Member Blogs

Thanks

Just want to say thanks to everyone here in TSR for adding me to their bookmarks and the comments on my screenshots. I can't answer all questions or If I can't reply, please bear with me. I am also very busy with work and in transition on moving to a new house. :D Our very own home sweet home at last. As always, I appreciate you all coming here, so thanks again.

You can also refer to my other online galleries if you prefer to see uncompressed version of my screenshots.

My Flickr
My DeviantArt
My Koinup

I have been getting some questions about my stories and models too. Harb and Ash are the major characters from my old story from The Sims 2 Story Exchange. I am not very active there anymore as I don't have much time like before so I have their story published in my blog. I do have a Sims 2 Story site but it still needs a major overhaul. In any case you are interested in reading my works, feel free to visit my Flickr profile as I put all the links of everything on here including the updates.

My Flickr Profile
My Main Sims 2 Story Site
Harb & Ash' Tale [Sims 2 Story]

Thanks always for visiting!

Back on Track

Back on track with my uploads, and I am working a some projects. Photoshop is working for me again, (thank god).

IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
Although my new uploads now will "require" Glamour Life, these lots most likely contain none of those items. Install them with the Clean Installer Pack from Numenor and you'll be fine.

On their way

I have a couple of people who have made requests recently that I said I would get done for them. They didn't make it this week, but I'll shoot for next week. Still struggling to get time and opportunity. Hang in there and I'll get them to you!

New Paintings Poll

PLEASE VOTE! My first poll went a bit wrong, so I've decided to try again in the hope it will work this time and I will receive some useful feedback to use in my future projects, so please help me out here! Thank You in advance! NEWS! I have just uploaded my second set of 'Dusky Textured Rugs', so you'll have even more variety of colours to choose from when adding those homely touches! Lots more in the pipeline to look forward to, including some new additions to my 'Pastels Collections' and another set of paintings. Mad Cow!

FoMD Series

I will be finishing the Flowers of May Day series today. I'll get them in the game and check them out tomorrow and have them in for submission this week. My game seems to be back in working order since I reinstalled everything. Luckily I didn't even have to lose anything. A warning I'll be posting new items a lot slower from now on because I'm back to working fulltime, maybe a little more than fulltime. This first week I was totally braindead at the end of the day and basically didn't want to do anything. I'm hoping as I get back into the swing of things that it won't leave me so tired at the end of the day.

The sofa poll is closed, it just hasn't given up the ghost yet and let the new one take it's place. The results of the poll were not unexpected just very lopsided. Out of 12 people who voted 10 preferred sofas of all styles and 2 preferred solids. So I guess I'll continue to branch out with my textures for sofas and chairs. The new poll is checking into which rooms or areas of the house people are more interested into seeing objects made for. I hope everyone votes, I'm always eager for input and feedback on what people want!

Free Sets and TSRAA

I have set my older sets to be permanently free, listed and linked below:

SIMPLE Kitchen Mesh Set.
SIMPLE Kitchen Mesh Set 2.
SIMPLE Kitchen Set 1 Recolour.
SIMPLE Kitchen Set 2 Recolour.

SERENE Living Room Superset.

SANITA Bathroom Set - Superset.

WALKIN WARDROBE Bedroom Superset.

CIVIC WALKIN Doors and Windows Superset.

CIVIC WALKIN Curtain, Blinds and Panels Superset.

MAXIMO Kitchen and Dining Superset.

NURSERY Superset.

Rugs Superset.

All of these sets are available to be freely used by lot-builders in their submissions to TSR.

Please note that my items are no longer TSRAA, despite the fact that they may be marked as such. (There are over 1,000 items marked as TSRAA and I'd need to 'unmark' them all individually, so there's no chance of that happening).

Please also note that the Free Rotation Schedule for pay content will continue.

Credits

Hi, I sometimes receive questions about where have I get this or that hair, and so I'm going tom credit the creators in this post. I use hair by Raonjena (raonsims.com), Rose (rosesims2.net), Peggy (peggyzone.com), Myos (simsartistsunion.com), Flora (xmsims.com), Helga (helgasims.com) and Sizz from MTS2. I'm planning to use hair by the amazing TSR creator Marko and wonderful recolors by Xandher.

