all you need
Technically, all you need is paper and a writing utensil to be considered journaling. Obligatory disclaimer complete. But now that that’s been said, let’s get into my personal favorite journal supplies.
This journal favorites list is as pared down as I could get it. I try to only buy things when I really need them now—because I am a recovering sticker hoarder. I still thought it might be useful for newbies to be able to find quality items that might interest them all in one spot. Plus, it’s fun.
notebooks
Ah, the best part. I love a good pen (and we’ll get to those next) but there’s nothing like cracking open a new notebook. You can just smell the optimism when you do it. So satisfying smoothing down a brand new binding!
I am currently using three-ish notebooks to plan everything for my blog, homeschool, and running our home regularly. But for this calendar year, I started off with a whole different system. I can write about why it’s changed up so much later on. For now, just know that all of these options have been keeping me organized and giving me the space to journal and play like I need to this year.
pens & markers
I am a one-and-done girly when it comes to my pens. Once I find something I like, I stick with it. For a long, long, long, long time. Until somebody shows me something better. I have been rocking with Pilot G2 for over ten years. Somewhere in there a co-worker put me on to a different point, but I do still regularly use them all (1, 7, and 0.38mm) depending on my needs.
Now, for my doodles and drawings, I stick with a Micron pen just because I am not patient enough to avoid smudges. They sink into the paper and dry right away.
I go back and forth between highlighters and markers depending on the color I need, or sometimes the opacity. I have yet to purchase fancy markers for myself because the Crayola ones work well and I somehow haven’t dried them out yet. If you end up getting notebooks that are not listed above, please test the markers someplace in them if bleeding bothers you. It usually bothers me so I am cognizant of how heavily I use the Crayola markers, but the Mildliners don’t tend to bleed through the paper in any of the notebooks I am using.
Related Post: Keeping It Simple When You Don’t Know What to Write
Related Post: How to Journal More Consistently
tools
I can’t draw much but I do enjoy a good line down or cross my page. I also supplement with doodles and I have a decent cling stamp collection.
6-inch Stainless Steel Ruler *
Stainless Steel Bookmark Stencil Tool *
When I am taking my journal on a trip, or just to the living room, I have a couple things I pack along with me. I use an old diaper caddy because the walls on it stand up so well, the handles are sturdy, and it can hold everything I need.
Diaper Caddy * (similar)
I’ve had my eye on this journal pouch for a while but haven’t bought it yet. It’s on my list for our next big trip. That’s not until my brother’s wedding next summer so for now I just gaze at it from time to time.
stickers
Stickers get their own section, yes. I won’t go down a sticker-loving rant, just know that they have my heart. I make my own sometimes when I want something in particular—please comment if you want an updated blog post on how I pull that off. Other than that, these are the stickers I am using most often.
The Ransom Note Sticker Book *
Colorful Alphabet Sticker Pack *
New Year New Goals Sticker Book
So that’s everything I use daily or weekly in my journal (and planning) sessions! Thanks for joining me in this little papercrafter chit chat. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me know if you have any recommendations to try out down below.
Leave a Reply