My KDP Review

KDP is the book publishing arm of Amazon. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. This is where authors can publish their books as hardbacks, paperbacks, and or as a Kindle electronic version.

KDP has been evolving over the years. The first book that I wrote and published through KDP was written completely offline. It also wasn't KDP back then. Then I had to figure out what size to make my pages and which font they accepted (I had to change mine.)

Now people can look at charts and guidelines on KDP and find out what they need to get started.

First you need to know what kind of book you want to make; i.e. hardback, paperback, or electronic. You can only make one at a time, but then you can make it in another version afterwards. Sizes and margins can be different. Also with the electronic version, you can make clickable links for each chapter, etc.

At some point, you will have to decide on a title, and also a subtitle if you want one. Once a book is published on Amazon, the title cannot be changed.

With KDP, the minimum number of pages is 24. So if you're looking to write a 10-20 page pamphlet type book, this isn't for you. If you've got a minimum of 20 pages already, you can add other pages, such as book recommendations that are related to what you are writing, other books by you, a title page, this book belongs to, etc.

There are also maximum page number restrictions based on the type of book you're writing, i.e. paperback, hardback, or electronic. Page length can also be affected by paper selection, page size, and trim. You can check out the various requirements and restrictions by searching on your book type and the text, KDP size guidelines.

Once you are ready to start writing, you can be a brave and venturous soul and write it on your computer, like I did with my first venture. However, I recommend a book creation site that gives you the kind of flexibility you might be looking for. Do you know that you just want to create coloring books, for instance? Do you want to write text only books? Search for what works for you.

The site that I went with is Canva. Some love it and some don't. As mentioned, go for what is going to be most helpful to you.

With Canva, I can use a mix of my images along with a mix of images on the Canva site. In some books I have created, I used only my images, some have been a mix, and a couple have been Canva images only. With Canva, you are supposed to change up the images on their site some how, perhaps layer them with other images to make them look different than what is presented initially. However you do this, you want to make this be unique somehow. I use the professional version of Canva which gives me more images to choose from.

Another reason that I like Canva, is that I can easily adjust the page sizes with a couple of clicks, in case I didn't get it quite right in the beginning. Also, from Canva, I can easily download my book creation, and then upload it from my download files to Amazon. The interior of the book is downloaded and uploaded separate from the cover. The cover and the interior are two different creations on Canva, at least with physical paper books. They are also two different uploads on KDP.

With the forms on KDP, you can choose up to three categories for your book to be listed in. They used to give you up to ten options, and could then even add more. Those days have passed.

You can choose up to seven sets of keywords and or keyword phrases to help customers find your books.

You can also choose black and white only books, or ones with premium colored ink. Colored ink is more expensive to print and the price you set should allow for this additional upcharge for the printing of your book.

KDP gives a section to write a description that will get printed on its Amazon product page.

When writing on KDP, you can create a free author page on Amazon. Once your book is published and live on Amazon, you can create your author page. You can find it by searching for the phrase, Amazon Author Central.

When writing on KDP, you can also create and run ads for your book(s) on Amazon. These are paid ads and there are quite a few options to choose from. I recommend doing searches on YouTube for guidance and for how to videos there.

I have done some ads from time to time. For me, I prefer to do some blogs about the books instead. I also prefer shopping on Amazon when there are a lot less ads to maneuver through.

So would I recommend writing on KDP to self publish on Amazon? That depends on your goals. Authors that write on KDP are not suppose to publish those same books elsewhere. Amazon does have an option for certain types of books to be available through book stores. The main thing is that they must have text as part of their makeup. So no coloring books unless they also include words. These books can be included in a book store's web site offerings; but you may need to contact the individual book store if you would like them to carry it as an option on their shelves. Our local Barnes and Noble has a book stand dedicated to local authors.

For me, I am glad that I write through KDP. I went the old school way before the internet became available, and almost had an interested publisher for one of my children's books. It was a very long process. Also for me, although I have some text type books, I now prefer creating more artsy type books, and prefer to spend my time creating more designs, than writing cover letters, etc.

