Laura Griffin Designs

A couple of years ago, during one of my trips to London, I snapped some photos of a graffiti filled haven for skateboarders…

Here’s another shot…

While scraping down the layers of an encaustic painting last week, I realized that my piece had suddenly morphed into a graffiti wall!

I carved letters into the layers of wax & added orange sea glass to finish.

Hope you’re having a great weekend,

As promised, I am posting the next installment of my trip to Europe…Killiney Bay, Ireland.

One late afternoon, I hiked several miles from Dalkey to Killiney & documented the journey with my camera. Once I reached the beach, I sat & listened to the song Almost Lover (by A Fine Frenzy) on repeat as I sat staring at the Irish sea. Words can’t describe Killiney’s beauty, and pictures don’t do it justice. I decided the best way to share my experience with you was to re-create it with a video taking you along on my hike. The background music is my interpretation of Almost Lover arranged on my Clavinova. Hope you enjoy it & get some small understanding of the beauty of the place.

All the best,

I’ve finally begun sorting through photos from the Europe trip, and I thought I’d share a few with you. This first set of images are all from the Dublin city centre. I’ll follow up later this week with the place that is nearest & dearest to my heart, Killiney Bay (one of the reasons I get drawn to Ireland again & again).

There are a number of fabulous hotels in Dublin’s city centre (The Clarence, The Merrion, & The Shelbourne to name a few). But for this trip, I decided to venture out & stay in a boutique hotel called The Fitzwilliam. Its location is perfect…right on St. Stephen’s Green (the main park in the city centre). It is also located right at the top of the primary shopping street, Grafton.

The Fitzwilliam’s lobby has eclectic decor & I love the purple & green color combo. In fact the purple theme went through the entire hotel. Even the doormen wear purple coats with tails & there are purple umbrellas hanging in each room! *LOL*

When I arrived in my room, I was greeted with this fresh plate of fruit & a box of chocolates.

Orchids were sitting on a table near a window overlooking the Green.

I decided to head outdoors with my camera & get some shots of the area. [...]

How ’bout one of these?

Or one of these? [...]

Last weekend, I took a long awaited trip to see my best friend Ruth who now lives in the Orlando area. It has been several years since I’ve had a chance to see her & her family and we had a blast hanging out at Animal Kingdom & Blizzard Beach.

We braved the Everest roller coaster… [...]