The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Best Planner Accessories

If you’re a total planner ADDICT you’ll definitely want to check out some of the best planner accessories out there!!  I don’t know about you but my planner is like a scrapbook, a memory journal and it’s of course an artistic extension of who I am.  I look back on all my planners to see what was going on in my life and how I was thinking.  I have tons of pictures, doodles, stickers, DIY page markers and fancy paperclips.

It all comes together with some trusted planner accessories which I’m going to introduce to you today!  I’m only recommending the BEST planner accessories that I know and love.  I use them everyday to stay organized and enjoy my favorite hobby of creative planning.  We’re going to go over

• Sticker paper & card stock recommendations (for printing stickers & planner accessories at home)
• Pens that won’t bleed through paper or smudge
• Pen, sticker & washi storage options
• Sticker & paper cutting must haves

Sticker Paper & Cardstock Recommendations

I like to print out all my stickers on THIS glossy white sticker paper PERIOD.  Glossy paper prints true to color (unlike matte sticker papers that absorb lots of ink and look faded/pixelated).  This vinyl sticker paper is waterproof so they will stand up well to any kind of abuse.  On a per sheet cost basis, this is one of the best, high quality sticker sheets out there.

I also like to use THIS clear glossy sticker paper which has gloss (and therefore prints true to color) when I don’t want my stickers to interfere with the functionality of my planner.  Clear stickers are super versatile anywhere on your planner (especially if you like to layer stickers) without interfering with the functional layout of a planner (lines/grids etc).

I love using this glossy cardstock for printing out all our planner tab dividers and planner covers. Some of our planner printables require something more substantial than plain white copier paper (or they’ll just fall apart after repeated use).   Glossy card stock is thicker than plain ole papr and prints true to color (unlike matte cardstock that absorb lots of ink and looks faded/pixelated).  It will last longer under constant moving around your planner (and almost indefinitely if you laminate).

Planner Pen Recommendations

Papermate Flair Felt Pens are one of my favorite pens for adding pops of color to my daily and monthly planner pages.  If you like to color code or highlight areas in your planners these pens will make a great addition to your planner pen line up.  They bring bright and bold attention to any part of your planner without bleeding through the page.  The colors are BEAUTIFUL and always on trend!  I love this tropical vacation pack but if you’re looking for a small starter set be sure to check out the Candy Pop Pack!

Zebra Mildliners are great for those who might want to try their hand at hand lettering in their planners or bullet journals.  These markers are double tipped with a fine point at one end and medium point at the other end.  The color selection is stunningly beautiful.  Check out my favorite hand lettering book Pretty Simple Lettering for guided practice through modern calligraphy!

These Papermate Gel Pens are my most treasured planner pens.  These colorful fine point pens get daily use to punch up my daily, weekly and monthly planner pages.  The colors are super cheerful and these pens write so smoooooothly!  Best of all, you won’t have to worry about these little beauties bleeding through your planner pages.

If you’re one of those people who finds yourself constantly needing to amend various appointments, lists or really any aspect of your planning then the Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens are for you!  These pens are totally erasable!  These aren’t your Mom’s erasable pens of the 80’s and 90’s….only available in blue/black/red ink and barely able to erase anything.  These babies come in every color of the rainbow and use heat from friction to erase the ink.  Warning: extreme heat conditions (like leaving your planner in a hot car during the summer heat of south Texas) will cause the ink to disappear!

If you have to add a little bit of sparkle to everything that you do then you can’t go wrong with Sakura’s Gelly Roll Metallic gel pens.  To say that I LOVE these pens is a bit of an understatement.  They write like a dream and make everything sparkle in my planner!

These Diamond Tipped Ballpoint rose gold pens are 100% sparkly planner fun.  They write like your typical ballpoint pen but you’ll look so good doing it you probably won’t even mind!  If you like lots of color you should probably check out the super colorful version of these beauties!

Planner Paperclips & Sparkly Bits

These fancy paperclips are great for marking your planner pages for quick and easy reference.  If you’re the crafty type you can also use these as the base clip for making planner charms.

Planner Accessory Storage Options

Below are the best planner accessories for storage!  Even if you’re new to planning you’ll end up with plenty of pens, paper clips and washi that need a place to live.  Lucky for us there are plenty of pretty and functional items for storing them!  These are my favorites that I use everyday and have stood the test of time!

I have several pens sets and hand lettering pen sets and you’ll probably end up with a few to use in your planner too.  This is the most organized way I’ve found to see all your pens and store them all in an organized way.  Every pen has a space to go back to and I never have a problem finding the exact pen I need.  This Pen Organization Case travels well (I love taking my planning with me on vacation for planner meet ups).  This super inexpensive pen case comes in several different colors to match just about any planner color scheme.

If you’ve never seen this before…it’s a WASHI WALLET!  It’s a way to stash about 10 or so washi rolls on the go for vacations or planner meet-ups.  It comes in several different colors and includes a starter set of really pretty washi!

The Fjallraven Kanken backpack makes the perfect planner travel bag due to it’s rectangular/square shape!  Your planner and sticker books stack and store perfectly in this bag.  Kanken back packs come in a wide variety of colors so you’re bound to find a color that works for you.  This backpack is definetly a cult favorite among in our planner community for planners on the go.

This washi storage tote is definitely NEXT LEVEL from the washi wallet but after you see the how much pretty washi is out there you might need something like this!  This tote can hold and protect roughly 100 washi rolls and its perfect for getting all your washi rolls organized by color or theme.  You can see at a glance where your all of your washi is and this case travels super well on vacations and planner meet ups.

