Christine's guest post: Fabric planner and notebook covers: A stylish way to avoid PVC and other plastics

Many thanks to Christine of Cookie Cutter Design for this excellent guest post on an easy way to make your own cloth cover for your planner or notebook!

If you’ve used any number of planners, odds are that you are familiar with that leather-like cover they usually come in. It is very difficult to find a planner without a PVC (poly-vinyl-chloride) cover, especially if you seek some variety, and I’m sure that many Plannerisms readers are quite picky about their planners! Some of the problems with PVC are that: - it outgases indefinitely, even in landfills - it releases dioxins when incinerated (carcinogenic and contributing to climate change) - it is a group A human carcinogen, linked to liver cancer - it is a known hormone disruptor - like any petroleum product, its source, production and disposal are associated with environmental harm. Some people actually seek out PVC for its visual characteristics, and many people enjoy plastic products for their obvious practical appeal. I am one of the (probably) few people who avoid PVC like the plague, and I try to avoid new plastic products in general.

For the last few years I have used Quo Vadis planner refills and ‘dressed’ them in simple fabric covers that I sewed. Here you see them stacked up; I have used the Quo Vadis President, Trinote, Minister, Journal 21, and for 2014 I’m using their APB1. On top you see a little Clairfontaine Notebook. I promise that I have not been paid a cent or received merchandise to write this (although that would be nice)! I like Quo Vadis planners for their variety in formats as well as the craftmanship. I have always preferred their Equology line (100% post-consumer paper) over their regular products, but I don’t have access to their recycled planner refills. (Note from Laurie: According to QuoVadisPlanners.com, the Quo Vadis Club, Soho and Texas covers are PVC-free.)

Making your own cover is easy:

1. Get yourself some fabric you love, ideally of medium weight. In the past, my fabrics included old (‘vintage’) pillowcases; now I use fabric I designed myself.
2. If using new fabric, prewash or simply dunk it into hot water for a minute and let it dry - then your cover won’t shrink later on. NOTE: “oilcloth” fabric is coated with plastic (by far most commonly PVC)
3. Using a tape measure, measure the length of your planner or notebook: measure the closed book from edge to edge around the spine. Then measure the height. Add 1/2 inch (1 cm) to the height and about 4 inches (10 cm) to the length measurement - less, if your planner is very small. Mark the fabric on the wrong side with a pencil or pins. Cut out the piece.
4. Hem the short edges of the fabric, either by using an over-edge function of your sewing machine or by using needle and thread to prevent fraying.
5. Fold over the short edges of the fabric by about 2 inches - it helps to wrap the planner in the fabric and pin the top and bottom fabric edges together. Remove planner and machine-stitch along the top and bottom. Use the over-edge function of your sewing machine OR straight-stitch by hand first and follow up with a simple manual over-edging as you did in step 3.
6. Your cover is finished! When it gets dirty, just wash in the machine or quickly by hand. I recommend air-drying.

I hope that some of you now feel inspired to make your own fabric cover for your planner refill, perhaps at the end of this year. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment!

SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride
http://www.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/vinylchl.html
http://www.consumer.org.my/index.php/products/106-household/206-pvc-plastic-products-outgas-poisons

The Success Choice new covers: Felt and Caramel Leather

The Success Choice has some gorgeous new covers in: Limited Edition Felt, and new Leather covers!

This is the new felt cover in Red:

 

The felt is wool, and feels so nice in my hands. It is also very lightweight.

It has an elastic strap closure, and inside you can see there is a placemarker and elastic pen loop.

 

This is the Caramel leather cover. These come with the tab closure shown here, or now with an elastic strap closure.

The rustic leather looks and feels great, and has that nice leather smell!

Inside you can see the leather covers have pockets for cards and a checkbook, as well as the placemarker and pen loop. You might remember my review of the brushed leather cover I did a couple of years ago with the same features.

Here you can see the color comparison between the Caramel leather and the Chocolate leather. (This is the Success Choice binder I reviewed here.

The felt and leather covers are designed to fit the Women's Success Choice planner and/ or the Choosing Joy in the Journal Journal (which I reviewed here). Below you can see how both can fit into the cover at the same time.