I hope that you have found some helpful information here. If you think of a question that I didn't cover, ask it in a comment below, and I will help you if I can.

Here is link for my author page on Amazon. Author page for Cheryl Paton on Amazon You can find all of my published books here.

Here is a link for my Scrapbook Paper options which is on my blog. Scrapbook Paper by Cheryl Paton. These are sorted by category.

Cheryl Paton

Using Affirmations - A Review

When I first started using affirmations, I was a novice. I had worked through a book and came up with ten affirmations that I would write down, and then read and recite daily.

I was floored when I noticed that some of them were coming true. I continued on a bit more, and became flabbergasted. I really started watching what I was saying; so much so, that I became very quiet. I didn't want to let words slip out that were not affirmative of what I wanted and or liked.

But then I also began to miss having conversations. I didn't know how to be discerning of what I watched on TV or listened to as background noise, etc.

Having been raised as a Christian, I also began to wonder if this what was God wanted me to do. I wrote about that in another blog, and will share a link to that at the bottom of this post.

My main point of writing about using affirmations, is that I have found and also developed some tips and tricks that have helped me out in my continuing journey.

As much as possible, I try to notice more of what I do like.

As much as possible, I try to see the good. If that didn't seem to be working, I would leave a certain situation, and continue to work on me.

If it is a situation I want to stay in and make the best of, I have tried to state more of what it is I want, and only sticking to that. Sometimes I might rephrase something in a more positive way. I have found that to be helpful.

When it comes to reading, I take the time to transform the word I, used by others to refer to themselves, to they, he, she, etc. I have become more conscientious of when I use the word I, so I don't want to take on that word when I am reading in regards to someone else's I. So yes, I book has to really sound good for me to want to read it. Or, if the writer is coming from a place that I would like to be, then I can be okay with reading their I as also my I. Hope that makes sense.

When it comes to singing, I have found that singing words, has actually created more energy for those words as I sing them. So when my favorite tunes come on and I want to sing, I either replace the words with more positive words that I can align to, or just think my replacement words in my head, or just repeat a string of syllables to go along with the tune. Like lots of la la la, do rah do, etc.

Yes, these are all things that I have done to help me in my journey of using affirmations, without having to resort to a very quiet life. I don't like the idea of becoming a monk or be monk like. Did you notice what I just did, I used the word like with a derivative of not. I read about someone else doing that, to get out of the habit of using less positive descriptions.

I have also done quiet self talk. Early on in my affirmation journey, when I was out in a restaurant and the person across from me had said something I didn't like and I wanted things to go better, I cupped my hand up over my mouth and would quietly say the affirmation that I was trying to foster. I knew that what they were saying was triggering my old beliefs, so it was nothing I had to try and get them to change in that moment. This was my own personal way of working on me. I learned later that I could also say to myself, I dissolve this energy, and would mentally just think it to the area that I was feeling it in my body.

Another thing I have decided to do, is when I am with others who may not be talking very affirmatively, I have asked them, "What is it that you do want to happen?" Sometimes I have responded with what I may like to have happen, to give them an idea of what I mean. Sometimes, this has proven helpful.

I have found that I like various ways of doing affirmations. Sometimes I just like to chill and listen to them as background. Other times I follow along and repeat what I am listening to. If there is enough time, I repeat each one out loud and then again silently to myself.

I also like saying affirmations while doing physical activity. An example is saying that "I am strong," while exercising. I can find that quite invigorating. Physical activity can also be beneficial by itself.

You may not equate massage with affirmations, however our bodies can store energy of our beliefs. Massage from another or even one's self can help to release that stored energy through massage. It doesn't have to be a whole body massage, it can be as simple as massaging one's hands or feet. When I do that, sometimes I feel like I just need to take a deeper breath and let it go. I find it very helpful. Physical exercise can also loosen up stored energy.