New Project

Greetings all I've been working on some painting recolours (my first TS2 items, yay!) and have the first set of 5 pending aproval, eekkk! My very talented friend Heather Parkes is a 3D Poser Artist and has recently given me permission to pillage her entire library of images, wooohoooo!! ;o) LOL There will be differently themed sets to follow - Gothic, Fae (Fairy), Pose, Mythical Creatures and Traditional. She loves her Poser creations as much as I love my Sims ones and she taught me quite a few of the editing techniques I use for Simming, so this is my chance to say thank you :o)

Poll Results...

Well, I actually had 104 people fill out the poll instead of the 100 I was aiming for, so please take that into account. ;)

Here are the results of the last published poll:

Poll Question:
If I include some TSRAA CC in a few lots, would you still download them?

Of course! - 52.88% (55)

Nope. I don't download CC. - 7.69% (8)

I might. Let's see the lot! - 31.73% (33)

What's CC? - 8.65% (9)

Please understand that this poll does NOT mean I won't be making anymore Maxis Only lots. It was just to find out the general feel of using TSRAA from those who download/look at my lots. If I do use them it will be very rare, and only if I absolutely need them for a particular style or look that Maxis does not provide. For example: My Cyclone Mountain lot needed special windows...thank you AGAIN Cyclonesue for those FAB windows!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll! Your feedback has certainly given me pause for thought. I shall take it into account when building. :D

--Illiana

New Paperback s

Wideopeneyes has this really great book mesh. As soon as I saw that it could be recolored, I jumped all over that. I LOVE books. My entire house looks like a book monster threw up on every possible surface. Since I like to make Sims of my friends, my family, and myself, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to make some recolors that I could randomly place around my Sims houses.

I absolutely love the Idiot Girl books by Laurie Notaro, so I made recolors of all of her books. My Sims are happily on their way to becoming a fire hazard. :)

Get wideopeneyes mesh here . While you're there, congratulate our newest Select Artist.

userStartup.cheat

Ever wonder what building and playing cheats I like so much that I have them aliased in a userStartup.cheat file? Well, I was talking about that with someone else today, and decided to post mine. Here is what they are; to use them, put them in a text file named "userStartup.cheat" in your My Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/Config directory:

intprop maxnumofvisitingsims 15

boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true
boolprop allow45DegreeAngleOfRotation true
boolprop ControlPets on
boolprop PetActionCancel true

sethighestallowedlevel 8

alias bob "plumbbobtoggle" "Toggle the plumbbob"
alias cfeon "boolprop constrainFloorElevation true" "Turn on floor constraints"
alias cfeoff "boolprop constrainFloorElevation false" "Turn on floor constraints"
alias epson "boolprop ShowCatalogEPFlags true" "Display what EP items came with"
alias epsoff "boolprop ShowCatalogEPFlags false" "Stop displaying what EP items came with"
alias loton "boolprop ShowLotPackageFilename true" "Turn on display of filenames for lots"
alias lotoff "boolprop ShowLotPackageFilename false" "Turn off display of filenames for lots"
alias moveon "moveobjects on" "Move all objects"
alias moveoff "moveobjects off" "Stop moving all objects"
alias petfree "boolprop PetsFreeWill true" "Turns on free will for pets"
alias petstay "boolprop PetsFreeWill false" "Turns off free will for pets"
alias showon "showheadlines on" "Turn on thought bubbles and pop-ups"
alias showoff "showheadlines off" "Turn off thought bubbles and pop-ups"
alias snapon "boolprop snapObjectsToGrid true" "Resume aligning objects to grid"
alias snapoff "boolprop snapObjectsToGrid false" "Stop aligning objects to grid"
alias teston "boolprop testingCheatsEnabled true" "Debug mode on"
alias testoff "boolprop testingCheatsEnabled false" "Debug mode off"
alias toolson "boolprop dormSpecificToolsDisabled false" "Enables Buy/Build tools at dorms and community lots"
alias toolsoff "boolprop dormSpecificToolsDisabled true" "Disables Buy/Build tools at dorms and community lots"
alias apttoolson "boolprop aptSubLotSpecificToolsDisabled false" "Enables Buy/Build tools at apartment lots"
alias apttoolsoff "boolprop aptSubLotSpecificToolsDisabled true" "Disables Buy/Build tools at apartment lots"

My Comments :o)

I would just like to thank the following members for their wonderful comments on my TS2 sets, it's my first lot of feedback and it's made me a very happy bunny! LOL

MoonlitMaiden, Spacemouse, SimmyMother, indibabs, dragonheat83 and steelhips2. A big, big thank you to you all.

