Annie Lang's Blog!

Share some smiles today with Annie's FREE downloadable papercraft mini card and envelope.  This printable project features everything you need to make a busy crafting bee sharing his heart! To download the full page project sheet, simply right click the image below and save to your computer. So go ahead, bee happy and share some handcrafted smiles today!    

If you've got Cabin Fever, you are in the right place because for the next week, you'll find a fun FREE downloadable project to warm you up and chase away those winter blahs!  So let's make something fun today by starting out with this Winter Break dimensional card project.  To download the full page project sheet, simply right click the image below and save to your computer.  ENJOY!

Bright and cheery Bookworms make reading a little more fun for the kids!  Just print out this colorful reading list and let them see how many books they can add to it.  It's always nice to add a little reward, too so why not use some bookworm character cutouts as small incentives?  Simply print and cut out the motifs to create stickers, magnets and fun craftables to inspire them to progress through their book titles.  Mount them on stars or heart shapes cut from color cardstock and write a positive message on the back.  Hang the shapes from color ribbon to create danglers and watch your bookworms be amazed as they hang each one as a reminder that Bookworms really DO know stuff ! CLICK HERE to download Annie Lang's FREE full color, ready to print set because Annie Things Possible!

Whether it's pirate treasures, house cats, Halloween fun, bright and cheery summer prints or light and airy flutterings for your creative projects, you'll find 20 delightfully new fabric inspirations by Annie Lang now available!  Visit Annie's home website fabric page , select a swatch and see all available designer products at Spoonflower !    Need Free Sewing Patterns and Ideas?  Check out the Spoonflower BLOG page right here! 

Have a little creative fun by dying and decorating fake eggs for Easter this year!  I'm always on the lookout for new crafting surfaces so when I stumbled on these fake eggs that were pre-packaged in cartons at Walmart, I just had to take them home to play with.  Unlike shiny plastic pull apart eggs, these are actually solid lightweight plastic with a lightly textured realistic feel matte surface.  Unlike real eggs, you don't need to boil them or keep them refrigerated until Easter, they don't crack when you drop them and the price is right.  It so happened that my 4 year old granddaughter was visiting the day I tested this new product and thought it would be a fun crafting project for us to work on together.   Here are a few supply suggestions and tips if working with this kit.  Make sure the work area is covered with plastic.  Dye will wash out but you should have plenty of paper towels and baby wipes nearby.  Pitch the tiny little plastic bags that come with the kit and

When the weather turns warm, it's time to once again get outdoors and enjoy every minute of the season!  Nothing could be more fun than an outdoor picnic with goodies served up from a bright and cheery picnic basket covered with smiles.  It's also a delightful shower or wedding gift that will not only be well used, but treasured for years to come.  I purchased this reasonably priced basket online from Amazon after I was unable to locate one with a wooden lid locally.   It arrived within a few days, was fabric lined, filled with accessories and was easy to paint.   You can find the FREE DOWNLOADABLE line art pattern and painting instructions for this project on the DIY page at my Annie Things Possible website.  Hope you enjoy because life truly is a picnic basket meant to be enjoyed!

When the kids are out on Winter Break and it's too blustery and bleak for outdoor activities, we plan an indoor overnight festival to make the season fun.  We've had a Festival of Hearts, Fairy Festival and a Winter Wonderland Festival so this year we decided a Lucky Leprechaun Festival would be a fun theme to plan.  Invitations were made, treat bags were prepared and decorations went up.  The Dollar Store had plenty of gold coins, mini cauldrons, shamrock garlands, costume accessories and green tableware to choose from.  St. Patrick's Day was yet a few weeks away, but i t doesn't need to be March 17 to host a party for a pair of wee little Lucky Leprechaun hooligans!   To get things started, the kids spent time decorating bags to take home all their treats and prized.  You can download this FREE printable template from my home website right now and let the kids have fun embellishing their own bags with crafting supplies you have on hand.   Next, time was spent prepari

If you love Gnomes as much as I always have, here's a fun little FREE project that any "Gnome Lover" will enjoy!  Originally designed as a Leprechaun Festival activity with my granddaughters, it can easily be adapted for any occasion in any color you wish.  Best of all, the kids can use embellishments of their choosing like gemstones, glitter, stickers, ribbons, washi tape and more to make this character their own!  You can download the FREE project from Annie Lang's DIY page because Annie Things Possible with a little imagination.  So bag up your own Gnome and take him home!

Today I'm getting ready to mail out this year's greeting cards to friends and family.  I thought this would be the perfect time to reshare this " 15 fun things you can make with recycled greeting cards " project ideas post for you just for fun.  Wondering what to do with all those wonderful greeting cards you've been saving up?  Here are 15 fun DIY ideas anyone can try and I hope you'll share this fun video with your creative friends and family.   All the pictured sample crafts were created with 5" x 7" cards printed on heavy cardstock with a gloss finish.  I'm sure many of these ideas can be easily adapted for use on  cards of various sizes, so go ahead and enjoy your creatively recycled cards!

As one of my favorite holidays approaches, it's time to start planning our Thanksgiving feast.  This year, I had a little help from my 4 year old granddaughter who helped create turkey napkin holder place settings for each guest.  With a few basic supplies and a sky filled with blustery snow flurries, we completed this project together and had a lot of fun chatting about our many family blessings.  So go right ahead and invite a turkey to dinner this year.  I hope you'll give this fun project a try and enjoy the smiles! 

