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If you have, like, 20–45 minutes a day you wanna fill with something that’s not doomscrolling, check out these fun picks.

I'm a resident writer, cat mom, and obsessive online shopper who is passionate about quirky pet products, home decor, size-inclusive fashion, and, above all, perfumes.

Check out a TikTok of Murdle in action. 

The best part?? Once you finish "Murdling," you can use your sleuthing skills on Volume 2, Volume 3, and a whole BUNCH of other themed Murdle books! 

Promising review: "The puzzles are a lot of fun but the characters, story lines, and other details take the Murdle experience to another level. I have no idea how the author came up with all of this creativeness! You can Murdle solo or with friends. I look forward to future volumes but this one will keep me busy for awhile!" —Liz Gately

Each kit includes four natural crystal-filled geodes, one pair of safety goggles, one display stand, and one learning guide.

Promising review: "I’m an adult in my 30s, but I was such a rock nerd as a kid, so when I saw this kit, I knew I had to buy it! I ended up buying it for myself and my adult siblings as a Christmas present — we had so much fun cracking open the rocks on Christmas Day, it brought be back to my childhood! Highly recommend this kit. You get a lot of rocks for the price, and it’s so fun cracking open a rock and discovering what’s inside." —Anna

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "My kids love to pick me flowers, and I love to keep them forever. We have made book marks for teachers, and I have even purchased this for other moms who have kiddos who love to pick flowers. Super easy to use and a fun time for everyone!" —Missy Lovell

Get it from Amazon for $18.99 (available in two colors). 

The plant comes in a gel that has all the nutrients it needs to survive. It should outgrow its home in about 4–6 months.

Promising review: "I was pretty sure I'd love this, but had no idea how much! I'm the 'mom' to three full-sized Venus flytraps, and it's so fascinating to see this baby in its beginning growth stage. Sort of like marveling at the tiny fingernails on a newborn infant, I'm captivated by the tiny but perfectly formed traps. Looking forward to watching it grow!" —Siri Jeffrey

Promising review: "I have trichotillomania and really love these little guys. They help refocus my habit, and the pull is very satisfying and realistic. I've had to repurchase already, and I'll reorder more in the future. Can't recommend these enough, as I've been searching for this type of tool for a long time." —Danika Hill

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in nine styles).

Promising review: "I absolutely loved working with this yarn! The colors are vibrant and blend beautifully—perfect for making baskets, coasters, or even chunky bags. It’s soft yet strong, and the elasticity makes it easy for beginners to handle. I used a 6.0mm hook and had no splitting or tangling issues. Highly recommend for any T-shirt yarn projects!" —Edwina Johnson

Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in 43 colors). 

Promising reviews: "It comes in such a cute little packaging and it’s just perfect. You can tell by the way they packaged it that they did it with such care and I can’t compliment this enough! My boyfriend really loves the movie Up, and they packaged the supplies to start scrapbooking so we don’t have to buy extra stuff! This is still a surprise for our anniversary but I have no doubt that he will love this!!!" —Jaelynn Diaz

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in two styles).

Check out a TikTok of the reverse coloring book in action. 

Promising review: "Kendra Norton’s beautiful art books have changed my world! My whole life, I thought I was not creative and had zero artistic ability. Now, this has become my favorite form of artistic expression. I turn on music and/or an audiobook and allow myself to go for an adventure outside of my mind, beyond my mind, if you will. This has become my favorite way to process through difficult emotions and experiences I’m working through." —K. DeWitt

And check out these cult-fave black fine point pens for $8.99 on Amazon for a good doodling option!

It has over 35 pages filled with icky stuff like flesh-eating bacteria and parasitic worms.

Promising review: "This creepy book is not only fun to color, but it’s actually informative too. Each page has a picture of a disease and then information on the disease itself! I thought that was pretty cool. Color gross stuff and learn. It’s got a good amount of pages to color and each one a different picture." —Shelbe Clark

Promising review: "These pens are great, especially with the color options and two types of tips on the ends of each pen. Open possibilities for art projects. A good amount of ink in each pen as well. Worth the cost." —HLax 

Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (also available in packs of 12, 36, and 120). 

Promising review: "I recently became a tad obsessed with making bracelets and anklets and this kit definitely aided in the bead fun! If you plan on making a lot of bracelets, like more than 10–15, I'd suggest getting another set of beads as the beads are small and don't take up a ton of room. The price is definitely worth what you receive, and the colors make it fun to make all sorts of different styles!" —Jenna Slaymaker

Choose Friendship is a small business that specializes in friendship bracelet makers. 

Each set comes with the holder mount and 20 pre-cut threads in 10 colors as well as access to an online instruction manual for all kinds of different designs.

Promising review: "I bought this for my daughter for a craft night. I made friendship bracelets when I was a kid but could not remember how to make them. This helped so much! I had to buy another one for me so we could work on them at the same time. Love this product!" —hollyhock

Get it from Amazon for $22.99 (available in four styles). 

