“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
– Jim Bishop
Handcrafted fall color palettes bring warmth and creativity to your cardmaking. As the days shorten, we lean into comfort—soft textures, rich colors, and handmade charm.
Artisanal Pantry Treasures includes five unique palettes. Each one draws inspiration from pottery, spices, grains, textiles, or dried botanicals. These palettes reflect the season’s natural beauty and artisan spirit. The colors are warm, inviting, and perfect for autumn cards. You’ll find soft apricots, deep reds, golden yellows, and earthy neutrals throughout the collection
We’ve included Stampin’ Up!® ink matches for each palette. Some are current, while others are favorite retired shades. You’ll also see practical alternatives so you can confidently shop your stash.
Use these palettes to match the mood of your project like thank-you cards, fall invitations, or seasonal notes. Let the beauty of handmade color guide your next design.
Artisan Pottery Gloss: Smooth Transitions in Earthy Pastels
This palette draws its charm from the smooth, glazed finish of handcrafted pottery. The jars in the image shine with warmth. Each one shows subtle contrast—orange lids, green bodies, and apricot bases. Together, these colors evoke a cozy, lived-in elegance. They’re perfect for cards that balance handcrafted warmth with visual simplicity.
Color Spotlight
- Fired Vermilion (focal): The pottery lids in the image have a bold, reddish-orange glaze. When browsing ink lines, look for names like “tomato,” “vermilion,” or “spiced pumpkin.” This vibrant shade adds energy and warmth—use it to highlight sentiments or central die-cuts.
- Misty Pistachio: A cool, pale green is found on the glossy body of the center jars in our inspiration image. Craft companies often call this shade “mint,” “celadon,” or “pastel sage.” It’s softer than typical greens and feels refreshing without being cold. It’s ideal for backgrounds, ink blending, or subtle die-cut shapes.
- Apricot Ceramic: A soft, peachy pink is seen on the base jars at the left edge of the image. You may find it called “apricot,” “blush,” or “barely coral” across brands. Its muted warmth sets it apart from true pinks—perfect for layering cardstock, matting panels, or background stamping.
Color Theory Insight
This palette follows a split-complementary structure (where one color pairs with two neighbors of its opposite). It uses Fired Vermilion as the warm anchor, balanced by Misty Pistachio and Apricot Ceramic. Like glazed pottery with subtle highlights and soft edges, the colors feel bold yet calming. Use Fired Vermilion for focal stamps or sentiments, Misty Pistachio for backgrounds or die-cut shapes, and Apricot Ceramic to soften transitions or layer beneath main elements.
Stampin’ Up!® Ink Matches for Artisan Pottery Gloss
| Palette Color | Stampin’Up Ink Match | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Fired Vermilion (focal) | Pumpkin Pie | Cajun Craze |
| Misty Pistachio | Soft Sea Foam | Mint Macaron |
| Apricot Ceramic | Grapefruit Grove | Pale Papaya |
Perfect For
This palette is ideal for elegant thank-you cards, friendship notes, and soft seasonal greetings. It’s an excellent match for clean designs that need warmth and polish. Try it with pottery stamps, stitched dies, or rounded shapes that echo the curves of handmade ceramics. If you want something bolder and more vibrant, the next palette turns up the heat with rich spice tones and festive warmth.
Spice Merchants: Bold Saturation with Global Flair
This palette is inspired by rich piles of ground spices in warm, earthy reds and golden yellows. The image shows mounds of cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon—bold in tone, but grounded in texture. The colors feel festive and familiar, evoking the warmth of late autumn cooking and cozy celebrations.
Color Spotlight
- Cayenne Flame (focal): A fiery red-orange is seen in the deep spice piles and scattered chili powder. Commonly labeled “crimson,” “paprika,” or “cayenne” in craft lines, this bold hue brings heat and focus. Use it for sentiments, bold die-cuts, or layered florals that need attention.
- Cumin Treasure: A rich, golden yellow is found in the powdered spice near the center of the image. Often called “mustard,” “saffron,” or “harvest gold,” it’s deeper than sunshine yellow and softer than chartreuse. It’s perfect for backgrounds, ink blending, or as a warm accent behind focal images.
