Happy Halloween!

Have a safe night!

Can't be Tardy for the Party...lmao!

Don't judge me I like that song!

Headed out for a night on the town. Have a good night blog fam..See you tomorrow. ♥Elise

Because I luv NY..and JZ and Alicia Keys

Jay-Z - "Empire State Of Mind" ft. Alicia Keys

Jay-Z | MySpace Video


Or your can check out their performance at the World Series.

Cute!

Apartment Therapy

If only I had stairs...
and a kid....
and a house...
and time...

Go Goth

Look at these gothic faucet handles by Stephen Einhorn. I found them over at Apartment Therapy.

I kinda like them.

Unit #M: Now that the furniture is here...

As you can see the furniture for Unit #M is in place...and now it's time for the fun part: Accessorizing!!!

Let me say that I love, love, love my new couch, ottoman and chair. I know it's a little matchy-matchy (which I typically hate). BUT, I am going to overload on rugs, pillows, throws and paintings that will hardly match...but they will go;)

The rug that you see in this pic is VERY temporary. I found a huge area rug that will pull everything together.

I picked up the pillow in the chair from Target for only $30. It has all of the colors I will be working with. I'm so excited!!!

Let the accessorizing begin! ♥Elise

Costume Chaos

I've really been strugling with this whole Halloween costume thing. For starters, I don't even know where I'm going tomorrow night.

My co-worker is having a "Beer Olympics/Halloween Party"... which should be interesting.

Then a friend invited me to another Halloween Party as a part of a homecoming alumni celebration.

But first things first: I need a costume.

After weeks of looking at sweet Disney type characters, nurse outfits and bumblebees, I've decided to be more dark and drab...with a little glamour (of course).

I'm going as a "Glampire"

Headed out to pick up some essentials for my costume. Let's just hope there's something left. ♥Elise

Now THIS is a shoe!

"A man should look as if he bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them."

--Sir Hardy Amies

Unit #M: I want one!!!

I desperately, desperately want a Franco Albini ottoman. I saw it in the condo I was originally thinking about buying... It looked great, and every since then, I've wanted one...or something super similar.

They are $500 though. It pains me to ever even consider paying so much for an ottoman I would NEVER put my feet on. Help! All you E-bay, Overstock, Thrift store shoppers...please email me if you find one.

My Elm Street

There is nothing spooky at all about my Elm St. It's full of shopping, museums and restaurants!

Happy Thursday

My new wallpaper on Mr. Gateway.

In the spirit of Halloween...well, sort of..

$32 Candystore Collective

Scary Candy Apples

Halloween is just days away. For those of you still doing last minute preps for your Halloween parties... Here's a recipe I got from food critique Matt Armendariz that I'm sure you will love! ♥Elise

Red & Black Candy Apples
8-10 medium sized apples

8-10 wooden twigs, trimmed

3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup of water

several drops of cinnamon flavored oil

1/4 teaspoon of red food coloring

1/4 teaspoon of black food coloring

Clean and dry the apples. Try to remove as much of the wax as possible. If you purchase them from your local farmer’s market then chances are they have not been treated with the food grade wax that makes then shine. Remove any stems or leaves and insert a twig into the end of each apple. To facilitate easier twig entry you can carefully sharpen the end of the twig or use a candy stick to create a guide hole. Set apples aside.

Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved. Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Don’t go over 310 degrees or your candy burns and then you’ll be sad.

Remove from heat and stir in flavored oil and food coloring.

Dip one apple completely in the syrup and swirl it so that it becomes coated with the melted sugar candy. Hold the apple above the saucepan to drain off excess. Place apple, with the stick facing up, onto a baking sheet that’s greased or lined with a silpat. Repeat the process with the remaining apples. If your syrup thickens or cools too much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding. Let the apples cool completely before serving.

A note about the black apples: Lighter colored apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious) work well in making the red appear bright and glassy; darker apples like red delicious help the black candy appear as dark as possible. Muy spooky!

Also, make one batch with red food coloring, then reheat the candy mixture and add black food coloring. Adding black to red will make it darker. Repeat the dipping process.

**Black food coloring can be found online or at specialty baking stores.

I can't get enough of...

That was an easy one. Everyone knows I luv shoes. By the way, I have to have these for the holidays!

Orchids are simply precious.

Throw pillows are my latest obsession. They add so much drama to my otherwise "neutral pallette."

I have at least two candles in EVERY room. Is that bad?

Where, oh where would I be without Mr. Gateway?

A good book is only a nightstand away. I luv to read. Always have.

Last, but certainly not least, Diet Dr. Pepper is my drug! This stuff is great!

Fab Art

If you're looking for something to liven up your drab walls...this may do the trick.

Jetscapes offers beautiful 3D artwork.This one is called Dramatic Bloom. It retails for $230.

So pretty.

SASSY SPACES: Get to Work!

How nice is this office?! I love the chair, the berber accent rug and the glass desk! Oh, and check out the use of the closet....a TV cabinet! Why didn't I think of that???? ♥Elise

Still my fav. I luv orchids.

The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming!

For those of you w/nice long legs...

Forever 21

For those who want who want to hide a little pooch..go for the umpire waist..

The hour glass woman..

Small up top, curvy on the bottom? This is for you..

For those of you who simply want to play it safe..

For the "so what the party's after 7, I don't want to wear black!"

This one's for you...

