So after my sad story about the fact that Happy Planner refuses to ship specific items to Europe (or rather, just outside of the US/Canada), I didn't give up. I still need a planner for 2025 after all. And like I mentioned before, being in Europe with what looks like just 2 shops carrying Happy Planners in their assortment, I needed to get a move on if I want a planner at all, seeing as creating it myself isn't going to happen this year.

I went back and forth to see if I could find one I could grow to love. Because my initial visit to the 2 web shops didn't exactly excite me. One did have quite a bit of the (unlicensed) collection on their website, the other didn't seem to have much at all. Maybe they will get their shipment later this year, but I don't see how that would work, because some items have already sold out on the official Happy Planner site. Anyway... I would also prefer to find a planner that would go well with the new pumpkin discs, because those were actually for sale in one of the shops! You bet I purchased those!

Let's not keep you waiting any longer... I found one! I found a new planner! The more I looked at the available planners, the more I started to like this one. It's not like I hated it before. It's just that I was focusing on something else. And also, there is a downside to this planner... Because it's not a vertical layout planner. It's a classic size though!

I'm willing to try horizontal for a while. If I REALLY hate it, if I can't get used to horizontal layouts, I will buy another planner with vertical layout and swap the inserts, or get undated vertical ones (but I prefer not to, as I really don't want to number my inserts throughout the year).

This is the beauty I decided to settle for, the 2025 Desert Rose Planner:

It sounds really negative to say I "settled" for this planner, I only mean I'm settling because, let's be honest, if Happy Planner would ship their Disney collections abroad, I would have purchased the Nightmare Before Christmas planner instead.

Having said that, this Desert Rose series is really pretty! I love the art nouveau-esque style and colours. They remind me a bit of Alphonse Mucha's art, and the pretty pattern books from Retrodepot and Pepin Press. I can see myself use this and combine it with more Desert Rose goodies, as well as the washi, stickers and sticky notes I already own.

I'm imagining pages decorated with art nouveau flowers and cute Miffy stickers all over... Yes, I can make it work!

The month tabs:

The pages:

Below is some more love for the additional items I decided to purchase alongside the new planner.

The Desert Rose Classic Bookmarks:

The Desert Rose Value Pack Stickers:

Desert Rose 10 Sticker Sheets:

I also ordered these fab orange Pumpkin Cutout discs! It'll be a task to replace my discs for just a few months, but it will look rad!

Furthermore I want to give some love to the rest of the Desert Rose products. They look lovely. But I won't buy them (at least not now).

This is the 2025 Desert Rose planner, big horizontal layout:

I love the cover. I don't like the year mentioned on it, because it means I won't re-use it in the future. And it'll just be in the bookcase instead.

I also don't buy the big ones, as they are too bulky to take along if I would need to. It does sound tempting to get a big one and a mini, because I could use the big one at home, and take the mini with me when I am on the go. But that would be a bit overkill.

2025 DELUXE Desert Rose Planner, Classic Dashboard Layout:

This is also a classic, but with a Classic Dashboard Layout. I much prefer the regular horizontal layout. You know, if I can't have the vertical layout.

It seems this collection doesn't have a vertical layout (which is really unfortunate). Maybe they did, but none of the sites have one.

I do love this version when it comes to the cover and luxurious look. But I prefer the one I chose a bit more for various reasons. And on top of that the European shops didn't have this one anymore.

Last but not least, the 2025 Desert Rose mini vertical layout planner:

I love the style and the colours. The green cover is really pretty. I think it's really close to seafoam. So you know, that is lovely. But again, I don't like that the cover has the year on it. And I don't see myself using a mini alongside a classic right now. It might be different if I have lots of appointments and meetings away from home. But right now I don't. So I can manage with the classic size planner I chose!

What do you think of the planner (and goodies) I ended up going with? Which planner are you going to (or have you already bought) for next year? Let me know!