I call this my “pretty little thing” storage box.  A mild planner addiction has a way of growing into full blown stationary addiction.  You’ll find the prettiest paper clips, push pins and lots of little shiny things along the way.  This is the prettiest way to store it all!

This Crafting Storage Cart is great for storing your planners, sticker books, pencil cases and just about any other planner accessories you want to roll out of the way when not in use (check out this totally inspired planner cart I found on Instagram for ideas).  These carts come in a beautiful selection of colors to match just about any color scheme.

This cute little planner caddy has a ton of pockets and adjustable storage (with movable velcro dividers).  If your lugging around a ton of sticker books, pens and accessories then this may be the perfect storage option for you!  These craft caddies are very highly reviewed on Amazon.

Planner Tech Recommendations

Below are the best planner accessories for techie planners!  All of these planner accessories are actually pretty easy to use and have plenty of online tutorials and videos on how to use them if you get lost.

You may not have heard of it before because it’s relatively new but the HP Sproket is a a pocket sized photo printer that can link to your phone/tablet or social media to print photos instantly.  With the app you can personalize every picture with text, borders or emoji’s before you print.  The best part is that this cute little printer connects wirelessly to all your devices.  The Sproket comes in a variety of on trend colors including white/rose gold, cranberry, black and gold.  The Sproket is a ton of fun at gatherings and parties because you can shoot instant photos and give them out to family and friends at the event (the Sproket replaced the hired photo booth at our Halloween party last year-it was a hit)  There’s a value pack of film and a matching carrying case you might want to pick up too!  This planner accessory is very highly rated on Amazon….you can check out all the reviews here.

We’ve reached the pinnacle of planner accessories!  The Cricut Maker!  What does the Cricut Maker do?  It may be easier to list the things it DOESN’T do.  The Cricut Maker is a cutting/creating machine that employs a myriad of attachments to do some really amazing things.  These things include embossing, foiling, engraving, cutting wood, cutting leather, cutting fabric, writing, card making, vinyl cutting  and a ba-jillion different types of paper crafts.  Who would this planner accessory appeal to?  Any planner with a heartbeat!  It does so much that literally ANY planner addict could find a use for it.  As an added bonus there is a huge community of bloggers and fellow planners (like me) creating tons of free projects that employ the Cricut.

The Foil Quill is probably one of the coolest planner accessories on our list!  The foil quill is adapted for use in cutting machines like the Cricut or Silhouette.  It allows you to create foil stickers or accessories using any design you upload.  If you don’t have a cutting machine that’s  okay…they have a Freestyle Pen version that plugs into any USB port so you can foil by hand.

An inexpensive laminator is pretty much essential if you consider yourself to be a crafty DIY planner!  I use mine to make custom planner covers, planner tab dividers and to turn any printable into a dry erase board that I can re-use again and again with my fine point dry erase markers.  I like to use thicker 5 mil laminating pouches so everything I have to punch out will last longer under repeated use.

If you want to print all the cool stickers and planner printables out there to save money you’ll definitely want to invest in a color printer.  I’ve watched MANY printers come in go over my lifetime and I finally found a brand that does everything advertised flawlessly (and doesn’t fall apart after a year or two).  I’ve had my Cannon Pixma since 2010 and it has NEVER failed me.  YES, I said 2010…my printer is literally 10 years old and still kicking!  I’m also able to get non-manufacturer brand ink for my printer at a fraction of the cost through a company on Amazon called EZ Ink which saves me a TON of money on printer ink.  I wouldn’t even buy another printer unless I know I could get EZ Ink cartridges for the printer…so regardless of what printer you choose, make sure you can find non-manufacturer ink for it!

Planner Sticker & Paper Cutting Devices

So here are some of the most common types of manual paper cutting devices.  It’s hard to say one is better than another…it’s really your personal preference and what feels most comfortable to you.  We rounded up the most commonly used items for you to check out!

The Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife fits in your hand almost like a pen or a pencil and many prefer to use these for detailed paper cutting.  It works like an Exacto knife but certainly feels more comfortable and allows for more control.

The Gryo-Cut is a rotary cutting tool with an offset head.  You hold it in your hand like a pen or a pencil and the offset head allows you to see what your cutting more easily while holding.  The rotary head makes intricate curves so much easier to to cut.

A straight line cutter is almost essential for any planner addict and this baby is one of the most feature rich ones out there.  First, this cutter folds up from a large 12×12 cutting surface for compact storage.  You’ll be able to cut down large pieces of scrapbook paper (typically 12×12) for planner covers and planner tabs.  It also comes with a scoring tool and corrugated surface for other crafting projects like making paper boxes, home-made envelopes, or cards.

This totally genius tool is a tab punch.  It will allow you to make planner tab dividers (or page markers) out of all that gorgeous craft store scrapbook paper you’ve been hoarding!  It’s easy to use and you can place your tabs anywhere on your paper (sides or the top).

Regardless of what size of Happy Planner you prefer you’ll definitely want to purchase the Happy Planner “Big” Paper Punch.  The reason is, with the big paper punch you’ll be able to punch ANY size Happy Planner (mini, classic or big) in the future.  So maybe you like a classic sized planner today but you decide to go to the big or mini next year….you’ll always have a punch that fits any size Happy Planner.

The Happy Planner Classic Box Punch will cut out perfectly sized boxes from scrapbook paper or photos.  This box punch is great if you like to memory keep within your planner (with photos) or use it like a scrapbook.

I hope you enjoyed reading through our list of best planner accessories!  Did I forget something?  If so, please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think I should add!

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