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HoofPrints Newsletter
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June 19, 2016
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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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Happy Father's Day to my Dad!
Back in May, I featured a Mother's Day tribute to my Mom here, so it's only fitting that this month should bring the same for my Dad. Dad was always fixing stuff. When I was little, it was out of necessity as you didn't just trot out and buy new at Wal-Mart whenever an item broke. Heck, he'd get other folks' old, broken stuff, fix it up like new, and that's what we'd use. The world would do well to do a little more fixing these days, too. Anyway, shown above is me and my dad - many more years ago than I'd care to reveal . Behind us is a spiffy red 1935 Chevrolet pickup, which at that time was approaching 30 years old. Back then, old stuff wasn't cool like it is now. It was just old stuff that you used until you had the means to get NEW stuff. This was Dad's daily driver. He drove it when he went on repair service calls for the farm implement dealership that employed him at the time. He repaired the truck, too. When the motor went bad, he replaced it with something with "a little more power". He often took his hemi-powered pickup to the Saturday night drag races. When my son Jordan was about 11, he and Dad started restoration on a 1952 Ford pickup that was to be Jordan's own. (Mom's theory was that a newly licensed teenager would be a more careful driver in a vehicle that had had so much time and work spent on it.) Weekend after weekend, Dad took this capricious youngster on a journey of patience, perseverance and learning - away from the TV and the video games. The completed truck has gone on to win multiple prestigious Dearborn Awards, but more valuable than that is all the lessons Jordan learned along the way. Thanks Dad!  Christmas, birthdays and Father's Days are always tough times to adequately express appropriate love and appreciation to a man who already has everything. So my husband Rob came up with THE most creative surprise in the history of surprises for people who already have everything. So - what was the surprise that shouldn't have been?
To read the rest of the story, click here.
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FINALLY! It is cool for us grown-ups to C O L O R !
I don't know exactly how or when this wonderful trend started, but I've watched it with great interest for quite a while...
All over the world, tired, frazzled adults are turning to coloring to clear their minds. The internet is full of articles that attempt to explain the "why" of this phenomenon:
 Of course, coloring within the lines compared to, say, painting a blank canvas is mostly simple decision-making - choosing which color goes best where, with relatively little skill involved. Our prefrontal cortex is responsible for coordinating thousands of decisions each day, from which socks we should wear to life-altering relationship and career choices. As an unconscious response to this so-called daily 'decision fatigue,' making a series of small, inconsequential decisions (teal or mahogany for this squiggly line?) may give us a refreshing sense of self-control after a long day of big, important ones." -from this article by neuroscientist Jordan Gaines LewisThese wonderful coloring books from Dover have been around for a while; Dover knows how to do them right. I remember what a treat it was to get my hands on one of these as a kid, so am diving into them again a half-century later, hoping to recapture some of that wonderful childhood enthusiasm. I invite you to do the same. I hand picked a fun variety to choose from - covering all subjects horsey - anatomy, art, trivia and more. Check them all out here
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Music for horse and dog lovers:
Mary Ann Kennedy is the real deal...
She's a professional in the music industry, a horse owner and dog lover. Her song lyrics are thoughtfully written, and the music artfully performed. AND she donates a significant portion of her sales to help animals in need. Shown here is her CD of dog songs "Who Saved Who" Mary Ann's music will feel familiar to you. Her extensive background in the music industry has yielded songs that are very well produced, rich with clarity and detail. No stranger to the music scene, Mary Ann has written numerous popular hits; " Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" -performed by Reba McEntire and "I'll Still Be Loving You" -performed by Restless Heart were both nominated for Grammy Awards. You will have also heard Mary Ann singing backgrounds and playing mandolin on many Nashville records. She has recorded with Martina McBride, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Art Garfunkel, Reba McEntire, Diamond Rio, Pam Tillis, Hank Williams Jr., John Berry, Kathy Mattea, Emmylou Harris, Blackhawk, Maura O'Connell, Ashley Cleveland, Mindy McCready, Anita Cochran and Caroline Dawn Johnson, to name some. We horse and dog lovers are thrilled that Mary Ann took some time out of her very busy schedule to produce this music for us. She even wrote a song about CLEANIN' STALLS! Mary Ann's affinity and appreciation for the finer points of horse care is apparent in each and every one of her songs. HoofPrints' customers seem to agree - these remain a perennial best-seller for us year after year. I had a customer call a while back and order 7 sets of each of Mary Ann's CDs! She is confident that all her friends will love these as much as she does. To see them all click here. |
Sunday is the first day of Summer...
But here in Indiana all it can seem to do is RAIN!
Everywhere I look here is exploding with GREEN. Not much riding time for me, with all the rain and resulting mud, but I am so fortunate to have been able to situate my desk so that I can look out the window into the yard. There's always something interesting going on - a new bird on the feeder, a pair of mallards on the pond.
In case the happenings outside aren't enough, I've got one of Eye-Think's Running Horse Cine-Spinners stuck to the window. It's a 3 1/2" flat acrylic disc with Eadweard Muybridge's galloping horse somehow embedded in it. It comes with a special suction cup hanger, and a length of strange stretchy string by which to hang it. The tiniest breeze will cause it to turn, and the horse will gallop along - for me, there is something hypnotic and stress relieving about watching a galloping horse in slow motion... To order your own entertaining Galloping Horse Cine-Spinner click here. For those who don't know about Muybridge - he's the first photographer to capture an image of a horse galloping with all four feet off the ground - remember all those old paintings with the horse legs outstretched and off the ground - like they are leaping? Muybridge set up a special system of cameras to prove that this way of galloping did not exist; he was inspired by a bet in a bar (allegedly - but not documented) The rest of the Muybridge story is here.
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The Dollar Sale continues, but this time I've added a stash of ONE OF A KIND ITEMS! I know I just sent a newsletter a few days ago. Please bear with me as I have a bit of a clutter conniption. I promise I won't make a habit of it...
Last month, at a time when most normal people were gearing up for a fun three day weekend, 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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HANDS ON GROOMING GLOVES
The scrubbing nodules on the fingers and palms provide a deep thorough clean and are the best de-shedders on the market today. Another added benefit is hair does not stick to HandsOn Gloves; just a simple flick of the wrist and the hair instantly releases!
To order click 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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MADE IN USA
Don't Sell Your Saddle
Don't give up on dreams.
Take time to see 'em through.
There are no easy trails.
Hard work makes dreams come true.
You'll make it through tough times.
Friends will stick like glue.
Don't ever sell your saddle,
Dreams won't give up on you.
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Leather Treat Pouch
Perfect for your phone, keys, horse treats, and more (one HoofPrints customer tells us she uses her's to carry her .38 on late night trips to the barn! Whatever the use, it's a great deal at only $19.95! Order 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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Farriers Traveling Desk
Corral your paperwork on the road! And it's HALF the cost of the previous version 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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Message
I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com |
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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?"
