This year I thought I would share a Bullet Journal Gift Guide 2020. This is a list I’ve made based on what’s popular in the Bullet Journal Community as well as what I personally like to use. You will find items in every price and budget. I hope you enjoy the video and post below.
This post does contain a few affiliate links but doesn’t affect my opinion in anyway. I only choose to partner with brands that I believe in. (An affiliate link means that a portion of the sale comes to me at no additional cost to you!)
Bullet Journals
We’re going to start with the most important part of bullet journaling – the notebook! It should come as no surprise that my favourites are the thicker, bright white journals from Scribbles That Matter and Archer and Olive. Archer and Olive is considered more of a luxury brand costing a bit more than the Scribbles That Matter, but it really comes down to aesthetic of the cover itself. (If you choose a Scribbles That Matter and you live in the US or Europe, make sure to use the code STMLOVE for 10% off your purchase.)
For thinner paper, and perhaps easier to find options, definitely check out the Leuchtturm brand. I have used them in the past too and enjoyed their product as well.
Lettering Books
If your bullet journaler/journalist is an aspiring letterer and wants to learn more about lettering, I strongly recommend checking out one of these 2 books (or both). This is where I have learned my lettering skills and techniques. You can’t go wrong learning (and supporting) either of these 2 women:
- Mastering Hand Lettering by Mye De Leon
- Cute Hand Lettering for Journals, Planners and More by Cindy Guentert-Baldo
Stencils
For some people just starting out, they may like to use stencils in their layouts. You can get a large pack from Amazon for a few dollars, or you can look to smaller businesses.
My favourite bullet journal-specific stencils have come from Journal This Now and EbeeGbee Stickers. They are both small business owners and offer great products at reasonable prices.
Brush Markers
I managed to trim the list of brush markers down to 4 options (which is a big deal in my world!). I have a post comparing some of the markers linked here if you want more information, but these are the 4 that made the cut:
- Crayola SuperTips: easy to find, cost effective, variety of colours! They are also surprising great for brush lettering
- Pentel Sign Brush Pens: mostly easy to find, well priced for quality, recently added more colours. Make sure you’re buying the ones with the glittery body.
- Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens: available at arts and crafts stores and online, great quality, great for learning calligraphy.
- Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens: available at arts and craft stores and online, they do go on sale, variety of colours, the bullet journal and lettering world go-to.
Pencil Crayons
I by no means claim to be an expert at colouring. If anything, I am barely scratching the surface of beginner. You can definitely defer to Crayola Pencil Crayons but if you’re look for something a little more high end, check out Prismacolor. They have a variety of options in different price ranges. They are available at most chain stores, art stores (although watch out for the price tag as they do have super high end ones), Amazon, and occasionally, they will go on sale on Groupon.
If you are buying pencil crayons, I strong, STRONGLY suggest throwing in a blender pencil too. I have found that the blender pencil makes all of the difference. Even with Crayola’s, the final product is great! (As it even’s out and blends the pencil strokes creating a smoother image.)
Bullet Journal Pens
Pens are a super personal thing and it would be really tough to buy someone pens. I have limited my recommendations to 2 brands:
Sakura Pigma Micron pens are very popular in the bullet journaling community. They come in a variety of different sizes and are relatively affordable. They aren’t my favourite so I am including my favourite which you see me use consistently throughout my videos.
The Tombow Mono Drawing Pens are a great option too. They now come in a variety of sizes too and they are relatively affordable too. My preference for these is the ink. Microns are a little oily for my liking and they tend to fade when erasing over them. The Mono Drawing pens hold their color and have sturdier tips than the Microns. I have definitely snapped a few Micron tips.
Stickers
Stickers are a bit of a rabbit hole! You can either get a Etsy gift certificate, or you can check out some of the stores I am recommending.
They are a small business with lots of fun and sassy sticker options. Every once and a while, she opens up for custom orders too. The product quality is great and the shipping is timely too!
These are some of the cutest stickers I have ever seen! The shop owner designs these stickers herself. There are always great options available. Shipping is timely and the product quality is great!
The last shop I am recommending (but there are many others too), is Ohh Hello Michelle. She also has great sticker sets as well as functional ones! Again, great quality and shipping times.
Washi Tape
Welcome to Rabbit Hole number 2! There are SO many options out there for washi tape and it can be super overwhelming. I am going to defer to Amazon for this one. There are many options in neutral colours and solid colours, for a reasonable price.
If you’re looking for something a little more special, check out Amanda Rachlee. She is the biggest bullet journaler in the community and has recently started selling washi (and notebooks). My biggest issue with this product is the availability. They sell out extremely quick so you’ll have to keep your eye open for restocks.
Watercolor Pencils
I had to throw these in the list. They are by far my favourite way to watercolor in my bullet journal! They are easy to use and watercolor without the mess. For options, you can check out Ikea. They are carrying a small set of watercolor pencils called Måla.
My personal favourites to use are the Derwent Inktense Watersoluble Ink Pencils. They are expensive but you can purchase them with a coupon at Michaels.
Stamp Sets
Last but not least, stamp sets. Again, I managed to pare this down to just a handful (for your sake and mine). One of the more popular options is the Alphabet Vintage Wooden Stamp Set. A lot of the more popular bullet journalers/journalists use this set.
My favourites are from 2 small business, namely Studio L2E and The Sassy Club. They have great, simple alphabet stamp options. You may have to grab a small acrylic block too, but otherwise they have such great quality stamps. They also have some planner specific stamps and definitely some of the most fun character stamps I’ve seen!
I hope you found this list helpful. This is by no means a have to have list or anything like that. I just thought it would be a great opportunity to share some of my favourite products and popular products in the community. I definitely left out some categories and could’ve gone a lot more in depth with others, but I wanted to keep this short and legible.
As always, let me know if there are any other products I should check out, or any other comparisons you would like to see. I really appreciate your time – whether it’s on the blog, Instagram, or YouTube. So I really want to make sure the content stays worthwhile to you.
Talk soon!