Promising review: "Perfect for scrapbooking or journaling. There’s plenty of stickers for each letter and extra for the more popular ones! Good variety of colors and fonts. Even some cool graphics at the end — stars, hearts, angel wings, etc. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes to craft!" —Anna L.

Foldology is a small business that specializes in unique puzzles. 

Promising review: "So much fun! This activity has provided hours of enjoyment. They start off easy and with each you learn a new fold and they progressively get harder. Definitely a worthwhile purchase for someone who likes puzzles." —Amazon Customer

Promising review: "Great beginner's deck! Original imagery, detailed guidance on the card including the meaning in the upright and the reverse, yes/no/maybe, the planet, the astrological sign, the Chakra, and more!" —Shawna

Get a set from Amazon for $22.99 (available in four languages). 

Promising review: "This hoop is GREAT! It is just so much fun to exercise with this thing. I play music and try to dance too lol. But I have experience, they used to have a weighted hoop in the gym I went to and I did it all the time. Highly recommend. You just need to make sure it's clicked together correctly or it'll come undone! Don't worry if it happens to you, though, it's totally fixable. It happened to me I think twice before I got it down. Anyway, if you're looking for a weighted hoop, look no more!" —Molls

Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two weights).

it comes with 10 colors, nine brushes, two packets of ~magical marbling~ powder, 20 pieces of paper, a big ol' art tray, and some instructions to tell you *exactly* how to make your masterpiece.

Promising review: "I used this to teach a STEAM Water Marbling Professional Development for teachers. The results speak for themselves. We were all beginners at this, and this kit made it so much fun. We did both paper and cotton fabric squares. The colors were so bold and bright. I highly recommend this kit." —Rebecca Gauna

Promising review: "The designs and colors are the same as shown on Amazon. Finished coasters sparkle, and the vibrant colors create eight very cute cats. There were plenty of beads to complete the project, and adhesion was excellent. Letters and numbers were sharp and easy to follow. I am delighted with these coasters." —PackLeaderJ

Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (available in four styles). 

Woolbuddy is a small business that specializes in felting kits. 

Promising review: "I was really excited when I got this kit. It comes with all the tools you need, including a variety of colors, and it inspires such fun creature ideas! It also includes a QR code that takes you to several (short) tutorials for different shapes, and teaches you the basics of needle felting! I thought it was going to be much harder than it was. (You don’t even need to watch the whole tutorial to pick it up.) I actually bought the same kit for a friend, who loved it also!" —Kt

Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (also available in smaller kits).

This book is designed to lay flat, btw. 

Promising review: "Puzzle Mania is everything I hoped it would be, clever, challenging, and unbelievably fun. Joel Fagliano brings the same brilliance from his New York Times puzzles into this book. Each puzzle feels fresh and original, with just the right balance of difficulty and satisfaction. I found myself saying 'just one more,' and suddenly an hour had flown by. It’s now my favorite way to unwind and sharpen my mind. Perfect for puzzle lovers of any level!" —AlexS

Promising review: "I LOVED playing with Legos as a kid and have recently been having a blast trying out some of their offerings for adults. This set was super fun to put together and looks so pretty! Everything is so well done, from the gorgeous instruction manual to the amazing, unique Lego pieces for this set. If you're looking for a peaceful and entertaining way to kill some time, this is a great choice!" —Leah

Each set comes with a detailed numbered outline, four brushes, and a set of numbered acrylic paints with extra to spare.

Promising review: "Colorful and fun! This is the third paint-by-number I’ve done, and by far the most challenging. Lots of fine point detail, and the paint brushes included were adequate, unlike other PBN sets I’ve bought." —Emily cox

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in 24 designs and 13 size and framing options — you can get it with or without a frame).

The kit comes with three different numbered canvas designs, seven paint pots, a mini brush, and an easel.

Promising review: "I have to admit I was skeptical because of the price and size. However, I got these for my husband for his birthday (he loves Bob Ross) and what a find!! We had so much fun mixing colors and painting. Would definitely recommend. The fact that they are small makes them even more special. I wish there were more to paint!" —slb m

Promising reviews: "Got this for a student who is struggling with feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and anger. She hated regular journaling, hasn't taken to any of the coping skills we've tried so far, but...She LOVED this!!! She was so excited to take it with her and have it available during classes. I already ordered another one for another student to try." —Jackie

"I am 50 and I love it. It has helped me reconnect with my inner child and helped me accomplish creative mini goals, which is cool. I highly recommend, especially for the price!!" —Toni Adams

Promising review: "This is exactly what I was looking for! It lays flat to easily complete the word search and not have to fight with the book. There are different types of puzzles, and some have extra secret searches! It’s great for the slow days at work!! I will definitely be buying more of these word searches!" —Roy Y Hahn

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Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.