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HoofPrints Newsletter
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November 3, 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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HORSEwork before HOUSEwork Tin Sign with rolled edges is just 99� here
Conflicting advice for Horsewomen
"HORSEwork before HOUSEwork" vs "Clean Something" vs Do Little"
Last time, I featured an interesting excerpt from Martha Beck's article How to Find the Kind of Joy That Lasts in which she advised folks who were in a slump to Make Something. Since my work here at HoofPrints consists of making stuff nearly every day - and I'm not nearly as relaxed and blissful as I'd like, I came up with my own little offshoot of Martha's effort -
Clean Something. After that, I advised folks to pick something (mess, clutter, etc) that they could manage in about an hour, and TAKE CARE OF IT. Sounds good, huh? And I bet you're thinking that by practicing this regimen, that my house, office, barn would be relatively neat and orderly. I wanted to share, just to set the record straight, that that is not exactly the case. It's so not the case that it made me think of the old Saturday Night Live character played by Chris Farley: Matt Foley - The Motivational Speaker. For those who don't remember, Matt Foley is the antithesis of a good motivational speaker: abrasive, clumsy and down on his luck, living in a van down by the river! There's a good Conan O'Brien interview with Chris Farley that talks about the character here.
To illustrate, I'd like to show you a picture of the rather bizarre "creation" I discovered the other day. I dropped something on the floor, got down on my hands and knees to retrieve it, and this caught my eye - it was directly under the center post of my office chair. It was fairly big, and perfectly round, I was immediately horrified as I thought it looked like a giant spider egg case. It was only less horrifying, once I picked it up and realized it really was just a giant hairball. A hairball that had survived the vacuum (yes, I DO vacuum) because of the fact that it was tethered TO THE CHAIR by a single long hair, so each time the chair got moved, the hairball stayed exactly underneath it, picking up my hair and Lucy's hair for who knows how long. Ewww. Of course, I then did what everyone does these days. I took a picture of it and shared it on Facebook
(with apologies to members of the family who do not find any humor in a dirty house - and sorry Mom and Dad - you paid for a college degree so I could write about hairballs on the internet...)
I guess this oddity is no surprise, considering where I live. Alexandria's brief claim to fame 20 years ago was a giant hairball found to be blocking the sewer, causing the previously unsolvable flooding problems. The hairball made national news - on David Letterman even. My employer at the time RAM Graphics printed t-shirts in it's honor and it was star of the town's parade.
So, you've been given advice to Make Something by a nationally known PhD, to
Clean Something by someone who's harboring a giant hairball under her chair, Now, here's one telling you to Do Little:
"It's a testament to the powerful insight of creativity that one of the biggest keys to deeper communication with all beings - be they four-legged, two-legged, winged or gilled, or even hidden aspects of ourselves - is summed up in the name of one of the most celebrated animal communicators of all time: Dr. Dolittle.
The good doctor was created by writer Hugh Lofting, who had such great fondness for animals that he invented an inquisitive veterinarian who embraced the task of learning their language. Lofting wrote over a dozen books celebrating the exchange of thoughts and ideas between humans and animals, thus inspiring many readers to regard the furred and feathered in a very different way.
Although Dr. Dolittle is fictional, it's intriguing that Lofting chose that name. For central to effective communication with animals is the realization that there is little we need do. In fact, the more we scurry around trying to do this or that - buy a book! take a workshop! buy a universal translator device! - the more we tend to negate our innate abilities. Thus, we further remove ourselves from a genuine and personal deep-down connection with all life.
The Taoist sage Lao Tzu puts it this way: There is no need to run outside for better seeing, nor to peer from a window. Rather abide at the center of your being. Search your heart and see: the way to do is to be. Exactly!
On the other hand, if we don't do things, how does anything get done? It's cool and smart in a Zen-like way to say that all will get done when we learn how to 'be', but how does this work, really? How can we learn to talk with animals without 'doing' anything? What does finding ourselves through be-ing actually entail?"
Read the rest of this fascinating article by Dawn Brunke here
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Rob and the Emergency Media Stand
I will start this story off with a nod to my parents, whose mantra is:
 If you really want to get your place cleaned up, schedule a meeting."
