How to Make Your Own Frankenplanner
A Frankenplanner is exactly what it sounds like – creating your own planner from various planner supplies. Just as Frankenstein was created by putting various parts together (parts that weren’t together originally), a Frankenplanner is the planner equivalent.
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Okay, so I’ve been using my Classic Happy Planner for a few months now and I love it. I organize all my blog stuff in it. It’s really handy. The trouble is, it’s not exactly portable. I can carry it in a work bag, but it doesn’t fit in my purse. Sometimes it’s good to have it handy in my purse so that I can look things up. I even considered buying a larger purse, but in the end, I decided that I need a second planner – one for our family’s schedule and one that fits in my purse and so I decided on a mini Happy Planner.
Of course, now that I want a mini Happy Planner, there aren’t any out. I have to wait a couple of months for the new ones to come out and even then, they won’t be usable until the new year. So I had to devise a Frankenplanner. This mini Frankenplanner will tide me over until the new year and it will also give me a chance to see if I will actually use it to it’s fullest potential. The best part was that the Frankenplanner is cheaper than an actual planner and so I feel that I can justify it since the cost is lower.
I made a mini Frankenplanner but the same procedure applies to the other sizes as well – the classic and the big.
Supplies to Make a Mini Frankenplanner
- Happy Planner calendar extension (these typically come in a non-dated, 6-month pack)
- Happy Planner rings – I had some old ones from my classic that I wasn’t using so I just used those.
- Happy Planner cover – check out my easy way of making a Happy Planner cover here. Happy Planner also makes separate covers that you can buy.
That’s it! With just a few supplies, you can put together a 6-month mini Frankenplanner. Here are some affiliate links for what is needed to make a mini Frankenplanner.
Assemble Your Mini Frankenplanner
Now, I will tell you that when you have a non-dated calendar, you have to put all the little stickers in to make it work – the package includes month stickers, as well as number stickers. The number stickers are definitely fiddley (due to the mini size; perhaps a bit easier on a classic or big) and mine are by no means perfectly straight.
TIP: Tweezers will help you apply the number stickers on your calendar.
Since I made my own Happy Planner Cover and since I had some rings already, the cost of this mini Frankenplanner is only the extension kit. So this was a really cheap project to make. I got my extension kit from Michaels and used a 40% off coupon (planner items were 50% off a couple of weeks ago, but of course, I hadn’t thought of this then!).
Ideally, some smaller rings would be better as it is not very thick since it is only a few months.
I have some notebook paper for my Classic which I trimmed down a few sheets so that I could put in my mini. There are small sheets you can buy but I wanted to keep my costs down to a minimum.
I think it’s always good to have extra paper to jot things down – especially since the mini is exactly that – mini!
I made a front and back planner cover and put everything together. Look how it turned out!
Design Your Own Frankenplanner
What I really love about the Happy Planner system is that it is completely customizable. I only used the calendar extension, but there are extensions including wellness, wedding planner, budgeting, recipes and fitness. You can create a Frankenplanner specifically for your needs by simply adding specific thematic sheets.
You could even design your own inserts. I have made blog-specific ones, as well as crafting ones that I will be sharing. For me, I like having everything together, as opposed to having separate planners for each area. If you decide to make your own inserts, I would highly recommend getting the hole punch. Yes, there are similar hole punches by other brands, but I heard that they don’t cut the holes exactly the same, so I personally think it best to stick with the same brand.
So the test for me in the next couple of months is whether or not I can handle 2 planners. Some information is duplicated in both. I’m wanting to carry this mini around in my purse so that it is handy. We’re also going on a family holiday soon and I think it would be handy to take with me.
Do any of you use 2 planners? Do you find it easy to keep up with both? Have you designed your own Frankenplanner? What did you put in yours?
I’m hoping that I can make this work so that in October I can get a brand new mini for the new year. I saw a sneak peek of some themes/covers and I’ve narrowed it down to two. I can’t wait.
