Journal Accessories: The Small Things That Make a Journal Yours

A journal is a simple object. That is most of its appeal. But the difference between a journal you like and a journal you actually reach for every day usually comes down to a handful of small things — somewhere to keep your pen, something to mark your place, a way to keep loose notes from falling out.

None of these are essential. All of them are cheap. Here is what each one actually does, so you can pick the two or three that suit how you work.

Something to write with

Fountain Pen — AED 15

A fountain pen changes how writing feels more than any other accessory. The line has weight and character, and you naturally slow down, which is rather the point of keeping a journal by hand.

The catch with most fountain pens is upkeep: cartridges, refilling, cleaning. Ours sidesteps that entirely. The Fountain Pen pairs a genuine stainless-steel nib with pre-loaded ink, so you get the glide without the maintenance. When it runs out, you retire it and start a fresh one.

Best for: long journalling sessions, letters, signatures, anyone who has wanted to try a fountain pen without committing to the ritual.

Infinity Pencil — AED 18

The Infinity Pencil writes with a metal-alloy tip that leaves a fine graphite-grey line through friction alone. No lead to snap, no sharpening, no shavings, no refills — effectively endless.

The line is erasable like graphite, which makes it the better choice if you sketch, plan, or like being able to change your mind on the page.

Best for: sketching, planning, margin notes, and anyone who finds pens too permanent.

Somewhere to keep it

Pen Holder Clip — AED 4

The most useful four dirhams you will spend. A pen that lives somewhere else is a pen you do not have when the thought arrives. The Pen Holder Clip is a simple elastic loop that slides onto your cover and keeps the two together.

If you buy one accessory, buy this one.

Keeping your place

Golden Tail Clip — AED 4

A small golden clip that slides onto the internal elastics to mark your page. Quieter than a ribbon, and it will not slip out when the journal is closed and moving around in a bag. The Golden Tail Clip also adds a little warmth against the darker covers.

XL Paper Clip — AED 8

Journals accumulate loose things: receipts, tickets, a page torn from somewhere else, a list you wrote on the back of an envelope. The XL Paper Clip is a brass-tone clip large enough to hold a stack of them against the inside cover so nothing escapes.

Best for: anyone who uses their journal as a place to keep things, not only to write in.

Making it yours

Charms — AED 7 each

A charm threads onto the elastic or string on your cover — a small, tactile detail you notice every time you pick the journal up. At AED 7 it is the cheapest way to make a plain cover feel like it belongs to you rather than to everyone.

Charms are sent assorted, so yours arrives as a small surprise.

Keeping it going

Notebook Refill — AED 15

This is the one that matters most in the long run. Our journals are refillable by design: when the pages run out, you slot in a fresh Notebook Refill and keep the cover you have already broken in.

Refills come in blank, lined or dotted, all A5, all sized to fit every Arc and Axis cover. Blank for sketching and free writing, lined for daily entries and letters, dotted if you plan or bullet-journal.

A cover that lasts years and a notebook that costs AED 15 to replace is a considerably better deal than buying a new journal every few months.

Where to start

If you are outfitting a new journal, the honest minimum is a Pen Holder Clip and something to write with. Add a Tail Clip if you like knowing where you left off, and an XL Paper Clip if your journal tends to collect things.

Everything above pairs with every Arc and Axis journal — all five colours, A5 trifold, AED 159. Delivery across the UAE is free on orders of AED 100 or more, so adding accessories to a journal order costs nothing extra to ship. Browse the full range in our accessories collection.

A journal only works if you use it. Most of the time, the small things are what get you to open it.