Those are some of the things that I have done to improve my self well-being. I am glad that I pursued this journey of affirmations. I hope that you have found some help here, either with new tools that you may find helpful, and also that if you are going through anything similar, that you know you are with others who are on a path of transformation as well.

If you would like to read more about my transitioning went as far as me wondering what God wanted to me do, you can check that out here. It's my blog on Proverbs as Affirmations.

If you'd like some books that foster a more affirmative life, check these out. They are on Amazon.

Proverbs as Affirmations: An Affirmation Journal for Self Transformation This is especially good for those who want to experience the lessons in Proverbs said in a kind manner.

Positive Affirmation Coloring Book Coloring while focusing on an affirmation can be a relaxing and calm way to incorporate affirmations.

Proverbs as Affirmations Coloring Book: Words to Live By

May you have a great and blessed day.

Do you have an affirmation tip to share? Please do.

Cheryl Paton

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Scrapbook Paper in Paperbacks, Review

I have been designing scrapbook paper and selling it in paperback books. Recently, I purchased two different types of this scrapbook paper; one in black and white book and one in color. This is my review.

The paper weight/thickness:

To the touch, the paper used in the colored paperback book has a smoother texture, and is slightly thicker than the paper in the black and white book. I took a photo of the two books edge to edge, and you can see a difference. The paper used in the book with colored paper is printed with premium color on white paper. The black and white image books did not specify white paper, though the color is white, just a different texture.

Visibility of images through the paper:

With both types of books, I could see some images, or parts of images show through to the other side of the paper. For instance, they were more noticeable if the image on the reverse side was black. But not so much if the image was black and you were looking through say a dark red color. The colors showed up less than the black, and it did make a difference whether the top was printed with color rather than a space of white.

Would either of these be an issue when creating scrapbooks?

For my taste, I would say not much. If the creator was however very detailed oriented, then they might want to consider a different option such as actual cardstock for their backgrounds and embellishments for their scrapbooking creations. Otherwise, I would say to go with one of these books that have more color than white. See the next section below for clarification.

Here are some sample creations:

The creation on the left is the one that my daughter made. She used a black pattern butterfly design printed on white. With the coloring done on top of the image, one does not even notice that black butterflies were printed on the back side of this page.

I made the creation on the right. If you look at the lower left butterfly and the one in the middle of the white area, you may notice some dark lines underneath that weren't colored in in any way. I didn't color over that area, and there is some light shadows of black showing through from the other side.

Below is a section of colored hearts that have different colored hearts on the reverse side of the paper. The hearts on the reverse side of the paper don't show through.

Overall, I would say to consider what it is the creator person will be making. If you like the images in the books, choose one with very little if any white showing throughout the images if you are concerned about anything showing through. Keep in mind that if coloring over the images, that will probably take care of the issue.

What should I color any images with?

Colored pencils work great, and without a lot of pressure, the image on the reverse side still looks great. We used Liquitex Value Series which is also rated to be highly blendable. That brand was not showing on Amazon. Another brand that I recommend is Prismacolor.

The brush pens that I used on my butterflies look very vibrant and I love the look. However, I could tell where it was colored in on the reverse side of the paper. It didn't actually bleed through, color wise, it was just noticeable. But if you are using it as scrapbook paper anyway, that shouldn't be an issue, as the reverse side of where that image will no longer be needed.

For this project, I used Dual brush Pens by Tombow. They are water-based, blendable, and acid free. They have a brush tip on one end, which gets into the tiny areas great. The other end has a fine tip which is great for drawing and writing. There are quite a few sets to choose from for Tombow.

If you are inspired to do some scrapbooking with either of these scrapbook paper options; they are on Amazon.

Hearts Scrapbook Paper

Black and White Butterfly Scrapbook Paper

On a side note, we tried using an old glue stick. It had turned to gel! Yes, it was very old. The double sided tape worked though.

Happy creating. Hope I explained everything clearly. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them.

