Product Review Archives -

December 14, 2018 By Dru Cortez

10 Pretty Planner Accessories for Your Planner Stash

With Christmas a couple of weeks away, your mind might be in knots trying to come up with unique gift ideas for the planner fans on your list. While this list might work for your immediate Christmas needs, many items will be great gift ideas the year round as birthday or “just because” gifts. I have done some of the shopping for you and concentrated on some of the unique (and often handmade) planner related items you can find on Etsy. These are just a few gift ideas, some that combine form with function and others that are just plain “pretty” add ons to inspire planner joy and productivity.

planner tassel accessory 1) Planner Tassel

Not necessarily a tool but definitely a lovely add on for pretty planner inspiration, this little tool will definitely put some pretty on your planner. I have actually purchased several tassels from this shop because the shop owner does such a good job of providing a lovely product and in a variety of sizes. I particularly like anything related to Paris but I chose this glam Chanel charm because it so pretty. Etsy: Haute Pink Fluff

2) Planner Bookmarks

This item does exactly what it’s name implies, it provides a way to find the section you want to refer back too in your planner or book. But just because you can easily use a post it note, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy a book mark that is functional as well as pretty. There are many kinds of bookmarks but I chose an acrylic one , as they tend to reduce the bulk in your planner. Etsy Store: TiddlyWinksDesigns

3) Crystal Pens

These are just absolutely lovely functional and pretty pens. They come in a variety of colors, body materials and pen sizes. This shop gives you the choice between the plain pen top or stylus top to use with your phone or ipad. If you don’t like the pen point, some planner gals have creatively suggested hacks that allow you to replace the pen refills with refills of another type of pen, so they can enjoy a pen with the point size they want. In this case, I chose the rose gold as a sample of this type of pen since it is such a popular color. This particular shop will actually provide engraving from a selection of fonts. Etsy Store: AnkaiCustom

planner diamond pens 4) Diamond Pens

These are not literally diamond pens, but rather pens with rhinestone or acrylic diamond heads. Just thought it might be important to mention that While they are functional, they are basically a pretty item that will definitely dress up your desk and instagram pics.. Etsy Store: My Teachers Cupboard

planner clip accessory

5) Felt Planner Clips

This little penguin enveloped in Christmas lights is just too cute. These felt paperclips are the cutest way to inspire planners to bookmark their pages or to actually motivate them to look at their lengthy to do lists. It’s another way to “dress” up your planner. They usually come in a variety of cute characters and even motivational phrases. The shop mentioned here is just one example of the many Etsy shops that provide these type of planner clips. Etsy Store: So Cuties

planner band accessory 6) Planner Bands

Now this item is both a pretty and useful tool. They can be used to keep the contents of popular planners (i.e. Erin Condren and Happy Planners) nice and straight within their covers. And of course, they look good too. They come in a variety of colors and patterns but they are usually stretchy and work very much like hair bands. There are even some bands that come with a pen holder which makes it pretty convenient. Etsy Store: TRAprettythings

7) Planner Charm

These cute and charming planner accessories are like planner jewelry. I especially like the charms made from polymer clay and since I love all things French, I chose these cute macarons with an Eiffel Tower charm. There are a lot of creative Etsy shop owners that make these cute polymer clay charms for your planner. Etsy Store: Mahalmade

8) Pencil Pouch

When one uses a paper planner, the need arises for some type of container to store all those pens and pencils. These pencil pouches ( or makeup bags) are soft and flexible but the added feature with oil cloth rather than plain cloth material is that they can be cleaned and can endure the wear and tear of every day use a little better. So you get the soft flexibility of cloth with something that can be cleaned, if you get a few coffee spills. Etsy Store: Miriam Garber

shape paperclips, accessory 9) Shape Paperclips

Yes, you have your ordinary paperclips but organizing paper becomes so much more fun with paperclips in fun shapes. They just might motivate you to check those bills if they are bound with cute shape paperclips. Or is that too much to expect? There are several stationery shops on Etsy that provide a variety of these paperclips in different shapes and metals. Etsy Store: PugPaperCo

planner pouch, accessory

10) Planner Pouch

When you use a paper planner, it’s usually an item that will travel with you. So, a planner fan might need a planner pouch to carry the planner and a pencil pouch filled with writing tools when she is out and about. This particular pouch is made with room enough to accommodate planner clips, so they won’t get crowded or smooshed. I chose this planner pouch because it’s the Christmas season and I found this Nutcracker theme so fitting for the season. Etsy Store: Pigtails & Pockets