Homecrafter Crashes

I'm sorry I haven't been able to submit for the last two weeks. I am desperate to fix the problem, but so far nothing I have tried has worked. I am going to try to find out if any of the walls I was making recently somehow got corrupt. Any new version of HC+ crashes on launch. I'm going to empty my groaning wall folder and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Yea...I'm a Select Artist!!

Wow, I've been choosen to be a Select Artist...Yea Me!!! Talk about a surprise, not that I don't think of my creations as being quality but you never know what other people actually think, and I thought it would take a whole lot longer to even be looked at. I feel very honored. Now I just hope I can live up to the SA name. That being said, I want to thank everyone who's been downloading my creations and everyone who's left really great compliments on them. You guys are awesome!! Then last, but never least, the TSR staff and all the other SAs and FAs! All you guys are pretty awesome too!

SA

Hi!
This is so exciting!
I just can't believe that I'm really a select artist on this fabulous site! I still don't know how to do this and that, but I hope that i'll soon be familliar with my own minisite, which seems to me so weird right now:D And so many new options... I'm planning to update lots of my older creations and I already have some new staff to come.
I hope you will enjoy my creations!

Alien Invasion slows down construction

I got sidetracked for a few days, building an alien invasion theme lot for the S2HBAA April lot building contest. It was very fun to play and test. Here's a screenshot of the alien nursery (quarantine) and the observation room: I don't plan to upload the lot, but I might use it for a story in the future. My plans for May: - 3 or 4 more Down on Main Street lots - An entry for the S2HBAA May lot building contest. Theme: PICTURESQUE PORCHES - An Open for Business restaurant and night club with a surprise theme. June - A hotel for Coca Beach - A restaurant and night club for Coca Beach. - More Coca Beach community lots.

Promotion to SA!!!

Oh my goodness!!! I am still in shock. I cannot believe that the wonderful people here at TSR, and Thomas himself, feel that I am good enough at building to be a Select Artist. I cannot thank you all enough for the incredible honor I have been given. Thank you SO much!!!! I will just keep building and learning, and hope that you all continue to enjoy my lots. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am beyond thrilled right now!!!!!!!!!

---A VERY honored, Illiana

"Tank About It..." Mesh Link *UPDATE*!

For those of you who downloaded the "Tank About It..." rugged tanks and denim shorts for your males simmies, I would like to apologize for the broken mesh link. The mesh makers (SimsConnection) has updated their website to a more friendly and convenient server which allows you to navigate through their items much faster and easier. Leaving us all with a broken link.

The good news is that I'm in the process of getting the link button corrected as soon as I possibly can. I'm not an FA or SA, therefore, I can't batch edit the error.

For those of you who don't want to wait for the link button to be corrected, I have provided the correct link for you here:

http://www.simsconnection.com/joomla3/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=112&Itemid=146

Again, apologizes...
Enj�y!

Hiya

Welcome to my TSR mini-site. I have no creations available for download yet but feel free to check my screenshots. I absolutely adore editing screen captures. Have a nice day everyone. :D

~Tic

New Set and other News

My new set for TC87 will be published May 3. It features textures by Walkerboh_Rumor and meshes by Alban_Alban.
I recently bought a graphics tablet and it is very useful and helpful in recoloring, not to mention the other cool things it will do! And I've gotten all sorts of links to free 3D and graphics editing programs - and downloaded several of them. They are so much fun to play with. I am also getting closer to my goal of learning to mesh using Blender. I am practicing modeling a 3d object using a background image, so maybe it won't be much longer before I will feel ready to make a real mesh. :D

I Love TSR

I've been a member of TSR since I discovered it in June of 2005. It had only been a few months before that I had discovered Sims1 and the fact that there was such a thing as custom content! I eventually got every expansion pack, and every evening I wasn't playing I would sit in front of my computer and go through every page of free Sims1 downloads til I'd gotten everything I wanted. I still have all that Sims1 CC on a disc, because I couldn't bear to part with it, even though I don't even have the game installed anymore. When I finally got Sims2, I did the same thing - going through page after page after page downloading everything that struck my fancy. I wanted to subscribe back then, but you had to have a credit card, and I didn't. Eventually though, I did get to subscribe, and have now for a couple of years, because I wanted to help support this familiar place that I love to be. I love my little corner of TSR, and I am so happy to be here. And I know nobody reads the trash I write, but who cares, right? This is my minisite, I earned it with my kudos, and I can put anything on it, within reason, that I want to. Whether anybody else but me looks at it or not. :P

Weekly Releases - 30/4

Greetings all

For some reason the approvals have been very slow for the past few days. I had a set uploaded last Thursday and it only got approved Tuesday morning!!! LOL

Celtic Green Set - Friday 2nd May
Neon Red Set - Saturday 3rd May
Fleck Brick Set - Saturday 3rd May

I have other sets uploaded and pending, just waiting for the publishing date now ;o)

Hope everyone has a great week.