You can order these beautiful covers, and all Success Choice products, at www.successchoice.com. Don't forget, Plannerisms readers get 15% off their total order! Just enter the code plannerisms12 at checkout.

Covers that fit (and don't fit) the Plannerisms planners

I've had several people ask what covers fit the Plannerisms planners because they want card slots and a pen loop. There are several covers that do fit, and some to keep in mind that do not.

First, covers that DO fit the Plannerisms planners:

The Success Choice covers all fit the Plannerisms planner wonderfully (and their covers are delightful). The Success Choice covers come in a selection of beautiful leathers, with either an elastic or tab enclosure. Also now they have limited edition felt covers which look beautiful. I have one of the new felt covers on its way to me, expect my review next month!

Below you can see my Plannerisms planner in my leather Success Choice cover (which I reviewed here). It fits perfectly with a little room to spare.

In fact there is enough space to use the cover to have your Plannerisms planner in with your notebook (shown with my large Moleskine notebook).

It's a nice way to keep both books together in one gorgeous cover, with slots for cards, papers, a checkbook and a pen loop.

The Success Choice (www.thesuccesschoice.com) ships worldwide. You can see all of their covers here. Don't forget you can get 15% off your entire order at The Success Choice by entering the code plannerisms12 at checkout!

Some covers I haven't tried but seem like they should fit are the Franklin Covey Classic size covers for their wirebound (not ringbound!) planners. The Plannerisms pages are 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches, the same size as the Franklin Covey Classic size pages so it seems like the books should be the same size and the covers should fit. But since I don't have one myself I can't confirm for sure. **Updated: Please see Linda's comments below that the Plannerisms planner fits perfectly in the Franklin Covey Classic size covers for their wirebound planners!

Another option is a customized cover from Renaissance Art (www.renaissance-art.com). If you give them the dimensions of any book they can make a cover to fit it. They have loads of colors of leather to choose from, and you can choose from lots of styles with card pockets and pen loops.

I've also seen covers on Etsy and elsewhere designed to fit planners with the same page size as the Plannerisms planners (5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches). If you send them the dimensions of the Plannerisms planner they will be able to tell you if the cover will fit.

The dimensions (as measured by me) of the Plannerisms planners are:  height of the cover is 8 11/16 inches, width of the cover is 5 5/8 inches, total measurement of the cover from the edge of the back cover around the spine to the edge of the front cover using a measuring tape is 11 3/4 inches. With that information you can ask cover manufacturers directly and they should be able to tell you if their covers will fit the Plannerisms planner.

***Edited to add: another option without adding the weight and expense of a cover is to get a stick-on pen loop from Leuchtturm 1917, which sticks into any book (google to find your local supplier) and stick a Planner Pad Insta-Pocket into the front cover for cards. (You can see my post on how the Insta-Pocket works with the link to its product page here, no affiliation, it just worked for me).

Covers that DO NOT fit Plannerisms planners:

Covers designed to fit the large Moleskine planners and notebooks sadly do not fit the Plannerisms planners. This includes the Rickshaw Bagworks Moleskine folios, even the ones designed for the daily planners. Here's why:

The Plannerisms planner is a little wider and slightly taller than the large Moleskine.

The Rickshaw folios are designed to fit the back cover of the large Moleskine notebook:

Since the Plannerisms planner is wider, it overlaps inside the spine of the folio:

...preventing it from closing.

The Daily Planner Folio has the same interior dimensions as the regular one, the only difference is the wider zip area to accommodate the thickness of the book. For this reason, the Plannerisms planner doesn't fit it either.

If the cover were designed to fit all the way around the book onto the front and back covers, it would make sense that a cover designed for a thicker book should fit the wider Plannerisms. But since the folio fits the back cover only, the Plannerisms is too wide.

I have a Renaissance Art leather cover specifically designed to fit the large Moleskine notebook snugly, and the Plannerisms planner cover is just slightly too tall to fit into it:

**Edited to add: I took some quick photos to show the Plannerisms planner with the Dodo Pad slipcover, which unfortunately is too big:

The Plannerisms planner is a full two inches narrower than the Dodo Pad original desk size diary:

 The cover is very loose on the book:

Top view, you can see how the Plannerisms cover doesn't stay in the slipcover pockets very well and tends to slide out:

It's too bad because the Dodo Pad slipcovers are so nice!

