Happy Summer Solstice!
This is Red Shoes. Red Wine.‘s quarterly newsletter/e-zine, the second of its kind on the blog: a short and colorful recap of all the adventures we’ve had this past quarter, blog posts that were published, and a reminder to subscribers of all the goodies hidden in the password protected Subscriber’s Only page (sign-up at the very bottom for the password).
Adventures on Instagram
Sometimes it only takes a few days to photo montage and type out a blog post, and sometimes it takes over a year. I’m quirky like that. As a reminder, the best way to get updates and follow day-to-day adventures is to follow me on Instagram. In the past quarter on Instagram, and not yet featured on the blog, are highlights from wine tastings/classes/festivals around Houston, skyline and tunnel geology of Downtown Houston’s buildings, Bahamas cruises, costume building, and our fur babies. Below are the new blog posts published in the past quarter.
New Costuming Blog Posts
Costuming Dark Rey (Concept) from Star Wars
Costuming a Jawa from Star Wars
Costuming a Jedi from Star Wars
Costuming Jimmy Buffett/Margarita Guy from Jurassic World
New Adventures Blog Posts
Downtown Nassau on Your Own: Walking Guide
Wine & Alligators…the Perfect Pairing (Part 1: Pre-Festival in Miami)
Wine & Alligators…the Perfect Pairing (Part 2: South Beach Wine & Food Festival)
Wine & Alligators…the Perfect Pairing (Part 3: Post-Festival in Miami)
Exploring the New Wiess Energy Hall at HMNS
An Anomaly of Clear Water at Galveston
New Food & Wine Blog Posts
Drinking Outside the Cookie Box: Our Girl Scout Cookie and Wine Pairing
Loire Valley Wines Event: Spring to Loire in Houston
A Burgundy Wine Tour for the Blissfully Ignorant
New Happy Home Blog Posts
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 1)
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 2)
Finding DNA: Additional Testing
Hurricane Ready Now, Hurricane Party Later: Being Fully Prepared
New Resources Blog Posts
Geology Basics: For the Casual Observer or Amateur Enthusiast
Skyline Geology: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Houston’s Buildings (City Hall Loop)
Tunnel Geology: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Houston’s Buildings (Red Loop)
Starting a Blog: Why and How-To
No Photoshop, No Problem: How I Make PowerPoint My B!tch
Subscriber’s Only Page
New to the blog this year is the password protected Subscriber’s Only page, where I’ve collected all my free downloads (packing lists, patterns, wine sheets, and recipes) just for newsletter subscribers. The preview above is a sample of what’s new, and I add more as I create new stuff! New in the last quarter are walking tours, so check them out! Please come back any time in the future for more!
What’s Coming This Summer
Before the fall, I have a busy summer at home finishing up some Amazon costumes from Wonder Woman, a Dandy Captain Hook costume, Bellas costumes from Pitch Perfect 3, and if there’s time, a Femme Jafar inspired costume from Disney’s Aladdin. We also have a couple trips planned to the Texas Hill Country and Atlanta for DragonCon. The blog posts that I hope to finish are costume builds for Burlesque Loki and Themistocles from 300: Rise of an Empire, highlights from our trips to Europe in 2016 and 2017 (I’m slow, I know), and more skyline and tunnel geology walking tours of Downtown Houston. I’m sure there will be more because you know me…
If you’re reading this and would like these quarterly newsletters delivered to your inbox and/or want the password for the Subscriber’s Only page, please enter your email below to sign up. Your inbox is a no spam zone, so don’t worry, I won’t clutter your emails (seriously, once a quarter is it!). I’ll never sell your info, or send you any junk. Promise! And if you’re already a loyal subscriber, you already rock!
Have a happy Summer, everyone!
–Sheila
“The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted; the cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake, the satin-green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze: June had arrived.”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Previous Newsletters/E-Zines
Spring Equinox Newsletter (2018)
Ginger “Pretty Girl”
April 2005 – May 2018
In May we lost our eldest fur baby to an aggressive cancer. Ginger lived 13 years by my side and knew she was loved very much. A few of her many adventures include hiking Enchanted Rock and the Grand Canyon, running along the beaches of Texas and Florida, and mentoring her young siblings and fur-friends with graceful patience. She loved everyone she met, and they all loved her back. The house feels empty and wrong to all of us, and I find myself looking for her in her usual spots. She is missed more than I can express. Please hug your fur babies for us, there’s just never enough time.