Cheryl Paton

You can find more Scrapbook Paper in paperbacks, by category, on my blog: https://artonproducts.blogspot.com/2024/03/cheryl-paton-scrapbook-paper.html

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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I Love Cats Coloring Book Review

I love cats from way back. I had even started doing drawings from photos of our cats over the years, before the internet was even a thing. I had hopes and dreams that our lovey kitties would be the stars in a coloring book.

Years later, after having gotten a computer, and having learned how to do drawings on my computer, I finally got around to creating the book of my dreams. I named it, I Love Cats Coloring Book.

I published it through KDP - Kindle Direct Publishing, which is a subsidiary of Amazon. This is my review.

The print quality of both the cover and the interior turned out great. The only colors are on the cover.

The coloring pages are printed on the top side of each page and a background page of cats on gray is printed on the reverse side of each page. The gray does not show through to the top page, and it does a good job of reducing and or preventing bleed through to the next coloring page.

As with my other coloring books, there are two pages to test out your coloring media in the back of the book. There you can try out blending techniques, color coordinating, and whether or not the chosen media will bleed through to the next page or not.

This book is more than a coloring book. It has cute little sayings that go along with each picture. I like the added interest; it gives the book a more heartfelt feeling to it and also some humor.

The pages have a good weight to them and are perfect for coloring. If you are purchasing this for children, then I recommend these colored pencils by Prang. In this set, the core is 3.3 mm thick, making them thicker than some of the others, so they should hold up better for the kids: Prang 3.3 mm colored pencils.

Instead of burnishing with the colored pencils themselves, (laying down lots of color on top of already colored areas), I recommend less pressure and using paper blending stumps to rub over the initial layers. Then color on top of that layer. That helps to spread the colors out better, and it's easier to lay new or more color down on top, and is less damaging to the paper: Blending Stumps. This pack also includes an artist eraser which is also less damaging to the paper. It also includes a sandpaper pencil sharpener.

If you want to get one color off of the blending stump, you can just rub it on a scrap sheet of paper to rub off any excess color. This will make your blending look more like the color that you want it to be, in the picture.

Overall, I am pleased with how the book turned out and highly recommend it to other cat lovers, of any age.

I Love Cats Coloring Book on Amazon

For a coloring relaxing coloring book for adults, check out Signs of Autumn Coloring Book for Adults Review.

For a list of all of my coloring books by category, check out Coloring Books by Cheryl Paton.

Cheryl Paton

As an Amazon affiliate, Cheryl Paton earns income on qualifying purchases made through links on this page at no additional cost to the purchasers.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Signs of Autumn Coloring Book for Adults Review

I had been looking through coloring books that had relaxation somewhere on the cover. So many of them had intricate designs, many with no real rhyme or reason to them, that filled the page. If I were to describe what I saw, I would say that they were too busy for my taste.

When I think of relaxation, as far as coloring goes, I like at least somewhat recognizable designs, that have larger shapes for the most part. Being an artist and designer, I decided to design a coloring book that I would like.

I chose autumn as the theme; therefore, I could choose a variety of designs that could cover a variety of things that represented autumn. I could have autumn leaves, Halloween, apple pie, and more; all in the same book.

Yes, I do like the themed designs. I chose to make the coloring pages single sided, so each coloring page could come out cleaner. There would be little to no bleed through should the coloring artists choose markers.

Provided in the back of the book are pages to test out various coloring mediums. Below is an image of the different mediums that I checked out. I used mediums that I had on hand, to give you an idea of how well they and the paper performs.

Results of testing of mediums:

Bleed through:
There wasn't any bleed through from any of the colored pencils that I used.

There was bleed through from both types of markers that I used. The bleed through showed on the back of the page I colored on, but did not show up on the next consecutive page. Heavier pressure and or different brands could render different results.

There was some bleed through of the Prismacolor water-soluble colored pencils, once I added water to the color that I had already applied on the page.

There wasn't any bleed through from the watercolors that I premixed with water and paint on the brush, with very little water.

