In this post, I’ll be walking through creative journaling supplies you can use to build layered, expressive art journal pages using everyday and unexpected materials.
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Creative journaling is a deeply personal practice that blends storytelling, memory keeping, and hands-on creativity into one meaningful ritual.
In this post, I’ll be sharing unique and unexpected supplies to use in a creative journal, with ideas for adding texture, depth, and personality to every page.
Whether you are brand new to creative journaling or have been keeping art journals for years, this practice offers a gentle escape from screens and a chance to slow down. Each page becomes a small moment of presence, where scraps, textures, and everyday ephemera come together to tell your story visually.
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If you are just getting started, I recommend beginning with the basics. A simple notebook, glue, and a pen are more than enough to start. From there, creative journaling naturally evolves as you collect meaningful materials and experiment with new ways to express yourself.
This post focuses on unique journaling supplies that elevate your pages while keeping the process approachable and intuitive.
Why Unique Creative Journaling Supplies Matter
Creative journals are not meant to be perfect or polished. They are meant to feel lived-in, layered, and personal. Using unexpected supplies helps break away from the pressure of creating something flawless and instead encourages play and experimentation.
Incorporating tactile materials like fabric, paper scraps, and found objects adds dimension that traditional pens and stickers cannot replicate. These elements create pages that feel rich and sensory, inviting you to slow down and engage with your journal in a more mindful way.
Unique supplies also help preserve memories more vividly. A pressed flower, a receipt from a favorite café, or a torn book page carries emotional weight that ink alone cannot capture.
Essential Creative Journaling Supplies to Try
1. Fabric Swatches and Textiles
Fabric swatches are one of the most versatile and visually interesting supplies to use in a creative journal. Small scraps of cotton, linen, lace, or embroidery instantly add softness and texture to a page. They work beautifully as background layers, page borders, or focal points.
Old clothing, thrifted textiles, or fabric samples from sewing projects are perfect sources. Even worn fabrics with frayed edges bring character and history to your journal. You can stitch fabric directly onto pages, glue it down, or tuck it into pockets for a layered look.
The act of touching and arranging textiles helps ground the creative process and makes each page feel intentionally crafted.
2. Confetti and Paper Bits
Confetti is often overlooked as a journaling supply, but it adds instant charm and movement to a page. Paper confetti, punched shapes, or leftover scraps from wrapping paper and cards can all be repurposed.
These tiny elements are ideal for filling empty spaces, creating borders, or adding bursts of color throughout a spread. Confetti pairs well with minimalist pages that need a bit of visual interest without overwhelming the design.
Using small paper bits also helps reduce waste. Scraps that might otherwise be discarded find new life in your journal, reinforcing the idea that creative journaling can be both expressive and resourceful.
3. Dried Flowers and Botanical Elements
Dried flowers bring a quiet, timeless beauty to creative journals. Pressed petals, leaves, and stems add a natural softness that works well with both vintage and modern journal styles.
Flowers from meaningful moments such as a bouquet, a nature walk, or a special event can be pressed and preserved as keepsakes. Once dried, they can be glued directly onto pages or layered between translucent paper for protection.
Botanical elements often evoke calm and reflection. Their presence in a journal page encourages slower pacing and creates space for thoughtful writing and memory keeping.
4. Receipts, Tickets, and Everyday Ephemera
Receipts, tags, tickets, and packaging are some of the most personal supplies you can add to a creative journal. These items document everyday life in an honest, unfiltered way.
A coffee receipt from a quiet morning, a museum ticket, or a clothing tag from a memorable purchase becomes a visual anchor for journaling about that moment. These pieces work well as collage layers or folded inserts with written reflections tucked inside.
Using ephemera helps shift creative journaling away from perfection and toward storytelling. Each piece captures a small fragment of your life exactly as it was.
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5. Buttons and Small Notions
Buttons add charm, dimension, and a hint of nostalgia to journal pages. They work particularly well in journals with a vintage or cozy aesthetic but can be adapted to many styles.
Sewing buttons directly onto pages creates a tactile, interactive element. For those who prefer glue, flat-backed buttons or rhinestones work well without adding too much bulk.
Buttons encourage play and curiosity. Their shapes, colors, and textures add personality while reminding you that creative journaling does not need to follow rigid rules.
6. Safety Pins with Decorative Beads
Safety pins are a simple yet striking way to add movement and interest to a creative journal. When paired with beads or charms, they become decorative elements that feel both functional and expressive.
