Dollar Tree Gift Bag Big Happy Planner Cover for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is only one month away, so I figured I would make my cover now and enjoy it for at least two months (I made it a week ago)!

This one was a first for me though! Why you ask? Well, it is because I made this planner cover out of a gift bag I bought last year from Dollar Tree! Yes, a one dollar bag! The back cover I made using Stampin’ Up! (SU!) Designer Series Paper (DSP) Fancy Frost. Below are the simple steps used to make this cover. Enjoy!

Step 1: Cut the piece of bag you are going to use. For me it was the front only.

Step 2: Cut the bag down to size. Use the cover that came with your planner as a starting point and adjust accordingly. Just be sure to leave enough room for your laminate pouch to seal it in.

Step 3: Round the edges if you desire. I chose to use a 1” corner rounder by EK Success.

Step 4: I did not do this step, but if you would like to add any designs to your cover like stickers, scrapbook paper, etc., add that now before you laminate. You can also add it afterwards, whatever floats your boat!

Step 5: Laminate your cover. I used Scotch 8.5” x 11” laminating pouches and the Scotch laminating machine on setting 3. I chose not to back my cover with cardstock this time, but had I done so, I would have used setting 5.

Step 6: Punch holes in your cover. This is for a Big Happy Planner so I used the Staples Arc Punch. In my experience, the Big Happy Planner punch does not work well with laminate and I have ruined several projects trying to punch holes in laminate so I am sticking to the Arc punch for now lol.

Step 7: Repeat steps 1- 6 using whatever it is that you are using for your back cover. Be careful to punch the holes on the right side based on the pattern of your cover. As I mentioned, I used SU! Fancy Frost DSP as my back cover. This whole pack is white embossed VERY thick paper and I just love it! I chose the one in the pack with the diagonal embossed lines.

And that’s it! Easy right? Below is the finished product. I think I knocked this out in about 15min and most of the time was spent measuring. If you keep your measurements handy, you will always have them ready each time you go to do a new cover. I need to take my own advice because I have to remeasure each time, lol.

If you make your own cover, please share! You can post a picture or link below, post to IG using the hashtag #believablycrafty, or join my FB Group believably Me and share with the group!

Happy Crafting!