PigPog

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More pictures Here (and Jeff Beck too!)

UPDATE If you like scrapbooking and collecting funky storage stuff to keep it all in, have I found the site for you… see below… also there’s a bit of an update from me on my (complete lack of) progress.

It’s the biggest crafting phenomenon of our time, it’s the perfect starting point for anyone starting to flex their creative muscles and it can be as basic or extravagant as you like.

What took me so long to get turned on to the idea of Scrapbooking?

A recent visit to a craft store made me realise how much Scrapbooking has taken off, and how many options there are out there to make beautiful and personal souvenirs of those special events in life. And since we here at PigPog have just had the perfect special event, I thought now was a good time to check out what’s available online and get ready to have a go at making a scrapbook myself.

After getting just a small amount of stuff I realised just how much space it takes up. If you’re going to get into this in any serious way, you’ve got to get your stuff organised, not all crammed into a box like I did. Fortunately, there is a plethora of bags, boxes and folders to keep your scrapbooking paraphernalia in – check out Joann.com‘s mind-boggling collection. Until I have my own room for all of this stuff, I’ll keep it nice and small and make ATCs instead.

My First Scrapbook

Page 1 – The Hen Night

Click here for more info.

Scrapbooking Links

• Scrapbooking.com Magazine – a scrapbooking magazine that’s “so big, only the internet can hold it”. A big resource of articles on scrapbooking and papercraft (including altered books). Doesn’t seem to have much for the beginner, but if you’ve made a start and you’re looking for more ideas and inspiration, this looks like a good site to keep an eye on.

• Scrapjazz – The Scrapbooking Megasite – another good resource of articles, and this one does have a section for newbies. It also links to Scrap Tutor – online scrap classes, but you do have to pay for these. Worth thinking about if you need some extra help. Scrapjazz also shows off the latest new products to add interesting new effects to your scrapbooks.

• Creative Memories – this is a company set up to do for scrapbooking what Tupperware does for food storage and Ann Summers does for battery sales . Looks like fun, whether you choose to organise a Get Together, or become a Consultant.

• Scrapbook.com Neighborhood – Buy supplies, take classes, sign up for newsletters, online gallery space and a blog.

• Lakeland’s Scrapbooking Store – A good UK-based supplier for all your scrapbooking needs.

Wow, there’s certainly a lot out there. If you’re into scrapbooking, and would like to leave some tips for all the scrapping newbies (including me), please leave a note in the comments.

The Best Things Come To Those Who Wait

Knickers to that, I want some NOW!.

Fortunately, our local Morrisons have Guinness Marmite in stock. I will have some for breakfast in the morning and report back later. Since I’m very much in the love camp, I expect it will be good.

And, in a brief waltz back to the topic of our site – check out Marmart. Now that’s Creativity Anywhere!

Sorry, I’m late posting this and all the really clever titles have been taken. Anyway…

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Yeah, Slash… you know if you want a nice pen for this I know a little place…

Slash has signed a deal to write his autobiography. He will work with Anthony Bozza, who helped Tommy Lee on his book. Should be an interesting read not just for pathetic fangirls like meself, but for anyone who likes rock n’ roll. The book is scheduled to come out in the Autumn.

This story elsewhere in the blogamatubes…

• Slash To Write Memoir – Ultimate Guitar
• The Life and Times of Saul Hudson – Stereogum
• Slash and Learn – Playlouder

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UPDATE – Catching up with Make: now, and found a few more. Again, too late for this year, but they can hang around until next time…

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Fancy liberating Valentine’s Day from Interflora and Hallmark? You’re in the right place for ideas to show the one you love that there’s more to February 14th than flowers from a petrol station shop (chocolates from the supermarket are OK though as long as they are good – thanks Michael!)

• eHow have some suggestions for a less commercial Valentine’s Day. Via ReadyMade Blog.

Make: and Craft:

Since most of the content on this page is from either Craft: or Make: magazines (books? mooks?), you might also want to consider a subscription for the crafter or maker in your life…

• Subscribe to Craft: or Make:

Magnetic LED Valentine Heart

Two halves, attracting each other together. Sweet.

• Magnetic LED Heart

Partner Detector

Well, they call it a “Hubby Detector”, but I’m going the politically correct route. Detects a transmitter your partner carries with them – when they get near home, it lights up.

• Partner Detector

Beating Soapy Love Heart

I’ve no idea why “beating soapy love heart” sounds quite so rude to me.

