A Calgary woman has reluctantly admitted she is the mysterious sign-planter who has been putting up dozens of little red signs with inspirational sayings around the city.

CBC News first brought you the story last Friday. That prompted a tip about who the serial spirit-lifter could be.

The woman wants to remain anonymous — saying she hopes to keep the focus on the message and not the messenger — so CBC News has agreed to keep her identity under wraps.

For the past month, Ann, as we'll call her, has been putting up bright red signs with messages such as "Great Job," "You Matter" and "Thanks For Being You" on city streets.

Ann says she wanted to boost people's spirits given the tough economic times and so much negative online chatter.

"I believe in my heart that someone out there read that sign and it made their day better," she said.

The red and white signs with positive slogans started showing up on Calgary roadsides a few weeks ago. (CBC)

"What if the sign that day made the difference and that person didn't commit suicide, or didn't do something bad, or just went home and was kinder to their family? That's all."

Ann and her husband came up with the sayings, the company that printed the signs did it for free, she says.

Ann says this isn't her first random act of kindness. She says she often buys coffee for people in drive-thru restaurants, and for years her family has given out Christmas cards filled with cash to strangers who go above and beyond but never get noticed.