Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

The Night Watch - by Paul Kidby

I would like to wish you, your families and friends all the very best for the New Year!  Lets hope its full of gaming fun!


Happy New Year!

A NEW Way to Follow My Covered Bridge!

A NEW Way to Follow My Covered Bridge!

Have you heard that Google Friend Connect is going away for non-Blogger blogs?  Yup, as of March 1st, GFC will no longer connect you to blogs that you would like to follow on Wordpress or other non-Google platforms.  And even though I am a Blogger blog, I was not happy with this change - I follow all sorts of blogs and I like the convenience of seeing them on my dashboard.  I am also concerned that GFC will go away altogether (thats the rumor).  So when I heard about a NEW way to follow my blogs, I jumped at the chance.  Im trying to stay ahead of all of these changes.  And you can too.  Introducing:

This is a completely FREE service - with some great features.  Youll be able to follow your favorite blogs and if you have your own blog, your readers will be able to follow you too!  Linky Followers is brand new (Im just getting used to it myself) but it will be a perfect transition from the fading GFC.  You can  group blogs into different categories and even create a blogroll that includes blogs that dont use Linky Followers.  You dont have to miss a thing!  You can follow me through Linky Followers with my new widget on the top of my sidebar.   Just click the "Follow Me" option and it will walk you through the EASY process of signing up.  If you follow me, please leave a comment and Ill be sure to follow you back!  You can head over to Linky Followers to get your own widget - just let me know when its up and running!

BTW, if youre wondering about GFC followers automatically switching over to Linky Followers, they wont.  Its a completely different service.  So please take a moment to sign up.  I am really excited about this new option for my readers.  And Im excited to have a new tool for following my favorite blogs!

Dont forget - there are still other ways to keep updated on My Covered Bridge.  You can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or through email.  Check my sidebar for those options!

A NEW Way to Follow My Covered Bridge!

And here are the rest of the new changes

And here are the rest of the new changes

At last, a river pebble path that doesnt need to be raked back in place every time it rains, like the bark path...I love it, the kitties dont.  (Gives pussyfooting a whole new meaning...)  It feels delightfully Zen-garden, to me...

And yes, at long last...

...you guessed it...

Window screens!  I can have the windows open in mosquito and fly season!  Notice the clever swiveling wooden prop...its attached at the bottom... 

My knight did a fantastic job...

I used one of my terra cotta triskeles to hold the big screen in place, like a toggle...the small one is so tight friction alone holds it!

This one has a brass hinge to hold the window open...

And a delightful new addition to the sheds art gallery, a lamb by the oh-so-talented Wil Freeborn--thanks, Wil!  Check out his Etsy store, here: https://www.etsy.com/people/wilfreeborn and dont miss his wonderful new book!

The screens are absolutely perfect timing, this gloriously cool, delightful summer!  Loving the fresh air...


And here are the rest of the new changes

NEW DESIGN BOOKS

NEW DESIGN BOOKS

Good friday morning to ya.

You know we all love a good design book....in fact I would not hesitate to say that it is a small addiction  among design bloggers.

Count me in on that obsession.

There are 3 books coming out from design icons right here in Hotlanta baby!

The first one is renowned architect Norman Askins.  A native of Birmingham, Alabama he started his firm in 1977.

Here are a few images from his portfolio.  Could not love this entrance more.

These doors are taunting me.  I mean hubba hubba.

His attention to detail....

Another crazy good door

His book will be out this October.

Next up is Nancy Braithwaite.  She started her firm here in 1969.  

I have loved her work so hard.

 This has been in my files back since we actually ripped out pictures from magazines.  Yup....before Pinterest....before cars and indoor plumbing.

I adore her minimalist look so much.  Dang....today is the day I remove all of my junk and streamline:)

Sigh....calm...pretty

Dang special.

Her book comes out this October.

Last is Barbara Westbrook.  She started her firm in 1992 and actually designed under Nancy Braithwaite in the beginning of her career.

This room just kills me 

with 

those 

blue 

shutters.

 She is a master at layering just perfectly.

Sadly her book is not due until spring of 2015.

You can read more about Norman and Nancy in the October issue of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles.

I have a little news for you.  

I am again participating in the One Room Challenge.  I know....can you believe it?  It will be the 5th time and I am excited that Linda still wants me.  I can be kind of a trouble maker at times.

Shocking right:)

Just for your pleasure.  I hid in the closet the other night while my husband was in the bathroom.....waiting.....patiently..... to jump out at the right time.  Lord people it was so good.  The look on his face made my legs go numb and I fell to the floor laughing so hard that I had to change my PJs.  The bottoms.

It is events like that when I know life is definitely worth living.

Shaboomska

NEW DESIGN BOOKS

New Years Eve Dinner and a Show!

New Years Eve Dinner and a Show!

New Years Eve - Dinner and a Show! by tennnischik 

New Years Eve Dinner and a Show!

Webber Opens New Men’s Shed

Webber Opens New Men’s Shed

Darren Webber

Webber Opens New Men’s Shed

Member for Wyong Darren Webber has officially opened the new Alison Homestead Men’s’ Shed at a ceremony held on Monday 13th May on the site located in the grounds of the old Alison Homestead at Wyong. Also in attendance was Wyong Shire Mayor Clr Doug Eaton.

“This important expansion of the Central Coast Men’s Shed network was fully funded by a State Government Community Building Partnership Grant of $10,975,” Mr Webber said.

