SeleneByMarialyn

Along the way, I got a wild hair up my ass and had this crazy ambitious idea to paint 31 Halloween banners in honor of the spooky season.

Not simply design them.

Execute them.

So NOW I am painting THIRTY-ONE banners.

At the time, I was obviously heavily influenced by the upcoming fright night, and that enthusiasm got the best of me. I hadn’t stopped to ask one fairly important question before I declared my side quest to the world:

What the fuck am I going to do with 31 Halloween banners?

I love Halloween. I mean, I really love Halloween—but even I don’t have enough walls for that level of commitment.

Plus, my husband would probably have something to say.

But then it hit me.

I could boo people with them.

Everyone is familiar with Boo Baskets, but what about Boo Banners?

Do you see where I’m going with this?

I can boo friends. Teachers. Neighbors. Local businesses. Random places I’m already going.

Instead of letting these ghoulish gifts pile up in my house, I could send them out into the world as tiny acts of joy.

And I know Halloween and joy don’t necessarily go together.

But Halloween and magic sure do.

Completely by accident.

So how did I come up with this most awesome idea?

Recently, I’ve been taking on the momentous task of purging our attics and garage while simultaneously demoing our shed that’s on the verge of collapse.

Because  painting 31 banners wasn’t enough of a side quest.

During the purge, I ended up with a crate and a bunch of extra top sheets that needed to be donated to the SPCA.

Side note: Team Top Sheet or Team No Top Sheet?

I’m always curious.

Anyway…

As I was getting everything together, I remembered I had painted  a Purranormal Activity banner.

And it felt ominous—in a good way.

What better place for this banner than the SPCA?

So I tucked it into the kennel with the sheets.

I didn’t say anything to the ladies during drop-off. I just left it there, hoping that when someone starts unpacking the donations, they’ll stumble across this ridiculous little Halloween surprise and it will make their day.

And suddenly, my silly 31-banner challenge morphed into something I love even more.

A Little Bit of Everyday Magic

I started this blog because I wanted to get better at noticing—and creating—the small moments that make ordinary life feel special.

And this is one way I’m choosing to spread a bit of happiness into the world.

Now I’m not painting banners every day because I gave myself some completely unnecessary creative deadline.

They get a new life.

They get to leave my house, go somewhere unexpected, and hopefully make somebody smile.

There aren’t any rules to what I’m doing.

Honestly, I’ve kind of been winging it from the beginning.

So please don’t ask me, “Then what?”

Because I dunno.

Maybe I’ll leave one on a friend’s porch. Maybe a teacher gets one. Maybe I’ll leave one at a  local business I love..

We’ll see where they end up. Your guess is as good as mine. 

I know a hand-painted banner isn’t going to change the world or anybody’s life. But finding something unexpected that makes you smile?

That’s worth doing.

I’ll take any excuse I can get to put more of that feel-good energy into the world.

Keep it creepy ghouls & goblins and find out where all my banners end up.