Well, the May to August 2026 catalog arrived for all to see and it’s always exciting to see the new In Colors! The 2026-2028 In Colors fit into the “subtle” group of colors. At least, that’s what I thought when I first saw them, looking soft and somewhat muted. I call them subtle because of color categories that Stampin’ Up! describes the other colors available: Subtles, Brights, Regals, Neutrals, and Basics. Besides all the other wonderful products inside this catalog, my focus in this post, is color, seeing as they’ll hang around for two years.
2026 May Introductions
Every year in May, Stampin’ Up! introduces a new set of In Colors and retires an old set. And while it may be sad that colors we enjoyed for two years become obsolete, the excitement builds to see the new colors and how we use them moving forward. The 2026-2028 In Colors introduced in May are Barely Blush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Golden Glow, Hydrangea Hue, and Peaceful Pine.
Hydrangea Hue
This is such a pretty soft blue color with tones of lavender, that works with many other colors and not just the ones in the 2026-2028 group. Some crafters took advantage to use the Hydrangea Hue color through an Online Exclusive designer series paper called, Delicate Dreams Specialty designer series paper (DSP). For instance, I like how it compliments the more neutral colors found in the Silly Old Bear DSP.
Peaceful Pine
The next color introduced to us was Peaceful Pine. This color fills the gap between Garden Green and Mossy Meadow, in my opinion. For us Paper Pumpkin subscribers, we got an ink spot of this color in our April 2026 box, Lakeside Retreat. Below, you see an alternative card I created with one of the plaid Peaceful Pine card bases. This color relaxes me when I see it.
Crisp Cantaloupe Returns in the May to August 2026 Catalog!
Yes, if you’ve used Stampin’ Up! products long enough, sometimes you can see an In Color return! This year Crisp Cantaloupe returned from the 2013-2015 group of colors. Back then, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding, and Strawberry Slush joined this color. (Strawberry Slush returned as a 2025-2027 In Color for the second time, by the way). As a result, one of the first things I did when I learned about it returning, I browsed through old catalogs to see what ideas I could find to use this color again. I made a monochromatic card for show and tell. Also, I used the very popular Product of the Month stamp set to create this all occasions card, Wild Bunch. Are you interested in the DSP used? It’s called 2026-2028 In Color Painted Patterns.
Barely Blush
Barely Blush is true to its name because the color is the lightest pink that it could possibly be without being a color. Inspired by a card example in the May to August 2026 catalog, page 13, I presented this card to our stamp club group in May. They got to choose the color they preferred to make their own card.
Usually, I like to pick the most challenging color to work with or one I feel the others would not choose to work with. I also experimented with how the new In Colors work with last years In Colors (Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger, Darling Duckling, Cloud Cover and Secret Sea). My Cutest Crew bundle patiently waited to be used. And from scraps of 2025-2027 In Color cardstock, along with white and crumb cake I die cut the cutest crew to mix and match colors. Shown below is one example of color combinations.
Golden Glow
I saved the best for last. Golden Glow attracted my attention right away because it truly reminds me of deep gold and it was the first color I tried out of this group. However, when I got the ink color, I was surprised that the brown tones were much stronger than I thought, especially when this color is used by itself. But if you look back at the Silly Old Bear card, above, Winnie the Pooh is the Golden Glow color. So it depends which colors you pair with it. I love that this color, as a more neutral color, coordinates with many other colors. And it’s much needed with this group of 2026-2028 In Colors.
As you can see the flamingo card base is Golden Glow and, for those interested in the plaid DSP, it’s called 2026-2028 In Color Gingham Gallery DSP. You can find the embossing folder and the stamp set as Online Exclusives: Swirls of Magic and Birthday Song. In addition, these colors are available in the new magnetic stamp pad design. which are very nice. More to follow on this!
In the meantime, keep an eye out for more upcoming posts using the 2026-2028 In Colors. Even though the May to August 2026 Catalog recently retired, the 2026-2028 In Colors are sticking around for two whole years!
Thanks for your visit, today!
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