Planner Inserts

Now, I didn’t include these on the list since they are a planner essential, but not necessarily a planner accessory. The type of planner inserts you might use will vary depending on what type of information you want to track. One of my favorite shops on Etsy that provides well designed planner inserts with really cute fonts is SewMuchCrafting. She has over 30+ planner insert design for the half letter sie alone and planner refills for a variety of planners. If you own a ring type of planner ( i.e. Carpe Diem, Filofax, Kikki.k, Franklin Planner) you might enjoy her planner inserts as an alternative to the ones the manufacturer provides or might prefer a specific planner insert. Etsy Shop: SewMuchCrafting

travelers notebook inserts color

This is another planner inserts shop that I thought was worth mentioning as this shop carries a huge selection of planner inserts for Traveler’s Notebooks planner fans in over 22 colors. You can find a rather large selection of colorful planner inserts for the Travelers Notebook fan as well as other types of planners . Etsy Store: YellowPaperHouse

Well, that’s the round up of some of the planner accessories and the Etsy shops that carry them. This is by no means a comprehensive list but a round up of ideas if you are not familiar with what’s available in the planner “world”. Enjoy.

Image Credit

Images in this blog post are the copyright of the individual store owners mentioned in this article. All other images are the copyright of VintageGlamstudio

December 7, 2018 By Dru Cortez

12 Essential Planner Supplies for Planner Fans

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, when you choose to use the links provided. See the Disclosure Policy for more information.

Happy Friday planner fans…I wanted to take some time and get you ready for those last minute “what should I get for______” or for other planner fans on your Christmas list by sharing a list of basic planner essentials. This list can pretty much work for all year round but in this Christmas season, some of these ideas might make your planner #bff reallly happy and put a smile on their face. You want to make sure it’s a thoughtful gift idea, of course.

Here’s the list of the individual items:

1. Frixion Eraseable Pens (.07mm)

These ink pens are such a hot item because they are eraseable. If you are a neat nik, there is nothing worse than a planner filled with nasty pen cross outs and pen smudges. They come in a variety of point sizes . The pens pictured come with a cap but there are retractable pens available which makes it a great item for those who are always losing pen caps. They also come in a variety of colors.

2. Pilot G28 (.038 fine point)

This pen is my absolute personal fav black point pen for all my writing. I buy these by the pack and also purchase the refills. I tend to write very small and this pen is super smooth, super fine and does not bleed through. It also helps that it is retractrable. They are not readily available at your regular department stores. I usually buy them online on mazon. If you are a pen geek or are buying for a professional, I would suggest that you check out JetPens which has a great collection of specialty pens and stationery items.

3. Staedtler Fineliner

I absolutely love these multi color pens. They are reasonably priced, have a .03 point nib (make sure they are the point nib that you want before buying) and are great for color coding your planner or journl. The plastic case they come in folds back and can be used to stand the case on your desktop. They are also not so bad for doodling and adding hints of color to your planner layout.

4. American Crafts Slick Writer

This pen is a planner essential because as it’s name suggests, it writes perfectly on slick surfaces and can write on washi. It has a solid marker type of pen stroke and does not soak through or smear whereas even Sharpie fineline permanent pens do. I haven’t tried it using it for this purpose yet, but I think it would also work to label photographs which tend to have a slick surface.

5. Mildliner Highlighters

I love, love these highlighters because they lay down a soft color on whatever text your are highlighting. They are double ended which gives you the option of having two pen nib sizes in one pen. They are reasonably priced and come in the colors of the rainbow. I own the pastel highlighters.

6. Rose Gold paperclips

These paperclips are rose gold but they are also available in gold. These are functional as well as beautiful and they are reasonable priced. They are a step up over your everyday office paperclip and they will glam up your photos on Instagram. They are like little pieces of stationery jewelry.

7. Arc Punch

If you love notebooks, journals and planners with discbound binding, i.e. the Happy Planner or Martha Stewart’s journals, this is the tool to have. It can turn any scrapbooking paper, planner or notebook insert into an insert that will fit into your discbound planner or notebook. If you are interested in a much more robust arc punch, I would suggest you try Levenger for their arc punch.

