Posted on 17 April 2020 by Leanne.
Now that we’ve had a chance to learn about how the bullet journaling system works, you may be wondering… what supplies do I use? What book? What pens?
The possibilities can seem endless!
I’ll break it down for you in the following sections. Don’t worry if you don’t have any of these things on hand - you can make some really beautiful spreads with a plain notebook and a ballpoint pen.
The Notebook
You can use any notebook! That being said, there’s a few brands that are well recommended by the bujo (bullet journal) community.
Dot matrix notebooks work the best. This is paper that has dots distributed evenly throughout it, enough to form a grid. It looks like this:
This kind of paper makes it really easy to draw squares and other shapes and have them be easily spaced out. That being said, graph paper also works great. Normal paper and plain paper is also good, but you may need to spend a bit of extra time measuring things to make sure they fit.
Here’s some classic notebooks:
These notebooks can be easily found online, and in some stores like Coles.
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It’s around $29 CAD if you order it online.
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These can also be ordered online, or found in Coles/Chapters.
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What do I use?
I bought this economical bullet journal from Amazon. I totally recommend it - the paper is nice and thick, and it’s pretty durable for the price. The pages don’t take well to watercolor, so if you’re thinking of using that to decorate your pages, you’d be better off with one of the books I listed above.
If you don’t want to wait for shipping, you can also find some good starter notebooks at Michaels. Just place the order online and use their curbside pickup service. From my personal experience with these, the paper works but it is very thin. So pen and other drawings may be very visible on the other side of the paper. Just something to keep in mind!
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Pens
You can use ANY pen you’d like when you’re making a bullet journal!
That being said, there’s a few kinds of pen that are very popular among regular bujo users.
Permanent ink pens
You can find these at many places, including Michaels and Amazon. Some great brands to buy include Faber-Castell Pitt Artist, Stabilo Fineliner, Pilot G2, and Pilot Precise V5.
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Fountain pens
These pens have a bit more of a learning curve (like learning the art of calligraphy). A lot of bujo users say that you’ll either love using fountain pens, or hate them. There’s many different brands out there, but here are some favorites:
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Tools To Decorate Your Journal
Coloured pens
There’s many brands out there, with so many design possibilities!
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Washi tape
This is colored tape with multiple patterns. It’s extremely popular with bullet journaling spreads. You can find a variety of patterns at Michaels, Amazon, and other places.
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Stencils
There’s a large variety of stencils out there. There’s decorative shapes, circles, and squares, to make drawing layouts easier. More decorative font and doodle stencils are also available. Again, you can find some at Michaels and Amazon.
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Midliner highlights
A popular brand of highlighter used to color in and illustrate doodles in various bullet journal spreads! Again, you can purchase them at many places, including Michaels and Amazon.
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Tombow brush pens
These pens have two tips. One is a broader brush tip, while the other is a pen tip. The inks in these markers are water soluble, so you can also use them like watercolor. They are my favorite tool to use in my bullet journal! Get them at Amazon and other retailers.
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Stamps
These are another great way to add some fun to your pages - there’s an endless variety of stamps out there! Check out Michaels, Amazon, and other retailers.
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And Much More!
There’s an endless variety of supplies you can use to make a beautiful bullet journal. Just try to have fun, experiment, and enjoy the process.
If you need some inspiration, check out Pinterest. It’s got so many great resources. I have my own board that I’ve been adding things to - take a look if you’d like!