Pressure lines:

Pressure lines showed up through the back side of the page when I used the PaperMate Ink Joy Gel Pen. It was a size 0.7. The pressure lines also went through to the next page.

Pressure lines also showed up on the back side of the page when I used the Office Depot Gel Pen, but they weren't as noticeable as the pressure lines from the PaperMate gel pen.

On with the review:

Each design page has a dark gray border around the perimeter of the drawing, should anyone want to frame and or hang individual pages. The frame type border also provides a nice finished edge.

The paper has a good weight to it. It has a smoothness to it that is not overly smooth; it is not type writer paper. It has a bit of texture to it, as to grab and hold the color from colored pencils, etc.

My recommendations:

If you or you know someone who likes coloring larger images and or autumn themed coloring books, then I recommend this book.

If you prefer using gel pens in your coloring book, and you like this book, then I recommend placing a sheet of thin smooth cardboard under the page that you are coloring and or outlining with gel pens.

My preferred coloring medium for this project is the Koh-I-Noor Polycolor Coloured Pencils. I used the twelve pack, but would very much like to have the 24 pack, as they have a variety of landscape colors which would be great for coloring leaves and such.

This coloring book is ready for purchase on Amazon.

Signs of Autumn Coloring Book for Adults on Amazon

You can find more coloring books by Cheryl Paton on this blog: Coloring Books by Cheryl Paton.

Cheryl Paton

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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A Review Of The Holly Tree A Symbol Of Winter and Festivity

 

I hope you all had a wonderful, Peaceful Christmas.

Now feels like the time for me to start the gardening year. At first the feeling is slow, almost imperceptible, but its there and each day the days are getting just that little bit longer and the prospect of getting out there more appealing. 

The shortest day in terms of daylight hours where I live is over and despite the cold weather and seemingly bleak outlook, if you listen and look carefully you can feel nature starting to wake up.

Now is the day if I am home, that I venture out into the garden. During most of December I rarely go into the garden, we have heavy, wet clay soil and when rainy it only gets muddy and then compacted if I tread on it. In freezing weather it really is hard like a stone. I can do a lot more harm than good gardening at this time in our garden.  So generally for most of December the garden and I have a break from each other. 

However today I look and listen and I can feel my soul wanting to reconnect with the garden. There is often not too much to look at now and all the winter jobs are done. However, as I gaze around I look for tiny signs of growth and appreciate the bones of the garden. The evergreens that are always there, are so reliable, so constant and without the distraction of colour and flowers, they come into their own right now. 

Holly Types And Growing Needs

The best at this time of year is the Holly. Although Holly can be deciduous, we grow only the evergreen type. The Holly tree is a symbol of winter and festivity and many of us cut and bring in Holly branches to decorate our homes in winter. 

The holly tree, common Holly, or to give it is rather pretty Latin name Ilex aquifolium, is an  evergreen shrub or tree that can potentially grow up to around 15 meters plus or about 50 feet tall though you can prune to keep it more manageable.

There are also many smaller varieties reaching up to half that size such as Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Mermaid' 6m x 4m (approx 20 x 13 feet) or even smaller sizes suitable for a pot like Ilex aquifolium 'Hascombensis' 2.5m x 1.5m (approx 8 x 5 feet). These are more suitable for a small garden or if you simply want a smaller tree with less maintenance. Some even have lovely variagated leaves such as Ilex x altaclerensis 'Golden King' 6m x 3m (approx 20 x 10 feet), which is a female variety and does produce red berries.

Holly Berries can be colours mostly from red to yellow and orange on different varieties. A Holly Plant is generally either male or female so to get those beautiful berries you will need a female tree with  male tree nearby. However some of the male varieties even though there are no berries, have really gorgeous leaves and habits and are worth growing.

Holly is grown in gardens both domestic and stately, woodland and hedgerows mainly. It can be a specimum plant glorious on its own or grown as part of a pretty inpenetrable spiky hedge which is excellent for security. We grow it alone and as part of our mixed hedge. It is also found in the wild where the common Holly can grow very tall and wide indeed if unchecked. 

