Member Blogs

Draft of TC63 with Detimgi Rose Set

Actually I'm fighting with Detimgi's Rose dining to get it looking nice with the textures she served for Texture challange 63. I have to take some decisions...

Beach House Window Dressings

These come in 2 sets: I and II. Set I contains a collection of Tiebacks and Roman Blinds for Beach House Windows. Set II contains a collection of Tiebacks and Venetian Blinds for Beach House Windows. In both sets, the 'stand-alone' blinds are for the Beach House Plain Windows; and the Tiebacks are for the shuttered windows. Recolours are included too, including a transparent recolour for both Tieback sets, meaning that you can use the tiebacks in 3 different ways: the tieback with the integrated blind, the tieback on its own, or the blind on its own. See blog pic! Due to the way the files are linked, there are two master files for these 2 sets: the Short 2tile Tieback with Roman Blind and the Short 2tile Tieback with Venetian Blind. Any diagonals will require their straight version to work. I'll be releasing a set of counter-friendly, Beach House kitchen windows soon too.

Halloween Hotel

I never tried making a hotel before and with Halloween coming up, I thought this was the perfect chance to come up with something new and a bit creepy. As usual, I only used Maxis content. The lot was already tested and works fine with me, but if you find any trouble, let me know :)

The Big House

Well, here's the big house in all its glory :) It has extensive landscaping, a big swimming pool, sun porch, greenhouse, three bedrooms, two upstairs bathrooms and a downstairs half bath. There's a large kitchen and separate dining room, plus a luxury lounge with twin fireplaces to keep you warm.

Ooo Spider Lady!

I decided to do one dress for Halloween. This is my Gothic Spider Lady hanging out in her favorite cemetery. She is wearing a texture that I drew myself *not the spider though* :-). Thank you dgandy for the great dress mesh. The front of the dress has a large spider and the back is decorated with three smaller spiders. I'll upload it today and hopefully it will be published by Monday or Tuesday.

Rework of Prague Set orange done and uploaded!

Actually I'm going through my old Reflexionistin Prague sets and do some improvements. They were made with my old graphics card and with the newone some items look blurry in my game. I started with the orange set and dimmed the orange a bit down. I also corrected some unexact textures, mainly on the shoeboard and the umbrella stand. And here is the very drafty draft of my new set, an Autumn Elegance Nursary based on SimsinParis meshes again. Can't help, French style nursaries are so rare. Thisone is version 28, seems I'll end up with version 50++

Time for a break........

Hey Everyone,

Well it's about time for a break from me. Today i uninstalled EVERYTHING Sims related, games, downloads EVERYTHING. My computer has been running horribly lately and i thought it was about time for a clean up and fresh start.

Don't fret though i will be back in time. This time around though i think i will only install Nightlife, Seasons and Bon Voyage. They are really only the EP's that i use and like.

But in the meantime i have a lot of stuff coming out in the next 4 days. So i hope you will enjoy them. Once i have reinstalled i think i am going to play for a bit. I haven't played the actual game for a while and i haven't even explored Bon Voyage yet.

So i shouldn't be long in coming back but enjoy the stuff i have coming out this week and see you guys on the flip side.

Bye for now,
Louise.

What do you think about my recategorized clothing for elders? Vote now!

I've just published my first poll ever, and I'm not at all sure I did it correctly. It looks pretty good, though. :)

I've published quite a few sets of Maxis clothes for adults, recategorized to work with elder Sims. Judging by the download numbers, there are a lot of people out there who think this is a good idea. I'd like to know how many of you agree with me that Maxis really falls down when it comes to elders. Maybe it's because none of their programmers are old enough to appreciate the beauty and dignity of the aging process.

What are your thoughts? Take the poll, and add any additional comments or suggestions here. I'd love to hear from you!

