The Creepy Cute Sticker Book by Gaynor Carradice

I used to be a bit of a goth chick in my younger days (I know, WHAT a shocker.) That said, this was back when I was living in Malaysia, so finding the full accoutrements of goth was a challenge for someone with as little spending money as myself. Fortunately, my love of dark clothes and make-up transitioned easily into my Trinity from The Matrix phase, before I finally gave in and learned to fully embrace color.

But oh, wow, was that period of time brought back to me in a rush when The Creepy Cute Sticker Book landed on my desk! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gravitated more towards jewel tones and pink in any shade, as if reclaiming my ability to wear any color (because ofc I am one of those annoying people who can wear any color well.) I’ve never really embraced a “cute” aesthetic — if anything, I spent years avoiding the word because I had one of those faces people called cute because I wasn’t quite pretty, never mind beautiful. As I’ve grown older tho, my face has worn in nicely, and I no longer feel compelled to distance myself from the kawaii. It also helps that I have three pre-teen kids and am 100% susceptible to anything cute right now, as they leave the adorableness of childhood behind and begin entering the awkward stages of adolescence. They’re still pretty sweet, but not as overwhelmingly as they used to be, so I am definitely craving a little more cuteness to fill that void in my life, without giving in entirely to the mawkish and saccharine.

Enter this sticker book! With over 500 relatively durable stickers of various sizes, this is decorative cuteness with an edge. There are plenty of fangs, eyeballs and bones in this assortment of monstrosities, from traditional ghosts and skeletons to monstrous adaptations of everyday items. The twist, ofc, is that even the most malevolent expression is accompanied by a healthy dose of adorableness, making this very much a collection of cute items with a creepy twist rather than the other way around.

A large part of the cuteness is conveyed by the use of pastel colors, as well as by the juxtaposition of typically lovable items (e.g. stuffed animals) with a terrifying accessory (e.g. a bloody blade.) There are also things that many people won’t find scary at all, such as a lovely pastel snake that brings to mind a rare ball python. In addition, there are plenty of filler stickers of stars, sprinkles and flowers, among others, that can be used to adorn whatever you set your mind to. The book itself is laid out loosely by the temperate season year, starting with spring-themed stickers before moving towards winter and ending with a host of fillers.

Honestly, this book kinda makes me want to start bullet journaling properly once more so I can use most of these! I’ll definitely be using them for correspondence tho, once I finally find the time to get back into writing to my dear pen pals again. I’m just so glad that this whole aesthetic exists. When I was younger, it felt too often like you had to choose between one or the other, as if it weren’t possible to appreciate being either creepy or cute if you already identified strongly with one side. But, like the effervescent Enid from Wednesday (or even the iconic, murderous Debbie from Addams Family Values,) it’s totally possible to embrace pastels while being monstrous strong. We all contain multitudes, and books like this underscore that that’s more than okay.

The Creepy Cute Sticker Book by Gaynor Carradice was published July 23 2024 by Adams Media and is available from all good booksellers, including