Annie Lang's Blog!

Whether you want to take up art as a hobby, want to encourage a budding artist, or simply need great gift ideas for your favorite creative, I've compiled a list of some basic "necessities" to get anyone off to a great start!  You can easily be overwhelmed when browsing the art  and craft store shelves, especially if you don't know exactly what it is you are looking for.  The ideas I've listed are all basics that I personally use here in my studio.  I tend to shop for supplies online which usually keeps me within my budget and helps me keep up with the latest products once I read the reviews feedback and watch the promo videos if available.  Please note that I DO NOT get endorsement fees or rewards for any of the branded products I've posted here! Let's get started! SKETCHING KIT This kit has everything you need all neatly organized in a travel friendly carrying case.  This Kalour sketching kit is manufactured by Love Art and has everything one needs to ex

Christmas Jingles and Santa Kringles are Annie Lang's featured Holiday characters of the day! Enjoy... 

Christmas Holiday House Mouses are Annie Lang's featured Holiday characters of the day! Enjoy... 

It's been a very different Christmas season this year without the annual school Christmas plays, office parties and the traditional family gatherings we so look  forward to each and every holiday.  My nephew's wife recently posted an endearing photo of their boys in their holiday jammies, reading my elf book and enjoying this most magical season.  It's truly a heartwarming treasure and a reminder that Christmas really does lie within the heart of every child. The one holiday event I most enjoy are my classroom visits to local elementary schools where we all read " A Little Elf Upon a Shelf ".  Each student gets their own set of "Elf Listening Ears" and when the story is done, we make a fun holiday craft and get our pictures taken by the teacher.  Nothing stirs the Christmas spirit when one is surrounded by hearts that truly believe in the magic!   You can easily make your own set of papercrafted holiday Elf ears ... just click the image and download it

You know the Christmas Holidays are drawing near when Annie Lang's Mice characters come out to play!  This adorable print collection of 12"x12" prints is now available just in time to celebrate the Christmas Holiday Season.  These prints also  coordinate with Annie Lang's Holiday Christmas Mice character clipart collections, too!

Annie's Festive Snow Bear characters are simply perfect for dressing up your homemade goodies, treats and surprises for the holidays!  You'll find these fun little characters in the " Snow Bears and Moppets " line art pattern book and on Annie Lang's holiday greeting cards as well.  You can download this papercraft project for FREE from the Annie Things Possible DIY page .  Enjoy!

Creating magical memories of the Christmas Season can be as simple as reading holiday stories together. I'm gearing up for this Holiday season's classroom reading of my children's book,  A Little Elf Upon a Shelf .  This year, I'll be wearing a "Believe in your Elf" t-shirt along with my elf ears.  All that's left to do is make 30 more sets of "listening ears" and 30 fun kid sized elf projects to top off this year's event!   'Tis the season for sharing a story along with a holiday smile.   You can download your own elf ears papercraft project for free right now.  Wishing you hours and hours of Happy Holiday Reading!

You can download this DIY Penguin Treats whimsical character scene project designed by Annie Lang for FREE at Annie Things Possible!

Make holiday storytime FUN this year by making these adorable Elf Listening Ears for the kids to wear while reading Annie Lang's Elf Books!  You'll find A Little Elf Upon a Shelf and A Little Elf from Another Shelf available in both paperback and Kindle versions in Annie Lang's Book Store !  When you buy the paperback from Amazon, you can download the Kindle edition for FREE.  Right click the project page below to save the full size page to make your own printable DIY elf ears! Here's a fun Help Yourself Elf Hot Cocoa recipe for a group book reading activity.  Don't forget to let the kids help out and ENJOY!

For more than two decades, we've had a tradition of compiling all our yearly personal photos and video clips into fun "Our Year" movies that we watch together at family Holiday gatherings.  I also include individual granddaughter videos and it's simply amazing as we watch them grow up so very quickly throughout the years of their young lives.  This year we have a new little star on our family tree so it was especially exciting to see how much she's grown in just the first 3 months of her young life. It's a bit time consuming but quite easy to put your own movies together.  I create monthly folders with sorted video clips and photos on my PC.  At the end of the year (we go from Dec-Nov) all are added to my Windows Movie Maker program, music is added and it's then ready to be shared!  If you are looking to give a gift that will last a lifetime, consider creating your own memory traditions for those you love and watch the magic begin!

Bundle up and have some fun with some whimsical elf storybooks this Holiday Season.  So go ahead and set your "inner elf" free and order now to get your books by Christmas!

