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

So worth it...

Just finished a scoop of sweet cream ice cream and a waffle cone from Marble Slab. Why do I feel so bad even though it tastes so good;)

1st Lady Fab

Check out 1st Lady Michelle Obama....

She had a hula-hoop and double dutch contest on the White House lawn.

YBF

I'm lovin it! ♥Elise

Missing MJ

Listening to my Michael Jackson Greatest Hits CD. This is good music!

SASSY SPACES: Breakfast Anyone?

With a 2-yr-old nephew who loves leaving his mark, a sister who will never admit to the mess she makes AND clumsy friends... one thing I know I will never have...is a white kitchen!

Courtesy: Downandoutchic

Yes, most of my color pallet is eggshell but that's a far cry in my opinion from stark white. It still doesn't keep me from daydreaming about eating a stack of pancakes in a kitchen like this. ♥Elise

5 Reasons why I ♥♥♥♥ Chanel

This is the fall collection from Chanel. Shop.com has the complete line plus a number of other new colections. But I must admit, Chanel is always my fav. Slight changes...classic design with a modern edge.

I can't wait until Chanel fills my closet. For now....I will stick to my 10 year Chanel tradition that I can easily afford.....

Chanel No.5

♥Elise

Unit #M

As many of you may recall, I recently got a new condo in NC. It's only been a couple of weeks but you wouldn't believe some of the changes I have made. But there is still sooooo much I want to do!

So as I continue to re-design and re-decorate, I may need your help.

Be on the lookout for Unit #M.

♥Elise

Night Cap

Since I had such a rough day...
....And yes, I'm nice enough to share (you can thank me later).
Who doesn't love Adam Rodriguez..

Hmmmm.
Ok, all better.
Nite, nite ♥Elise♥

Monday Madness

Boy I could sure use some pampering. Monday kicked my butt!!!

♥♥Elise

Sweet Sunday

It's a breezy fall day here in NC. Nevertheless, I still got up fairly early....to enjoy a cup of tea on the balcony. Don't you just love Sundays;) I hope you are enjoying your weekend. ♥Elise

LOL! I would sooo wear this t-shirt.

Too Funny.

What do your "friends" say when your not around...

Have you ever wondered how your so-called friends talk to others about you? I have on occasion..but I never really made a big deal about it.

Well, last night I was catching up on the phone with a friend and after about an hour, my battery started to die. I told her I needed to let my phone charge and that I would call her back.

Her disabled and sometimes absent minded father was in the room at the time.

Well just as I was about to hang up, I realized she hadn't hung up her cell yet. I heard her say, "that was my friend Elise...you remember Elise, right dad?"

At that moment, I could have hung up the phone but I didn't. I wanted to know how my friend would describe me to her father.

She went on to tell her dad about my recent move to NC and my reason for moving to the Gulf Coast three years ago. She remembered things that I forgot we even discussed. I was amazed at how much she remembered over the course of our year-long friendship. I was also impressed that she didn't share any personal things about my life or my work-life.

I've been around her dad a couple of times but because of his illness, he was still having a tough time figuring out who I am.

My friend went on to tell him that I was really tall and exotic looking (exotic...who me!?!) I had to mute my phone because I thought that was hilarious. The funny part is that he then remembered who I was.

"Oh, the tall pretty black girl from Atlanta," he said.

"Yeah, yeah. That's her. That's Elise," my friend responded.

The interesting part was that my friend never used my race as a descriptive....and she only used my job because that's how me met.

The three things I remember her saying was that I was smart, fun and pretty.

I listened in about two minutes before hanging up. But I probably won't tell her that I eavesdropped on her conversation. And I probably will never do it again...the results could have been much different. I just think it's interesting to hear how people talk about you when your NOT around.

It let me know what kind of impression I have left on a woman whom I look up to.

My friend is extremely smart. She quotes scholars on a regular but can laugh about the simplest things. She is a gifted education teacher and is currently working on her doctorate. She hates living on the coast but moved back to help her mother care for her ailing father and for that, she showed how loyal and caring she is.

She reads all the time and doesn't have the Internet at home. She only goes online at work when she's checking email or sending newsletters to parents. Yet, she is cultured and up-to-speed on everything that's going on in the world. She's not the best when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex...but neither am I. We have the best conversations about politics even though she calls me a conservative democrat. HA!

I could go on and on...but that's what I would say about my friend behind her back. What would you say about yours? ♥Elise