Hi everyone!
Today I will be telling you how you can still have fun and decorate your planner without purchasing a cutting machine or sticker paper. I think this can be helpful for people who are beginning to plan and want to experiment with various planning techniques. I was looking for something like this when I was starting out, but I didn’t find anything like this online, so I’m excited to share it with you!
Before we start, I just want to explain that this is by no way an easier alternative to using stickers. Stickers are way easier and look a lot glossier and nicer, but this definitely works for someone who doesn’t want to go out and constantly buy sticker paper. The process is tedious and can double your planning time if you are used to stickers, but this can save a beginning planner a lot of money, especially if they’re not sure they want to commit to stickers.
What you’ll need:
- Scissors- you’ll want a pair that you don’t use too often because you’ll get sticky residue from cutting tape, making the scissors difficult to use on plain paper.
- Non-permanent double sided tape- I got a my roll from target for pretty cheap. The first roll lasted for about 8 full spreads before running out. After the first one ran out, I began purchasing Scotch refills with two rolls per pack,
giving me more tape for a cheaper price per roll. - Standard printer paper- I find it better if you use a glossier, thicker sheet, but it’s all based on your preference
- Printer-duh
- Printables- you can purchase these on etsy or use mine for free 😉
How to do it:
You’ll notice that the process for using these is not all that different from printing the pages on sticker paper and cutting them up with scissors. The only difference is that you will need to add the adhesive with the tape yourself instead of peeling off the back.
- Download the printable and print them off
on the printer paper of your choice. - Cut up the individual shapes with your scissors. I
usually figure out what I want on each day in my vertical planner and cut out those so that I don’t overwhelm myself with too many cut-outs. - Cut up strips of the double sided tape. The way I do this is by cutting off about 2-3 inches of tape from the roll, and then lining up the longer edge on the blade of the scissors for the size I want.
I use very thin strips so that I can get the most out of my roll. For full boxes, I use two thin strips (1 on each long edge), for headers and littles, I use just one, and for bottom washi, I line several strips along the center of the washi strip.
- Line up your new DIY sticker, and place on the page.
My Review:
This is definitely a lengthy process. If you’re looking for an easy, 30 minute plan, pre-cut etsy stickers are the best way to go. When I tried planning with this method, I found that I needed anywhere between 60-90 minutes to plan, so you will definitely need to set aside a good chunk of time to do this. What I’ve been doing is I’ll plan up to Thursday in my Happy Planner and then take a long break or wait until the next day to finish the last three days and the side bar.
A small pro to this is that it’s easily changeable and removable, which could be helpful for a monthly layout. The double sided tape that I bought is not permanent and is just sticky enough to stay on the paper, but not enough to tear up the paper. I’m able to peel up the paper and tape even months after it was placed without any ripping or tearing on the “sticker” or the page itself. Sometimes, the paper will peel up without the tape attached because the tape was still stuck to the page, but if you are going to replace or add something, it won’t make a difference.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s not the most attractive or easy method, but it works if you want to attach functional boxes or flags to your planner and have an extra hour to spare. It doesn’t work too well for deco or circular icons, as cutting a perfect circle or working between small corners can be difficult, but the same is true for cutting out shapes on sticker paper. I also feel like there’s more room for error with this method, as paper is a lot cheaper and more readily available than sticker paper.
Let me know if you are going to give this a try or if you have any questions!
Thanks for sticking around, and I hope to see you for my next post!
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