Todd Tanner with FOX13 visited Smith & Edwards in February to take a peek at the Country Boy Store.
We’re tickled that Todd took such great video of Smith & Edwards!
In addition to getting to explore the store, he got to talk to Mr. Smith, who grew the store from a little surplus & salvage operation to the gigantically fun store Smith & Edwards is today. Bert Smith still comes into the store ‘most every day at 95 years old, he’s an inspiration to all of us.
Smith & Edwards hosted our 1st Dummy Ropin’ on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
We’re glad everyone who came had such a great time!
There were 3 rounds and a range of ages participating…. and some GREAT prizes, from Smith & Edwards gift cards to ball caps and patches from Smart Roping, Fast Back Ropes, Bailey, Bex, and more.
It was a ton of fun for the adults who came. And it was even more fun to see the kids having a blast, whether they brought their own rope & gloves or they were trying their hand at ropin’ for the first time.
What do you think? Should we make a Dummy Ropin’ a Smith & Edwards tradition like the Gun Auction?
You’ll find 4-wheeler roping dummies, Shorty the Steer, and even tabletop roping dummies on our site! Click the picture to shop.
So now you’re probably thinking, Hey, I need one of those roping dummies!
Well, they are a ton of fun. The one you saw is available in green and black. It uses 8 wheels and is real easy to push on a flat floor. We built our own chute-launcher, you can see in the gallery. I bet you could come up with a system that works for your family to use.
It’s so easy to put your saddle on the stand and walk away when snow starts to fly in the fall. But that leaves a lot of dust & residue on your saddle so when you take it out in the spring, it’s WORK lookin’ you right in the face!
When you’ve put that much into a good Western saddle, you want to make sure your saddle stays clean and conditioned! Marty Thompson, our Western Saddlery guy, will take you through the most important parts of cleaning a saddle, whether you’re putting it away or taking it out in the spring.
Plus, if you have leather cowboy boots, scabbards, or headstalls that need a good cleaning, you can use these same steps to condition your leather.
How to Clean a Saddle Q & A
How to Clean a Western Saddle…. Before & After
Here’s a customer’s saddle. For some reason they were happy to volunteer when we asked around who wanted their saddle cleaned for free!
This saddle has some beautiful tooling and design, but it’s been buried deep under dirt & muck. Here’s what it’s going to look like when we’re done:
Leather Care Products you want to use
Everyone has their own preferences. Marty’s not only sold tack for 20 years here at Smith & Edwards – he does leatherworking & builds saddles in his spare time. So here’s what he recommends, based on his experience.
There are lots of products for cleaning your saddle, from Fiebing’s, Skidmore’s, and Ray Holes. A wool pad or scrap of sheepskin will help you gently rub the leather cleaner & conditioner into your saddle & gear without scratching.
Before Marty started with products, he took a bristle brush to the saddle to get off most of the dirt before coming in with the liquid. An air compressor works good too, if you have one – especially under the skirts and jockeys!
If you have a REALLY dirty piece of leather, you can use some dish soap on it. Then, you need to come back and condition it afterwards.
Marty likes using Fiebing’s Liquid Saddle Soap. This spray seems to cover better than paste, and you get less residue in the cracks of the leather. You can use a paste with a wet cloth, but if the paste gets too thick it might be hard to work out of your leather’s creases and details.
The Liquid Saddle Soap cleans it out really well, and it also lightly conditions it at the same time. Plus, it’s great to be able to spray in the spots you want.
That first spray on the dusty leather is pretty satisfying…
If a saddle has a lot drier feel to it after going over it with saddle soap, you could go over it with some neatsfoot oil to condition it deeper.
A soft cotton cloth is good to use for rubbing the liquid into the saddle. You can also use a soft sponge or a piece of sheepskin. You want something that is soft and won’t scratch the leather, and also holds the cleaner and conditioner well.
If you have an older saddle, or maybe a saddle that hasn’t seen enough care, the Skidmore’s Leather Cream is a great way to deeply condition your leather.
Skidmore’s Leather Cream
You don’t haveto wear gloves. Marty likes to wear gloves because that way he’s not running to the sink to get oil off his hands!