Or should I say, me!

♥Elise

Houndstooth Craze

Alexander McQueen

Well....I must on the admit that I jumped houndstooth bandwagon last fall when I bought a pair of peep-toe Kenneth Cole pumps. A few weeks ago, I bought a dress similar to this one to wear to an event. I added a big orange beaded necklace and black patent pumps...and I must say, it was pretty darn cute;)

I am so glad I did... it's all the rage this season. And while I don't get into too many "trends," I think houndstooth is classic.

Marie Claire

This weekend I picked up the cutest houndstooth scarf from Aldo. It was only $20!! I can't wait to wear it with my new yellow peacoat. I tried to find it on their web site but it was no longer listed. But I did find some other pieces I thought you might enjoy. ♥Elise

Kenneth Cole

Dose of Inspiration...

Bobangles.com

The Design is in the Details

Coco & Kelly

Courtesy: Apartment Therapy

My Brow Threading Experience

Well let me start off by saying that, "everything ain't for everybody."

I heard about eyebrow threading about 5 years ago. It is very popular on both the East and West Coasts and is rapidly growing in the South. A few of my friends get their brows threaded in Atlanta and they rant and rave about how wonderful it is and how it's much better than waxing and plucking. "They say" it prevents wrinkles and lasts longer.

Well, being in Mississippi the past few years, I don't think they exactly have a threading salon in the nearby mall. I didn't hear about one. I had a hard enough time finding salons that didn't charge an arm and leg for a brow wax. I usually just waited for my 6wk visit to Atlanta.

So, now that I'm back in a larger city, I decided to try my luck at this whole threading deal....not good.

First of all, my brows weren't in desperate need of arching...but they did need some cleaning up. So I let the pushy Indian woman talk me into threading (but now before I explained how picky I am about my brows).

"I don't like them thin, don't take off too much on the ends, don't like them round, be careful with the arch on the right eye, watch for curly hairs!"

Call me what you want...it's my face! And we've all seen people with jacked up brows.lloking a H.A.M.

So she started threading. It felt kind of weird but less painful than waxing. But at one point it felt like she nicked me...but I thougt, it's thread, come on.

She showed me the first eye and sure enough, there was a small pink line below my brow...very similar to a scratch. "Oh no, honey..what's that," I asked her as I sat up in the chair. She told me it was normal for the first time...blah, blah, blah.

I let her finish. And my brows look fine..but I just don't like the process. It seems less precise than waxing, there was no prep (i.e. brushing and trimming the brows). She wiped them off with some dry cotton ball thingy. I also didn't like the fact that I have to be involved in the process.

With waxing, you just lie there, shut up and wait until it's over. With threading, I have to hold down my eyelid, pull back my forehead (messing up my new eyeshadow in the process). The experience wasn't bad...just not what I imagined. Needless to say, it looks like the only person I will be talking about threading with...is my seamstress.

But if you're interested, don't let me stop you. lol. Here's some info I found:

It originated in India, threading also known as “Knits” in Arabic and “Fatlah” in Egypt is an ancient method of hair removal. The art of eyebrow threading may be seen in the gentle and precise twisting of a length of cotton thread which is twisted along the hair which is to be removed. This twisting action traps the hair and lifts it out of the follicle.

♥Elise

Unit #M: For the Bedroom

I'm going to hang curtains in my bedroom...but they will be more for design than function. I was online at Anthropologie yesterday and found this:

I stopped by the store to see if I could just pick them up. But they told me they hooks are an online exclusive. So before I double click and make the purchase, what do you think?

Closet Freak - Part II

EVEN THOUGH I MAY NOT HAVE ALL THE SPACE IN THE WORLD, WHEN IT COMES TO NEATNESS....MY CLOSET CAN HANG WITH THE BEST OF 'EM. CHECK OUT THE CLOSETS OF SOME OF HOLLYWOOD'S LEADING LADIES.
EVA LONGORIA

MILEY CYRUS-my personal fav. Luvs Houndstooth.

KIMORA LEE-SIMMONS

PAULA ABDUL

My latest obsession

It all started last winter. I noticed more and more women were wearing fish nets. Well....I never really got into those... but I do LOVE patterened tights.

They are perfect for the winter when you want to add pizazz to a dull dress. I have a black Anne Taylor suit that can come off a bit stuffy. But when I add my tights...watch out! So fun. There are even patterened trouser socks for those of you who need to take 'baby steps' (like my mom).

And they are not hard to find. EVERYONE has them. From Target to Anthropologie, you can find them almost anywhere and they are ususally under $20. And while I prefer black, some of the younger girls are wearing multi-colored tights. Too cute!

So pick up a pair or two this fall/winter if you haven't already. I promise you will love them! ♥Elise

Unit #M: Look what I found!

Today I made my rounds to some of my favorite spots as I continute trying to decorate Unit #M without breaking the bank.

After leaving Pier 1, I made a pit stop to Ross...and look what I found in the home section!!!!!!
Isn't it cute!?!? It's in the kitchen (right now). The best part is that I got this fab accent rug for $13.99 And it feels good on my feet. Ha!

Stay tuned.... I FINALLY found furniture! Who-hooo! It will be here this weekend...and it's typical "Elise." I also found an area rug. That one WASN'T on sale. Ouch. But it's perfect for the space. Can't wait until I can pull everything together that way this place will finally feel like my home. ♥Elise