Annie Lang's Blog!

Gather up your party supplies and celebrate the New Year ahead with printable champagne message bottles for all of your guests!  Whether you use them as table decorations, bottle tags or hostess gifts, you can make this FREE printable papercraft card project by Annie Lang in just minutes.  Simply right click the image below, save to your computer and have a Happy New Year!

Christmas is getting closer, the kids are filled anticipation, holiday parties are in full swing and Christmas lights are shining bright.  There is still time to wrap up those last minute gifts and tag them with some adorable printable tags.  Simply download and print out as many pages as you need in just minutes for FREE ! There's also time to paint up a   FREE festive Penguin Circle and Wooden wreath projects for plates, tree skirts, embellishments and more with Annie's easy to use line art patters and project instructions.  If you haven't already downloaded your free printables and patterns, now is the perfect time to visit Annie's FREE DIY page with my very best wishes for a happy handmade holiday! 

Here's a most delightfully festive DIY project to make the holidays bright!  Painted with acrylic paints on a wood cutout shape, this design has lots creative possibilities.  Simply add a little glitter paint for added sparkle.  After transferring the design, you can also drill small holes to attach little fairy lights around the wreath after painting.  The pattern can be reduced or enlarged to suit your needs.  My original wreath was 36" which I used for holiday wall art.  The line art provided below will fit a 7" wood cutout.  To download the printable pattern or enlarge specific instructions, simply right click the image and SAVE .  Enjoy!

It's time to break out the brushes and get this year's ornaments ready for Holiday annual decorating here that begins the day after Thanksgiving!  Being naturally attracted to more "out of the box" surfaces to paint, I stumbled on these adorable little mini gourd ornaments that will be simply perfect for my small Christmas tree display.  Each one of these real gourds is unique and on average range in size from 1.25" to 2".  These along with many other varieties of Amish family farm grown gourds from Pennsylvania Dutch Country, in Lancaster County are available for sale through a co-op venture you can find online at amishgourds.com    I found that permanent marker brushes and pens were ideal for turning these mini gourd ornaments into tiny birdhouses.  Gourds are naturally porous so they really absorb the color well.  Start with lighter colors and then gradually work in the darker colors for best results.  If you want to add outlining, it's easily done u

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

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