It's Free? Really?

If the the best things in life are free why have I spent so much money?  Our house wasn't free, our wedding wasn't free, and believe me, having our daughter was nowhere near the amount of $0.00!  The saying should go, "The best things in life aren't free, so there are mortgages and debt for me."

Enough of the unglamorous part of life. The House of Brockman is doing it's very first free give away! Let's see what the prizes are (where is Bob Barker when you need him?):

To the lucky first place winner, you will receive a custom design board and layout for a room of your choice.
























To the second place winner, you will receive a custom black and white framed cameo silhouette

Last but not least, winner number three will receive a new mirror!

You don't think you get all this for free now?  All those who answer the five True or False questions about Emily and I correctly will be put into a raffle.  The first name we pick is first prize winner, and so forth.  We will be contacting you to see what your glamorous prize is.  Good Luck!

 

1.  While on a trip to New York City, Chris sung a duet with a top Broadway performer.
True or False?

2.  Emily was once attacked by 50 ducks who were after her loaf of bread.
True or False?

3.  Emily and Chris took a sushi making class together and now hate sushi.
True of False

4.  Chris once had a telephone pole fall on his head, and it gave him temporary tunnel vision.
True of False?

5.  Emily had the pleasure of meeting Brittney Spears (pre-crazy Brittney) backstage at a concert. True or False?

Your answers must be submitted by Tuesday Feb. 26, by 12:00 midnight, either by email or as a comment in order to qualify for the prizes!

Pop goes the Colors

I love Nursery Rhymes.  Who doesn't love the life lessons we learned from them?  We learned a shoe is not a suitable place for a home, especially if you have tons of kids.  Jack taught us he apparently had nothing else better to do than jump over a candle all day, or he was just a master procrastinator.  And everyone knows Little Miss Muffet needed therapy to deal with her arachnophobia.  Because to the new project we 're doing at the House of Brockman, I felt inspired to write the first House of Brockman Nursery Rhyme which goes to the tune of "Pop! Goes the Weasle."

 

All around the row house, 

The mother chased the children.

The children stopped to look around,

Pop! Goes the colors!



 

This Nursery Rhyme was inspired by a family living in an old 1900's row house.  In the youthful home, they wanted to have pops of color - and pops is what we will give them!  As you can see from the design board, we are using pops of canary yellow, as well as neutral gray and white.  We mixed styles to give it a youthful feel in this fun home.  

 

Feel free to email if you are in need of design help: houseofbrockman@gmail.com

Thou Shalt Not Covet

New baby, new business, new reasons to be tired.  Somewhere in the Bible it says, "Thou shalt not covet."  For some reason, coveting is all I have been doing lately.  Coveting the days when things were easier.  I can't help but think how great it would be to be like Inspector Gadget.  That way, when Emily is screaming, "Where's the Binky?!" all I would have to do is chant the magic words, "Go, go gadget Binky!" and bam!  I would save the day.  Plus, I could continue on doing what I was doing without interruption.  Another thing Emily and I have been coveting is sleep.  Whoever invented sleep was a geneous.  We have been longing for the days where we could sleep just as long as we wanted.  Since we are sleep deprived, I find myself speaking in a form of english, mixed with the slurs of a drunk.  I'm tempted to place a sign on my chest that reads the following:

Lately, I have also found myself coveting the days when I had money. It's funny to me that babies are free to make, but so darn expence to keep!  They should tell you that in the fine print:

Babies' common side effects are: drousiness, difficulty sleeping, body aches, headache, irritibility, mood swings, slurred speach, memory loss, loss of focus, and loss of motivation.  Some have reported depression, or thoughts of suiside.  And in extreme cases, side effects include: zombie-like simptoms, or mental instability.  If you plan on having a baby or becoming pregnant, talk to a local parent first.

As I have shared my woes with others, the same message has been shared, "It gets better, and you will forget how bad it was in the beginning."  Which makes sence since we are in a infinite daze of joy from being new parents.

 

Design GPS

I don't know what it is about men, but for some reason we are all built with the mind set that we always know where we are going - even if we really don't.  We try to reassure the others in the car and telling them blatant lies like, "Of course I know where I'm going," and, "No.  I didn't just pass that sign for the fourth time!"  Of course, no self respecting man would dare ask for directions, and secretly we're too proud to even look at a GPS. 
I like to think of myself as a GPS, meaning a Gifted Person with Style.  As a proper GPS, I guide my friends turn by turn, navigating them to their new and improved room.  A few weeks ago, we recieved the "Decorating 911" email from a young lady whose apartment needed to feel more like a home, and not like solitary confinement.  She wished to make her apartment feel more grown up and relaxing. Since the email, I have been able to see her apartment and have heard her plea.  Welcome to her new apartment:

This is a general idea board to get the feel of the room, and the planned layout.  She has a budget of around $1,200, which might seem like a big chunk of change, but since all we has to start with is a TV and a dinning room table, everything else for the room is needed.  She explained to me she wanted a coffee shop-like vibe, with pops of color.  The room itself is not very big at all, measuring to about 300 sq ft. She needs this space to have multiple functions, such as dining, reading nook, and extra sleeping arrangements if need be, in the living room.  I decided to divide the room into defined spaces, as you can see from the layout.  The ottomans work over time as extra seating, storage, and extra dining room chairs. When she has guests stay over night, all she needs to do is move the ottomans and bring in a blow up mattress.  The reading nook is my favorite, with comfortable chairs and an over sized light fixture hanging over to create an intimate place to read, and the area is defined by the light fixture. She has an awesome reclaimed wood table with matching benches, which we tucked away in the corner.  The table's leg were painted a Robin's egg blue, which helped in the color scheme.  The color scheme we decided on is soft gray, robin's egg blue, and a pea green which was inspired by a throw blanket I found. This layout and idea board gives her the relaxing, young coffee shop feel she wanted.

If anyone needs a little guidance, and feels lost, I can be a GPS for you. email us at houseofbrockman@gmail.com