Annie Lang's Blog!

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's been a long time since we've been able to enjoy a day to get out and explore nearby boutiques filled with handcrafted hidden treasures and vintage curiosities!  My sister-in-law had the perfect destination in mind and the day was filled with sunshine and laughter as we browsed through  Yellow Dog Marketplace in Clarkston, Michigan.                                      Upon entering the establishment, we were warmly greeted by  a friendly staff and I was encouraged to "feel free to snap away"  to my heart's content with my camera.    Multiple vendors booths throughout the marketplace were delightfully staged with everything from apparel and fashion accessories to vintage novelties, Michigan themed items, kitchen goods, handcrafted products, blended coffee and teas and more.    If you're ever in the area, I hope you'll take a little time to spend a few hours exploring this remarkable shopping destination.  Though malls and chain stores are always neede

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!

Spoonflower has just announced that they are now a part of the Shutterfly family which means more creative possibilities for the DIY community and my Annie Things Possible  fabric shop  designs!    Click image to learn more   Click image to see Annie Lang's Spoonflower fabric store

Sending cards from the comfort of your own home is easy, inexpensive and oh so fun!  With almost 400 card designs by Annie Lang to choose from, you can shop and send cards to anyone because Annie Things Possible at Greeting Card Universe!  From Birthdays, Anniversaries and Milestone events to Everyday, Seasonal and and Christmas, you're sure to find the perfect card.  All cards can be personalized inside, some on the card cover and your photos can be added to numerous cards to create a customized card front.  Check the top of the Greeting Card Universe Store page to save even more on your order at the checkout.   Cards sell for $3.50 or Less...Daily Specials Codes Posted on the Site. See how easy it is to order greeting cards! 

Fabric Designing I've been a "fabriholic" for as long as I can remember even though I was not very skilled when it came to sewing machines or threading needles!   However, in 1998 I was offered a licensing contract to design fabric prints based on the line art pattern characters I had published through Easl Publications and a whole new world of design possibilities opened up.   My fabric prints were being nationally sold through quilting, crafts and fabric stores like Jo-Ann Stores, Hancock Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, etc. until the recession hit and markets took a step backwards.  I then sold my printable designs for scrapbooking paper prints online and it was then that I discovered it was the design process that I've missed the most! Unlike the past when commercial prints required screen printing and final approval which sometimes took months, today's digital printing process takes only days before printed fabrics are shipped to the doorstep.  My Spoonflower sample s

It started out as a beautiful day in the garden until the chatter got a bit out of control!  Find out how all the commotion unexpectedly turns this peaceful garden all topsy-turvy as the news of the day quickly spreads throughout this delightfully illustrated children's book. Young readers will quickly engage with vividly detailed characters and imagery as the story unfolds in the garden.   It's a timeless tale of human nature and our need to socially share everything we hear with others.  As is often the case in real life, what starts as a simple observation quickly can turn into a most ridiculous misunderstanding.   " Guess What I Heard Today " is a terrific "read it together"  publication that encourages discussion about how we communicate. Decades ago, my first grade teacher had the class sit in a circle, whisper a sentence into the ear of the student beside us as we passed our "secret sentence" from person to person.  We were totally amazed wh

Do you have a favorite little firecracker in your life?  If not, you can make one of mine!  It's going to be a spectacular celebration this year with lots of fireworks, parties, activities and planned gatherings so go ahead and make it festive with Annie Lang's Firecrackers Characters clipart.  Sparkle On and have a BLAST!

 

 " I Found It So I'll Keep It! " is a fun children's story filled with vividly colored whimsical characters with easy to read text for young readers that will keep them engaged with each turn of the page.  Doug the Bug takes a walk and discovers a few lost treasures along the way.  He will eventually face a social and moral challenge as to whether or not he should return lost items to their owners or keep them for himself.  It's a simple life lesson in decision making that we all face from time to time presented in a way that demonstrates that the value of making the right decision can be a reward in and of itself.    This is a great read-it-together book that is sure to spark some very interesting home conversations with inquisitive youngsters.  You can find ordering and book detail page at my Book Store .  Feel free to share this post with your friends and family and I hope you'll ENJOY!

  When the weather heats up, it's time to get tropical!  Make anyplace your own Sunny Paradise with creative clipart, paper prints, handcrafted home and patio items,  Pineapple Passion Fashions, line art patterns and more.  It all starts with creatively fun art because Annie Things Possible with Sweet 'n Sassy pineapple characters and a little DIY imagination.      So let's get your Tropical Pineapple Party started!

Get ready to serve up your tea in style!  Choose from dozens of mix and match patterns from sweet and whimsical teapot sets to "design your own" teacups and teapots to fun wordart for tea room signage, you'll find everything you'll need to brew up some creatively magical tea time adventures.  Lots and Lots of Teapots available now in paperback and printable .pdf format editions at Annie Lang's Books! 

Whether you draw traditionally or digitally, now is the perfect time to get those bunnies hopping along the bunny trail!  If you need line art patterns to get you started, I've got some cuties for you in "Kitty Cats, Pups and Bunnies".  Available as a paperback edition you can use for tracing and transferring or in digital .pdf format. The digital format allows to to easily import pages directly to your Photoshop, open and save pages with your Adobe Reader to import and edit in other image editing programs.  If you import images, you can skip the step for digitally tracing as shown in the video.  The bunny character used in the video was used as a lineart pattern used for the book.  So jump right in and hop right into spring!  ENJOY...  

Download this free "Mr. Lucky " character line art pattern and make this your lucky day!  This design was originally hand painted as a calendar art project and it's a timeless image guaranteed to make you smile.  I transferred the design onto tracing paper, placed the tracing over a sheet of graphite paper and then transferred it onto a sheet of Acrylic Paper.  The entire design was colored using acrylic craft paints that were thinned with water to create this sample project.   Here's an expanded view of the paper used to paint this sample project.  I've use this acrylic paper for years with all types of mediums including watercolor brushes, markers, inks, gouache, tempera and tube acrylics.  This paper has a smooth linen weave finish and canvas-like texture that grabs the medium and holds the vibrancy of your colors.  It's a quality heavy weight paper that doesn't bleed through to the backing and best of all, doesn't curl when wet!  I seems a bit pr

Spring will be here soon so now is the perfect time to get ready for the return of our fine feathered friends!  I made my first gourd birdhouse in 2017 and it's time to replace it with a newer model.  I'm pleased it held up this long under the harsh winter and summer weather events we've experienced here in Michigan over the past few years and I expect it will be the same for this new gourd.  Unlike many of the wooden birdhouses I've had, the original gourd birdhouse has been continually occupied by a variety of nesting bird families for the last four years.  I can hardly wait for the snow to melt so I can hang my new one up amid the blossoming tree branches.  I wasn't able to locate a dried gourd locally, but was fortunate to find one to order online from Gourdaments  .  I hope you enjoy and happy birdwatching! UPDATE It only took a few days after hanging the new gourd birdhouse before a new family of birds began using it!  Within the next several weeks, the tree w