8. Discs by Mambi

These are the discs that make the discbound system work. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. In general the larger the disc, the more paper you can store in your notebook. If you want upscale discs made of metal or other luxury materials, you might want to try Levenger’s online stationery store for their Kyoto discs.

9. EK Success Scissors

These scissors are a planner or crafter’s essential. I own a pair of these and I love them because they are a small size, they are lightweight, the rubber handles reduce hand fatigue when cutting multiple items by hand and the tips of the scissors are shaped so that they can snip small pieces of paper. The cap is provided for safety, an important feature, especially if you have little ones around. I would prefer them in pink but I believe EK only sells them in pink as a promotion.

10. EK Success Scissors

This is a great sturdy brass ruler that is small enough to carry within a smaller planner or in your purse. It come with inches and millimeter rules. I think a great gift idea would be to purchase this type of ruler and if you can swing it have it engraved with the recipient’s name. I own a similar 12″ brass ruler from the Nate Berkus Office stationery line at Target. I absolutely love mine and use it to measure all those planner sticker printables I create for my planner fans.

11. Washi Storage

This handy plastic bin holds up to 45 washi tape rolls and would be a great gift if you fill it with a couple of really lovely washi rolls as part of your gift and some pretty pens. There are also acrylic drawer type of boxes that can be used as washi storage and look lovely on a desk top.

12. Washi

Okay, washi is almost a no brainer. In order to add a little or a lot of pops of color to your planner this is the essential tool to have in your planner stash. They can be used for a variety of crafting uses besides planner decor. But I warn you buying washi can be addicting, it’s like that old TV potato chip ad jingle “betcha, you can’t stop at one”.

What do you consider an absolute essential planner tool? Please comment below.

So, these mugs are not essential but they can be used in a two fold manner, as something to put your stationery gifts in and something they can drink out of after the holidays are over or as a pencil cup. The mugs featured are available at the following Etsy Shops. You can preview the pics via the gallery below or in the links to the shops listed.

Etsy Shops with featured planner mugs:

1. Boss Lady mug from GirlsStuffDesigns

2. Planner Life mug from HappilyEverEtchedInc

3. Planner Girl mug from ShopPBC

So, this was a round up of my ideas for planner essentials. Since it’s the Christmas season, I think it would be nice to add that you try to make sure that you take a little time to add some attention to how you wrap your gift to make it extra special.

Here are some tips:

Make sure the packaging is just as pretty as the gift.
Personalize ( if you can or have time) the gift item.
Pay attention to the recipients personal tastes and likes to jazz up your gift and shows you care to pay attention to their preferences.

Here’s a gift tag freebie to “glam’ up your gift.

You can access the Freebie >>>>HERE

You might like:

Shabby Rose Labels and Tags

Image Credit

Most images in this printable are original illustrations by Vintage Glam Studio and under copyright with a few that are under commercial use or creative commons licensing. Other product images are the copyright of the individual owners and are being used for marketing purposes only. Header image vector from Vecteezy.

May 29, 2017 By Dru Cortez

Product Review – Teresa Collins Mega Runner by Xyron

This post may contain affiliate links. See the Disclosure Policy for more information.

Happy Monday blog followers and visitors …and Happy Memorial Day! Just about the time I started providing my printables on this website, I have often suggested that you use Xyron sticker makers or even their tape runner to stick your planner stickers in your pretty planners. Xyron contacted me and provided this gorgeous Teresa Collins tape runner and I wanted to share my straightforward opinion about this product.

Product Review

Here’s the Teresa Collins Mega Runner pictured with my Classic Happy Planner. I have to say from the outset that in the looks department, I give this tape runner an A+. I’m a fan of Teresa Collins scrapbooking designs and I like the quality she usually associates with her brand. I even own the Teresa Collin’s Fiskars crafting scissors, so I may be biased in that regard.

happy planner & xyron tape runner

Pros

Beautifully designed in fashion colors – the manufacturer also has one in pink
Lightweight and not too bulky. Ergonimically designed. It has a soft handle that feels good to the touch.
Has a latch that protects the tape from getting gummed up by dust and dirt. One of my favorite features, as I don’t like detachable caps because they tend to get lost.
Body opens up to place refill cartridges very easily.
Tape has a dot matrix pattern that goes down smoothly – refill cartridges are available in 1/4″ and 1/2″ tape sizes.

