By Cherry 2026
Out of all the supplies and tools a junk journal uses, a lot of the tools we see are cute and useful, but they aren’t exactly the type of item you’ll always use. But that shouldn’t discourage you from buying them, after all this is a hobby for joy and creativity, and I don’t want to be the one to take that away from you. Instead, I’ll recommend some junk journaling supplies that I personally love using, and actually use quite a lot.
1. Bad color palette
I cannot stress this enough, but buying adhesives like glue sticks (ShopeeMY) saves so much time. Yes, this might seem obvious if you’ve been journaling for a while, but when I first started scrapbooking 4 years ago, I refused to buy any glue stick, and for some stupid reason, I thought buying glue stick would make it less aesthetic, cause at the time, I believed that by just buying washi tapes, I could make it stick like a charm. But the thing about washi tape is, they are made mainly for decorations, and not adhesive. In the end I ended up buying a glue stick and eventually upgraded to a glue tape (ShopeeMY) because it’s easier to use compared to a glue stick. After going through what I put myself through all those years ago, I would highly recommend buying glue tape as one of the best supplies for junk journaling, and might I add, it’s supposed to be one of the basics.
2. Small Scissors and Precision Cutters
Whether you junk journal, scrapbook, or own a travel journal, you will need scissors. But out of the 3 types of journals I just mentioned, what you’ll definitely need is a small pair of scissors (ShopeeMY), specifically the kind of small scissors that are easy to travel with, although you should always check the airport security rules before packing them in your carry-on. These things are really small, but sharp enough to cut through paper, and if the convenience of these scissors doesn’t impress you, the cuteness will. They’re tiny, compact, and usually come in really cute colorful designs that barely take up any room in your pouch. Enough of me raving about small scissors, cause I want to ramble about precision craft cutters (ShopeeMY). At first I looked down on people who had these art journal supplies, but now I’m an avid user of them. There were times when I wanted to cut the middle of a certain paper piece, but I didn’t want to ruin the outlines, so when I used scissors to attempt cutting the middle part, it always ended up messy. Now I use a pen cutter to be precise, and I would definitely recommend this supply as one of the best art journal supplies. With precision cutters, you can cut loads of shapes, especially those hard-to-reach sections in the middle of paper where using regular scissors would mean cutting through the outside first.
3. Patterned and Textured Paper
Not everyone’s pages align with my junk-journaling philosophy, so I recommend this to the most adventurous ones out there: Textured Paper (ShopeeMY). With every book I buy, I try to make the aesthetic different from the previous one. People can still see my signature scrapbooking style, but the aesthetic changes, and the best way for me to change it for every page is to buy patterned paper (ShopeeMY). Every type of paper screams a certain aesthetic, so while I scrap pages in my usual layouts, I change the theme of the pages now and then, cause there are times when I want to be whimsical, or there are days when I want my pages to feel retro. These patterned and textured papers have loads of variety to offer and have become some of the best junk journal materials that make journaling a hundred times more fun.
4. Washi Tape for Flat Layering
One of the best junk journaling supplies that can add life to your pages is washi tape (ShopeeMY). Whether it’s plain, wide, or patterned, these little decorative strips of paper will catch your attention very easily. And I will keep reminding people not to do what I did, which is to use washi tapes as your strongest adhesive, cause it WILL fall apart. Make sure you use these washi tapes as decorations, especially when you want to add more layers and decoration without adding much extra bulk to the page. I do love plain washi tapes, but there are times when I need cute patterned washi tapes (ShopeeMY), so I would urge you to buy them.
5. Stamps and Ink Pads
Stamps and ink pads are especially good for those who love a consistent print in their pages, like the day of the week or the date of the month, but stamps and ink pads are also tremendous journal supplies for those who like to put certain symbols that mark something important to them. I’ve seen people who use 1 stamp but buy multiple colored ink pads (ShopeeMY), so they can recognize what their pages are meant to symbolize by color, or usually it’s 1 color with different types of stamp drawings. Either way, buying stamps (ShopeeMY) can help you feel organized and make you cherish the symbolic reason for every page.
6.Markers and Pens for Adding Your Own Details
Do not be discouraged if you don’t know how to draw, or if you’re like me and have really bad handwriting. Just doodle and write to your heart’s content, cause it’s a book for yourself and no one else. From my experience, doodling with acrylic markers (ShopeeMY) always makes the page look finished, cause even after all the patterned paper, the washi tapes, and the stamps, I still have the urge to keep adding, and that’s when little notes and tiny scribbles save the urge. The best feeling when rummaging through your journaling supplies is when you want to add those tiny details, or tiny notes to add a quote, or an in-joke you wanna write down with a fine-tip pen (ShopeeMY), especially when they are really colorful.
One of the best reasons to start scrapbooking is that scrapbooking does not need expensive supplies or even artisitic talent to start, cause the most important thing is to have a good ammout of the basic tools to start, just so the start of the scrapbook journey can be enjoyable for you. Don’t worry too much, just have fun and experiment till your heart’s content, cause even if you make an ugly one today, you’ll see that nothing has to be perfect, it just has to be there, so we can see ourselves struggle a little bit. ,