“This has enabled the construction of the new shed, including the laying of the concrete slab. There is still work required to fit out the electrical works and fixtures and I am encouraging the Alison Homestead Men’s Shed Association to apply for further funding in the next round of Community Building Partnership Grants which opens in June this year.”

“This new shed is now a valuable addition to the many established Men’s Shed on the Central Coast including four in the Wyong Shire, with another two under construction. As a Patron of this Association I welcome their continued expansion within the Wyong Shire.”

“With an ever increasing population on the Central Coast, the Men’s Shed network continues to play a vital role in promoting and supporting mens health activities through the provision of a safe environment that encourages the social inclusion of men and facilitates meaningful discussion within our community. This will benefit men of all ages, particularly younger men who may no longer have contact with their fathers or grandfathers,” Mr Webber concluded.

The official opening ceremony was well attended by more than 80 members and supporters of the Alison Homestead Men’s Shed and the Wyong District Museum and Historical Society. A Sausage Sizzle BBQ was also provided for all who attended.

 

Press Release

Office of Darren Webber

Webber Opens New Men’s Shed

A New Photo Editing Site Goodbye Picnik!

A New Photo Editing Site Goodbye Picnik!

Everyone is pretty disappointed to see Picnik go away.  Its such a quick and easy photo editing site.   So, Ive been playing around with a few different replacement options.  Although I have found a lot of great uses for Pixlr.com, I still wanted a site more like Picnik for those quick edits.  And I think Ive found a site that fits the bill -  Picmonkey.com.

It seems to do most of the same edits that can be found on Picnik - and its just as easy!  Heres a picture of some flowers that I took last summer - 

And here is the same picture after editing -

The basics - brightness/contrast/sharpness

Black and white - with color paint option

Darkened edges

Sepia

Focal soften

Text

Stickers - including arrows, shapes, stars, and speech bubbles

These are just a few examples.  There are many more editing features - and they are all very easy.  It even offers teeth whitening and blemish fix.  This site is super handy.  And free!  Woohoo!  They do offer a premium package (I havent tried it yet - but they are offering a free trial for that too).

So far, I think this might be the best alternative to Picnik.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.    

A New Photo Editing Site Goodbye Picnik!

New project Madbean Firebomb

New project Madbean Firebomb

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This latest post is a brief illustration of the process of a pedal build from start to finish. It covers the making / purchase of a project board, the gathering of components, the soldering and ultimately the satisfaction of the build and the results with an amp!

To start off, this is my component rack on the bench in my shed. By some builders standards this is a small unit of component drawers (40 various sized drawers), but for me just starting out its just right. The top two rows are labelled for resistors, Ive got drawers set aside for common diode types, capacitors, ICs, jacks and usual hardware bits such as switches, sockets, LEDs, bezels, hookup wire, solder etc.

Supplies

I went round the office the other week looking for empty business card holders. Why? I quite liked the idea of gathering all the parts for a particular project and keeping them all in one place so when I come to work on it everything is right where I want it. These holders are just right for putting all the pots, caps, ICs etc in so stock picking at build time is pain free. This box is all set up for Madbeans Firebomb PCB. Go to the project pages here to find out more about Brians amazing work. Suffice to say Brian is a genius is this field - his understanding, depth of knowledge and expertise are second to none in my opinion. Hes developed a quality range of projects that cover some of the classic pedals, some great boutique pedals, some mystical ones and some truly innovative designs too. Take your time to look around his site and forum to get familiar with his handiwork.

Project box

This is what Ive stuffed into that box so all the parts are there in none place. Makes life much easier when youre ready to go IMHO. I source my parts from a number of suppliers but being based in the UK Ive come to rely on the great service of Doctor Tweek (aka Steve). Hes got a mass of stock, priced great, ships fast and is always on hand to help out with any questions. A very accommodating bloke, check him out here.

Parts all in one place

Below is a perfect example of Brians handiwork in developing this double sided PCB. Its clean, compact, very clearly laid out and very well labelled. For a dummy like me its just like painting by numbers - the board tells you what to get and where to put it. Soldering by numbers really!

Double sided pre-fabbed PCB

So heres the board with all the resistors loaded and soldered into place. Ordinarily Id solder IC sockets or transistor / cap sockets first, but there are no ICs in this particular circuit and the values of the caps and the transistor types are not too critical to the sound so you can go ahead and solder them direct in place. The next step after sockets is to solder resistors. And here they are:

Resistors soldered in place

Next Ive put in the capacitors and the diodes. The final bits to solder are the transistors as theyre delicate and prone to damage so you want to apply heat to them in short bursts.

Caps and diodes soldered into place

Lastly Ive soldered the two transistors in place. This PCB is suitable for board-mounted pots which you can see here. Alternatively you could just wire in the three wires per pot for off-board wiring. Ive also soldered in all the other wires (input, output, 9v, ground, indicator LEDs and switch wiring) ready for boxing up.

NOTE: Theres a reason its a good idea to get everything as ready as you can pre-boxing up: SO YOU CAN TEST BEFORE BOXING! You want to make sure the thing works before you box it up. If it doesnt work, you can troubleshoot before its all buttoned up in place. If it works, then you box it and it stops working, your troubleshooting will be more focused to that point in time. Also trying to troubleshoot when the circuit is all neatly boxed up is not ideal, especially if you have to start unwiring, de-soldering or removing components.

All done - transistors and pots soldered onto the board with offboard wiring in position

Underside of the board

This is one amazing sounding board, boosting my AC15 just nicely! Ill look at other projects and different types of boards in future posts.

New project Madbean Firebomb