It was a great year for my outdoor herb garden but the time has now come to harvest and dry what I can to be used for the long winter ahead.  Since I don't have a kitchen window to grow fresh herbs indoors and a cat who loves to indulge in anything resembling greenery, I had to come up with a way to safely dry my garden delights while keeping them handy for kitchen use.  Up until now, I've been hanging them "willy-nilly" from cabinet knobs and kitchen peghooks which simply isn't practical.  So here's what I came up with to work for my limited kitchen wall space.  I already had a 9" x 12" board which I painted white and then streaked with wood stain.  The two Command small wire hooks I used were those I had on hand which I sprayed with green paint to match my board lettering.   The tree branch "rod" was one from my grandkid's outdoor "enchanted fairy forest" and the herbs were naturally harvested from my outdoor garden! I hand

Just in time for Holiday Gift Giving!  Make 36 Gift Card Holder Card Pockets in just minutes with Annie Lang's ready to print papercraft project book!   Publication is only available in .pdf format so you just select and print as many project pages as you need them.  36 project pages are 8.5" x 11" format featuring Annie Lang's designs and artwork .  Publication includes easy step by step instructions.  Simply print the page, cut out the design, assemble, personalize and embellish as you wish and give! Great for group and classroom projects.  Finished pocket cards can also be used to hold folded money, checks, coupons, service vouchers and more.  Personal use allows for unlimited printing and resale of FINISHED items .  You can only find this Gift Card Holder Card Pockets printable .pdf activity craft book available for download from Annie Lang's website and Book Store.  So go ahead and check it out and get started right now on your next creative papercrafting ad

While recently doing an internet search, I accidentally stumbled upon a Halloween project Crafts 'n Things published in their October 2001 magazine 20 years ago.  I was simply amazed at how many images of the completed clay pot projects were posted anonymously by crafting enthusiasts over the years, making this a timeless project that continues to make the Halloween season fun.   Though Crafts 'n Things magazine is now considered as a vintage craft magazine publication collectible, you can still find variations of many of the finished projects it has inspired being sold today through online EBay and Etsy stores, at craft fairs and bazaars as well as numerous Pinterest board pins.  There are also several sites offering a variety of back issues of the publication which can be purchased.  While I cannot provide the original patterns and instructions for the original project, I can provide basic project instructions so you can make your own.  You can use any size clay or plastic po

  The holidays are fast approaching so I've already started to plan this year's holiday decorating theme!  Potted trees, painted wood round ornaments, evergreen branches, farmhouse style clay pots and painted bottles filled with poinsettias and holly, are on my "to-do" list so I thought I'd get things started with a simple sign that anyone can make.  This sign was hand painted with black, white and forest green acrylic paints.  I also used red and silver Sharpie paint pens to highlight the upper lettering and add accent border lines.  I used a wood innkeepers sign I purchased several years ago, but this design is easily suited for wooden trays, metal sheet signs, painted on burlap, chalkboards and more.  To download the full size free pattern (also suitable for electronic cutting machines) simply right click and save the image to your computer.  You are also encouraged to share this link with friends, family and Pinterest boards!  Happy crafting!

Next to my kitchen, the busiest room in the house seems to be the laundry room .  I decided to finally freshen things up a bit in there with a whimsical sign and a few favorite decorative touches.  Here's a fun free DIY project you can try with only basic craft and painting skills needed.  To download the line art pattern, just right click and save to your computer.  You can find most of the supplies at your local hobby or home improvement store.  I found the wood scroll and wooden plaque at Cupboard Distributing.   Happy Laundry Day!

Just released for your seasonal holiday DIY projects!  Annie's Burlap 'n Plaid digital prints from Creative Market are versatile, easily modified and richly textured for any variety of creative project you have in mind. Annie Lang's hand rendered 12" x 12 coordinating, repeatable and seamless textured prints were designed to be used over and over again for creating backgrounds, papers, cutting by hand or machine for appliques, scrapbooking and cardmaking elements, textiles, gift wrap, wallpapers, creative arts imagery projects and more.  So go ahead and get printing to see what you can come up with because Annie Thing IS Possible with a little imagination! 

If you enjoyed my  Wishing Witch project, here's a few more ideas as to what you can make for Halloween with basic craft items you may already have on hand.  All the projects shown here were originally published in magazines nearly 20 years ago and the directions/patterns are no longer available but with the character project ideas are timeless.  Hope you enjoy...and don't forget to share this link! This Candy Holder was made with painted flower pots.  The cape can also be made with a black plastic table covering or black felt. This project is just as easy as can be...just sponge paint a canning jar and add the face with a black permanent marker if you don't want to hand paint the details. My Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin character pattern can be found in Annie Lang's Scarecrows in the Pumpkin Patch line art design book and you can download the pdf from my Annie Things Possible website!    These pumpkin characters were painted on gourds, but you can appl

Anyone can paint up this fun DIY wood project to decorate any way you wish for any season of the year!  Here's the basic step-by-step project to get you inspired to welcome the Autumn Season.  So grab your craft supplies and get started...no pattern needed!  You can find the  10" x 20" Door with Panel Kit used for the sample project online from Cupboard Distributing (also comes in smaller sizes!)  Just click the images below to see full size how-to instructions. Please Enjoy and feel free to SHARE THIS PAGE LINK!

Let's have a little fun and get ready for Fall!  I painted up this whimsical little project on a quiet afternoon and can't wait to hang him up once the Autumn decorations come out after Labor Day!  Here's the FREE step-by-step project along with the character lineart ( right click the image and save ).  You can find the 4" x 6" Pumpkin Hollow Ornament I used for the sample project online at  Cupboard Distributing .  ENJOY AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS PAGE LINK!