Happy Planner Cover | How to Make Your Own

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Want to be able to change the look of your Happy Planner? Here’s how to make your own Happy Planner cover.

I’ll admit it – I’m cheap. I like nice things, but I don’t like paying full price. When I decide I want something, I figure out a way to not have to pay full price. When I decided to start using a Happy Planner earlier this year, I loved the idea, but not the price tag. Sure, I could’ve used a Michaels coupon, but I wanted it even cheaper. So imagine my delight, when I found a 12-month Happy Planner in the clearance section! Sure I had missed the first couple of months – but the price was right. I wouldn’t say that it was my favourite design – but there was a way around that. In this post, I’m going to show you how to customize your planner by making your own Happy Planner cover.

Finding the planner in the clearance section provided me with the base I needed to have the planner of my dreams. Making a Happy Planner cover is super easy – you can make a whole bunch and change them out as your mood dictates! Here’s my Happy Planner before:

Supplies to Make Your Own Happy Planner Cover

• cardstock or scrapbook paper – 2, 12×12 pieces; they can be the same or be coordinating patterns/colours
• optional:  some sort of embellishments like stickers – either the Happy Planner MAMBI stickers or make your own using your Cricut or Silhouette
• scissors or paper cutter
• Happy Planner hole punch
• laminator
• 5 mil laminating envelope pouches for the laminator (yes, you can use 3 mil, but I find the thicker ones are better for covers)

Okay, you may not have some of the above products – but they do come in handy. I really like the Happy Planner hole punch as it lets me create my own sheets to add to my planner. Yes, there is a hack that can mimic the hole punch (the single hole punch with the cut slits method) but it isn’t the same. Having your laminator may seem a bit much, but at that price, it’s an economical choice (I got mine even cheaper).

Step by Step Directions to Make Your Own Happy Planner Cover

1. Cut the cardstock to the size of the cover of your Happy Planner – this is the cover, not the laminated part. Simply measure your cover and cut it to match.
   I have a classic size and so I cut 7.5 x 9.5.
   You will need  2 – one for the front cover and one for the back cover. They don’t need to match – be creative!
   I tried a few variations, doubling up the cardstock to make it thicker but I found that it did not laminate well – there was not a tight seal on the edges and there were bubbles. One piece of cardstock with the 5 mil laminating pouches are still strong. Perhaps it’s my cheap little laminator, but I am fine with using a single piece of cardstock.
   You can double up the cardstock with scrapbook paper – that wasn’t too thick. Attach the 2 together with a bit of glue (I like glue tape) to make sure it doesn’t shift when you laminate.
2. Optional: decorate the cardstock. Again, be creative! Here are a few suggestions:
   – Decorating with stickers – I like using quotes, along with a few embellishments. Happy Planner has plenty of stickers.– Design your own embellishment and have it cut out of paper/cardstock or adhesive vinyl on your Cricut or Silhouette.– Print something out using your regular home printer, cut out and glue onto the cardstock. It doesn’t need to be glued completely – just a bit to attach it so that it doesn’t shift on you when you laminate. I like to use glue tape.
3. OPTIONAL:  round the corners of the cardstock so that they are rounded. I didn’t do this, but the Happy Planner ones are rounded.
4. Insert into the lamination envelope pouch and send through the laminating machine. Follow the directions of your laminator.
   
   
5. Trim the excess lamination off – leaving at least a quarter of an inch all around. Round the corners with scissors – laminated corners can be sharp! You’ll want to round those corners for sure.
6. Hole punch – be careful when punching the back cover – remember to punch it on the RIGHT side (not the left).

Now it’s ready to go! Once you have all the tools, it’s so easy to do. Look at the differences between my Happy Planner before and after. In addition to my handmade covers, I also changed up the rings to the rose gold expanding rings.

TIP:  wipe the metal rings with a dryer sheet and the paper will glide more smoothly on them. It works!

Look at my Happy Planner now. It looks like a completely different planner! I love how my Happy Planner cover turned out. I love being able to customize covers with my favourite colours and quotes. I also love knowing that no one has the same Happy Planner cover as me! As I mentioned, you could make several and switch them out whenever you want. You could have a new cover for every season.

Have you had a chance to check out my free Happy Planner stickers? You can print and cut them in any quantities and sizes you want.

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• Blogging Sidebar Sticker

Want to remember how to make your own Happy Planner cover? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.