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All About Planners

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November 19, 2018

MAMBI Happy Planner Happy Notes Review (including video walkthrough)

MAMBI do not disappoint when it comes to releasing new stuff all the time and thinking of anything and everything under the sun so I knew it was only a matter of time before they released cute notebooks… And sure enough, they released the Happy Notes!

Let’s take a closer look!

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more planner related videos!

OTHER HAPPY PLANNER REVIEWS:

  • Happy Notes
  • Happy Planner Recipe Organizer Review
  • Happy Planner Budget Edition
  • Vertical Happy Planner
  • Mini Happy Planner 
  • Happy Planner Horizontal

Size & Cover options

As always the Happy Planner comes in an overwhelming number of size options, cover options and inside layouts. The notes comes in dot grid, graph and lined options. Add to that the fact that each inside layout has a different cover = confusing! So be careful you have the right combination before you purchase.

My favorite size is the Classic Happy Planner so I chose the Classic size Happy Notes. I picked a dot grid but am thinking I’ll get a lined one too! My sister let me have first pick after they arrived and after looking at all of them I ended up choosing this one:

happy planner happy notes review classic mini dot grid graph lined cute functional affordable bullet journal discbound

happy planner happy notes dot grid journal notebook review pros and cons cute colorful discbound removable pages no sewn binding

Approx 1cm thick

happy planner happy notes review classic mini dot grid graph lined cute functional affordable bullet journal discbound worth it

I’m not too keen on the yellow coils and yellow dot grid pages but you can get the discs in other colors so I might switch them out.

bullet journal discbound notebook happy planner notes dot grid cute colorful fun functional affordable cheap best notebook pretty

I have another Happy Notes which has dark blue dots which are too bright – it doesn’t work well with colored pens:

mambi happy notes review paper quality pen testing pros and cons video

There’s different tab / divider pages throughout and the tabs are blank so you can add whatever you like. The tabs feel laminated so if you want to add words to the tabs normal pens will probably wipe straight off. For that reason, I’ll be using my DYMO label maker (review here) to add customise the tabs.

happy notes review pros and cons cute functional affordable dot grid divider school diary agenda daily organization

happy notes review pros and cons cute functional affordable dot grid divider school diary agenda daily organization pretty

The dots are the standard 5mm spacing.

cute notebook for bullet journaling happy notes review pros and cons video dot grid paper

cute discbound planner for bullet journaling happy planner happy notes dot grid medium page size tabs

While I like anything and everything rainbow I wasn’t a fan of all the quotes on the covers (much prefer just a plain pattern), however the back side of the covers have a different pattern and that’s the one I fell in love with. I like the paint swatch effect that not many planner do so this cover was like <3

happy planner happy notes dot grid journal notebook review pros and cons cute colorful discbound removable pages no sewn binding watercolor

happy planner happy notes review pros and cons dot grid colorful cheap affordable best notebooks

Pen Testing

As is the case with all of the other Happy Planners, the paper is thick and holds up well with no ghosting for most pens and very minimal ghosting for marker pens

happy planner pen testing mambi happy notes dot grid gel ballpoint highlighters stamps frixion erasable ghosting bleed through

happy planner pen testing mambi happy notes dot grid gel ballpoint highlighters stamps frixion erasable ghosting bleed through thick paper

Overall the Happy Notes notebooks are cute, and I’m keen to see what other inserts / refills, covers etc. come out in the future.

Update! I’ve become somewhat of a hoarder of Happy Notes. My all time favorite is this once with the rainbow stripe cover <3

rainbow stripe cover happy note review classic size

rainbow stripe cover happy note review classic size pink polka dot grid

I also really like the classic size Half Sheet Happy Notes (see this post for my review).

If you want to make your own Happy Planner Notebook

  • Dot grid insert refill paper (Happy Planner already sold these pre-punched dot grid pages before the happy notes came out)
  • Lined refill paper
  • DIY graph paper (tutorial here)
  • Tutorial (and free printables) for making a DIY cover (if you don’t have a laminator, office supply stores offer this)
  • DIY your own dividers using digital paper printed onto cardstock, printable tabs, sticky notes or the Happy Planner tabs
  • Discs

UPDATE: Get all the details on my bullet journal / citrus theme weekly spread when I tried out the Happy Notes Book here

happy notes happy planner review bullet journal spread citrus colorful blog meal plan checklist papermate inkjoy gel icon planner stickers rainbow colorful diy bujo inspiration

More Happy Planner:

  • How to print printables at MAMBI Happy Planner Size (step by step tutorial)
  • Planner pen testing in the Erin Condren Life Planner, Plum Paper, Happy Planner by MAMBI and Limelife Planner 
  • MAMBI Happy Planner horizontal dimensions & measurements (classic size) for making planner stickers 

mambi dot grid refill paper template free download printable classic size 7 inch wide x 9.25 inch high happy planner bullet bujo

Happy Planner Reviews:

  • MAMBI Mini Happy Planner Review (pros, cons, should you buy it?) 
  • Happy Planner Horizontal by MAMBI Review (pros, cons and dimensions)
  • Using Erin Condren size planner stickers in the Mini Happy Planner 

free printables library all about planners editable calendar planner cover stickers bill pay checklist template labels

Liked this post? Pin it!

happy planner happy notes review pros and cons classic size bullet journal notebook cute

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  • The Paper Studio ‘Make it Happen’ Bullet Journal ReviewThe Paper Studio ‘Make it Happen’ Bullet Journal Review
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  • Posy Paper Personalised Dot Grid Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)Posy Paper Personalised Dot Grid Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)
  • Quick 1 page rainbow spread in the Happy NotesQuick 1 page rainbow spread in the Happy Notes
  • Is the Happy Planner Filler Paper a good substitute for a weekly planner?Is the Happy Planner Filler Paper a good substitute for a weekly planner?
  • Review of the Francheville Dot Grid Journal from Spotlight (Including Pen Test)Review of the Francheville Dot Grid Journal from Spotlight (Including Pen Test)

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Posted In: Bullet Journal, Bullet Journal Reviews, Happy Planner (MAMBI), Planner Reviews · Tagged: bullet journal discbound notebook, bullet journal dot grid notebook, cheap dot grid notebook, cute bullet journal notebook, cute dot grid notebook, cute lined notebook, cute notebook for bullet journaling, discbound bullet journal, happy notes, happy notes dot grid, happy notes grid, happy notes lined, happy notes planner, happy notes review, happy planner pros and cons, happy planner review

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Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

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