Annie Lang's Blog!

Nothing is more comforting on a cold winter's day that a cup of hot cocoa, a good book and a fluffy fleece blanket!  I make up jars of my own cocoa mix in the fall and then stash them on the pantry shelves until needed.  Whether it's snuggling up next to the fireplace for some quiet time, a comforting after school warmup for the kids or simply a warm mug of happiness to share by the campfire, hot cocoa is the perfect comfort beverage everyone enjoys!  These cocoa filled jars also make a perfect hostess gift when tucked in a basket with mini marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, chocolate kisses, etc.  Below you'll find my recipe for homemade cocoa mix along with FREE labels and jar tags you can download now by right clicking the images and saving to your computer.  So go ahead, get comfortable, relax and ENJOY !

Here's a quick and easy holiday home decor DIY project that anyone can make in minutes.  Best of all, chances are you already have all the supplies you need on hand.  You'll find the free step by step instructions along with lots of other fun ideas RIGHT HERE . Happy wrapping!

As an avid nature, folklore and garden lover, two publications fell into my hands in the late 1970's and early 1980's which I still have today.  The first book was " Gnomes " which was published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc, written by Wil Huygen and brilliantly illustrated by Dutch artist, Rien Poortvliet .  It explains in great detail every aspect of a Gnome's life, environment, talents, language, legends and more.  This book is now a hard to find collector's item, but does pop up every now and then on auction sites and E-Bay.  I suspect that it will someday be re-printed! I also own a well worn copy of The  Gnomes Book of Christmas Crafts  by Carol Endler Sterbenz whi ch is still available in hardcover version today and filled with dozens of gnome-inspired Christmas decorations and crafting projects.  I recently visited Frankenmuth, MI, a friendly German inspired community that successfully blends old world charm with modern trends.  Frankenmuth is also 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!

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... 

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

You just never know who may drop by unexpectedly for the holidays so I've been making some quick and easy last minute gifts to keep on hand for any occasion.  You can also adapt the project for any beverage bottle, be it coffee lattes, bottles fruit juices or full size wine bottles.  Simply use burlap bag sizes to match your bottles.  These dressed up mini bottles are also great for tucking into Christmas stockings, adding to gift baskets and for decorating your luncheon or dinner table.  The empty bottle dress-ups can also be upcycled into mini vases for the shelf or mantle.  Best of all, you only need scissors, a glue gun and odds and ends for embellishments.  So go ahead and make up a batch to have ready for whoever might drop and you can celebrate the season in style! The sample project shown features 5.4" x 3.7"  mini burlap bags purchased at a local craft and hobby store.  If you cannot locate them locally, you can get them for about $.35 each at Amazon .   

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

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

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!

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!

Well groomed pets are happy pets and so it's time to make some good clean fun with this delightfully whimsical clipart collection from Annie Lang!    Digitally hand rendered with images of dogs, cats and pet owners, you can mix and match any or all of the 14 images for endless creative possibilities.  Collection includes 7 pets being brushed, combed, shampooed, clipped and gussied up by their groomers.  Also included is a bathtub of bubbles with puppy and kitten along with 5 colorfully descriptive and 1 illustrated graphic wordart image. 

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

Thanks to Jackson and Owen's Mom sending me this photo, this pair of busy little bookworms have now been added to my "Bookworm Gallery". You'll find this adorable Bookworm in Annie Lang's storybooks, papercraft activity books, Draw Silly video, clipart, merchandise products and fabric prints.  Join the club and discover just how inspiring these friendly little characters are...because Annie Things Possible when you're a Bookworm !

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!