Hi there!! Brenda, here with you today!!! I tend to lean toward pinks and purples for florals in the spring. That’s what I’m attracted to when selecting flowers at the nursery also. However, last week I chose some stunning red, orange & yellow dahlias for some containers in my backyard. I have three cards to share today that are inspired by those dahlias. They are all paired with a black and white stripe for a colorful, graphic feel.

The first card uses the stunning Large Dahlia 1. I began by stamping the large flower and the pair of leaves, along with the trio of leaves from the Large Dahlia 2, with Versamark and embossing with white embossing powder. I selected three colors of Tombow markers for the flowers and two for the leaves, and used them to watercolor the images. I added some additional depth and dimension with colored pencils, then cut them out with the Large Dahlia 1 & Large Dahlia 2 Coordinating Dies. The Minor Stripes Cling Background Stamp was used with Noir Ink on white cardstock. I cut a banner shape from the striped cardstock. I chose a cardstock that complemented my flower nicely, and trimmed it slightly to allow a thin mat of the white card base to show. The banner and leaves were adhered flat to the panel, while the dahlia was popped up with foam adhesive. The sentiment, from Wishful Rose, was heat embossed in white onto a strip of black cardstock. A generous scattering of Waltz White Sequins finished off the card.

Here is the second card…

This one uses the Large Dahlia 2 floral and trio of leaves images with the duo of leaves from the Large Dahlia 1 set. The Large Dahlia 2 & Large Dahlia 1 Coordinating Dies were used.  This time I cut a strip from the black & white striped cardstock and adhered it to the left side of my card. Sequin mix and sentiment from the same as above.

Finally, the third card…

This one was created in pretty much to same way as the last two. This time the Large Dahlia 3 & Coordinating Dies were used. I added narrow strips of the black & white striped cardstock to each side of the card base. The Couture Mix and sentiment are from the same as the first two cards.

I LOVE the way these turned out!! I don’t think the colors will replace my beloved pink and purple, but it was nice to step out of my comfort zone!! How about you…do you have particular colors that you always gravitate towards in the spring?