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Jun
9
Without, you know, cleaning it or anything. Many years ago, the Shop Tart was hours away from hosting a family luncheon for one of her children’s baptisms. She cannot be expected to remember which child it was. Oh, wait, she can. It was the last one, because she had it catered by the delightful Suzi Sheffield of El Burrito. She didn’t serve burritos, silly. She served warm chicken salad, roasted green beans and the most obscenely good bite-size ham biscuits the Shop Tart has ever had. People were freaking out they were so good. It must have been the third child, because they must have been in the house where they live now, because the Shop Tart didn’t know Suzi catered until after Suzi bought her old house. Don’t you just love small towns? And those biscuits…oh, mercy. A few months later, the Shop Tart needed more, badly. Suzi was out of town but agreed to give her the recipe, provided she would never tell a single soul the secret. And she hasn’t, although she has made them numerous times. Where were we?
Ah, yes. How to make your bathroom seem clean for guests without really cleaning it. So, the Shop Tart had a minor meltdown when she realized she had no acceptable tablecloths for the luncheon. She did what any sane person would do. Went to the mall. Although she has no real love for the mall, she did find what she sought - two acceptable tablecloths, one for the kitchen table and one for the dining room. Oh. Forgot to mention she was hosting about twenty and needed both tables, with extensions. While she was buying the tablecloths, she realized she had no hand soap for the guest bath. To avoid another shopping trip, she bought some at the fancy kitchen store, paying an obscene amount with no shame. As it turned out, the fancy soap changed her life. It smelled divine. Every time a guest washed his hands, the bathroom smelled light and clean. Also? Thanks to the soap? She could tell which guests washed their hands and which didn’t. This information came in handy when she was deciding whom to ask to pass the ham biscuit appetizers. Remember the ham biscuits? They were so good that her aunt declared they didn’t even need the ham. Damn, those are good biscuits.
Back to the hand wash. The other day, the Shop Tart realized she needed more. To avoid the mall, she headed straight to Pout, where she found plenty of choices. After much enjoyable sniffing, he narrowed it down to two: Molton Brown Thai Vert and Fresh Sugar Blossom. Although they were both lovely, she chose the one by Fresh, based on her recent obsession with other products from that line (The Crème Ancienne, the Anise Wrinkle Eraser, the Rose Marigold Floral Water…)
Once again, the half bath smells divine and the Shop Tart knows which guests are hand washers and which are not. But she really loved the Molton Brown Thai Vert, too. It might make its way into her downstairs master bath, which guests also use during parties.
Speaking of delicious things, the Shop Tart wonders if anyone makes a hand soap that smells like the shrimp burger at Cock n Bull. On second thought, that would be awful. But the shrimp burger itself is beyond compare. The Shop Tart and her Italian visitors headed to the bar last night for an early dinner with their children. Although she has attempted to order other things and has been told they are delicious, she cannot resist the shrimp burger over an Emerald Isle salad. There are little grilled red onions in the salad. And some cheese and mixed greens and possibly roasted red peppers. The shrimp burger itself - prepared with Panko bread crumbs, a ton of shrimp and some other delicious things - is so flipping good. The Shop Tart likes things that are crispy on the outside, which it is. Just look at it.
The other adults enjoyed an Emerald Isle salad with chicken, a roasted vegetable sandwich and another shrimp burger. The children devoured quesadillas, shrimp and chicken fingers. They suffered through having their fries stolen by the adults, who eventually ordered up a basket to share. The veggie sandwich came with onion rings, which were the Shop Tart’s favorite kind. How did she not know about this? The onions were cooked to tender perfection and the friend coating didn’t cling to them. The onions slid seductively from their crispy coating. Did that sound dirty? They were so good she felt dirty. Rowrrr. They reminded her of the onion rings she relished as a child at Shoney’s, but they were even better.
In other news…
- The Chantecaille Rosewater and Palette System Event is back at Pout by popular demand this Wednesday and Thursday only. Chantecaille’s in-house make up artist, Connie, will be at the store both days and taking appointments for all of your Chantecaille needs. Call now for an appointment, as they get booked fast. Look for specials on select products and free rosewater refills with purchase.
- Everything at Weathers is on sale…and a lot of it will be at Lola Thursday, along with the Shop Tart, who will be sipping bubbly and entertaining you with true-life stories and unsolicited fashion advice.
- Mbellished is closing. Sort of. The physical shop will close, but the lovely Mrs. Murphy will continue to meet all your custom stationary and invitation needs from home. In fact, she’s working on notecards for the Shop Tart right this second. Everything in the shop is at least 30% off. The Shop Tart lurrrrved some of the funny Kate Spade cards.
- M Boutique has a new shipment for summer, including this little number, which is calling the Shop Tart’s name for her beach vacation next week.
- If you have children, no matter what age, you must go to the main branch of the Richland County Public Library to see Billy Jonas and his band perform today at 3 pm, a little earlier to get seats and get settled. The kids will go nuts and get out a lot of that crazy summer energy. Even if you don’t have kids, go. He’s pretty cute and the music is right on.
- Don’t miss the Seeing Double Sale at Columbia Museum of Art’s gift shop. The annual store-wide sale is in progress during the entire month of June. Everyone saves and Museum members get double the discounts. One of a kind and handmade gifts in all price ranges can be found at the Museum Shop. Worldly inspired items, artistic cards and note cards, creative children’s toys, handmade jewelry and elegant scarves are just a few of the wonderful treasures you will find. Give the gift of creativity and help the Museum continue its mission of inspiring, educating and enriching the public through art.
- Little Lambs and Ivy is having a great sale on spring and summer clothes for kids at both locations, Devine Street and Holly Street behind KD’s Treehouse.
- Tonight, Solstice is offering Italian wine flights. Former GM Michael Cramer will pour you a $12 flight featuring Pighin Pinot Grigio, Villa Nozzole Chianti Classico and the amazing 06 Guidalberto. They’ll also debut a new Prosecco and treat everyone who orders the wine flight and dinner to a complimentary glass of the Caposaldo Prosecco. Make a reservation and make sure you have a safe driver, m’kay?
Happy shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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2 Responses to “How to make your guest washroom smell pretty.”
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You ever tried Typepad mate? Why do you prefer wordpress out of Typepad?
when i go to a gift shop, i always look for cute little stuffed animals and other cute stuffs*~;