- Bazaar Cinnamon: A warm, brownish-red is seen in the spice piles and along the composition’s edges. Look for names like “cinnamon,” “rust,” or “terra cotta” across ink lines. Its earthy tone is excellent for card bases, ink layering, or grounding more vibrant shades.
Color Theory Insight
This palette uses a triadic arrangement (where three colors are evenly spaced, forming a triangle on the wheel) to create bold visual energy. These shades echo the spices in the photo. They’re bold on their own, but together they feel balanced and rich, like a pantry full of warmth. Use Cayenne Flame for bold focal elements, Cumin Treasure for background warmth or layering, and Bazaar Cinnamon to ground your design with depth and richness.
Stampin’ Up!® Ink Matches for Spice Merchants
| Palette Color | Stampin’Up Ink Match | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Cayenne Flame (focal) | Poppy Parade | Real Red |
| Cumin Treasure | Crushed Curry | Bumble Bee |
| Bazaar Cinnamon | Cajun Craze | Copper Clay |
Perfect For
This palette is perfect for bold autumn projects—think harvest party invitations, fall birthdays, or seasonal thank-you cards. These rich colors bring energy to festive designs. At the same time, they avoid feeling too bright or modern.
If you prefer something softer and more refined, the next palette brings rich textile hues and comforting, layered warmth.
Textile Alchemy: Saturated Fabrics in Romantic Hues
This palette is inspired by the art of hand-dyeing fabric using natural pigments. The image shows bowls of botanical dye surrounded by swatches of richly colored cloth—deep mulberry, soft blush, and earthy rust. These hues feel warm, worn, and thoughtful, capturing the comfort of handmade textiles and the quiet depth of autumn.
Color Spotlight
- Mulberry Dye (focal): A deep, berry-toned red found in the boldest fabric swatch near the dye bowls. Often labeled “mulberry,” “plum,” or “dark raspberry,” this shade feels rich and romantic without leaning too purple. Use it to anchor your design—perfect for sentiments, bold die-cuts, or floral outlines.
- Botanist Blush: A soft, muted pink is seen in the fabric draped to the side. Look for names like “blush,” “dusty rose,” or “mauve pink” in craft lines. This gentle shade works well in backgrounds, ink blending, or subtle layers beneath stronger colors.
- Tannery Rust: The dyed textile along the bottom edge of the image has a warm, orange-brown hue. Similar tones are called “rust,” “terracotta,” or “burnt sienna.” This hue is ideal for grounding your layout, framing sentiments, or adding richness to fall leaves or stamped patterns.
Color Theory Insight
This palette follows an analogous structure (where three colors sit side-by-side on the wheel), creating a natural sense of harmony. The colors feel like layers of hand-dyed fabric—each shade flowing gently into the next without sharp contrast. Use Mulberry Dye as your focal point, Botanist Blush for soft background work, and Tannery Rust to add warmth and weight to your layout.
Stampin’ Up!® Ink Matches: Textile Alchemy
| Palette Color | Stampin’Up Ink Match | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Mulberry Dye (focal) | Merry Merlot | Cherry Cobbler |
| Botanist Blush | Rococo Rose | Berry Burst |
| Tannery Rust | Cajun Craze | Copper Clay |
Perfect For
This palette is perfect for sympathy cards, thinking-of-you messages, or autumn weddings. The rich, layered tones create an emotional depth that feels personal and grounded. Try combining stitched details, torn edges, or soft ink blending to reflect the textile inspiration.
Bonus Color Palettes: Handcrafted Fall Color Options
These two additional palettes offer softer interpretations of the collection’s autumn theme. Both are grounded in organic textures and muted seasonal tones, ideal for understated designs with a handmade feel.
Grain Bounty: Warm Neutrals for Cozy Autumn Cards
This palette draws from the warm, rustic beauty of pantry grains. The golden yellow, soft beige, and burnt orange tones suggest quiet abundance and early fall gatherings. Use Harvest Pulse as your focal ink, Pantry Lentil for layering or card bases, and Simmering Spice to add spice-toned accents or visual warmth.
