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HoofPrints Newsletter
November 14, 2015
Check out the All New Horsewoman's Prayer

This popular Framed Verse is now available as a blank Greeting Card, too! 
This prayer I wrote commemorating our love for horses was previously paired with a brass Epona medallion, double matted, and framed up in a frame embossed with horseshoes. But all good things come to an end - as did the inventory of frame stock. It was discontinued with no replacement to be found anywhere. I spent months looking, to no avail; the suitable replacements I did find would have made this picture end up costing my dear customers $50+

But when God closes a door, he opens a window - and this is it. For years I've fawned over Anwer Sher's lovely images of Yazemeenah Rossi and this grey Arabian. We discussed HoofPrints using the images a couple years ago, but I didn't move forward with creating a new product that would do them justice (remember, making new products is HARD - see below). I never considered that the Horsewoman's Prayer was the perfect go-with - as I already had that product buttoned up and on the shelves for sale. But when the frame source dried up and I had to come up with a "Plan B", the results ended up being better than I ever could have imagined. I found this basket weave leather frame (actually it is resin, but looks just like leather) - it's substantial and impressive - eliminates the need for a decorative mat entirely! The bottom picture is the one I had earmarked for the project, but when Anwer sent the images he included a few extra versions; and the top picture with the two faces fit so beautifully in with the text - it was surely meant to be. The best thing about leaving off the mat - it lets the images and the verses be larger. Sometimes I cannot believe how what seems like an intractable problem turns out to be an amazing stroke of luck. Check it out:
And if this news wasn't good enough - this arrangement with the alternate frame requires less components, and is a LOT less labor intensive to assemble - so the price is LOWER!I am so excited, I made Greeting Cards (blank inside) too. The Framed Verse is here Greeting Cards are here 


Pony Girl Earrings
Pony Girl Rides again!
This 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:
from "Put some clothes on her." to "I like her naked." and everything in between.

I can't say enough good about the cute Pony Girl necklace and earrings. I like jewelry that is comfortable, and these fit the bill. Just a little bit of flash - they can go from work to the barn and not be out of place. They're sterling silver, MADE IN USA, and inexpensive enough that you won't be worried about losing them. To order those click here
 

This painting by Edward Robert Hughes serves as inspiration. He titled it: 
Dream Idyll (A Valkyrie) 
but she looks like the Pony Girl to me, right down to the wild, wavy hair. Reviews of the watercolor are disappointingly stuffy - "Against an indigo sky, a nubile rider grasps the black wings of a flying steed, her body gleaming in the moonlight, her golden tresses let loose in the wind as she peers down at the stony structures of a city built along a river many miles below. Is this a goddess of antiquity, a fairy, a captured princess? This allusive, seductive, strange, Symbolist scene by Edward Robert Hughes immediately captivated audiences upon its 1902 exhibition at the London's Royal Watercolor Society." There's more info about the work here

Pony Girl's latest appearance at HoofPrints has been on the extremely popular fleece vests.
Paired with the words LIFE IS SHORT - RIDE YOUR HORSE, she embodies a sentiment that horse women all share. Every time you turn around I am singing the praises of vests.
Vests are the best because they give you so much more freedom about the arms than a regular coat. Paired with the sweatshirt or longsleeve T of your choice, you've got more options for climate control, too. If you start to overheat (as often is the case with me) you can take off the vest without getting chilled until you cool down. This is not really an option with a heavy coat as then you get too cold. 
My vests are a wardrobe staple that are with me almost year 'round. This soft fleece vest has a flattering, slimming cut and lots of details; zippered pockets, adjustable elastic hem, longer tail in the back for better coverage. With the fluctuation in weather we've been having here lately, our 1880's farm house has been more than chilly. Pair that with a thermostat war of sorts as propane prices have skyrocketed - and I am throwing vests at everybody in the house. "Here, put this on. It'll solve everything." and it does. Vests are a better solution than piling on another long-sleeve layer. The biggie for me is the collar. If my neck is cold then the whole rest of me is cold. But, being of a certain age - wearing a turtleneck is NOT the answer. Because in 5 minutes I may be overheated. This radical temperature fluctuation is easily solved with the stand-up (or not) vest collar and zipper. In two seconds I can be wearing a turtleneck of sorts - or a v-neck - depending on whether I am chilling or sweating. This fleece vest is only $29.95 - pretty cheap really, for personal climate control. It's available in 2 colors here. ***NOTE - be sure to check the size charts to verify that you're getting the perfect size. These tend to run a bit on the small side***
LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN?
It's no secret that around here we are sometimes frugal to a fault. Anyone looking around the place might wonder why we're holding onto all this weird stuff. Heck, we even tore down an old barn to repurpose the wood (which was a success - details here) and now we're trying to figure out what to do with all the scraps instead of throwing them away (that's here)
Sooo - what does this have to do with Pony Girl Vests?
I had a rather serious issue this fall with vests and armholes.
I received a large shipment of Mediums from the manufacturer with arm holes that are slightly too small. The problem was not discovered until after customers received their orders and complained of armholes being too snug. Once I realized there was a problem I commenced to measuring each vest's armholes before I shipped to ensure customers didn't receive the too-small versions. I was left with a distressingly large pile of vests that I can NOT return because they've already been embroidered. These vests are perfectly good except for this one problem - so I got my scissors and commenced to hacking on one... 
 
