Annie Lang's Blog!

Ready to paint something fun?  You can paint this fun hostess tray with a few basic craft supplies and a quiet afternoon.  Simply trace the included pattern onto a wood tray and even a beginner crafter can color the design with acrylic paints and a smile!  To download Annie Lang's free project from Annie Things Possible, CLICK HERE and enjoy.  

If you've got cabin fever these day, why not get started on those Valentine's cards right now!  All you need to do is select a card design, grab your scissors and get ready to print and personalize something absolutely AMAZING from the heart.  This publication features 20 designer ready-to-craft card designs that anyone can make in only minutes.  Each printable page is 8.5" x 11" with foldable designs to create 5"x7" cards.   Finished cards can easily be embellished with glitter, embossing, dimensional writers, gemstones, scrapbooking trinkets and more.  Great for rainy day, camp, party, classroom craft activities and more because Annie Things Possible if you have hearts!    You'll find this downloadable .pdf publication at Annie Lang's Book Store  

The gifts are wrapped and the house is aglow as we begin the final countdown until Santa arrives with holiday surprises!  Did you know there's Little Elf from Another Shelf ?  This storybook is available in paperback or download the Kindle e-book version and more at Annie Lang's Book Store . 

Don't throw out those wrapping paper, paper towel or cardboard mailing tubes just yet!  You can easily upcycle them for fun holiday decorating and gift items in no time at all. Here's just a few project ideas of how I used them to brighten up the holidays.  Make some holiday visitors and hide them anywhere!  Use large mailing tubes if you want your character short and stout or gift wrap tubes for long and lanky house guests.  Whether it's boots, socks or fuzzy slippers, I'm sure you'll find the perfect footwear in your closet or sock drawer to make your visitor whimsically  festive.  Tubes can be painted white or cover them with white paper.  Spray the paper with adhesive, lay it flat o a table and then roll the tube and press the paper in place.  To make candy stripes, I wrap it with red masking tape spiraling downward and pressing it in place. This idea is also great for making glittery tinsel fairy legs or black and orange striped witch legs for Halloween decorat

Wrap a Santa Gift and share the holiday joy with Annie Lang's quick and easy papercraft project for FREE!  You can download this printable papercraft right now from the Annie Things Possible website and you'll be ready to share the Holiday Joy in just minutes.  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

  The 2020 Holiday Season is here and now is the time to send some Holiday JOY! New holiday greeting card designs have just been added to my online card shop where you'll find something for everyone on your holiday mailing list this year.  Need to send a special Holiday card out today?  You can send your personalized greeting out in just minutes from the comfort of your easy chair instead of the store card racks.  Simply browse, personalize and order for a lot less cost than many of the cards you'll find in your local store aisles.  All cards are 5"x7", printed on high quality cardstock with a glossy finish, are suitable for framing, and your order is personally handled directly by Greeting Card Universe .  You can also personalize the inside card message any way you please.  Some card designs allow for photos and personalization on the card front as well.  You can also have cards mailed directly to your recipient if you choose.  To get more information and see all ca

You can make anything magical when you have Annie Lang's bright and cheery Fairyland prints !  Use this hand rendered coordinating print image set for creating backgrounds, papers, scrapbooking, cardmaking, wallpapers, creative arts imagery and more!  Most images are repeatable designs for creating unique textile and gift wrap paper products.  Best of all, they coordinate with many of the recently released Fairy Character clipart collections and all are available NOW at Annie's Creative Market Store.  It looks like it's definitely going to be a Fairy Creative Day!

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!

The Christmas Holidays will be here soon so do you know where your House Mouses are!  Watch this NEW line art pattern book trailer to get a look at what you'll find in this publication.  Christmas Holiday House Mouses pattern book is now available in paperback and downloadable .pdf editions at Annie Lang's Book Store .  Ready to use clipart collections are also available for the book characters at Annie's Creative Market Store!

Ready to have more fun upcycling your frappucino bottles?  I recently had a crafting day with my daughter-in-law and here are 2 more quick and easy ideas we came up with.  I prepared the bottles in advance and you can click here to see how in case you missed my previous project post.  The only difference is that I basecoated with white craft paint and left it at that.  I absolutely LOVE crafting with bark paper but it can be difficult to find.  Here are a few sources you can try if you can't find them locally or from a floral supplier.  For the sample project, I used this textured  bark wrap   and it's amazing for Fairy Garden and Nature crafts as well.  You can also substitute with Birch Bark Paper Garland or faux Mossy Bark Wrap.    Green Moss rolls are much easier to find and I use a lot of it for a variety of floral home and garden projects.  So go ahead and Wrap That Frappe! You can trace, transfer and handpaint the seasonally themed frappucino bottle lettering or simp

There are so many fun things you can make with wood slice rounds and the possibilities are simply endless!  Here are just a few items I made for my seasonal Fall, Winter Holiday and Fairy Garden decor to get you started on your own creative adventures.  I recommend you lightly sand and apply wood  sealer to both sides of the wood slices before you begin your projects.  Not only will it help preserve the wood, but it also helps prevent paint from bleeding when it hits the porous surface.  The wood is usually soft which makes it quite easy to drill holes for inserting hangers.   Enjoy! Right Click and Save to your computer

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!  

There’s always something magical happening in Annie Lang's Fairy Garden and you are cordially invited to enjoy all the happy smiles along with the many whimsical friends you’ll discover within the pages in this enchanting character pattern book publication.  You’ll find dozens of mix and match line art patterns of Fairy characters along with fantasy woodland cottages and themed wordart images to delight and inspire your creative spirit.  Check it out right now at Annie Lang's Book Store !