VAN HELSING CHRONICLES-UPDATE

Van Helsing will soon be coming to an end. I am about to start part 8 (the photo taking part)and I am hoping to wrap up all the plot points. I will be away from my computer the whole month of November visiting family, so I will not be uploading the concluding chapters until I return in December. Sorry for that, I pray you all stick with me!!
Part V (five) I am putting the finishing touches on and hope to upload middle of next week. Part VI (six) I hope to have polished off and uploaded at the end of October before I leave. I am still having fun with this, but it does take over your life, LOL!! The characters have taken me in directions I did not intend at first! Raynor was only going to be a secondary character for example...now look, LOL!
I want to take a minute and thank my writing buddies, who encourage me and with their great talent, make me strive to reach greater heights! Beth, Eve, Gayl, Leah, Sandy, Zayury, you girls rock!

And again, let me thank everyone who has left comments, GB entries or PM's regarding my stories...it has given me great pleasure!!
And the detailed wonderful comments I have been getting on Van Helsing has given me a confidence in my writing I have never had before, I thank you all for that...

Also if you love Vampire tales, please check out Saoz tale 'Seasons of Change' in the story telling forums...wonderful!!

Cheers~~ Karen

A real surprise!

I wasn't expecting to be featured today with my Timber Pass lot. A real suprise and thanks so much TSR!

What a mill!

In Poland, when we're really busy and a lot of things is going on around us, we often say: what a mill! This is how I feel. A lot of things to do, limited time for that... And all this Festival of Absurdal Art makes me crazy! I was made a Food Manager and now, apart from plenty of things I have always been doing, like attending language courses and my great subjacts at Uni, I have some fabulous, unsolvable concerns like: how I'm supposed to provide great, tasty, tummy-filling meals for artists, stars, VIPs, jury memebers, basically everyone, during 5 days of festival for just 2000zł (approx. 500 Euro)? The most terrible thing is that I'm so affraid that I fail... everyone in this AEGEE Katowice is so well-organized and active, all the time I hear about their successes with providing this or that... all the time they succeed and have some agreement papers from their sponsors already signed... Only I cannot say that I succeeded this week! Why? What have I done wrong that I cannot proudly announce any success, even a little one, I don't care, like having a 100 packets of crisps for opening lectures? Why? What can I do more than calling all the possible sponsors and receiving dry mails full of spelling mistakes that they are not interested? The point is, that if I don't find any sponsors, I'll have to spend a lot of AEGEE money on food, while I have only 2000 zł from our budget... But wait a sec... maybe it's my mistake that I tell all the time about my not having anything, when they all also have ups and downs, but only say loud about their success when they succeed? Maybe I make mistake showing myself as a week person who can't even provide any food for a festival? And how to change it? I cannot keep silent to cover my lack of anything... An example from a while ago: I try to be helpful while all these mail discussions about details of a fastival, and what I get? A mail with polite, but simple 'shut up, you're making a mess' message. Why again? I try to be helpful! Well, they don't care about my oppinion anyway. I dream of great, long sleep with no Absurd Festival Absurdalia 2007 with its mutant snail as a logo... I seriously consider quitting after this all mess I agreed co-creating... Hmm, the matter of you wanting doing a lot and then only wanting to quit is very interesting thing to think through, I have to find a while to think about that ^_^ Well, that's me - a full time Philosopher ^_^ Take care, Hannah

Preview Ankara Livingroom

My next set will be the Ankara Livingroom, made in the same style as the Ankara Diningroom. I still have some things I want to add to this set, but here's a preview of the set so far.

Back to Just Color

I've put aside the appliance project for a while and am back to concentrating full-time on the Just Color Series. The second room set for Series Two is pretty much finished and will make all you kitchen lovers happy!!!! Here's a preview:

Poll Results

Question: Which Theme do you prefer?

Gothic/Halloween 22.15% (33)
Modern 40.27% (60)
Medieval 17.45% (26)
Space Age 2.68% (4)
Holiday 11.41% (17)
Other 6.04% (9)

Previous poll
Gothic/halloween 33.33% (14)
Modern 19.05% (8)
Medieval 28.57% (12)
Holiday 9.52% (4)
Space Age 0% (0)
Other 9.52% (4)

Ok adding the 2 results together we have:
Gothic/halloween 33.33% (47)
Modern 19.05% (68)
Medieval 28.57% (38)
Holiday 9.52% (21)
Space Age 0% (4)
Other 9.52% (13)

With Modern as a clear winner, Gothic 2nd & Medieval 3rd.