Random Rugs

I was recently asked if I would make more rugs, so being the person I am, I got to work on a couple new rug designs. A couple turned into a few, a few turned into several collections, and from there it sort of got out of control. Apparently a few, in Cristina's world, means 42, and that's just what I've uploaded so far in between homeschooling, reading, being sick, and shooting the crap out of terrorists in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.

Now is a good time for an intervention. Especially since I'm all stocked up on chips and dip.

Clothing

3 more pieces of clothing are about to be released, by the time you probably read this they will already be released.

It's not as easy as it looks. I've already scrapped some designs I was working on cause I couldn't get them looking right. I won't give up though. At least I don't plan on giving up. So don't be surprised if somewhere down the line you see more.

Slowly Coming Back!

Hi Everyone!

My university semester was particularly hard this winter, and I've been sick all along with an everlasting cold (this happens when you can't get enough rest!) Anyway, I'm back! I've been working on a few sims things and the last two weeks, and I'm hoping I'll be able to update them soon!

So I'll see you all around! :D

My Snakes

I've had quite a few people asking me about my Avatar lately and if the Snake on my head is real or not. Simple answer is yes! LOL

The Avatar picture is 4 years old. There is a newer picture of my Boa on my About Me page, taken about a month ago.

I have 2 Snakes, Hades the Boa Constrictor who is about 7 1/2 foot and still growing and the other one is Mr Nibbs, a Royal Python who is fully grown at 5 1/2 foot.

They are both 4 years old and very tame due to being well handled since they were young. The secret of Snake wrangling as we affectionately put it is always be respectful of the animal. Never feel too comfortable when you have them on you and always remember they are unpredictable and can change mood very quickly if something or someone upsets them.

Don't put yourself in a position where you could get hurt or injured. Like with Hades being so big now I always make sure there are 2 of us around if we are getting her out, for her safety as well as our own :o)

They feed about every 2 - 3 weeks and shead their skins about every 6 - 8 weeks (depending on size or damage). As Mr Nibbs is now fully grown his sheading will slow down. Hades on the other hand will continue at that rate for another few years yet.

If anyone has anymore questions, feel free to PM me about it ;o)

50,000 downloads

Wow, I just logged in and saw I had 50,000 downloads. Thanks to everyone who has downloaded my items and the lovely comments left on them. I really appreciate it. When I first came to TSR I was an avid downloader and never thought I would be able to create items and give back to the community. Thanks again and have a great day :)

Tech Issues

I have a few lots ready to upload, but am experiencing technical problems with Photoshop CS3. I hope to figure this out soon, so as to showcase these lots.

Featured Artist!

I guess by now you all heard the great news...WOW, I'm still lost for words!
Me...A Featured Artist, and I couldn't have did it without the support from my downloaders, TSR staff & the many friends I've met on this site, which made me strive to build better & better lots for all of you to enjoy. My lots have been a big success for me on this site. I owe a big thanks to Tiko (Andy) who taught me everything I know about CFE building, among other cheats! And the inspiration of Cyclonesue's castles & rustic houses...I look forward into creating even better and unique homes for your Sims as a FA!
Again, Thank you for giving me this opportunity. This is a great site, and there is a lot of nice people here...To help out, share ideas, team build, or just for some friendly chat.

That's it for now - I'll see you around...

Rugs and Paintings!

Two new sets on offer very shortly - firstly a set of 12 Dusky Textured Rugs, and secondly a set of 9 Scenic Lakes Paintings, bringing a breath of fresh air into your Sims homes! I hope you like them! - Comments always appreciated! Mad Cow

April Projects...

Let's see...it's the end of the month, and how have I done on my little project plans?
------------------------------------
Total Lots
15 Lots
2 lots approved and scheduled for release.
1 lot pending.
1 Tutorial

Breakdown of types:
9 - Modern/Contemporary
1 - Beach (Also Modern)
1 Tudor
4 Traditional
2 French Fancy
1 Starter
1 Tutorial

5 Base Game homes completed.
5 Major House projects (Anemone, Shroffshire, (Excelsius (pending)), Cypress, SoCal)
------------------------------------
So all in all I think I've accomplished what I set out to do. :D YAY! Now, I have to start planning my May projects.