Parts of the Saddle to Clean
You want to clean your leather and get all the sand, dust, and dirt out of there. That helps your leather last longer and brings the beauty back into that leather.
It’s really important to do more than a surface clean when you care for you saddle.
When you’ve got sand and dust trapped in the fenders and parts of the saddle, it acts like sandpaper and wears out the leather.
You want to get in the fenders, the saddle strings, stirrup leathers.
And the cinch and back billet are really going to want cleaning.
Make sure and finger-clean all the hair, sticks, and dirt out of your cinch.
Make sure and get your rosettes and conchos shined up while you’re at it!
Halfway through! Marty’s cleaned the left side of the saddle, and he’s only brushed the right side so far.
If your silver conchos are really tarnished, go ahead and take them off your saddle, then take some silver polish to them. That’s because some silver polishes can turn your leather white, so you want to be sure and take the silver off the leather before you introduce the chemicals.
A lot of dirt and hair will build up where the stirrup hangs, so scrape and break up the dirt. You can scrape off the mud with a pocketknife on your stirrup leathers, and then you’ll be able to get the conditioner in the leather.
You’re not digging into the leather with your blade – just prying off the caked dirt.
If you have a rough-out or suede seat, you’ll want to use Bickmore’s Bick 4 instead of an oily conditioner, so the oil doesn’t come out on the seat of your pants! This type of product is also good for leather couches and car seats.
Same idea on cleaning rawhide: brush off any dust & dirt, then take a piece of sheepskin and work the rawhide cream into your gear.
Waterproofing Leather
Skidmore’s Beeswax Waterproofing
Ray Holes’ Saddle Butter conditions the leather well, AND has a waterproofing component in it. Ray Holes also makes Chap Wax, which is specifically designed for waterproofing. Skidmore’s also makes a waterproofing from beeswax. Each of these penetrates into the leather well and helps the moisture bead up and roll off instead of soaking into your saddle!
How do you waterproof your leather? Same process: clean your leather off with a brush and then a conditioner. Then, put on a coat of waterproofing.
Make sure and let your saddle dry on its own, at room temperature – this may take a half hour.
Finishing touches
To finish your leather, put a coat of Tan-Kote on your gear.
Tan-Kote, by Fiebing’s, gives your leather a bit of shine and also helps repel dust and dirt. Plus, it’s a softer product with a water base, that won’t cause your leather to crack.
After
Beautiful!
Get more tips like this in your email!
Enter your email address & Marty will send you more tack tips plus let you know when he puts his Western tack & gear on sale.
Get the Basics with this Leather Care Kit
Marty put this kit together so you can get everything you need in 1 place to clean and waterproof your leather. Skidmore’s leather products are made in the USA – which we love – and they’ll work great on your saddle & tack.
Plus, you save money by buying these products in the kit – AND you get a sheepskin piece to work it in! We don’t sell these sheepskin scraps on the website, so Marty’s kit is the only way for you to get your hands on one of these! Click here to check it out.
How do you care for YOUR saddle & gear? Let us know!
Well we’ve had a whole lot of warm weather this winter, let me tell you some ice fishing stories in lieu of new Braggin’ Board pictures. And I DO have a new Braggin’ Board pic for you to check out, so scroll down to see what’s swimming in local ponds.
Self-Rescue while Ice Fishing
Some of you guys are braver than I am.
When it comes to thin ice, I am a chicken. I struggle even on 5 inches of ice!
I don’t know if it is because I am a bigger guy, if it’s cause I swim like a rock, or just what… but I AM pretty chicken.
In any event, you should check out this video that I found through our good friend Wynn aka Bear’s Butt. He’s totally immersed in fletching and bows but go tell him hi from me. This video he shared, teaches you what you should do in the event that you fall through the ice.
Thanks Butt! That’s some good knowledge to have.
I don’t fish very often (if ever) on ice that could potentially be less than 5 inches. That means that I haven’t had much fun this ice season. It’s been a big bust actually here for northern Utah – one of the mildest winters on record.