Digitally design before you paint by using your image editing program.   I use Adobe Photoshop.   Use a tape measure to get the height and width measurements to size your digital canvas Create a white layer over the background and a duplicate layer of your background image   I chose a blue color overlay but you can change this to anything you'd like to suit your design I always save a copy of each design layer I may want to use for future projects! I also created a cardinal and a Santa design before deciding to use this scenic for my project Digital designing allows you to group elements so you easily position them any way you'd like. I prefer to use my line art as a guide, but you can transfer directly onto your prepped surface. Make sure you remove any dirt or rust areas with steel wool before priming with your basecoat. I'll most likely be using this finished project as a small centerpiece filled with holiday greens.  However, I also

Create Fun Ears for Elves, Leprechauns and Attentive Readers!  If you're looking for a quick, easy and really fun project, you can print and assemble this project in no time at all! Originally designed as a classroom storytelling prop for my Elf books reading sessions, this project can easily be used to create Leprechaun Ears for St. Patrick's Day or used as a Halloween costume accessory. Here's how to make Leprechaun Ears like the ones Little Emma is modelling for us in the sample photo... 1.  Right click the project page below and save it to your computer. 2.  Print the page.  Apply double sided adhesive to the back of the      page before cutting them out. 3.  To insure the printer ink won't bleed if the ears happened to get wet,      lightly mist with clear sealer or cover them with laminate or clear      Contact (R)  paper. 4.  Apply double sided adhesive to the back of the page before cutting. 5.  Assemble and finish the headband as instructed Ho

If you're getting ready to work on your Easter projects, why not use clipart to get things started?  If you're wondering just how versatile digital clipart can be, just take a look at what anyone can make if you have high quality art to work with.  You'll find this collection and more downloadable digital goods in my Annie Things Possible Art Store .  Hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite Holiday characters (and believe me, it's VERY hard to choose!) happens to be Holiday Snow Bears.  This week I'll be working on some adorable Bear ornaments for the tree and creating sectional HollyDay Express magnetized train pieces so that my granddaughter can assemble and reassemble the pieces as she wishes on the refrigerator door! There's a 7 piece train car pattern set along with bears for you to trace, transfer and create with any medium or colors that you please.  I painted a train around a band box I filled with ornaments and gave to a friend one year as a most unique holiday gift!  The Train Set and Holiday Bears can be found in the paperback or downloadable .pdf  editions of Snow Bears and Moppets .

JUST RELEASED! Here is something you may not know.  There are elves who live where there's no ice and snow. So what's this story all about?  Read the book and you'll find out!   You'll find both the Paperback and Kindle editions along with the storybook details in Annie Lang's Book Store ! Meanwhile, you can watch the video trailer to see all the new Elf characters featured in this story.  ENJOY & please feel free to share this page link!

BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC! The gifts are wrapped, the stockings are filled, the table is set and family will soon be here to celebrate yet another wonderful year.  I'm sure there will be lots of chaos, a few spilled beverages, something will break and we'll most likely run out of something and "make due".  But this is a day to not "sweat the small stuff" and simply enjoy the moments that we'll share for years to come. I'd like to take a few minutes to wish you all the joys of this Christmas season and hope your Holiday gatherings are filled with Joy, Laughter and Many Cherished Memories...Life is Good!!!

Make these fun "Listening Ears for Little Elves" and your holiday storybook reading will be an instant hit with the younger crowd!  To make listening ears like mine, just download the printable project and follow the directions.  I put double sided sticky tape along the top of the plastic headband and then attached a length of tinsel garland.  I wear my listening elf ears while reading my " A Little Elf Upon a Shelf " to the kids and every time I do...it fills the room with giggles! Enjoy the project and feel free to share this link (but please do not post the (C) project data file) so your friends and family can download their own set of ears!

Make some Holiday Magic This Year! My Holiday decorating is done for the year and because my new little granddaughter is now toddling about, I kept everything to a festive minimum this year.  Silver tinsel garland, evergreens, bright white mini trees, battery lit candles, big red bows and a beautiful angel wreath above the mantel are my decorative choices to create the Christmas Magic in our home this season! However, the real Holiday Magic will happen when the kids and grandkids drop by on Christmas Day and the house will be filled with the spirit of the season. This week, I've completed "Our Year 2014" home video that we'll all watch together, dinner planning is in the works and all the gifts have been wrapped and will be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve. If you're in need of inspiration and patterns, you'll find my " Christmas Wishes " Linework Pattern book has just what you need!  

The HollyDay Express has just Rolled into the Station!  This is the busiest time of year for most of us as we begin our Holiday celebrations!  If you need a bit of inspiration to create those last minute gifts, package tags or holiday decorations...you'll really enjoy these Snow Bears and Moppet Dolls designs!  All the "Annie Lang" Holiday Character Art (and more!) featured in this little trailer video can be found in the " Snow Bears and Moppet s " Linework Pattern Workbook available in my Book Store.  Happy Holidays!