They practice this philosophy often, as they frequently host car club events at their place, in my dad's shop where he works on his old cars and trucks. The last time we had a foray with this way of thinking was a few years ago when our son Jordan graduated from high school. We hosted a little reception here on the farm, we didn't even bring anyone into the house, instead we tidied up Rob's semi truck bay, put some paper down on the workbench to house a mini buffet so folks could get a bite to eat, and hang out for a bit.  However, the graduation reception endeavor also morphed into an emergency landscaping project that involved renting things like sod cutters, hauling in 2 ton boulders and dump truck loads of landscape stone. The whole family worked hard for days - we were still working on the morning of the event - a tired and sweaty Rob dashed off to shower as the first guests were arriving. It turned out great, but I had no interest whatsoever in doing this sort of high-pressure home improvement ever again. It's a little embarrassing to say I am too old and tired for it - as my parents pull it off on a regular basis. At any rate, I was unsuspecting when I sent a note off to a magazine article author. He'd written a lovely piece about preserving a home's history. In it, he included his 1830's Victorian home; a photo from many years ago with the then-current residents posed in front of the ornate porch, juxtaposed with a picture of his family in front of the very same porch in a similar arrangement. In the article, he invited readers to share their stories, so I sent him a link to this blog post that shares our own old house story. Imagine my surprise when I get a reply to my email; the author of the article is wanting to feature some pictures of our fireplace wall in a piece he is working on about utilizing reclaimed wood. The wall had turned out great and I am thrilled that he wants to feature it, so I set up an appointment for him to come here and see for himself. Below is a picture of the fireplace wall shortly after completion. I think that little Lucy is most happy to have a warm fire to lay in front of once again. We struggled a LOT with the choice of materials for the fireproof hearth/floor. Previously it had been tile. And because the sub-floor under is wood, the tile had cracked. In a fit of outside-the-box thinking, we wondered how a thick steel plate would work. It is, of course, unbreakable. And it absorbs heat from the insert gloriously - a footwarmer like no other for man and dog! The whole story about how that came to be is here.  Then, in horror, I start to actually notice what the rest of that room looks like. And it is not good. After the masons left, we'd painted the adjoining walls, and that was it. I was already into busy season at HoofPrints.com, and decorating was the last thing on my mind. Actually, decorating is ALWAYS the last thing on my mind. As this all starts to sink in, I realize that I have committed to allow someone from a major publication to come in and show my house. To. The. World. At this point, my unsuspecting husband is blissfully unaware. To read what happens next, click here.
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IT'S BACK!!!
Hollywood Hoofbeats
is one of my all-time favorite reference books. Here at our house, we are not huge movie watchers, but westerns are a favorite - and there are always questions about the horses. This book answers them all - and more!
HoofPrints carried the hard cover version of Hollywood Hoofbeats for years, and it was a perennial best-seller. In fact, I carried it until the publisher sold out. When they didn't reprint, I was ANGRY! What I dumb move, I thought, to have such an iconic title, of such interest and usefulness to horse lovers - and not reprint it when it ran out. Dumb-dumb-dumb (I thought)
Turns out, I was the dumb one. I never considered the idea that author Petrine Day Mitchum (watch an interview with her here) was back at work with cohort Audrey Pavia - UPDATING THIS BOOK to include all the NEW movies that have come out since Hollywood Hoofbeats was first published in 2005!
 And they left nothing out! Now, you can read the stories behind the equine actors in recent films: Lone Ranger, War Horse, True Grit, and more. There's an updated section about the Mustang Cloud, and even a story about how real horses were used to create the horse-like creatures in Avatar. The original content has been augmented and updated. I haven't had time to compare the two books page by page, but it appears to me that lots of pictures have been ADDED. They tightened up the margins around the type a little to fit it all in, and added several pages to accommodate the new content. The only downside that I can see is that it's now softcover, but that is reflected in the much-lower price ($24.95) - that's $15.00 less than the first edition!
To order, click here
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NEW products for Holiday Gift Giving
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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NEW! Cowgirls of the American West Note Cards
These blank note cards from are a big 5.5" x 7.25" and are printed on heavy, glossy paper. The insides are printed in color with western motifs, and the back of each card tells more about the work on the front and the artist who painted it. You also get 22 parchment textured envelopes that match the cards. These all come gift boxed in a lovely package that you'll probably want to keep once the cards are all used! See these and our other all-occasion cards here
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The HALF PRICE Sale continues, but be sure to check out the stash of ONE OF A KIND ITEMS!
These days, at a time when most normal people were gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas, for some reason I was spazzing over all the clutter in the warehouse. In a fit of relative craziness, I've marked some pretty good stuff down to $1.00 or less. A lot of it sold already, but I replaced with more! There are now about a dozen ONE OF A KIND things on the Half Price Page that are insanely good deals at half price or below. Some are discontinued so not to be had anywhere else at any price! To see them click 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.
Half Price JEWELRY is 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.
Half Price Books & Magazine Back Issues are 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.
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are here
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These just in...
Check out new products here
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When they're gone - they're gone...
Don't miss one you've been wanting - sadly, some favorites have been discontinued with no replacement - see them 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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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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MADE IN USA
Tooled Leather Bracelet
Features braided rawhide, engraved heart and fancy buckle. Only $19.95 here
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I Make Horse Calls Books
"I was so grateful for the care the gentle senior student took with Pischka that day. ... I will not forget the thoroughness of that student, and would emulate her when I entered practice. I would never dismiss an owner's complaint, because I remember how I felt when vets dismissed Pischka's illness, never trying to find out what made Pischka so sick." -from Horse Calls, 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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Don't Look Back
That's Not Where You're Going - Inspirational Necklace only $14.95 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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MADE IN USA:
A CRAPPY MUG!
Same sh*t different day
mug 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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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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The Doctor is In Horse Thermometer
Measures a big 17" tall and under $15.00! Order here
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This Hug's For You
Equine Sympathy Cards here
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Horsewoman's
HAIR CONTROL IDEAS
Sunny yellow embroidered HORSES LEAVE HOOFPRINTS ON YOUR HEART Cap here
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FUN 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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Farriers Traveling Desk
Corral your paperwork on the road! And it's HALF the cost of the previous version here
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Look Professional
On The Job
Sturdy cotton golf shirts look and feel great! See our complete selection 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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"While you're here, would you mind trimming my new BLM Mustang?"
