are no more to be had. These days, with everybody tightening their metaphorical belts, manufacturers are doing the same - they are producing products conservatively. If an item is a huge hit for Christmas gift sales and sells out, they often consider that a success - and do NOT replenish their stock to fill additional orders.
Shown above are a dozen of my latest. greatest finds. Most are in stock now for immediate shipment. The rest are on the way and can ship very soon. I am still in the process of writing the descriptions and adding size charts on the garments, so stay tuned. You can check back to see what new items have been added by clicking here.
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are here
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GINA'S BLOG
Fun on the Farm
read the latest happenings in the Keesling household, involving construction, destruction, remodeling adventures and general wreckage here
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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
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NEW! Horsey Gift Wrap Assortments
These awesome gift wrap collections were designed by a lifelong horse owner, whose career happened to be in packaging design - so all the details are just right! More info here
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NEW! Tuff Chix CHORE GLOVES
great for grooming, building fence, baling hay and other farm chores, gardening, and even riding! To order, click here
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HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly
Order here
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NEW! BLACKSMITH COIN NECKLACE
ON BRAIDED LEATHER CORD - available here |
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DON'T do it yourself
FARRIER COASTERS
No farriers were harmed in the making of these coasters. To order click here
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It's Back! HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATS
New updated version includes 10 more years of horse movies - to order click here
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Don't Look Back
That's Not Where You're Going - Inspirational Necklace only $14.95 here
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MADE IN USA:
A CRAPPY MUG!
Same sh*t different day
mug here
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The Natural Superiority of Mules
Brand new updated second edition covers everything you ever wanted to know about mules. Order here
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This Hug's For You
Equine Sympathy Cards here
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The Doctor is In Horse Thermometer
Measures a big 17" tall and under $15.00! Order here
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SUMMER HORSEY Ts
3 Summery Horsey T-shirts less than $15 each here!
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MADE IN USA
Secret Box
Nifty little wood box has a lid that fits so neatly that it's virtually invisible when closed. A real deal at only $19.95 here
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Message
I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com |
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Share our emails
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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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