Wareham woman paints a picture of success with banner making

With brown paper, paint and a projector, one Wareham resident is making her mark on the community one banner at a time. 

What started as hobby and favor for friends has turned into a business opportunity for 25-year-old Brenna Hallahan. She began her banner making shop, Banners by Muse, in early January only a few months after exploring the medium.

As one of the only ones without children in her friend group, her artistic nature was put to use last November creating signs for baby showers, birthdays and holiday events. 

"All of my friends with kids were struggling to find decorations and I've always been creative," Hallahan said. "I started seeing people on social media starting to make these little banners and I was like, "Oh okay, I'll give it a try.""

From "Bluey" themed birthday signs to Valentines Day decor, Hallahan has been busy since she decided to jump into the world of banner making. She said the friends and coworkers she crafted for encouraged her to share her skills. 

"There's a lot of people that have been messaging me that are super interested, which I was really surprised about," she said. 

Hallahan uses Canva to mock up designs and shares them with her clients for feedback. From there she uses a projector to trace her designs onto paper to ensure the lines and spacing are even. 

Using paint for her final product, she said the most challenging parts of the process include keeping her supplies away from her cats and meeting clients needs. 

"I have had to hit the drawing board quite a couple of times for some clients, but that's a part of the fun— challenging yourself," she said. 

Though the business is new, Hallahan is no stranger to art. She said she's been creative since she was in high school, and that Banners By Muse gives her time to focus on something she's always loved doing. 

"I was kind of scared to put myself out there as an artist because I did struggle comparing myself to others," she said. "My art didn't quite look the same as others."

When she's not mixing colors and putting paint to paper, Hallahan can be found working as a paraprofessional in Plymouth. With a long history of working with children, she said her younger students helped her hone her craft.

"I ran a before and after school program for four years and that brings out a big creative side of me. Making all of those different assignments and crafts every day and bulletin boards for all the kids in my program helped," she said. 

As more orders roll in, Hallahan said she's excited to build her client list and expand her business alongside increasing her sale prices. 

"I would like to increase in the future but I want to make sure I can keep it affordable," she said. "I want people to be able to use them and keep them and not have to spend so much money on them."

Those interested in purchasing a banner from Hallahan can fill out the google form on her Banners by Muse Facebook and Instagram pages. She said her response time to inquiries ranges from one day to three. 

"I think the banners are just cute to have as a memory to look back on and it's important to support local businesses that do stuff like this as well," she said.