I soon discovered that this is a solveable problem for someone looking for a bargain on a cute vest. I took a pair of sharp scissors and trimmed a small sliver off the bottom of each arm hole. This removes one of the contributors to the problem - a bulky seam intersection that adds to the smallness. Because this is fleece, I don't expect it to ravel when worn/washed, but I could be wrong, so don't hold me to it. (Shown above is the results of my own effort to enlarge the arm holes. If you order this vest, you'll receive an un-cut version.)

That's the quick and dirty solution. If a person (not me) were seamstress-ly inclined, they could trim the entire armhole to the perfect, comfortable size and then sew a nice ribbon edging (maybe in a contrasting color that goes with the embroidery?) around there to neaten things up. Heck, you could even do the same thing around the edge of the collar and be totally coordinated.

Experiment however you want! Just know that these are NOT returnable. Only $9.95 while supplies last here 
Remember, there's only one size available at this cheap price: SIZE MEDIUM - They measure about 24.5" tall x 20" wide x less than 6.5" wide arm hole. This is roughly the equivalent to a Womens size 8. They are too small for me; I wear a size 10.  
Tension - Stress - Problems - Anxiety - Worries - Despair...
What gets rid of all these things? For many of us, it's time with our horse(s)...
Color Change Horsewoman Mug
To that end, HoofPrints has created a "magic" coffee mug that illustrates this fact. The Horse Woman's Disappearing Stress Mug is a white ceramic mug with a fun twist. It's imprinted all over with black, dreary words. Words that are all too familiar to most of us: TENSION, STRESS, PROBLEMS, TROUBLES, ANXIETY, etc. Fill the cup with hot liquid, and the most amazing thing happens. Those words dissolve away, revealing seven lovely scenes of women and their horses. As the cup cools, the words reappear. It works over and over again.

Like most of the products developed here at HoofPrints, this one has a story behind it. It was created by HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling (me), using mostly stock photos from online sources. I got down to the end and needed one more photo. Stock photos aren't free (royalties are paid to the photographer) and I'd already gone overboard on costs for a product that I wasn't even sure was going to work as planned. So frugal me... I went to my own photos, not anticipating finding anything. But then I found this one - I had forgotten all about it - a series of pictures I had son Jordan take a few years ago of me, my HAIR (yes... hair - I will get to that in a minute) and my horse, Allarista.

So, what's with the hair?? Several years ago I heard about Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that takes donated hair and makes hairpieces for children with medical conditions that cause hair loss. My hair was long, and on a whim I decided to have it all cut off to send to this worthy group. Now, I am getting older, and the grey is starting to get more numerous. I made a little decree... that as long as my hair was more blonde than grey (they don't use grey hair for the kids' wigs) I would continue to grow it out and donate it. I've done this a few times now, each time the grey advances a little more... and I think "Well, this is it. This will be the last time I am not too grey..." This last time before I went to get it cut, I decided I wanted to remember my non-too-grey locks with a photograph - hence the shot that's on this mug. It's the gal feeding the blaze-faced chestnut a treat.

To see a closeup of the mug in action click here 
Horse Women Wall Calendar for 2016

This beautiful, large size glossy calendar features 12 different photos of a woman and her horse, paired with an inspirational quote. Each month shows a different facet of the relationship between women and their various horse breeds. Western riding, English riding, ground work, just hanging out - and more. The photos are a big 12" x 12", and are so striking that you could frame them up after the year is over, or use as background images in a scrapbook.

Think you don't need a 2016 calendar NOW? Sure you do! The folks that designed this one thought of everything... the first spread in this 2016 calendar features a collage of lovely images, AND July though December of 2015 - so you can start using it right away!

To order, click here





The What Horses Teach Us Horse Day Planner 
was new last year and is one you never saw promoted.  This sweet little inspirational planner made it's debut in the flyer HoofPrints mailed last fall. It was brand new and I was conservative in my sales projections. That's usually not a bad strategy - UNLESS the supplier RUNS OUT of product. Which is what happened. I never got a chance to rave about how cool they were - because they were all gone! This year, I am planning ahead and have plenty of the 2016 version on hand NOW for immediate shipment. 
There is much we can learn from horses by watching, riding and caring for them. The horses in this 12-month planner teach us valuable lessons in weekly words and dazzling full-color photographs about what is important in our own lives to cherish, defend and adore. The week-by-week format includes to do lists with extra planning pages in the back to help organize your busy life. 106 pages, 6.5" x 8.5", printed on high quality, sturdy paper. Includes moon phases, U.S. and International holidays. To order, click here.

