We live in a great neighborhood, and I've noticed that it's at its happiest when everyone makes an effort to cheer each other up! My girls are always happy to get messy with an art project, so here's a simple one we did to add some cheer to our neighborhood :).

I picked up a small bag of "filler" stones from a craft store, along with craft paint and brushes of various sizes:

Then I asked the girls what things make them happy...and while I got some answers like "stingrays!", I also got "flowers and the sun" which are a little easier to paint ;). 

I let them paint anything they wanted on most of them...some got some "Mom" help, but I liked all of their originals so much!

Then for the "surprise" component: we hid the rocks around our neighborhood, in front of restaurants and along sidewalks...anywhere that would make people smile to see a little surprising color!

And of course, the kids turned into works of art, too :).

This was such a fun afternoon project, and it's kept us smiling as we see them around town!