The Best Stickers, Pens, and Washi Tape for Planners
How to Personalize Your Planner — and Make it Fun!
Perhaps it is because I started planning in middle school. Or maybe my daily art journaling practice is bleeding over into my planning. But over time I have gone from a strictly color-coding planner to someone who uses stickers and washi tape with abandon and without apology. My inner middle schooler is happier. My planning layouts are more interesting. And using stickers and washi tape isn’t quite as involved as going full-on bullet journal (which is another level entirely).
I have experimented with a variety of products and sources, and this list includes the stickers, pens, washi tape, and accessories I’m most happy with right now. I add to the list over time, too! Happy planning!
Note: I currently plan in two separate Passion Planners as well as in The Nice List. If you are looking for a planner, check out my list of suggested planners, too.
Personalize and customize your planner with washi tape, stickers, markers, and pens. Sticker subscriptions are a great idea, and I’ve included the best subscription services. Decorating a planner makes it more personal and fun, but color coding is also important for organization and time management.
My three current planners
Pens & Markers
Some people aren’t fussy about which pen they use. They don’t mind if their pens bleed through the paper or if the colors are off. I am not those people. I want pens that stay put, that don’t bleed, and that come in a wide range of colors. Here are some of my favorites!
The best pens and markers for planners. Decorating ideas, printables, spread examples, and washi tape.
Washi Tape
Not all washi tape is the same. Some of it is great quality and sticks well. And then there are rolls that simply won’t stick to paper at all. And there are so many different sizes, too! For my Passion Planner, I have three favorite sizes: 5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm (washi tape is almost all made in Japan, so it is generally sold in millimeter widths).
My favorite brands include Bentoto House, InFeel.me, and X.mo, but honestly the brands don’t matter as much as the designs. You’ll find washi tape at your local paper or craft stores as well as online.
My favorite places to find washi tape
There are also amazing selections of washi tape on Etsy with choices changing all the time. Many of the subscription boxes described below include washi tape in their offerings. And Amazon.com has an ever-changing selection of washi tape as well.
Washi tape makes weekly spreads more colorful. Simple tips and sticker layout ideas plus the best supplies for planners.
Stickers & Sticker Subscriptions
When I was a little girl, I hoarded my allowance, and one of my favorite places to spend my hard-earned quarters and dimes was a little shop called Off the Shelf. It wasn’t far from our home; I could walk there. And amongst the candles and cards and trinkets stood a whole wall filled with rows of Mrs. Grossman’s stickers. They hung on rolls, and a pair of scissors hung on a loop of ribbon next to the stickers. For a quarter — or a little more — you could snip off a square of stickers in any number of designs. Hearts, rainbows, brides, unicorns, flowers, stars, an entire zoo of animals… it might take an hour to make a 75¢ decision! And then home I went to put my stickers in my sticker book. Or perhaps to decorate a special box or notebook with my prized collection.
I have no idea what happened to my “vintage” stickers, but I love starting each week with a sheet of stickers and a blank planner page. It is both creative and meditative for me! I don’t have a local sticker store, so I rely primarily on my sticker subscription for my monthly fix. Frankly, there’s nothing more fun than getting an envelope of stickers in the mail each month! I have indulged in several sticker subscriptions over the last few years, and I have loved them all. I only keep one current at a time, however.
Stickers: Pipsticks
Pipsticks
Pipsticks sends stickers once per month. Each month has a theme, and there are several subscription options including a great one for kids.
Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Club
Yes, that Mrs. Grossman’s! The ones I collected as a child — you may have, too. You can get a package of Mrs. Grossman’s stickers each month delivered to your door. They, too, have a kid’s subscription which makes a good gift!
Stickii
Stickii Club has three options, and you can switch between them month-to-month which makes it very flexible. With an emphasis on Japanese sticker design, this pack can be both fun and truly unique. I love their stickers, and the packs include A LOT as well as special stationery items like paperclips and sticky notes.
Paper Panduh
Paper Panduh was my first sticker subscription. Their stickers are particularly good for smaller planners like the Hobonichi. I like their watercolor look, though, and their subscription boxes sometimes include pens, washi tape, and charms as well as stickers.
All of these sources also sell stickers by the sheet, so you can certainly get your sticker fix without a monthly subscription. And there are other great stickers out there, too!
Stickers: Kristin Askland
Stickers: Paper Panduh.
Stickers: Paper Panduh
Stickers: Pipsticks | Tabs: Chelsea Brown
My favorite Etsy sticker shops
Kristin Askland : Kristin’s stickers are my all-time favorites! They are her own designs — watercolors of animals and objects that are whimsical and fun. And since they are original artwork, you are supporting an artist and filling your planner with beauty, too! They are more expensive and ship from Norway, but they are worth it.
Pancake Bunny Co. : Pancake Bunny’s stickers are very nice quality and cute. Lots and lots of cute. But they are a good size for decorating a planner page.
Chelsea Brown Designs : Chelsea designs stickers specifically for the Passion Planner. Hers are functional with tabs and labels for day-to-day tasks and reminders. The stickers are high-quality and ship very quickly.
Make your own stickers
I love to put photographs into my planner, too. They are a great reminder of people I love and places I have been. Sometimes I glue standard prints in, but that can get bulky and take up a lot of space.
So I make my own stickers using my photographs!
You can do this with some sticker paper and a color printer, or you can do what I do: order them from Social Print Studio. Do it from their app or from your desktop. Either way, I love their sticker quality, and they come within a few days, too!
Social Print Studio produces stickers, magnets, traditional prints, and all kinds of other items from your photos. I’ve used them for years, and I love them. If you use this discount code, too, they will give you $5 off your first order!
Social Print Studio Discount Code: 7IHAZBPYQ0
Making your own stickers can personalize a planner layout and make your weekly or monthly spread more customized.
Other Planner Supplies
All you truly need to do great planning, of course, is a planner and a pen or pencil. However, I find a few other items to be helpful when I am planning.
Glue Sticks
Scissors
an X-acto Knife
a self-healing mat
a quilter’s gridded ruler
Post-it tabs
These are all tools I happen to have on hand for which I have found uses in my planning.
Whether you decide to fully decorate your planner or just leave it as it is, I hope your planner practice brings richness and peace to your busy life!
For planning inspiration, check out some of these hashtags on Instagram:
#pashfam | #planneraddict | #bujoweeklyspread | #bujoideas | #passionplanner | #plannercommunity | #weeklyspread
There are specific hashtags for every planner under the sun, too. I am astonished by the creativity and skill of the planning community on Instagram. If you start posting your planner spreads, tag me! I’d love to come check them out!
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Personalize and customize your planner! Here are my favorite sources for washi tape, stickers, pens -- even photo stickers. Make your daily, weekly, or monthly spread all your own! Whether you are using a planner, an organizer, an agenda, or a printable in a notebook, everything is customizable with a few simple tools. Includes ideas, Etsy, kawaii, Japanese, subscriptions, budget, printable, easy.
A Guide to Planners & Planning
