Planner Stickers

 A few years ago, I learned it was possible to make your own planner stickers. I used to spend way too much money on stickers. I love the look of a decorated planner, but I can't always afford it. I decided to invest in the Silhouette Cameo and try to cut down costs. 

I had no idea the learning curve that was involved in creating stickers, and to be honest I am still learning. I purchased some designs from the design store, but they were not good quality. I have since learned that a lot of people purchase designs off Creative Market or Etsy. 

In order to learn how to navigate the design studio, I followed along with Shay Budgets on YouTube. After making my first set of stickers, I put my machine away. I pulled it back out recently and had to relearn how to make stickers. It is a long process in the beginning, but just like everything else I can tell it will get easier over time. I spent an entire Saturday trying to make stickers. I ended up going basic and made a February monthly sheet.

There are some adjustments I want to make, but for my first sheet I was pretty proud. I still want to learn where the Happy Planner gets their designs. If I can figure that out, I think I can quit paying so much for sticker books. 

Maddy has requested Marvel sticker kits, but I am having an even harder time finding those designs. 

Because I'm Happy

 Everybody is different in how they stay organized and remember important dates. I am the type of person that needs to physically write down things. I have been using the Happy Planner since 2015 or 2016. I originally wanted an Erin Condren planner, but that was too expensive for me. A quick google search and the Happy Planner popped up. 

I am a seasonal type of person. The Happy Planner covered this for me with minimal decorating needed. 

This was either my second or third planner. 

My favorite planner from them is from 2019 - 2020:

This was the most seasonal filled planner I had, but sadly this was the last real seasonal planner the Happy Planner has made. I miss the seasonal days of Happy Planner, but still use their planners. If I ever find another planner that is seasonal, I will switch in a heartbeat. The owners sold to a corporation, and we all know how that works. Everything is the same and very neutral in color. The seasonal they did have was not seasonal at all, and now the seasonal is a color block planner which I hate. I think the idea is to buy stickers and other accessories to really make your planner spread pop, but who has that kind of time and money. The Happy Planner is where I emotionally spent the most. I would buy all the sticker books I wanted at one time, instead of saving up.

This is one of the spreads I did. It is certainly not the best, but it got the job done.

This is what I aspire to achieve in my planner one day. I am not an artistic person at all, but I try. When I first started using this planner I dedicated the top box to me, the middle box to Maddy, and the last box to Marley and other misc. items. I found I was wasting a lot of space, and I needed more space for my to do list. After seeing how other people use their planner, I decided to switch it up. I change the location, but one row is my dedicated to do list. The other two rows can be used for decorating. The side column on the left is where I write down my cleaning schedule.

I also utilize their weekly meal plan sheets to keep track of what's for dinner. Meal planning is a huge help on time. I no longer sit and wonder what we are going to eat. I simply look at the meal plan and have all the ingredients ready to go.

I used to use my planner to help budget. I still use the monthly calendar to write down all my bills, but I have moved over to the Budget Mom's budget workbook to keep track of bills and expenses. 

I would be lost without my planner. I have tried to use my phone calendar, but it is not the same for me. I enjoy looking at my weekly spread. It helps get me through the week. Maddy has climbed on board the planner train, but mostly because she enjoys decorating her planner. She uses her planner to write down her school assignments for the week.

We have the same planner this year.

If I can't have seasonal, dogs would be my second choice. I absolutely love this planner. 

How do you remember all the things?