Holly is beautiful with often very dark green, glossy, and usually very spiky sometimes variagated leaves. It can have small white flowers in Spring, though most will not be grown for the flowers. The main feature of the female Holly is the beautiful berries that really brighten up the day and look spectacular against the dark green leaves.  

It prefers to grow in a sunny or semi shade position on moist but well drained soil. It is not fussy about soil being happy in loam, chalk, sand or clay and acid, neutral or alkaline soil type. It can cope well in an exposed site or a sheltered position and is content to face any way except north. 

I have only space to mention a few varieties of Holly here. If you want Holly in your own garden there are so many varieties offering different sizes and features it is best to research what is suitable for your garden and needs. 

Uses Of The Holly Tree

The Holly tree is a very valuable tree for its many uses.

As the wood is hard, heavy, and fine-grained, it is good for making furniture, carving, and inlay work. Leaves and berries are wonderful for crafting projects whether it is using real Holly or artificial Holly.

It can be used for Christmas or New year decorations including wreaths, and table centre pieces or a winter display to brighten up a dull corner.

At a time when flowers are rare in the garden and expensive to buy, a display of Holly in a vase is a beautiful alternative through out winter. 

Holly For Nature 

For nature Holly is an extremely valuable tree. The spiky leaves provide safe shelter all year round and nesting sites.

The Winter time berries are food for birds and small mammals and the  flowers in Spring attract bees and pollinators. 

Even its roots help to stabilise the soil and prevent erosion.

 

Holly In Mythology and Symbolism

The Holly tree has a rich history of mythology and symbolism.

For many of us Holly is a part of the Holiday festivities bringing in boughs of Holly real or artificial for home decor and is a  symbol of joy. When we bring in Holly into our homes it is also supposed to protect from evil spirits and lightning, and to bring prosperity and good luck! 

Holly has associations with the sun god and the winter solstice, and was considered a sacred plant by the Druids, Romans, and Celts. It was believed to have magical powers, such as healing, protection, and fertility. It was also a symbol of peace, joy and goodwill, and was used to make crowns and gifts. 

 The Holly was adopted by Christianity, as a symbol of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection with the crown of thorns representing blood and eternal life. 

We even have songs about Holly such as "The Holly And The Ivy", perfectly performed here by Kings College, Cambridge UK.

So the holly tree is a stunning plant in nature and in our gardens that has history, mythology and many benefits for us and wildlife. 

 To step outside into the garden on a crisp cold day in the midst of winter or wrap up and enjoy a winter walk and see a glorious Holly tree covered in gorgeous berries is a highlight of the season and one I always look forward to.

 

 Here are some Holly related items you may enjoy.

WILLBOND Artificial Red Berry Stems 21.6 Inch Christmas Red Berries Holly Berry Branches for Christmas Tree New Year Decor DIY Craft (8, Snow Slurry Style)

Celebrate the Season: An Adult Coloring Journey Exploring Cardinals, Holly, Pinecones, and Woodland Foliage. Colouring Books for Adults, Colouring ... Designs - 50 colouring pages - Paperback

11%

Christmas Decor Pillow Cover 12x20 Inch Gray Stripe Pine and Holly Berry Winter Holiday Cushion Case Decoration for Sofa Couch

Samuel Lamont Poli Dri Tea Towels - Set of 3 100% Cotton 27.5 x 19 Inch (Holly)

 

More Christmas Articles By Contributors On Review This Reviews

More Home Decor Reviews by Contributors On Review This Reviews

More Gardening Reviews By Contributors On Review This Reviews 

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts

Raintree Earth Design

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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A Review of Creepypasta - What Is It?

 

What is Creepypasta?

