Laura Griffin Designs

Check out the new friend I met outside my front door today…

It will be so fun to watch the babies hatch & learn to fly for the first time! Sometimes I am just blown away by nature & all the beauty we so easily take for granted. [...]

I recently visited the Arboretum for the Dallas Bloom festival. I’m not sure if it’s just in my head, but I always feel healthier after I’ve spent a day outdoors breathing in the fresh air! This particular day was no exception. I captured a few shots I wanted to share with you here…

A purple daisy bursting with color…

A beautiful Japanese maple branch gently blowing in the wind…

And the vivid hue of spring tulips in bloom…

Took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, and snapped a few photos I thought I’d share. I was surprised to see so many beautiful roses still in bloom!

Isn’t this guy a cutie?!

Click more for additional pics… [...]

I think the highlight of the State Fair for my mom was going to the “Birds of the World Show”. She was fascinated by how close we were able to get to some of the birds of prey as they swooped just over our heads. This white falcon was particularly beautiful. Watch out for those talons!

We also saw a number of exotic birds including a brightly colored singing parrot that knew the lyrics to four separate songs!

Now if you’ve seen this show at the State Fair before, you probably know that it usually runs like clockwork. Nobody misses a beat, and you’re amazed at the talent of the animals and their trainers. The day we attended the show, though, it truly was a comedy of errors. First, they announced a hawk was flying in from the ferris wheel when he apparently wasn’t loaded yet. Next, they introduced a bird who flew out from the stage & disappeared for about 10 minutes. He was later found & recovered from a nearby tree. And finally, it took about 12 different attempts to get one of the birds to obey a command to fly out to an audience member & collect a money donation. The emcee kept saying, “That’s just the way this show is gonna go today,” but I think we enjoyed it even more with all of its flaws.

The highlight of the Fair for me was visiting an enclosed butterfly garden that held hundreds of native Texas butterflies! I always jump at the chance to take photos of them. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the afternoon…

A few weeks ago, my mom & I spent an afternoon at the Texas State Fair. I was thrilled to see three of my crafts projects on display in the Creative Arts building including the below polymer clay caned bracelet & holiday card tin:

My friend Sherri Sneed also had several pieces on display. I was particularly taken with this gorgeous polymer clay box she made that won first place. [...]