Bullet Journal Supplies

Bullet journaling is a great way to keep yourself organized, but it can be a little daunting to see all the options you have when it comes to supplies. There is a seemingly endless supply of pens and notebooks and stickers to try, and no one has the time or money to give them all a go. I thought it would be helpful to post an updated roundup of the bullet journal supplies I know and love.

 

The Basics

If I had to pick my must have items, which I use to create 90% of my journal, it would be these 4 things:

• a notebook – Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
• a ruler – 12 inch and 6 inch
• a black ink pen – Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pen 0.05
• a gray marker – TombowABT Dual Brush Pens in N75 and N95

These are my basic supplies and if I were limited to only these items, I know I could still have a great looking and functioning journal. There are other journal and pen options out there, and if you read on I’ll list a few of the ones I’ve tried. I’m really glad to be able to narrow down to just these items if I need to, because it saves a lot of weight for travel. In some cases I only take my journal and a pen and nothing more.

Perfect Lines

I totally commend people with the ability to draw straight lines without help, but I am not one of them. Rulers are already in my list of basics, but to help me achieve perfect curves, spacing, and angles, I enlist the help of my measuring tools.

I use the Staedtler Combo Circle Template for a great number of things, but particularly to help me with my lettering and weather icons. Being able to draw the same size circle, or part of a circle, every time really helps with keeping a consistent look in my journal. I use the protractor when I want to break up circles into even parts. It’s really easy to make a hand-drawn 12hr clock, for example, if you know that every hour takes up 30 degrees of the circle (who knew geometry was so helpful for journaling!?).

The potential with these tools is unlimited. I’m always playing around in my practice journal, figuring out new ways to use them to make new layouts.

 

Stay Organized

It can seem a little odd to add organizational tools to your journal, which in itself is an organizational tool, but the impact things like calendar tabs have on the functionality of a bullet journal is outstanding. I use calendar tabs in conjunction with my monthly layout, which makes it super easy to open my journal to the pages I look at most. While an index is great for finding detailed things, when you want to flip to the same page multiple times a day for 31 days, having a tab is just more convenient.

There are many other options out there. The ones I use include a calendar and a tab with the month printed on them. There are also options for just putting pre-printed tabs, or you could even print or write your own with easy to use templates.

 

Mark It

My most used pen may be the Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pen, but it isn’t the only one I use. Whether for drawing fine lines, adding brush lettering, or giving your layout some color, there is a whole world of pens and markers to help bring your journal to life. I’ve amassed a rather large collection of them in trying to narrow down my favorites. Here’s a list of the ones I would recommend:

• Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pen (Amazon for multi-packs)
• Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pen (JetPens for single pens)
• Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens (Amazon for multi-packs)
• Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens (JetPens for single pens)
• Zebra Mildliners
• Zebra Disposable Brush Pens
• Uni-ball Signo M-151 Gel Pens
• Staedtler Pigment Liners
• Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
• Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner

I also have many more pens I’m currently working my way through, and this post will be updated as I find new ones to recommend. If you have any favorites or would like to see me try some out here at Plan Another Day, let me know in the comments!

 

Get Fancy

Most of the supplies used for journaling, at least the way I do it, are used for the general layout of my journal. Aside from a bit of color here or there, an unembellished layout isn’t the most exciting. Since I like to keep my layouts themselves pretty clean, I usually use a variety of stickers and washi tapes to make the pages more interesting.

Washi tapes are my go-to these days, because they blend right in to the page. Because they are less adhesive and a thinner paper material, they are also easier to trim to fit and to reposition if they end up crooked or not where you want them. I usually turn to etsy to find washi tapes, as there are so many interesting ones to find. I’ve also stuck mostly with tapes that have individual images on them, so they are basically a roll of stickers instead of a continuous image.

Stickers are also an awesome option and can be found anywhere. When looking for stickers, there are a couple things I like to keep in mind. First, I make sure to think about the paper I’m adding the sticker to. Since leuchturm1917 notebooks are an off-white material, using stickers with a white border makes the border more visible. Second, since I like to take photos of my journal, I try to stick to stickers made with matte materials rather than super shiny or glossy ones. This is just a personal preference, but I’m not a fan of glare.

Photos are also a great addition. I don’t always add my photos to my bullet journal, but I often use a Polaroid Zip Printer for my Travel Journals to add memories. I really love the Zip because the photos print on sticker photo paper, and are all ready to be pasted into your journal.

Decor options are really unlimited. Whether you like washi tapes and stickers or are more interested in making your own drawings, adding a little flair to your layouts makes them easier to come back to every day.

 

Summary

I hope you found this bullet journal supplies guide useful. These are my most used supplies and what it takes to make all the photos you seen on my instagram a reality, but it’s certainly not an exhaustive list. If you have a favorite supply or have seen something you’d like me to try out, let me know! I’m always looking for new ways to bring my journal to life!