• Craftzine: Beating Soapy Love Heart

Heart Garland Tutorial

Looks like a reasonably easy one – sewing paper hearts together. Looks pretty good, though…

• Paper Heart Garlands at Craftzine

Craftzine Valentine’s Card Contest

Craftzine, the crafty sibling of MAKE: is holding a contest to find the craftiest way of using recycled materials to celebrate Feb 14th. Check out their inspirational links if you fancy trying your hand at something crafty yourself this weekend.

• Recycle Your Heart Valentine’s Day Card Contest

DIY Fondue Set

First, a great idea for a DIY fondue set, perfect for a romantic night of dippy goodness (via ReadyMade Blog):

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to spend the night than indulging in fondue-for-two by candlelight. All you will need to make your very own set is an old tin, some wire, and a tea light candle.

You will need: * An old tin * Wire (26 gauge or thicker) * Wire cutters * Pliers * A tea light candle

See all the instructions here.

Soda Ring

A step by step guide on how to make a ring out of a pop bottle.

Thanks to the beautiful people at Boing Boing, I might get a ring on my finger yet…

“Sam, will you…”

“Is that one from a Tesco Value Cola? Oh, come on! I’m worth a Pepsi Max at least!”

Duct Tape Roses

I wish these had been around last year, they would have been made a perfect wedding bouquet. Except my roses would have been in grey and black, because they seem to be the only colours the tape comes in around here.

• Duct Tape Roses, via Boing Boing.

Creative Sex

Fancy spicing things up on Valentine’s Day? This page should get your creative juices flowing. Just be careful with that there Bootlace Whip.

Sticky Note Love

Buy a pack of heart shaped post-it notes and leave messages for your beloved around the house. Be imaginative where you leave them. In draws, bags, behind the toilet, under their pillow, in their briefcase… the possibilities are endless. Not sure what to say? Buy a packet of Love Hearts for inspiration!

One for the Guitarists

Serenade your special one – learn a romantic classic like Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight – PDF of the music available from Fender Player’s Club. Alternatively, google for tab for your favourite love song – Google Groups are a good place to pick up tab without risking pop-ups and dodgy spyware…

More to come!

I am not a guitar player, unless you count being able to play a few chords guitar playing! But I have a lot of guitar boy/Led Zep fanatic friends who love to talk about the technical aspects of the music. As it dawned on me I was going to be a hopeless Jimmy Page wreck for the rest of my natural life, and for the sake of my long-suffering squee-battered friends, I decided to learn more about him than just how adorable he is in great detail. Then when they started talking about Pentatonics, I didn’t think it was a drink or something you did at the gym. If you find yourself completely lost when the guitar techno babble starts, don’t worry. Here is a very tiny and gentle starter. At the beginning, I found even this small amount good to know. Add to it as much as you want, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. In my experience most guitar boys are sweet and will be happy to explain things for you, especially if they see you are making an effort and didn’t mention how completely yummy Jimmy is once during their guitar talk! Okay here we go, try and pay attention now…

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The Guitar

You should learn the parts of it, and which one your favorite player is noted for using. Pagey is mostly a Gibson Les Paul player, but he also uses a Telecaster, a Danelectro, a Gibson Doubleneck (a six and twelve string combined), and once in while, a Strat. Your guitar boys will be very happy if you learn what these guitars look like too – a lot easier now with the internet! You will also see Jimmy playing acoustic, mandolin, banjo, pedal steel and that amazing triple neck, which is a mandolin, six and twelve string combined. He uses Ernie Ball super slinky strings and Herco heavy gauge flat nylon picks.

Effects

There are a number of devices used to create guitar effects – time delay effects, harmony effects, frequency, distortion…it gets very technical! Jimmy tends to use an Echoplex, MXR unit, harmonizer, a violin bow, a Wah Pedal, and a Theramin. It’s most useful to know about the following to start: The Wah, because it’s so visible, The Theramin and Bow because these are Jimmy specials! The Wah looks like a little gas pedal on the floor of the stage. It subtracts bass from the tone of the guitar and adds treble. A lot of players rock it back and forth, making that ‘wah wah’ sound, but Jimmy usually pressed it down and held it there, sometimes for an entire song, to get a sharper sound out of his guitar. A Theramin is what Jimmy is playing when he is waving his hands around in front of a little box, and all these weird noises come out. It has two metal antennas and by moving your hands between them you get varying pitch and volume. Jimmy’s is slightly different because he removed the volume antenna. They can be hard to play well, because you need very exact hand positions and an excellent sense of pitch. But no problem for Jimmy, just watch him go when he plays it in the movie The Song Remains the Same! Which brings me to the Bow and 3 words: OH, MY, and GOD. Bowing his guitar was suggested to him during his session days by a classical string player, who has my undying gratitude!! Watching Jimmy do this is so intensely hot it’s actually painful. In a serious guitar boy music chat, I am DOOMED with this topic. If I am around and the bow is mentioned, don’t bother trying to help me, just cushion my fall and call the paramedics.