The first thing that comes to mind is some type of scary noodles!  Maybe a Halloween dish?  Nope, Creepypasta has nothing to do with food, creepy or otherwise.   The meaning of Creepypasta has changed over time.  In the beginning it meant a short horror story, whose author was unknown, that was shared on forums, storyboards and other internet sites.  Now what, you may ask, does pasta have to do with stories?  I thought the same thing.  It seems that Creepypasta is kind of a rip off of the term Copypasta which has been around since 2006 and means a block of text that is shared in many places around the internet.  

Anyway, Creepypasta now refers to most any type of horror story that one can find to read or listen to on the internet.  Creepypasta stories are basically fiction, but are usually written in a manner that makes the reader think that it really happened, or at least that it COULD happen.  This is what makes them so creepy!  Authors are now fully credited and some have become quite well known, going on to become published writers and even writing screenplays for movies.

What are Creepypasta Stories About?  

Creepypasta stories are usually centered around some type of scary being, such as:

Cryptid - Any creature that may or may not exist. Sightings  have been reported, but their reality is unproven.  Includes: bigfoot, dogman, werewolves, mothman, sea monsters, etc.

Alien - Any creature that is not from our planet or dimension.

Undead - Physical creatures that were once alive but have died and then came back in a physical body.  Includes:  vampires, zombies, ghouls, mummies, etc.

Ghosts- An entity that was once alive, but has died and come back to the world of the living without a physical body.

Demons - A malevolent supernatural entity, mostly considered to be fallen angels that serve the Devil.

There are stories about other things that are also considered to be Creepypasta, but these are the top five that I have seen the most.  

How I Found Out About Creepypasta

I was looking through YouTube one day, searching for something interesting when I ran across a video called "I Am A Monster Created By The Government."

I had to laugh, but I was also intrigued.  What kind of video could this be?  I hit play and was immediately immersed in an interesting creepy story.  This was a compilation of a group of stories about the same characters, which is good because it saved me the trouble of looking for all of them in YouTube.  There was nothing on the video screen to watch, it was more like an audio book that you listen to.  This was even better for me, as it gave me something interesting to listen to while I was crafting or cleaning.  After I finished with that video, I went in search of other stories to listen to and that is when I was introduced to the world of Creepypasta. I've  been listening ever since!  There are literally dozens of authors that write these stories and I have listened to many narrators (that is what they call the people reading the stories in the videos) but there are three that I like the best:

Donovan Dread - https://www.youtube.com/@DonovanDread/  

Mr. Creeps - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrCreeps/

Magnetar - https://www.youtube.com/@MagnetarYT

If you don't like to listen to stories, and you prefer to read them yourself, there are also websites with archives of Creepypasta stories.  My two favorites are:

Don't Turn Around - https://www.dontturnaround.com/

Creepypasta - http://www.creepypasta.com

If you are not into monsters, there are other types of video stories that you can listen to on YouTube like True Crime Stories, Mysteries, Bedtime Stories, Time Travel Stories and many others.  Just type "narrated stories"  in the search bar of YouTube.  There is something there for everyone!  I love listening to stories and I am so glad that I found a new place to find them.

If you prefer your reading material in physical book form, you can buy Creepypasta books on Amazon. Not only do they have regular books, but also Creepypasta coloring books and even Creepypasta role playing games.  There are so many ways to have scary Creepypasta fun!

Click Here to Search for Creepypasta on Amazon

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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National Unicorn Day – A Holiday Review

 April 9th is National Unicorn Day!

On April 9 we celebrate a popular mythical creature loved by children (and many adults, even if they don't admit it).  Why?  Because it's a beautiful creature, and because it is a symbol of happiness, fantasy and wonder.

This icon of color is magical and often makes its appearance on birthday cakes and children's clothing, in books and music and even as plush animals.

Unicorns are horse-like and pictured as white with a single horn. The Rainbow Unicorn is white with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. 

The origin of National Unicorn Day is unknown, but it is enchanting to celebrate these majestic creatures and remember how much more fun life can be when we let a little magic in sometimes.

A Collection of Unicorns

Coloring Book

Unicorns and Rainbows

What could be a more perfect example of the colorful critter called a Unicorn than this coloring book filled with 50 designs for kids ages 4-8.  If you  have a child who loves unicorns, stars and rainbows, this Unicorn Coloring Book is a fun treat.