Another cover that does not fit is the Flex by Filofax. It is designed for A5 size books, which are slightly shorter and wider than the Plannerisms planner. For this reason the Plannerisms is too tall to fit. I don't have a Flex so I can't show photos, but this has been the report from Flex users.

I hope this helps!

Have you found other covers that do (or don't) fit the Plannerisms planners?

Guest post: How Tahlia changed her soft cover ABP1 planner to hard cover

Many thanks to Tahlia for this amazing guest post on how she recovered her Quo Vadis ABP1 soft-cover planner into a hard-cover book!

I wanted to show you some pictures of my recovering of the Quo Vadis ABP1 planner to hardcover.  I decided I liked it best for 2014 and that I wanted to recover it with a hard cover.

So I took and old book and I ripped out its insides and I covered it with pictures I had enlarged on regular paper from my favorite movie "All About Eve" with Bette Davis.  Then I laminated that all around.  

Then I glued in the ABP1 to the cover. I had to take off the original cover for the ABP1 and then glue the front and back pages of the book to the hard cover and used some duck tape too.

Then I poked holes in the back and used an old bra strap to make an elastic closure.  

 

For the pen holder I found that they sell adhesive pen holders you can stick in a book so I bought one on Amazon.com for about $4 and put that in.  

Then I used red paper to line the book.  

Finally I looked on youtube and this girl had a bookmaking channel and she showed how to make a pocket like they have in the moleskine planners and followed her instructions, and I made one and it worked and I glued that in.  

 

Wow!!!! Huge thanks to Tahlia for showing us how to do this! I'm awed by her creativity and style.

reecovid kickstarter and DIY custom inserts

reecovid is relaunching their product range, with exciting new products in the works including DIY custom inserts! Read on!

You might remember my review of the reecovid notebook from a few years back (and if you don't, you can click here to read it).  reecovid products are free from animal products, including animal glue, and are made from recycled materials. 

In addition to their current range of notebooks, there are also plans for faux-suede microfiber covers in a variety of colors, and DIY printable inserts!

Click here to read the reecovid kickstarter page.

Here's how the reecovid DIY inserts will be different from other currently available downloads:

Ours will be on more of a commercial / professional level, but with less manual labour involved for the people (let’s call them users) creating them.

• Firstly we're planning on providing cloud based editable (personalised) templates only, so there's no need to download and save files to your desktop. We’ll offer these at a small fee and offer some static ones for free.
• Because it's cloud based, it means it can be accessed from anywhere online.
• The software (or application) will be user friendly / intuitive and by creating an account on the website, users will be able to log in and see their existing files, so all that's required is to either tweak their previous design, or generate a new one.
• Users will be able to design the front pages and the software will automatically duplicate the following pages.
• They’ll be able to easily drag and drop boxes around on the screen to where they want certain items to be, or edit or delete items instead.
• Once finished, the software will create a .pdf file for printing.
• We'll then provide a range of recycled paper (already pre-cut and hole punched) for reecovid binders and eventually other brands like Filofax and Franklin Covey etc.
• Ideally we'd like to tailor the templates to certain sectors and customise designs accordingly.
• Users will be able to suggest designs and the more popular ones can be voted on via the forum for future consideration.

If the software is successful, we'll look to partner with retailers who offer an onsite plan and print service and they could stock the 'blank' pre-cut paper and then fulfill the print as well (if required).

I think the DIY inserts sound really cool and I'm excited about this relaunch! Please check out the website here and if you have any questions please direct them to the Ask A Question button at the bottom of the reecovid website.

Harris Tweed cover on my 2012 ABP1!

Huge thanks to reader Elsa for sending me her unused 2012 Quo Vadis ABP1 day per page planner!  She read my review of the 2013 ABP1 and very generously sent me her unused 2012 so I can use it right away. (In exchange I sent her the 2013 Quo Vadis ABP2 I won't be using.)

