I believe the most helpful video I found was the one informing viewers that all hand lettering tutorials are sped up and that drawing each letter should be approached with the same degree of slowness you might apply when giving yourself a French manicure. Also, it helps to pick the tip of the brush pen off the page in between strokes. After following these tips, my writing improved dramatically and creating beautiful headings for my bujo became a cinch.
After popping the Tombows into my shopping basket, I spotted some Artist's Loft journals on sale and picked up two. They're not the same quality as my Minimalist Art journal (the faux leather looks cheaper up close), nor do they have a pocket at the back for clippings, but they do have an Index AND they were only $5.00 compared with the $10.95 I spent on my Minimalist Art journal and the steep $19.95 of a Leuchtturm 1917. So I picked up a couple, figuring it was a good deal.
Then, a couple of weeks later, I walked into Walmart and found these awesome Exceed Notebooks for only $6.00. The color selection was incredibly tempting and the quality the same as my Minimalist Art journal, though the pages did seem to be a bit thinner a rougher. In any case, I think these will be my next bujo journals, while the Artist Loft Journals will be delegated to something else like plotting my next novel :)
Here's a bit more information for comparison:
Artist's Loft
Dimensions: 6 x 8 inches (15.2 x 20.3 cm)
Pages: 249 - so overall the better deal
Exceed notebook
Dimensions: 5 x 8.25 inches (13 x 21 cm)
Pages: 120
Last but not least, I just have to mention Woman's World magazine, because it's awesome! I usually buy a copy once a week and at only $1.99, it's a really affordable treat.
Packed with book recommendations, health articles and remedies, fashion suggestions, dieting tips, recipes, a romance novella, crossword puzzle and more, this is now the only magazine I'll consider buying. And the recipes are not only simple but delicious. I've made several already and even tweaked a few. My family is also very pleased with the results so it's a win win with zero complaints so far :)
