Annie Lang's Blog!

There's nothing quite like an Autumn day out with the girls because you just never know what you'll discover until you get there!  This year, downtown Howell, Mi was our destination and we took the scenic route to treat ourselves to all the vibrant colors of the season.  Our first stop of the day was  Black Iron Coffee Roasters and we were greeted with the aroma of freshly brewed artisan coffee to start the day right.  There were plenty of tables to choose from and the coffee was nothing short of amazing and served up with style in hearty mugs!  I happened to choose their maple cappuccino which I highly recommend for a chilly autumn morning.  You can also purchase their coffee and gifts from their online website .    Unlike cookie cutter chain stores, there's something special about boutiques because they invite store browsers, tend to easily engage in friendly conversation and their staff members seem more than happy to answer questions and make helpful recommendations. 

Now is the time to celebrate the Autumn harvest and to spice up the season with gingerbread smiles and peppermint stick delights!  Three new designer fabrics by Annie Lang have just been made available that will bring a warm and welcoming feel to your creative holiday projects. All the new prints were created with my hand rendered digital clipart so I've also included links to the art with samples to give you ideas as to how you can use these coordinating designs to make themed companion crafts and products for your DIY projects.   Welcome the Autumn Harvest with this wonderfully seasonal design with  sunflowers, pumpkins, plaid bows, corn and more in rustic Fall colors.  It's absolutely perfect for making potholders, napkins, basket liners, aprons, candle and jar wraps and so much more! It just wouldn't be the holiday season without sweet fabric gingerbread characters and peppermint sticks all jumbled together with whimsical smiles and holly!    If all our kitchens were

With the household budget so tight this year, I decided to use only the stored autumn decorating items I have on hand instead of purchasing anything new.  The planter used for this photo was simply 2 stacked paper mache pumpkins glued to a plain wooden box.  All it took to spruce it up for use this year were a few leaves snipped from a fall garland, a seasonal greeting card front and a little glue.  I may even add a strand of fairy lights later!  If you like the greeting card I chose to use, you can find it along with many others suitable for Autumn decorating from September through the Thanksgiving season.  I think I also might try this with a few silk poinsettias and small fake evergreens for my Christmas decorating, too!  

  One of my favorite Autumn themes are harvest time Scarecrows and gatherings from the pumpkin patch.  Not only do scarecrows stand guard over our gardens, but they do a marvelous job of displaying a wide array of colorfully repurposed clothing!  Best of all, the theme carries through from the first days of autumn until the Thanksgiving harvest celebration concludes.   I decorate my home and outdoor living spaces with all the incredible colors and textures of the season, from leaves, acorns, woodsy animals, happy scarecrows, leaf wrapped lanterns, apples and pumpkins galore and bows of calico and plaids.  So fire up your imagination, gather up the harvest and let's simply Fall into Autumn smiles!   Need some fabrics for seasonal inspiration?  You'll find my fabric, wallpapers, home decor items and more in my Spoonflower Shop!  The above image features  Starecrows Scarecrows print, Brush Stroked in Ivory print,  Pumpkin Patch Scarecrows print, Naturally Brown Burlap print, 

One activity I love the most is an annual day trip to a fairly local destination in the fall.  However, the color this year wasn't nearly as vibrant as years past due to rain and warmer temperatures.  Fortunately, frost covered the area a few nights ago and the trees in southern Michigan started to show off their autumn colors just in time for Halloween.  This year, we took a day outing to downtown Chelsea, MI which is about 15 miles west of Ann Arbor.  It's a picturesque little town with plenty of local history, well kept Victorian homes, truly unique shops and great places to eat.  We originally planned to visit the "Jiffy" mix plant but it was closed due to Covid mandates, but here's a little tour of some of the other places we visited as we walked the downtown area. Kitty Face is by far a most unique shop filled with toys, games and vintage curiosities for kids of all ages.   You'll find everything from baby clothing to shower gifts to educational fun to

There's a chill in the air as the calendar page turns and the pumpkins come out! In case you missed it... here's a fun post from my 2013 BLOG   I'm sure you'll enjoy if you haven't already seen it.  All month long I'll be sharing fun pumpkin projects, "JOLLY JACKS" themed posts and fun autumn themed features to keep you smiling throughout this festive season. AUTUMN SMILES, EVERYONE!