Cons

Pricey, a little on the pricey side; however, you can buy the clear blue mega runner for a few dollars less and still have similar features.
Pricey, refill cartridges. You might prefer economy or budget type tape runners for your crafting needs.
May be too bulky even for small hands.
The tape goes down smoothly but you have to practice the technique so that it will dispense properly.
Not readily available in all stores. So, I would buy the tape runner and my refill cartridges on Amazon or Michael’s with a coupon.

*Update** = Promotion offer has closed.

In summary, considering all the pros of this product, I would definitely add it to my crafting stash. The fact that it is so well designed might outweigh it’s priceyness for many crafters.

xyron mega runner

After all that info about tape runners, I don’t want to leave you without something for you to decorate your Mini Happy Planner. So, I designed this coordinating black, white and dark gold planner stickers set for today’s Mini Happy Planner printable.

Here’s a sample of this set of planner stickers printed, on letter size, full sheet white heavy paper and printed with my Epson Artisan 810 printer. However, I do use full sheet white sticker label paper by DigiOrange when I want to cut these stickers in my Silhouette Cameo.

Also, if you are new to this site, I wanted to let you know that I have a board on Pinterest that you might want to follow that has several pins (ideas) by other planner designers, stationery, home office decor, office supplies and planner freebies that are mostly planner related, you can view that and/or follow here, Home Office | Planners & Stationery Favs.

How to Use this “Mini Happy Planner Stickers” Printable:

There are several ways you can use this printable to create your stickers and I have included a few in the following instructions:

1) The easiest way to use this printout is to print it out on a full sheet of white sticker paper and if you own a Silhouette Cameo or Silhouette Portrait or other digital cutter (i.e Cricut Explore) you can cut out the to-do lists or planner stickers using their designer software. ( **Please note: You must have the Silhouette Designer Edition software upgrade to open pdfs in your Silhouette. I also have redesigned the template so that the margins are within the “registration” area of your silhouette. You will have to spend some time creating the cutlines for the silhouette but this should make creating the cutfile a lot easier.)

2) Also another method, would be to use heavy bond printer paper or you can use 65 lb. white cardstock depending on how thick you want your sticker and then place adhesive via a snail tape runner or with a Xyron sticker tool or machine. ( see pic below for today’s featured product)

3) The most tedious (or time consuming) way is to print out the planner stickers on sticker paper and “fussy cut” out by hand, I have spaced the elements so that you can use a pair of good craft scissors to get a clean cut and handle the fussy cutting. Another handy tool to have for the straight cuts is a slide or rotary paper trimmer which will reduce cutting around the stickers.

Facts about the freebie:

A set of 95+ planner stickers on an 8 1/2″ by 11″ pdf file.
File size : 2.53MB
These elements were created at 300 dpi, so your printing results should be very clear and sharp with a smooth lay down of the ink color. The preview pictures both on the blog and on Google are at 72 dpi, so you often can not see all the detail accurately or colors are sometimes distorted.
Color scheme: black, white, gold, dark gold
As usual these freebies are free for personal use, (check my TOU if you haven’t previously.) If you have been here before, you know the drill. If not, you might want to read the quick TOU below before you access the printable.

Some things you should know before downloading:

* Vintage Glam Studio printables are for PERSONAL USE ONLY.
*You MAY NOT RESELL, redistribute, or claim the original or derivative (redesigned from the original) designs as your own. Including using the derivative designs for free distribution.
*Please do not remove the watermark or modify the design in any way other than for your own Personal use.
*If you post this on the internet, please give credit to Vintage Glam Studio & link back to my blog (www.vintageglamstudio.com), so others can obtain the resources. Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook are great social media sharing platforms, it’s the sharing without a link back that can be a problem. If you use this printable on Instagram, tag me with #vintageglamstudio or @vintageglamstudio. Thanks!

Enjoy!

You can access the printable here >>>Black & Gold Planner Stickers

Pin it!

xyron tape runner

All images in this printable are original illustrations by Vintage Glam Studio and under copyright with a few that are under commercial use licensing. Digital paper by Creative Market.

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