Robin Bond Interiors would like to welcome Jon Cobb as our newest client! http://ping.fm/gOs1V

Interesting Light Fixture at the Golden Nugget Casino http://ping.fm/TuMNW

Interesting Light Fixture at the Golden Nugget Casino

Last weekend I attended the Interior Design Society National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas. All of the other chapter presidents from across the nation were there and everyone I met was fabulous, especially the ladies from Houston and Dallas. While I was there I saw the most interesting light fixture in the lobby of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. I took a photo of it and wanted to share it with all of you!

Old Wardrobes Become Pieces of Art http://ping.fm/huM4F

Old Wardrobes Become Pieces of Art

While stumbling around on the internet I came across these interesting cabinets and wardrobes by Argentine artist Lucas Risé. Mr. Risé uses old worn down furniture and paints beautiful murals on them turning an eyesore into a work of art. To see more of his work go to sansparapluie.com.

"Violin"

"Circus"/"African Whimsical"

"Nigeria"

"Japanese Garden"

"Africa"

Circle C Ranch Chili http://ping.fm/Ec1PB

Circle C Ranch Chili

Step 1

2 LB (Chili Grind) Sirloin Steak

1 LB (Hamburger Grind) Round Steak

½ LB Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage

Brown the meat, drain and set aside.

Step 2

2 Pieces of Pepper Slab Bacon (2 T of drippings)

2 Onions

3 Cloves Garlic

Fry 2 pieces of pepper slab bacon until there is 2 T of drippings. Remove the bacon. Put the onion and garlic into the food processor and blend until fine. Brown the onion and garlic lightly in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the meat.

Step 3

1 10 oz Can Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilies (Original)

2 T Fresh Oregano

2 Serrano Peppers

1 14.5 oz Can Beef Broth

Blend the Rotel, Oregano, and Serrano Peppers in the food processor until fine. Add the blended vegetable mixture and the beef broth to the meat. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.

Step 4

3 T Chili Powder

1 T Cumin

1 t Paprika

1 t Ground Mustard

½ t Salt

½ t Celery Salt

1 t Chicken Granules

½ T McCormick Pepper Blend

1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 Bottle Dark Beer

Add all of the ingredients in step 4, cover and simmer on medium-low for 1 hour.

Step 5

1 T Cumin

1 T Bolner’s Fiesta New Mexico Chili Powder

Add the next two ingredients and simmer on low with the lid off for another 30 minutes or until the chili is at the desired consistency.

IDS National Conference Registration Still Available http://ping.fm/zLrsL

IDS National Conference Registration Still Available

Not registered for the IDS National Conference yet?

Registration for the National Conference will be open on Sunday,
January 23, 2011 from 7:30 am - 9:30 am at the Las Vegas Design Center
(located in the World Market Center) in Bldg C, Room C176.

National Conference Brochure

IDS
National Conference Website

Why should you attend 'Design Your Future'?

The 2011 IDS National Conference was designed with YOU, the residential interior designer, and YOUR future in mind. Attend this intensive one day event to equip yourself with marketing and business strategies that you can incorporate into your business immediately and see results. In today’s economy it is important to recession-proof your business and stay a step ahead of the competition...make the economy work for you and not against you. Walk away re-energized and equipped with the necessary tools to Design Your Future!

Learn how to...

• Combine low cost marketing strategies into a marketing plan that benefits your business
• Incorporate green design into your existing design business
• Increase public awareness of your designs and grow your business
• Deal with difficult clients and find the right clients for you
• Get paid what you are worth, attract the right clients, and build credibility in your community
• Meld Search Engine Optimization, social media, and your website to increase your findability
  and visibility online
• Bring affluent clients to your business through luxury marketing
• Pull all of the strategies together to revitalize and grow your business!

It’s Your Future…can you afford not to attend?