Unicorn Pajamas

Unicorn Pajamas - a Sweet Sleep Set

Little girls would enjoy taking a unicorn to bed by wearing this sweet sleep set with unicorns prancing all over. This two-piece pajama set will send your little one off to dreamland in style. Available on Amazon.

Plush Toy Unicorn

Plush Toy Unicorn on Etsy

For a baby shower or a new baby gift, this hand-crocheted plush unicorn makes a lovely gift.  A fairy-tale unicorn is excellent décor for the nursery. Soft and cuddly for baby's first toy.  

Toy Plush Unicorn is hand-crocheted with acrylic yarn in white. Lavender yarn is used for the horn, the eyes and as accents on the arms and legs. The mane is done in crocheted spirals in lavender, metallic pink and metallic Royal blue. The tail has these same 3 colors.  Unicorn measures 16 inches tall and 8 inches wide and weighs 14 ounces.

A cuddly & cute stuffed unicorn plushie.

Plush unicorn can be found in the Etsy Shop Coastal Crochet Crafts.

Summary

So gather together a few unicorns, or unicorn lovers, and celebrate National Unicorn Day on April 9.

For more Holiday Reviews on ReviewThisReviews, 

click on Holidays

*National Unicorn Day Review written by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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National Crayon Day Review

March 31st is National Crayon Day – a day to celebrate the creation of crayons and the joy of coloring.

Children love to color and a box of crayons and a coloring book will give them hours of fun. Today, even adults enjoy this childhood activity; albeit with intricate designs created just for them as an artistic challenge of expression.

The Origin of Crayons

Image Source: Pixabay

Crayons date back to the 17th century, although those were not made of wax and were not as durable as today's wax crayons. Colored wax crayons for children were invented by  Binney & Smith in 1903. They are a company which produces paint, pigments and slate pencils for schools. They also produce a dustless chalk, originally invented at the request of teachers. The wax and chalk-based crayons are also popular with artists.

Crayon Trivia

• Did you know that the smell of crayons is the most recognizable scent of all?
• There are 120 Crayola Colors
• The most popular crayon color is BLUE
• Crayola has made over 237 billions crayons over the years.

Crayola Crayons

Image Source: Pixabay

The first box of Crayola crayons was sold as an eight-pack with colors; black, brown, blue, red, violet, orange, yellow, and green. We still have this first box of colorful creations today with the same original colors, just with a more modernized look. Boxes of crayons come in many sizes from 8-count to 120. There are also various varieties of crayons, including washable and erasable.

Check out Crayola.com for the names of all 120 colors available today. 

Summary

To celebrate this colorful day, get out some crayons and a coloring book and get to work. Coloring is a kid-favorite activity. And, if you are an adult, it will surely bring back fond memories and make you feel like a kid again. 

National Crayon Day
March 31

Image Source: Pixabay

Links to Coloring Article Reviews:

• Adult Coloring Books are all the Rage by Olivia Morris
• Color Outside the Lines – Reviewing Summer Color and Activity Books for Kids or Adults by Wednesday Elf
• Five Fabulous Fairy Coloring Book Reviews by Treasures by Brenda
• Reviewing an Adult Coloring Book by Bev Owens

*National Crayon Day Review written by Wednesday Elf

Crayola 24 Count Box of Crayons Non-Toxic Color Coloring School Supplies (2 Packs)

Crayons, 64 Crayons Per Box, Classic Colors, Built In Sharpener, Crayons For Kids, School Crayons, Assorted Colors - 1 Box

Crayola Ultimate Washable Chalk Collection (64ct), Bulk Sidewalk Chalk, Outdoor Chalk for Kids, Anti-Roll Sticks, Nontoxic, 4+

Crayola Broad Line Markers (12 Count), Washable Markers for Kids, Assorted, Great for Classrooms & School Supplies, Ages 3+

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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