To make it even better, I put on the Harris Tweed cover my mom got for me. (Thanks Mommy!!!) It looks great!! I love the way it feels in my hands, and it's very lightweight. And of course I love that it's made in Scotland!  Doesn't it look great????

I love the colors! That's a leather tab magnetic closure there.

Side view with my snowy front yard in the background!

Open view. I love seeing the colors around the edges of the pages!

Quo Vadis Covers available for separate purchase from Classic Office Products

Great news! Now you can buy just the cover, ANY cover for your Quo Vadis planner!

I read recently on the Quo Vadis blog (here) that you could order just covers from Classic Office Products, so I emailed them about it. Their very nice reply contained a link where you can now choose from any of the Quo Vadis covers and order them separately from the planners!

Here is the link:

 http://classicofficeproducts.com/shop/quo-vadis-exacompta-planner-covers.html

This is fantastic!  I ordered a couple of covers for my ABP1 so I can change them out seasonally.

Many thanks to Classic Office Products for offering this great service!

PS, they do list other countries available for international shipping, but when I checked the price to the UK for two covers it was nearly $100!!!  Yikes!  So, I recommend this service for people with a US address only.

Renaissance Art custom leather cover

Here is my custom-made leather cover from Renaissance Art!  This is the Merlot color, which is a deep purply wine color. It is super-smooth and soft, and I love the character-creases in the leather!

Here is the cover open and empty:

The Renaissance Art logo is embossed on the back:

I had this cover customized to fit my Quo Vadis Trinote planner, and it fits perfectly!

With the ability to customize a cover to fit nearly any size book (up to 9 x 12 inches!), you can get a leather cover for any planner, notebook or book. So if you're not satisfied with the cover on your planner or notebook, click here to check out Renaissance Art's selection of custom leather cover colors and styles, hand made to fit your book!

Just measure your book and enter the dimensions on the ordering page, and Ren Art will hand-make your leather cover to fit your book. Choose from thick or thin leather in a variety of colors and styles.

You can also choose to personalize your leather cover by having your name, initials, website, motivational phrase etc. embossed on the cover. And if you want them to tweak your cover in any way just let them know, they're good at that too.

Many thanks to Renaissance Art for sending me this cover as a sample to review!

2012 Life Book diary and faux leather cover by Organised Mum

I love my 2011 Life Book diary from Organised Mum so much, I ordered the 2012 Life Book diary!  And this time I treated myself to the purple faux leather cover too!

There are several updates to the 2012 Life Book including excellent new paper, an elastic closure strap and some slight changes to the format. You can click here to see my review and photos of the 2011 Life Book if you'd like to compare it to the 2012 version.

One very noticeable improvement in the 2012 Life Book is the paper! Last year's paper had quite a bit of show-through, especially with wet inks. But now the paper is absolutely glorious. No show-through whatsoever, even with my Sharpie pens and Microns. The paper is thick, smooth, white and very pleasant to use.

The 2012 Life Book began in mid-August this year and goes all the way through the end of December 2012. The 2011 Life Book began in September 2010 to coincide with the start of the school year in England. Scotland (and the US) start school earlier, and last year I suggested to Organised Mum that it would be useful to us if the diary started in August. Thank you to Organised Mum for listening to your customers!!

When you buy the 2012 Life Book together with a faux leather cover it costs a little bit less than buying each separately. It comes fully loaded with the Life Book slotted into its holder pocket in the cover, the Addresses booklet and stickers in the documents pocket in the front. There is also a black elastic pen loop next to the front pocket to keep your pen handy with your diary.

The Addresses booklet has A-Z pages for addresses and phone numbers, useful contacts for services and businesses, a quick-reference page for frequently used phone numbers, and a page for birthdays and anniversaries. You can use this booklet year after year to avoid rewriting contact info each year.

The Life Book diary comes with two pages of stickers to help you mark important dates. I also bought extras of these General Stickers, the School Stickers, and the Household Stickers.

Here is the front of the Purple Berry faux leather cover! I like the dapply look of the faux leather, and that it wipes clean easily (which I need!).  It looks so smart I'll carry it in my hands most of the time, but when I do put it in my bag it will protect my Life Book from all the other things I have banging around in my bag. The cover is soft and smooth and wonderful to touch!