When Cold Water is Hot, You’ve Probably Got Hypothermia
I remember when I was younger and growing up in a very small town in northern Utah. My hometown is small enough that if you blink when driving through it to go to Bear Lake, you would miss it.
I was young enough that I did not have a driver’s license yet, and it was Christmas Break. A friend of mine and I decided we wanted to go fishing.
Being in the small town where everyone knows everyone, you can get most places on a four wheeler. My buddy just happened to have one, and we got permission to go.
Woodruff Reservoir was about 10-15 miles away, and we thought that would be no problem to get to. We forgot about where we lived and that we wouldn’t be inside a cab getting up there. A four wheeler in the winter up there is SO cold!
We only made it partway and decided that we would just fish a pond that was only part of the way up the highway.
When we finally got on the ice, we found another obstacle. We realized that the hand auger that we had was dull.
I mean, so dull that it wouldn’t have cut warm butter let alone 10″ or more of ice. This thing was almost useless!
We finally got two holes drilled and fished for about 10-15 minutes. We caught two fish and decided that was enough… and froze all the way home.
Our hands were SO numb that when we got home, we put them under COLD water because warm water felt like it was burning us! I still have all 10 fingers though so we made it ok.
We never went on a trip like that again… although there were plenty of other adventures we went on!
Want to hear more of my fishing stories? Or share one adventure you had? Leave a comment below and tell me about it.
And before I go, let me show you this perfect rainbow trout caught at Brigham City’s Pioneer Park in January.
Allen Larsen pulled this beauty: 8 pounds and 26″. Thanks for sharing Allen, and great catch!
Valentine’s Day? It’s over rated. But who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up?
A little Western inspiration in honor of Valentine’s Day.
For the Ladies
Sure to turn some heads is this amazing Panhandle Slim long sleeve blouse. Impressively accented with beautiful scroll embroidery, red rhinestones and ebony snaps
Where fashion meets western – Cowgirls Tuff jeans, fun retro wash accented with red stitch and red embroidered “bling” pockets. Amazing fit for all body tops.
Paired with functional and stylish Columbia quilted vest. All that is needed on these warmer “winter” days.
Topped off with fun boho country chic Rock 47 necklace and matching earrings and silver rhinestone bracelet.
Complete the look with a great pair of Tony Lama Vaquero red boots with brown leather wing tips and snipped toe, a fun red belt with plenty of silver and bling, and a beautiful America West fully tooled leather purse.
For Men
Rugged Wear easy care plaid shirt. You will look amazing and your partner will love you because she won’t have to iron your shirt.
Cinch Ian dark wash jean – mid rise, slim fit, boot cut with heavy contrast stitching on pockets. Stylish and classic.
Classic Columbia fleece vest – tried and true can’t beat Columbia’s quality
Infamous Hooey hat – hands up pistol Hooey
Classic black tooled leather belt with silver conchos
Amazing Tony Lama full quill ostrich boots – get him these and he will love you forever
For Your Son
Classic Cinch plaid shirt and logo tee
NEW Cinch Luke jean – great fit and look
Cowboy Hardware quilted vest with steer head skull embroidery – fun and functional
Stylish 3D beaded belt – what every little cowboy wants at a great price
Serratelli 6X flat top, banded edge cowboy hat – made in the USA
Tony Lama western work boot – built to last with heavy duty soles and brushed leather vamp
For the Girls
Stylish and fun Cruel Girl polka dot shirt with glitter snaps
Dreamstar knit heart top with pleather and silver stone accents
Cruel Girl Ella Jean – adjustable waistband, fun heavy pink and white stitching on pockets, rhinestone button and rivets
Darling Cowgirl Hardware quilted vest complete with detailed barrel racer embroidery and rhinestones
Super cute silver sequined belt that will compliment any outfit
Justin faux snake pink boots with silver pink stitched tops – any little cowgirl will fall in love with these (available online! click here)
For many of us, we get just about as excited for Valentine’s Day as we do for Christmas. It’s not so much about the gifts as it is about decorating! Reds, Whites, and Pinks, oh my!
I found some incredible ladies who love it just as much as I do. I call them the crafty bloggers because they are so talented and have their own darling blogs in which they share their ideas and creations with others.