These embellished pins can be attached to page edges, clipped onto fabric layers, or used to secure small notes and tags. They introduce a slightly industrial contrast that works beautifully alongside soft materials like paper and lace.
Safety pins also allow for flexibility. Charms can be rearranged, additions swapped out, and elements updated over time without permanent changes.
7. Postage Stamps and Mail Art
Postage stamps are miniature works of art that bring a sense of travel and nostalgia into creative journals. Vintage stamps in particular add character through their colors, illustrations, and worn edges.
Stamps work well as collage pieces, page corners, or accents layered over handwritten text. They pair beautifully with travel journaling, pen pal letters, and memory keeping spreads.
Incorporating stamps reinforces the idea that creative journaling can also connect you to faraway places and adventures. Each stamp tells a story of movement, connection, and communication.
8. Old Book Pages and Paper Ephemera
Old book pages are an amazing supply for creative journaling because they add instant texture and depth. Pages from damaged books, thrifted novels, or outdated dictionaries are ideal for repurposing.
Book pages work well as background layers, torn accents, or pockets for journaling cards. Text fragments peeking through other layers add visual interest and create subtle storytelling moments.
Using old book pages also aligns with sustainable creativity. Giving forgotten materials a new purpose adds meaning to the journaling process.
Shop My Creative Journaling Supplies
Over time, I’ve built a small collection of creative journaling supplies that I reach for again and again when working in my art journals. These are the types of tools and materials I love using to create layered, tactile pages that feel relaxed and personal rather than overly polished.
If you’re looking to slowly build your own creative journaling kit, these supplies are a great place to start.
Fabric & Textile Details
- Fabric scrap bundles for journaling and collage
- Vintage-inspired lace trims and soft ribbon
- Embroidery floss for light stitching and binding pages
Paper, Ephemera & Collage Materials
- Vintage-style paper ephemera packs
- Decorative scrapbook paper pads in neutral or botanical tones
- Old book pages, dictionaries, or poetry collections for collage
Botanical & Natural Elements
- Pressed flower assortments for crafts
- Mini flower press for preserving your own flowers
- Clear-drying craft glue for delicate materials
Buttons, Charms & Notions
- Vintage button assortments
- Jewelry charms and small trinkets for journaling
- Craft storage organizers for keeping supplies sorted
Stamps, Pins & Slow Mail Details
- Decorative safety pins for journaling
- Vintage-inspired postage stamp stickers
- Wax seal kits for journal pockets and folded notes
Journals & Tools
- Blank mixed media journals with thick paper
- Precision craft scissors
- White gel pens or fineliners for writing
I always recommend starting with just a few items and adding to your collection over time. Creative journaling is meant to feel intuitive and personal, and the best supplies are often the ones that naturally find their way into your everyday life.
How to Use Creative Journaling Supplies Without Overwhelm
When working with dimensional or unconventional supplies, it helps to approach each page with intention. Choose one or two focal materials and build around them rather than adding everything at once.
Glue pages together when necessary to create sturdier spreads. Use clear drying glue for delicate elements and stronger adhesive for heavier items like buttons or fabric.
Allow pages to feel imperfect. Creative journaling thrives on experimentation, layering, and discovery. There is no need for symmetry or polish.
Making Creative Journaling a Ritual
Creative journaling becomes most meaningful when it is treated as a ritual rather than a task. Setting aside quiet time, playing music, and working slowly helps deepen the experience.
Supplies do not need to be expensive or curated. Often, the most impactful materials are already part of your daily life. Scraps, notes, and small objects carry emotional resonance that cannot be replicated by store-bought items alone.
As your journal fills, it becomes a visual record of your growth, seasons, and memories. Each page reflects not only what you created but how you felt while creating it.
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A creative journal is a safe place to explore ideas, emotions, and aesthetics without pressure. Unique supplies add richness and depth, turning each page into a layered reflection of your inner world.
By incorporating textiles, ephemera, and found objects, you allow your journal to evolve naturally alongside you. The result is a deeply personal keepsake that feels authentic and alive.
Let your journal grow slowly, collect materials intuitively, and trust that every scrap and texture belongs exactly where it lands.
Looking for more inspo!? Check out my Pinterest Board for more health and wellness inspiration… updated daily!
This post was all about creative journaling supplies. If you like this content, check out these posts below!
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Xx- Laura
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