September is here so it's time to get your scarecrows on!  They're fun, they're silly and they're so easy to make.  Just grab your autumn colors, your brushes and your imagination and let's GO wherever the creative winds may blow us!  You'll find dozens of seasonal scarecrow characters and autumn pumpkins at Annie Lang's Book Store .  You can download the .pdf version of " Scarecrows in the Pumpkin Patch " right now or order the paperback edition from Amazon.   Want to draw your own characters?  See how Annie Lang creates her Scarecrows with a digital pen in Photoshop in this short YouTube video.  If you work with digital art, you'll enjoy mix and matching Annie's Scarecrows Character Clipart to make your own Autumn fun!  You can download these characters and more at Annie Lang's Creative Market Store. Hope I'll see y'all in the Pumpkin Patch!    

At long last, I finally added the finishing touches on a new collection of magical characters I've been working on since spring.  I'm so happy to finally introduce 91 new design images that are sure to both amuse and enchant your imagination as much as they have mine!  The line art patterns for many of the characters will soon be made available so you can color and paint them any way you like on nearly any creative surface.  I'll be announcing the book release as soon as it's approved by the publisher so with a little luck, that will happen sometime this month.  In the meantime, please enjoy all the garden and woodland magic as these whimsical little characters flutter and giggle their way into your heart.  They might even find their way into an illustrated Children's storybook because as we all know, Annie Things Possible if you're a magical fairy!  You'll find all the new downloadable Fairy Collection clipart designs right now at Creative Market .  Enjoy! 

I needed some small kitchen vases to dry my fresh garden herbs but was unwilling to pay $15.99 for a set of farmhouse style vases I found on shopping sites.  I opted instead to make my own by upcycling some frappuccino bottles I had onhand.  The most difficult part of the task was removing the sticky labels and cleaning off the messy, gooey residue left behind!  I was out of Goo Gone remover but a few sprays of WD40 did a surprisingly remarkable job of cleaning things up in no time at all.  After the bottles were washed in warm sudsy water and thoroughly dry, I started my 2 bottle project and finished in just over an hour. So drink those frappuccinos and then give this fun project a try!    

Do you know where the cats are?  You'll find lots of them in Annie's Cats Character Clipart Collection...Check it out!

It's time to sit back and relax with a pink fuzzy robe and slippers!  You can make this delightful card for anyone who deserves to be treated in style.  Perfect for Mom, cheering up friends or give a special thanks for someone who's been working under stress.  To download the FREE full size color project just you'll find it on my Annie Things Possible DIY Page.  Enjoy!

What will you put in YOUR townhouse?  Here's another fun, free printable project just for you and I hope you'll share the link with your friends and family! If you like this townhouse design, there are plenty more like it in Annie Lang's Welcoming Homes Line Art Pattern Book for you to use and embellish.  To download this full size design created to fit a 1/2 gallon milk or juice carton, CLICK HERE and enjoy!

Here's a quick and easy way to jazz up your warm weather plastic drinkware items!  All you need are paint pens and anyone can finish this project in no time at all.  My pictured sample was painted on clear plastic items I use for summertime entertaining.  I lightly sand areas that will be painted before I begin so I can lightly draw the artwork in pencil as my guide but you can also skip the drawing and jump right into freestlye painting if you choose.  The paint pens I use are waterproof, opaque and dry quickly.  I just color in the areas with a medium tip pen and then outline with a black pen.  Once the drinkware is finished, it can be washed by hand using soap and water as it will not hold up well if you put it in your automatic dishwasher.  I've added the link to the paint pens I use and since they're good on nearly all outdoor projects, they get a lot of use around here!  Below you'll find the full size color character art pattern I used to complete the sample pr

Everyone can use a happy bouquet of flowers to cheer us on and Annie's cute little bunny design has a handful of posies just for you!  This design can be handpainted on any wearable like the ones pictured in the sample or you can simply print on iron-on transfer paper and you'll have your project completed in just minutes.  The free downloadable art has already been digitally colored and flipped for you so you're ready to go in just minutes!  You'll find lots more free projects and patterns at Annie Lang's DIY Page because Annie Things Possible when you share a creative smile.

You'll enjoy this fresh slice of country apple project design and it's so easy to paint, you'll find them addictive!  I used a beveled edge 8" unfinished wood heart for the sample project, but you can use any size heart and adjust the pattern to fit.  Smaller hearts are perfect for making coasters, trivets, ornaments and more.  To download the full size project, CLICK HERE to visit my DIY page.  I hope you enjoy your apples! NOTE: If you can't find wood heart shapes at you local store, I found some links on Amazon  .  Michaels had this one with handle attached and inexpensive large shapes made of luan that will work.

It's a fact that kids find bugs fascinating and this Bug Keeper DIY recycle project is the perfect way for them to keep those bugs under observation.   Older kids will most likely be able to handle this on their own, but supervision may be required for younger children.  This free how-to project only requires a plastic 2 liter bottle,  4" square of nylon mesh screening, a chenille stem, paint pens, 3" sinamay hat, ribbon or felt strip embellishment, glue and scissors to complete.  Here are the step by step how-to instructions along with the face template for the pictured Bottled Up Bug Keeper! NOTE:  You can find sinamay hats at most craft supply stores or just click here to order from Amazon . To download this full size template, right click and SAVE to your computer