Meet husband and wife design team Bob and Cortney Novogratz, owners of the NYC based design firm, Sixx Design, and stars of Bravo's newest docu-series "9 by Design." For more than a decade, this young, hip and artsy couple have developed and designed unique properties in Manhattan, rebuilt entire blocks in the city, and turned funky into fabulous with taste and confidence. In any given week, the duo face daunting construction challenges against rapidly ticking clocks, create sumptuous spaces from wrecks and empty lots, and then decorate the spaces with rare and inspiring collectables. The eight-episode new series premieres Tuesday, April 13 at 11 p.m. ET/PT and moves to 10 p.m. ET/PT on Tuesday, April 20 on Bravo.

Renovating and selling houses is a challenging business, but as Cortney says, "we are risk takers, we look at places no one else would ever dream of looking at." Overall, the risks have paid off, but Cortney adds, "it's the ugly times that are the most exciting and the most fun."

The series follows the couple over the course of six months, during which they worked on six large-scale design projects including a 24-room hotel on the New Jersey Shore called The Bungalow Hotel, a 10,000 square foot glass house on Manhattan's West Side Highway and a home conversion of a gun shop located on the edge of Soho.

Both hailing from large Southern families, Bob and Cortney shared the desire to have a lot of kids and are parents to seven children – Wolfgang, 12, twins Bellamy and Tallulah, 10, Breaker, 8, twins Five and Holleder, 4. At the close of the premiere episode, Cortney goes into labor with the newest addition to the family, a son, Major. New York City may not be the typical place to raise a large and growing family, but for the Novogratz family there's no place they'd rather be.

In the premiere episode, the series introduces this large family – two parents, six kids and one on the way – who are residing in a downtown two bedroom while waiting for their latest renovation project to be finished. Space is cramped for the family at the moment, but the team comes together as they embark on yet a new chapter of their lives with a new baby on the way, a new home being renovated and new projects on the horizon.

The series also will give viewers useful advice for their own lives. The couple utilizes their signature mix of vintage and modern, and purchase items that are both high and low end. For example, a treasured family heirloom can be paired with a new piece from Ikea. Or maybe an old coffee table can be painted hot pink and make a fun addition to a girl's bedroom.

Bob and Cortney started renovating run down urban facilities in New York City in the early 1990s. With little funds, they renovated a space in the then up and coming Chelsea neighborhood. Musician Suzanne Vega offered to rent the property at three times the mortgage, and with their first son Wolfgang now in tow, Cortney and Bob took the deal and moved on to bigger and better opportunities in the city. While living in a two bedroom apartment as they renovated their second property, the couple welcomed Bellamy and Tallulah. Upon finishing their second renovation, Cortney and Bob realized that they had a true knack for creating dream homes out of wreckage, and their family business was born. A couple renovated houses later, son Breaker was born, quickly followed by Five and Holleder.

The premiere season of "9 By Design" was produced by Left/Right Inc., with Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver serving as executive producers.

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC Universal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.

Tax season is a time to reflect on your year’s spending and re-evaluate how you’ve spent your pennies in the last twelve months. Kodak’s line of All-in-One printers lets you bring affordable printing into your daily routine and helps you save every penny you can with affordable low-cost ink cartridges letting you print everything from your favorite photographs to your important tax forms in outstanding quality.



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I'm thrilled to share with you about American Greetings re-launch of PhotoWorks. I love personalized photo products of my kids. They make great keepsakes for Mom and wonderful gifts for grandparents.

Some of the newest updates to the site include improved navigation, a new search function to make finding products a snap, easier access to help, more robust merchandising to guide product selection, faster uploads, simplified photo sharing, streamlined ordering and so much more to make your photo experience more enjoyable.

Recently I created a baby photo book with photos of my son from birth through his first year. PhotoWorks was very simple to use. Uploading the photos could not be any easier, I really like the drag feaure....... just drag and drop on the page!

Besides photo books their is tons of items that you can add your photo to, they have something for everyone from books, cards, mugs and even cutting boards.

For those die-hard movie fans who are planning an Oscar screening party,Hyundai (one of the major sponsors of the Academy Awards telecast) has a really fun recipe widget

that offers some clever and mouthwatering desserts of this year's nominated films including "Up in the Eclair" and "Inglorious Custards."

Check out Hyundai's Facebook Page and click on the 'Awards Night' tab! Don't forget to become a fan!

Chocolate Milk is a product that I purchase for my boys all the time.... they are HUGE milk drinkers (regular or chocolate). With 3 growing boys I am always on the look out for the products that are best for them.

Horizon Organic Milk has recently sent me a few coupons to try their Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3, which is an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health . And of course the calcium in milk is important for growing bones!

The Importance of DHA

DHA belongs to a category of healthy fatty acids known as Omega-3’s. Found in high concentrations in the tissues of the brain and eye, DHA Omega-3 is thought to help support healthy function in these areas. DHA has also been shown to help support heart health. DHA provides a nutritional boost for children’s growing minds and bodies, as their brain nearly quadruples during those first five years of life. And even though DHA is a key structural component of the brain, many young children don’t get their recommended daily amount of DHA as it is found in a limited number of food sources.

About Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk Plus DHA Omega-3:

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 is fortified with a natural, 100 percent vegetarian and sustainable source of DHA – a safe, wholesome, delicious way to bring more of this important nutrient into your family’s diet. And even though chocolate milk sounds like an indulgent treat, it actually provides the same nine essential nutrients as unflavored milk (calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein, vitamins A, D, B12, Riboflavin and niacin), and can help kids meet their calcium requirements. In fact, it turns out flavored milk consumers do not have higher total fat or calorie intakes than non milk consumers! Plus, most kids love the taste of flavored milk.

You can see all the nutritional date here: Organic Horizon Chocolate Milk Ingredients

Recently I was given the oppurinity to review the Classic Medium Blue Baby Bunch from The Baby Bunch, creator of refreshingly different baby gift baskets, presented as bouquets, cupcakes and candy.
The Baby Bunch Bouquet has different colors to pick from when it comes to picking out that perfect bunch. Colors include: blue, pick, yellow and white.
The bouquets start at $59.95 for the medium.

The Medium Blue Baby Bunch includes:

• one blue bib
• one blue t-shirt
• one blue hat,
• two pairs of socks (one blue pair and one white pair)
• two blue onesies.

All baby clothing is super-soft 100% cotton and are generously sized for infants 0-6 months, or up to 16 lbs. . Approximate Medium Baby Bunch box dimensions: 8" tall x 8" wide x 8" deep


Visit The Baby Bunch ! They offer much more than the bouquets. They have a large variety of organic baby gifts, cupcake baby gifts, lillipop baby gifts and even gifts for mothers. The Baby Bunch as offered Life In A House of Blue readers 15% off on any of their product (excluding shipping) through March by entering code: BUNCHGW10