Types of Journals and some Recommendations

As you all may know, I love journaling, and I have one of almost every type of journal there is. (I told you about the traveler's notebooks I use in a recent post.)

So, I realized I hadn't really talked about the types or physical forms that journals can take, based on their purpose.

For example, for simply writing about daily life, a notebook of any kind will be fine, even a plain spiral bound one. (I will say, though, that, these days, I am more likely to actually write in my journals when they are pretty or interesting looking.)

If you want your pages to hold up over time and not turn yellow, a high quality journal with acid free paper is nice to have.  Also, if you'll be using markers or fountain pens, paper thickness is important. Less important, (but still important to me!), is paper color. Some journals have cream pages, some have white, some have ivory, and some even have black pages.

So, I've done a little shopping for you, and here are some of the different journals that I can recommend, based on the type of journal you want to start.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Daily Life, List books, or Bullet Journaling 

The Rhodia Rhodiarama Softcover Notebook is a lovely, softcover notebook with smooth ivory paper.  This paper is one of my favorites, due to its smoothness. It also won't bleed or feather with most pens. Fountain pen lovers adore it. Rhodia is a favorite brand of many because of the quality of the paper, and I love that it doesn't fray my brush pens. It comes in a dot grid, as well as lined paper. 

Scribbles that Matter  has a hard cover and great reviews.  The paper in this one is super thick, smooth, and there's no bleeding or ghosting from markers or fountain pens. 

For a really elegant writing experience, this lovely leather journal would be a step above. More for keepsake journaling special memories, rather than bullet journaling or planning, this one would make a great gift too.  The paper is thick and acid free.  (The journal is real leather, so something to be aware of, if you have concerns about that.)

As I mentioned above, I've been using traveler's notebooks a lot for my daily journaling.This is my favorite one.  (Update: This one has been discontinued, but there are other covers available at the same link.)

When you buy a traveler's notebook, it's not the same as buying a journal full of pages - you are basically buying a cover and one notebook insert. I purchased additional inserts on Etsy. The inserts can also be purchased separately at Scrapbook.com, among other places, and here's another tip - The Moleskine Cahier size notebooks fits this size cover too, but the paper is thin (70gsm.)

Art Journaling, Photo Journaling, or Sketch Journaling

For art journaling or photo journaling that you won't be doing every day, you  might prefer blank pages with paper made for all kinds of media. I have this mixed media sketchbook  for art journaling. 

A mixed media sketchbook will handle a lot of different media, both wet and dry.  This one has 40 pages, which is enough pages for me, as I don't art journal nearly as much as I write.




Here is a hardback version with 64 pages.

Another great idea for an art journal is to simply make your own. A discbound journal is perfect, because you can remove the pages easily and move them around.  Visit my blog post at the link above to see how I make my own.

Planning

For planning, I just bought an empty binder.  It's purely functional, and I don't draw in it or decorate it.  I use pocket dividers, that I bought separately, for the sections, and I just include some notebook paper for notes.

This one is really pretty.

Of course, if you stroll through the discount stores, there are plenty of other pretty journals and planners.  The quality may not be as high, but really, any notebook will do to keep your memories or plan your days.

And, if you need some ways to fill your blank journals and notebooks, I have some ideas here.

I hope you've enjoyed this little sampling, and I hope you will join me this year and commit to keeping a journal of some kind!

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