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

It's that time of year again so grab the spices and let's make something as sweet as pumpkin pie today!  You can use the images in Annie's Pumpkin Spice Clipart collection from Creative Market to spice up your creative Autumn DIY projects.  

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!

It won't be long until the leaves begin to fall and the Autumn Pixies Characters come out to play!   The pumpkin harvest will soon be happening soon so it's time for a visit to Pumpkinville so you can get started on your Autumn themed DIY projects.  You'll find all Annie Lang clipart collections along with prints and fonts at the Creative Market Store because Annie Things Possible with a little imagination!  ENJOY!

The autumn winds are blowing in and 5 new autumn fairy themed greeting card designs have just fluttered into Annie's Greeting Card Store !  Best of all, these vividly colored cards are printed on 5"x7" heavy cardstock with a glossy finish making them suitable for framing and crafting.  So go ahead and add some accents to your autumn themed decor or simply send some smiles to your autumn friends and family.  Happy fall to all because Annie Things Possible this season!  

It's time to get your scarecrows out and enjoy a few smiles as autumn draws near!  Annie Lang has plenty of fun scarecrow characters and smiles to help inspire all your fall DIY projects,  So whether it's colorful clipart or line art patterns , you're sure to find some autumn inspiration to get your season off to a great start.  Here's a quick little video clip from my YouTube Channel to see what you can do with all those Scarecrows in the Pumpkin Patch!

It's been a terrific summer and the kids have headed back to school.  That means it's time to pack up the "summer stuff" and get started on those autumn projects!  Annie's Autumn Kids have gathered up their gear to prepare for all the fall chores ahead.  You'll find some fun clipart and fall prints ready and waiting for you to download right now through Annie Lang's Creative Market store.  Making items to sell at the local craft store, your online retail store, machine embroidery items, print on demand merchandise and more?  You can get a license to suit your needs when you make your digital art purchase.  Need line art patterns or downloadable printable projects?  You'll find them all at Annie Things Possible !  So go ahead and let's make something creative today.

If you need quick and easy decorations for your Autumn or Thanksgiving gatherings, here's a great DIY project idea you can complete in less than 10 minutes.  Best of all, you can make them both for next to nothing with supplies you can easily find at your local Dollar Store if you don't already have them on hand.  So start the timer and give it a try!

We're enjoying a few day of Indian Summer here in Michigan.  Yesterday seemed the perfect time to head on out to spend a little time in search of a few of our local autumn delights that will quickly disappear within the next few weeks.  The autumn colors are not as bright and vibrant this year due to the recent weather, but every now and then, Mother Nature provided us with a surprising display of reds, oranges and yellows scattered along some rural country roads.  We spotted a few pheasants along with a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road and watched several farmers hard at work harvesting their crops.  This year, my son wanted to visit the Holly,Michigan area which just happens to be the town where he grew up. We made a stop at the Mitchell farm which featured a surprising display of pumpkins, florals and autumn decor naturals for sale like indian corn, hay bales and cornstalks.  In years past, the Mitchell farm sold produce and goods from their barn, but they've s

While unpacking my autumn decorations, my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter stumbled upon some paper mache pumpkins I painted several years ago and immediately fell in love with them.  So off to the patio we went, armed with 2 painted pumpkins, a drill for me and a stub handled Phillips-Head screwdriver for her.  It was the perfect late summer day project for us as we chatted about the seasonal changes that were coming in the days ahead.  I drilled the holes and she poked the screwdriver into each one to even out the edges.  Little did she know that I was enjoying spending some quality time with her while she was working on fine motor skills as she concentrated on completing her task. The creative payoff extends far beyond the finished rewards of making fun usable items with your kids, grandkids or students.  They not only learn to focus as they complete the task at hand as you talk about things like shapes, color and imaginative uses for repurposing items, but it's always a thrill wh

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving festivities or a dinner guest this year, here are a few of my favorite traditional family recipes to celebrate the Autumn Harvest.  Make sure you snap a few photos for creating memorable scrapbook pages so you can enjoy the blessings of your Autumn Bounty any time of year!