The Challenge
Here’s what I told them: We’ll give each of you 3 rolls of tulle (pink, red, and white of course) and you can be as creative as you want with it. You can use other items but the tulle should be a main supply/focal point used. The trick is to see the fun ways you can use tulle for Valentine’s Day or decorating.
I’ve been so excited to see what they’ve come up with! Ready for the unveiling? Let’s check them out!
The Reveal
Click the image to get step-by-step instructions on how to make a tulle valentine bunting of your own!
Click on the image to get a tutorial on how you can make a wreath like this one.
Nice job ladies! Thank you so much for taking the Crafty Blogger’s Valentine Tulle Challenge. I feel even more inspired to get out the tulle and start crafting!
Your Turn
So what about you? What do you think about these projects? Are there any that you want to try? Let me know in the comments below. Send pictures if you try something on your own. I’d love to show them off on our brag board!
You can check out my Valentine’s Project Idea here to find out how to make this fun, quick, and easy tulle ornament. You get step-by-step instructions that will hopefully help inspire your creative juices to flow as well as the great ideas above.
If you would like to be a part of our next bloggers’ challenge, leave a comment below. Happy crafting!
Flowers? Chocolates? That’s so been done. This year give your sweetie something that not only declares your love but that’s clever and useful too. Keep scrolling for our top picks that are bound to bring a smile to his or her face.
His & Hers Giveaways
But first – enter to win these sweet His & Hers Valentines’ Giveaways from us! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Special Gifts for your Sweetheart from Smith and Edwards
What says I love you more than Smith and Edwards gun mugs? Okay, there might be something out there, but you know your Valentine will love these! Tell her, “Shoot, I’d marry you all over again!”
Find the black one here and the pink one here.
Tell him you couldn’t survive without him with a very cool and high quality survival kit by Ultimate Survival Technology.
Find more 1st aid kits and supplies here.
Tell her she’s the light of your life with a Lumaspot Rhythm lantern she’s going to love. Not only is it durable and dependable, it comes with color changing LED disco lights with MP3 compatibility. I love this thing!
Find more lighting options here.
If you know your Valentine loves to fish, tell him that out of all the fish in the sea, you’ve made a great catch! Then give him a box of new fishing lures and jigs you know he’ll love.
Find more fishing tackle and bait here as well as the perfect Smith and Edwards compartment box here.
For the avid outdoorsman, tell him he’s found the way straight to your heart. Then give him a high quality compass like this one from Brunton.
Find more compasses here.
To really spice things up, tell her she’s one hot mama and give her some Hot & Spicy jerky seasoning from Nesco. You may want to throw in some Supreme Hot Sauce as well!
Find jerky guns here and more seasonings here.
If he’s a good ole western boy, tell him he makes your heart sing and give him some classic western music.
Find more western music CD’s here.
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. With this heart mold from Tovolo you can remind him how much you love him all year long.
You can’t go wrong with a Stainless Steel Magnetic Bracelet by Sabona® for him or her. When you’ve got a gift this classy, there’s no need to write something clever! The bracelet speaks for itself – top quality, well made, and gorgeous!
Find more styles of Sabona® bracelets here. And make sure you entered to WIN one a Sabona bracelet at the top of this post!
Hope this gives you some new ideas for your Sweetheart. Got some clever valentine ideas of your own? Please share them by commenting below. We’d love to hear what you’ve done!
It’s coming to Bear Lake, Utah… and it’s the only time this year! Are you ready?
The Bear Lake Cisco Run happens 1 time a year and it’s unique in how you fish for them. And it’s only a couple weeks out of the whole year.
This fish, the famous Bonneville Cisco, can only be found at Bear Lake. During this time, they can be caught by using a dip net from a boat.
(Be careful not to net the Bear Lake MONSTER, though!)
And if you’re participating in the Cisco Disco, a cisco net is a MUST!
Get your Cisco Fishing Net today
This Ranger 173 wire smelt net is perfect for Cisco! Get yours before you miss the season.
What’s the Cisco Disco? This year on January 24th, start fishing at sunrise at Cisco Beach on the east side of Bear Lake. There will even be prizes for largest catch of the day!