Another one of my all-time favorite sweatshirts - SADLY DISCONTINUED: Sherpa Lined Hood
Turquoise Jacket closeup
This Thermal Sherpa Lined Hood got rave reviews
I was so excited about these details that I didn't picture here the embroidered horse logo that's on the left chest, but instead a closeup of the wonderful textures that this jacket has.
 
This heavy hooded sweatshirt could double for a coat on all but the coldest days. The outer shell is constructed of thermal fabric, and it's lined with plush sherpa throughout. The seams are fashioned so that a bit of sherpa peeks through, for a casual, two-tone effect. It's cotton/poly blend so no shrinking, and it washes and dries beautifully with no special attention (yes, we tested it). The neck is taped to hold it's shape and minimize scratchiness against your neck. Zipper and eyelets are metal, and the drawstring on the hood is beefy enough to stay tied. We've embroidered it with our wind horse logo. Sizing on these is very generous - so those of you who were needing larger sizes than we normally offer may want to give this one a second look. The manufacturer has discontinued the Turquoise color; size Small is already sold out.

HoofPrints customer Jessica P. loves hers: 
quotation mark leftI received my jacket just 1 day after it was shipped! Awesome!! It looks sooo great and is absolutely the warmest, softest, and best jacket I have ever ordered! Thank you so much! I will be keeping the catalog that was sent to me and placing more orders as needed. I love this jacket! Have I said that before? Lol. Anyway...thanks again and remember you can't always make everyone happy, but you sure made me happy!!"

To order the Turquoise version (shown), click here. Wildberry is here  

Metallic Pink Bag
A Woman's Place is on A Horse
What gal doesn't want to get out of the house and onto a horse? 
This sparkly pink gift bag is sturdy, durable, and UNDER $5.00!
It measures a handy 9 "x 4" x 12" (not counting the handles)

When I posted a picture of it on HoofPrints Facebook page, a customer immediately chimed in:
"I love this bag! It's just the right size for my lunch, or shoes + a big bottle of my favorite flavored water. And, since I carry a giant tote anyway, it takes up no room to have it folded and available when I need it, Plus -- it's pink; what more needs to be said?" ~Jenne

You can see this, and a sweatshirt that matches, along with all HoofPrints' other Horsewoman products here . 

Clean Up CLOSEUP
Clutter Busting Continues
My efforts to clear the warehouse (and my 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 website/flyer. And the rest have got to go! Only one of each available so act fast if you see something you like. The image shown here is what was available at the time this newsletter was sent. All prices on this page are at least 50% off retail. The red SALE! tag doesn't show if a product has size or color options. Don't know why. Don't know how to fix it...

*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 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 overstocks, items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too
In This Issue
Here's what we talked about last time
What Did I Miss? graphic
Last newsletter is  here   
ALL newsletters are here
These just in...

Check out new products here
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
GINA'S BLOG
Fun on the Farm

read the latest happenings in the Keesling household, involving construction, destruction, remodeling adventures and general wreckage here
PONY GIRL'S ON THE LABEL!
Horse Woman's Balm
Horsewoman's Balm
A great product that DOES WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO!
Order here
The Doctor is In Horse Thermometer
Horse Doctor Thermometer
Measures a big 17" tall and under $15.00! Order here
DON'T do it yourself
FARRIER COASTERS

No farriers were harmed in the making of these coasters. To order click here
It's Back! HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATS

New updated version includes 10 more years of horse movies - to order click here
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 

MADE IN USA
Secret Box
Horse 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
NEW! Tuff Chix CHORE GLOVES

great for grooming, building fence, baling hay and other farm chores, gardening, and even riding! To order, click here 
MADE IN USA:
A CRAPPY MUG!
Same Sh*t Mug
Same sh*t different day
mug here
FUN HORSEY Ts
3 horsey t-shirts
3 Horsey T-shirts less than $15 each here!
Horsewoman's
HAIR CONTROL IDEAS

Sunny yellow embroidered HORSES LEAVE HOOFPRINTS ON YOUR HEART Cap here
MADE IN USA
Riding for a Cure
Cure pin
See HoofPrints breast cancer awareness products here
MADE IN USA
Tooled Leather Bracelet

Features braided rawhide, engraved heart and fancy buckle. Only $19.95 here 
INSPIRATIONAL
Stretch Bracelets
Stretch Bracelets 4
Four fun styles to choose from here
HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Barn Blade Pink Knife
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly
Order here
HALF PRICE AND PRINTED IN USA: "Pharaoh's Horses"
Pharaoh's Horses with type
20x26 Print with history and trivia article included is available here
PRINTED IN USA:
This Hug's For You

Equine Sympathy Cards here
Copper HoofPrint Bracelets in 7 colors!
Copper HoofPrint Pony Bead Bracelets - colors
Hand tied right here at HoofPrints - see them all here
Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back Necklace
That's Not Where You're Going - Inspirational Necklace only $14.95 here
Message
Gina Keesling with Clydesdale
I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at [email protected]
 
Find us on facebook
facebook logo
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
 
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 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.
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)