Here is the zip-around goodness! No worries about papers flying out.

One of the additions to the Life Book diary this year is the elastic closure strap which is great for keeping your book securely closed while you're out and about if you're not using a cover. I think this is an excellent addition to the book.

 Some other changes include the design inside the cover, and an easier-to-read font.

The Useful Numbers and reference calendars are still here just like in the 2011 version (thank goodness!)

The Weekly Routines pages have changed. Now there are three two-page spreads with columns for seven different people or categories to show what's happening when on a weekly basis.

The weekly format has a slight change: this year the days of the week and Meal Ideas text are located on the left side of the days, last year they were on the right. Also the font has changed (and I think it looks very nice).  Holidays and moon phases are printed on the day spaces, which I really appreciate. The weekly pages start August 15, 2011 and go through the end of December 2012.

I love the Meal Ideas prompt, it gets me thinking about what to make for dinner throughout the week so I don't have that horrible feeling at 5pm while I'm staring into the fridge wondering what to make for dinner!

Click on the photo below to see the difference between the 2011 version (top) and the 2012 version (bottom).

I have to be honest, I miss the seasonal decorations in the 2011 version. The winter months had snowflakes, the spring months had dandelion fluff, the summer months had butterflies and the autumn months had leaves. Now all weekly and monthly pages have a flower design. It's very pretty, but I liked the seasonal icons. However, the Life Book has a sizeable customer base in Australia, where of course the seasons are reversed from those in the northern hemisphere, so to be consistent for all users it makes sense to have the flower design.

Below you can see how I use the lined areas at the page edges. (Click the photo for a larger view.)  The left edge is meant to be used as a tear-out shopping list, but instead I use the top of that column for my Goals for the week, and below that is my main To Do list for the week.  The right edge is where I put things I need to do for my Blogs and Household.  In the bottom right corner under Important I write financial totals for the week.

The Notes and Next Week space is a great landing spot for those random bits of information that come in during the week, and to prepare for next week. I also write two or three lines each week for a Weekly Review.

There are two clear, top-tabbed divider pages included in the Life Book. They clip onto the rings and can be moved from page to page. I use one to mark my current week and one to mark my current month.

 After the weekly section there is a page for Notes, then the (very pretty) tabbed divider for the Monthly section. I get really excited about the features in this section!

First there is a page for Notes, where I will write my goals and resolutions for 2012:

 2012's version has monthly calendars for August 2011 through December 2012:

I LOVE having a two-page monthly spread to plan my month. Holidays are printed on the day spaces. Here is the clear divider to mark the current month:

After each month there's a two-page spread for Things To Do that month (where I write my monthly goals and tasks) and Notes for that month (where I write my Mid-Month review in the top 1/3 of the page and my Monthly review in the bottom 2/3 of the page).

THEN there is a two-page spread for Budget and Expenditures!  I love these pages sandwiched between the monthly calendars to keep my plans, goals, reviews and budget all together for each month!  Very organized.  I feel so in control when I use these pages!

At the end of the Monthly section is another Notes page, which I think I will use for my year-end review. Next is a tabbed section for Christmas and holidays planning.

There are pages to record Christmas Plans, Budget, Presents, Shopping, and Cards.

Next is a Summer planner with eight undated weeks to plan the entire summer on one two-page spread. This is a great way to plan out the summer so at the end of it you don't wonder "Where did the summer go??"

Next are three two-page spreads for Thoughts and Plans for each of 2011, 2012 and 2013.  After that there are several pages for Notes.

In the back of the book there are forward planning calendars for 2013 and 2014. There is a pocket to hold your Addresses booklet, Stickers and other papers (if you're not using a cover).

I ordered the 2012 Life Book diary together with the faux leather cover along with the stickers I mentioned above. I used international shipping which I thought was very reasonably priced.

I have to say, moving over into my 2012 Life Book made me a little sad to leave my 2011 Life Book because I love it so much! It's extremely rare that I ever move directly over into the following year's version of the same planner. Usually I move to a totally different type of planner. So, Organised Mum, you deserve some kind of Plannerisms Consistency Award!  Well done!!