Amps

If you hear the following in any sentence: cabs, stacks, AC-30s, EL-34s, Supro, Marshall plexi, think: amplifiers! It may be useful for you to know what your favorite player uses. The last time I recall Jimmy was using 4 customized Marshall 100s. Arrangements of these are liable to change, so you may have to keep up!

Scale

A series of tones arranged to rise or fall step by step in order of pitch. In rock, you are likely to hear a lot about the major and minor pentatonic scales, and the blues scale. Pentatonic scales are scales with 5 notes per octave. It gets used a lot in rock music because it is simple to use, easy to improvise on, and usually always sounds really good. The blues scale is a scale that has notes in it played or sung lower than the major scale, the “blue notes.” The blue notes turn a major scale into a blues scale. Jimmy is a dazzling blues player, and really floors my friends with Since I’ve Been Loving You, which wins their vote as his best blues song ever.

Tuning

Standard tuning of the strings is: EADGBE, but, if you change the tunings on the strings, you can make it easier to reach different chords you want to play. Doing this is called alternate tuning, of which Drop D is probably one you have heard of before. It drops the tone of the last string down to D rather than standard E. Jimmy uses a lot of tunings for his music, many are his own inventions that he keeps to himself, but you can hear him playing a DADGAD tuning in Kashmir, and a CGCGCE on That’s the Way.

Riff /Lick

A sort of ‘musical thought’, part of a melody, or phrase that repeats itself in a song. Jimmy is a well-respected MASTER of riffs. The Wanton Song, Four Sticks, No Quarter, When the Levee Breaks, Trampled Underfoot, Custard Pie, Black Dog, For Your Life, The Ocean…give a listen to any one of these and the riff will jump out at you. Slash thinks Black Dog contains the “biggest, baddest, sexiest riff out there.”

Chops

a word used by guitarists when they talk about the technique of a player, their accuracy, speed and agility. Jimmy is said to be a sloppy player, hence lacking in chops. Be warned, this topic is a minefield and can cause huge arguments, but later we’ll venture in! This is just one of things people discuss about Pagey that could turn me into a snarling pitbull, just because people get so ugly if they don’t like him, but Zep fans have to learn to live with the total devotion/vehement hatred they tend to evoke in people. I promise to keep the leash tight.;)

I think that should do. There are a zillion other things you can go into, and all in more depth, but keeping it simple at the start is the best approach. Soon you will be able to sit back and watch all the mouths drop open when your sniffed at squee of, “Oooo Jimmy’s so yummy” carries on with, “when he plays that descending riff on Whole Lotta Love!”

Happy Birthday, emberlexi!

Welcome to the thirtysomething club my friend! It’s good fun, and at times lot better than the old TV show.

Have fun!

Pentel Brush Pen Review

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Time to take a look at one of Pentel‘s most popular products – the Brush Pen.

What is it?

It’s a stylish black brush-tipped cartridge pen.

What’s it for?

It’s recommended for stylised design, cartooning and calligraphy. It’s particularly good for chinese calligraphy.

Is it any good?

It’s excellent. I’ve found it particularly good for filling in solid blocks of black, adding a neat black edge to colour work (its fade resistant and waterproof ink makes it particularly good for this), and for stylised writing – my calligraphy skills don’t stretch to doing actual calligraphy with this pen, but it is great fun to make stylised marks. Writing quickly with the brush pen produces a style that borders on the psychotic – just one step away from letters torn from the paper…;). I’m sure those of you who are more skilled at calligraphy than myself could produce some beautiful work with it, though.

The pen lays down a solid, even line on smooth paper, but it’s not so consistent on rougher paper.

Can it be refilled?

Yes! In fact the pen comes with four cartridges included, which is plenty to start off with. After that refills are easy to get hold of from, well, you know where.

Where to Buy

• Cult Pens
• Scribblers Calligraphy Store