These warm hues follow an analogous relationship (where three colors sit side-by-side on the wheel), creating a soft, natural blend that feels relaxed and cohesive.
Stampin’ Up!® Ink Matches: Grain Bounty
| Palette Color | Stampin’Up Ink Match | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest Pulse (focal) | Darling Duck | Bumble Bee |
| Pantry Lentil | Sahara Sand | Basic Beige |
| Simmering Spice | Timid Tiger | Pumpkin Pie |
While Grain Bounty celebrates rustic abundance, the next palette leans into faded petals and herbal textures to create a gentler mood.
Hanging Botanicals: Gentile Contrast with a Vintage Bloom
This palette is inspired by dried flowers and hanging herbs in soft, faded light. The pink, lavender, and pale neutral create soft contrast. Together, they offer a delicate balance of romance and simplicity. Use Preserved Bloom as a gentle focal color, Herbal Shadow for stamped details or sentiment frames, and Gathered Wisp for light backgrounds or matting.
It uses a split-complementary relationship (where one color pairs with two neighbors of its opposite), offering both contrast and cohesion in soft tones.
Stampin’ Up!® Ink Matches: Hanging Botanicals
| Palette Color | Stampin’Up Ink Match | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Preserved Bloom (focal) | Melon Mambo | Magenta Madness |
| Herbal Shadow | Orchid Oasis | Gorgeous Grape |
| Gathered Wisp | Crumb Cake | Sahara Sand |
If you’re ready to go beyond these handcrafted fall color palettes, the resources below offer even more inspiration for cozy, seasonal cardmaking.
More Color Ideas for Handmade Cards
This month’s collections have taken you from the quiet beauty of first frost to the abundance of apple harvest, the warmth of knitted textures, and the charm of book-inspired palettes. Together, they’ve offered transitional cools, seasonal richness, cozy textures, and story-driven color schemes to inspire your autumn cardmaking.
- Embrace the seasonal shift with frost transition palettes: Cool, transitional tones inspired by nature’s first frost.
- Capture orchard charm with apple harvest palettes: Seasonal color stories inspired by the abundance and comfort of harvest time.
- Add cozy layers with knitted texture card inspiration: Warm, textural palettes perfect for fall paper crafts.
- Read your way into fall with book-inspired color palettes: Literary-themed palettes for cozy, story-rich designs.
Color Theory Summary
This collection of handcrafted fall color palettes explores a range of color relationships, including split-complementary (where one color pairs with two neighbors of its opposite), triadic (three evenly spaced colors), and analogous (three colors that sit close together on the wheel). Each palette reflects the feel of autumn in a unique way. Some feel bold and energetic, while others are calm and comforting.
Whether you like strong contrast or a softer blend, these palettes give you a flexible place to begin.
Use complementary or triadic palettes for high-contrast designs, like bold sentiments or layered focal points. Reach for analogous and neutral blends when you want soft backgrounds, gentle layering, or a grounded, cohesive feel. Don’t be afraid to mix palettes or substitute similar ink shades from your stash. Let the image, the message, and your creative instinct guide you. After all, that’s where the best ideas begin.
Final Thoughts on Handcrafted Fall Color Palettes
“Autumn reminds us that beauty comes from change, and meaning comes from what we make of it.”
— CardPalettes.com Team
The Artisanal Pantry Treasures collection celebrates the beauty of handmade materials, quiet craftsmanship, and seasonal color. These handcrafted fall color combinations are bring warmth and intention to your autumn cards.
Everyday textures, pottery, textiles, grains, and herbs, inspired each palette and sparked fresh cardmaking ideas. Whether you’re crafting a thoughtful thank-you, a bold fall celebration, or a note of encouragement, there’s a palette here to support your message and style.
As you begin your next card, let the mood of the season and the colors in your stash guide your hand. Start with one palette, adapt it, mix it, or make it your own. That’s the joy of handmade.