In conjunction with the Las Vegas Market

January 24 - 28, 2011

http://www.robinbondinteriors.com/

IDS Member - $129

Non-Member - $149

Register Today

Texas Hill Country IDS January Meeting Next Wednesday http://ping.fm/mxnWe

Texas Hill Country IDS January Meeting Next Wednesday

Texas Hill Country IDS January Chapter Meeting Where: Mandola's Italian Market at the Triangle 4700 W Guadelupe, Suite 12 Austin, TX 78751 Driving Directions When: Wednesday January 19, 2011 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM CST Add to my calendar Please join us Wednesday, January 19, 2011 from 9:00am until 10:30am at Mandola's Italian Market at the Triangle for the next meeting of the Interior Design Society. It will be a fun, innovative, and interesting meeting where you are encouraged to network with other design professionals from the Austin/San Antonio area. Our guest speaker this month will be Brad Clossen of Connective Management to talk about Networking: "Humans, Fire, and a Velcro Cat". Please read his bio below. If you have already attended two meetings, please contact Cheryl Balintfy at cherylbalintfy@yahoo.com to find out how to become a member. Register Now! For more information please contact Robin Bond at info@robinbondinteriors.com or 512-358-7200 We look forward to seeing you there! Brad Clossen Connective Management Is your networking productive? Is your network strong and growing? The dawn of a new decade is a perfect time to take a closer look at your networking style. Management Consultant Brad Closson will share some key principles to a "connective" mindset which may change the way you network in the future. Brad's passion for networking is undeniable and his fun and interactive approach keeps pace with even the shortest of attention spans. Here is more about Brad at http://www.connectivemanagement.com

2011 Color Trends in Design and Fashion http://ping.fm/R8t3c

2011 Color Trends in Design and Fashion

This year’s color trends can be broken down into four basic themes: The Farm, Order, Escape, and Tribal. This colors will be everywhere in 2011, prominent in interior design and on fashion runways.

1. The Farm

This theme is focused on feeling homey and earthy. All the colors that you will find in your produce section will be dominating this year. From earthy browns, milky whites, and pale buttery yellows to hays, terra cottas, tomatos, pumpkins, and greens. Also expect to see a lot of handcrafted looking fabrics. Macramé, irregular knits, tie-dyes, and hand stenciled patterns will all be popular along with burlaps, tea-stained materials, and all types of petrified, bleached, and natural woods.

1. Order

Balance and order are the main focus of this theme. It is marked by basic primary colors like red, blues, yellows, and greens applied to a monochromatic scale of blacks, grays, and whites. Clean lines will be popular with geometric patterns made of rectilinear shapes, circles, and triangles stacked and molded into larger shapes. We will also see a lot of crisp stripes, dots, and spirals.

1. Escape

The Escape theme is all about getting away to a dream world. The relaxing dreamy glamour of sheer feminine draped fabrics, metallic finishes, and soft textures is coupled with a pale, frosted, and opalescent color palette. Pearlescent and shimmery finishes are applied to pastels and paired with ground colors. Examples include rosy pinks with carbon finishes, lavender with brown, and pale green with caramel.

1. Tribal

This theme is based in the bold colors of the Masai and Native Americans and focused on our ethnic communities. The spicy color palette of the land will be highlighted with colors such as rich berry tones, fire orange, saffron, and cinnamon paired with brown, bronze, and charcoal. Tortoise shell texture, beaded elements, and community themed stencils are prevalent in this theme.

Bond's Three Bean Soup http://ping.fm/O74fo

Bond’s Three Bean Soup

I was in the mood for bean soup after Christmas and came up with this recipe that is great for a cold day.

1 Cup Dried Pinto Beans

½ Cup Dried Lima Beans

½ Cup Dried Split Peas

6 Strips Slab Bacon

1 Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

¼ t Curry

1 T Chili Powder

1 t Salt

1 t Crushed Bay Leaf

1 t Oregano

½ t Rosemary

½ t Marjoram

½ t Thyme

½ t Basil

½ t Pepper

2 Cups Chopped Celery

1 10 oz Can Rotel Diced Tomatoes

2 14 oz Cans Chicken Broth

5 Cups Water

8 oz Pkg Fresh Mushrooms

3 T Chopped Fresh Parsley

Measure out and sort through the pinto beans, lima beans and split peas discarding any bad beans, rocks or dirt. Wash the beans, cover them in a Dutch oven and let them soak overnight. The next day, pour the water off of the beans, rinse again and set them aside.

In a small bowl combine all of the dry spices and mix them together. Set aside.

Cut up the bacon into small bite size pieces, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Put all three ingredients into the Dutch oven and brown over medium heat until the bacon is just slightly brown on the edges. Chop the two cups of celery and add it to the pot. Add the can of diced tomatoes (with liquid), 2 cans of chicken broth, 5 cups of water and the beans. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about an hour until the beans are tender. Add the mushrooms and parsley. Simmer another 30 minutes until the mushrooms are done. Serve with cornbread and crusty sour dough bread.

The Gift of Time Together http://ping.fm/ay8BY

The Gift of Time Together

Our Christmas gift from my parents was a room down on the River Walk in San Antonio. They got a room for Darren and I, my brother Carter and his wife Chris and my brother Robert. We went the day after Christmas. We had a blast! It was a great gift. It was basically the “gift of time together”. We don’t get much of that these days. My parents watched our kids and it allowed us time to get to hang out and have fun. Thanks mom and dad!