Thank you ALL for your support, wonderful comments and compliments on my lots, and for raising up my download numbers to over 30 thousand! Wow! TSR has some of the best people in the community. :D I do hope you continue to enjoy my homes, and that you will be able to find something to tickle your fancy among the ecclectic collection I tend to present. Happy Simming!

Freetime poll results: Love it or hate it?

With 216 responses, here's how you answered the question: Now that the final Sims 2 EP, Freetime, has been released, what are your thoughts?

Question: Have you got Freetime yet?
6.48% (14) Yes, and it's a waste of money.
25% (54) No, but I intend to get it.
9.72% (21) No, and I don't intend to get it.
57.41% (124) Yes, and it's great!

Question: If you got Freetime, or intend to, why? (Check all that apply.)
70.83% (153) I love having more activity options.
56.02% (121) I want all the new objects and clothing, and I want to be able to download the recolors artists will create for them.
28.24% (61) I want to be able to download and use lots that artists with Freetime create.
34.26% (74) I just want to have the complete collection of EPs.

Question: If you haven't got Freetime and don't intend to, why not? (Check all that apply.)
7.41% (16) It's too expensive.
4.63% (10) The features don't interest me.
11.57% (25) My computer already has trouble handling the EPs I've got.
6.02% (13) I'm sick of having to upgrade my favorite hacks to work with every new EP.

Question: What Sims 2 version of a Sims 1 EP would you have preferred for the final Sims 2 EP?
31.02% (67) Makin' Magic! Just think of the possibilities for new activities, clothing, and cool objects!
20.83% (45) Superstar! Everybody wants to be rich and famous.
46.3% (100) Neither. I like new concepts, not recycled versions of old ideas.

Many thanks to all who took the time to participate in the poll. Your responses have changed my mind about getting Freetime, eventually -- but not until it goes on sale!

My Greeks...

As you have noticed my favourite theme is Greece... Lately I made the walls and the 2 mosaic floors for my Agora lot... I always start with the walls and floors when I have a lot in my mind... For the Greek costumes I have used ELENA'S towel mesh!... Some ingame screenshots:

Federal Fortress pt 2

I've decided for the time being no more Federal Fortress remodels. The recent release of my Federal Fortress remodels, aka version 3, isn't going over as well as the first two. So I've decided to hold off for the time being on any more Federal Fortress.

My own little problems......

Hello, friends!
I've not so great and unpleasant news...Unfortunately, my operational system is broken so I'm afraid that I've lost all my downloads prepared for TSR...And now I'm not able to answer all your comments and GB signs...I'm so sorry! I'll answer you asap.
Thanks so much for understanding!

With best wishes,
Marina.

Thank you!

I wanted to thank everyone who left comments on my creations and to whom I haven't gotten around to thank! I am sorry that it is taking such a long time to respond to them, but I am very busy at the moment with real life as well thus I am graduating from college! It ain't an easy task and I hope I will cope with all those exams! Thank you once again for all the support, wonderful feedback and for downloading!

Have a great day!

Poll Results!

Here they are:

Question: You would like me to do more...

Children clothes 26.39% (95)
Teen clothes 37.5% (135)
Adult Clothes 38.89% (140)
Elder Clothes 21.39% (77)
Hair&Make-up 32.5% (117)
Lots 8.61% (31)
Paintings 8.61% (31)

Adult clothing it is then :D

Lack of time

My dear friends, sorry for the absence of my creations. I'm really out of time now! I do hope that soon I'll upload new stuff, therewith I did few new sets :)

~KateK

Updates for May!

It's that time again! Here's a few previews of what's to come over the next few weeks. I'm still working on these trying to wrap up any last minute stuff...previews and packaging. All that fun stuff. I really haven't had much time lately to work on any of it. The real world has taken over and I've been strapped for leisure time. I have several outfits and wall sets finished but haven't had the time to work on the minute details of readying them for upload. The walls include 28 colors for each set. They're simple maxis styles and some random colors that I really like. I use these in my own game so I thought I'd share them with you guys too. I hope everyone is enjoying my work. Happy Simming!! ~*~This first set will actually be released next week. The rest will be in May.~*~

! 100,000 !

You guys rock! ...I was sooo excited when I logged in and saw that I had over 100,000 downloads! ...that certainly brings a smile to my face.

Thanks fans!