From now through the first of February, get your chance at a cisco with a cisco net! My Cisco fishing nets just arrived here at Smith & Edwards, I’ve got the Ranger 173 wire smelt net for you here in the Fishing department.
It has a telescoping handle, and an 18″ net perfect for cisco. Plus, it’s got a handle on the bottom so you can empty your catch easily!
Exclusively available in-store at Smith & Edwards (not online), come in & get yours today for just $29.99.
Before you go, check out the new Maniac Lures I just added to our web store. New colors of Gizzybugs, Gizzillas, Cutterbugs, and new Vertigo. Give these jigs a shot and let me know how they work for you.
February is right around the corner and you know what that means….Valentine’s Day! I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day. It’s not so much the presents as it is the colors, decorating, and celebrating those I love.
To share my love for the season I’m going to share an easy Valentine’s craft idea. It’s made with one of my favorite supplies to use…..tulle! It’s so versatile, never loses its shape, and the colors are so vibrant! Adults and kids alike will have fun making these. They are fabulous for 4-H craft projects as well as many other youth groups activities.
Back in December I gave you a peek at this tulle project idea, but in honor of those sweet ones in our lives you now get a step-by-step tutorial. This one is designed for Valentines but it’s a terrific project anytime of year by just mixing up the colors.
To begin this project you need to cut:
Eight 6″ pieces of Silver Gray, Flamingo Pink, Pink, and White
Six 6″ pieces of Fuchsia
One 12″ piece of Fuchsia
Let’s get started!
The first thing you’ll want to do is make a loop with one of your 6″ pieces of tulle. Place it outside the ring and thread your ends over the ring, through the loop, and pull. This knot is also known as a Larks Head Knot.
Continue making knots in the pattern of colors you want to use.
I like to make the hanging loop after I’ve tied about half of the knots on the ring. You make this by tying both ends in double knots over the ring. The knot will look different than the others but it blends in beautifully when it’s all done.
Tie more lark head knots in between your double knots, just like you were doing in the beginning. Continue to follow your original color pattern.
Finish tying until all your tulle is used and your ring is completely covered. They should fit nice and snug so you can no longer see the ring.
Now is the time that I cut out my picture to place in the ornament. It needs to be about 2.5″ in diameter. You can fasten the photo to the center of your lid with a scrapbooking adhesive, but I prefer without.
Before I insert my picture I like to pull all the knots forward, towards the top of the ring. Then I insert the picture from the back end, pushing the lid in behind it for a nice backing. Not a big deal, but I like the look better when it’s done.
You’re almost done! Now all you need to do is “fluff” your tulle. For each knot I pull the ends of the tulle in opposite directions til you are happy with the overall look.
Now that’s a Valentine to be proud of!
Now what?
Now that you’ve found a source of inspiration for a project of your own, check out our tulle here for a bigger selection of regular and glitter tulle that will make your projects pop with color. Then send us pictures of your finished projects to info@smithandedwards.com so we can show them off!
Come play with us on Pinterest! Follow us to get more creative ideas and be sure to pin this image so your friends can get inspired too. Share the love this Valentine’s Day!
It’s January and winter’s in full force! Stay warm with a country, cozy look with anything-but-basic black and fun accessories.
As the women’s clothing buyer at Smith & Edwards, I see my customers wearing lots of great outfits. I had to share this winter fashion inspiration outfit so you can recreate your own basic black with some fringe and bling!
How to create this Winter Fashion Inspiration Look!
Sweater weather, get cozy but still look fabulous with this perfect outfit for a cold day!
You can’t go wrong with this darling chunky striped sweater paired with these amazingly awesome Rock Revival jeans.
Adding a faux leather jacket and bag give the outfit a more put-together look while still looking casual.
Top it off with the perfect accessories like this necklace & earrings set from Montana Silversmiths, bangles from Rock 47 by Wrangler, and trendy Skechers booties, and this will be your go-to outfit for winter.
Where can you get this look? Exclusively in-store at Smith & Edwards in Farr West, Utah! Call 801-731-1120 for availability.