Thanks to everyone who took part in my poll.
New poll posted, hope you vote on that one too x

Off to Florida

Flying off to warm and sunny Florida today for a vacation.Maybe I will find a map or a clam shell or a starfish digging in the sand! Be back soon! Love you guys
Sam

Results from my Poll

THANK you too all who voted! (Even tho the poll was backwards).Winner from those that voted is that there were VERY happy with Bon Voyage. Many wished there were 4 destinations,and everyone is crazy-wild about the graphics.

Invisible wood part of a mailbox

If you like to move and hide your mailbox, this will make it a bit easier for you - invisible wood recolor for the mailbox. It is now included in my Mailbox Recolors set.

School, school, school

Bah. I'm quite swamped these days with lots of mid-terms fun. I've had to put simming to the side as I navigate studying, classes and going to work.

I haven't yet started on my next project because of this, but hopefully I'll be able to soon =]

Small Alteration

I have changed the glass panel in the Maxis Hotel Single Door, now it is a flat panel instead of the bevelled glass I originally gave it, so it doesn't look out of place with the Maxis Double Door. I will make the Single Door and Diagonal free for one week from tomorrow 19/10/07 for all of those who downloaded the set for Free. They can be found here Hotel Single Door, and here Hotel Single Diagonal Door.

Using Custom Body-Shapes De-mystified

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Custom body shapes & their limits
--A. clothing assortment
----i. casual/everyday
------a. full-body
------b. top
------c. bottom
---ii. formal
--iii. underwear
---iv. sleepwear/pyjamas
----v. swim-wear
---vi. active-wear/sports apparel
--vii. outer-wear <-- Seasons EP only
--B. shower-proof skin tone
2. The parts of a shower-proof skin tone
--A. the skin tone
--B. the top mesh
--C. the bottom mesh
3. Possible errors of a shower-proof skin tone
--A. Maxis normal shape in the shower, bath tub, or hot tub
--B. floating head in the shower, bath tub, or hot tub

---

1. CUSTOM BODY SHAPES & THEIR LIMITS

The addition of new body shapes to The Sims 2 is limited by two factors: The lack of foresight of EA and the complexity of use forced on players due to the lack of foresight of EA. The lack of foresight of EA has caused it to be impossible to add more shapes to the range of CAS body forms for sims through EA leaving no room for the addition of custom body shapes as a button selection as seen for fat and normal in the creation of a new sim. In the absence of an easier means, creators in the sims community have discovered the means to add more variety to The Sims 2, but this requires patience and understanding to master.

Adding any new body type to the game is a bit of an exercise in patience, regardless of it being bodybuilder, skinny guys, or girls with different cup sizes. The shopping list is as follows for any novel body type:

1.A. CLOTHING ASSORTMENT

This requires that you download at least one item for each clothing
category:

---i. casual/everyday
------a. full-body
------b. top
------c. bottom
--ii. formal
-iii. underwear
--iv. sleepwear/pyjamas
---v. swim-wear
--vi. active-wear/sports apparel
-vii. outer-wear

Failure to get all of these will result in a less than satisfactory experience.

1.B. SHOWER-PROOF SKIN TONE

This means having at least one mesh-linked, or "shower-proof", skin tone that has been linked to use the desired body type and its associated meshes. Usually a spectrum is available. You make the sim by first selecting a custom skin tone that is "shower-proof" for the custom body-shape you want to use (click the * next to the dark maxis skin tone). Then dress him/her in the custom body-shape clothing you downloaded.

---

2. THE PARTS OF A SHOWER-PROOF SKIN TONE

A shower-proof skin tone is a specialised form of genetic material for The Sims 2 that causes the sim using this type of skin tone to display in a true nude state with a usually custom content set of meshes. Possible examples are numerous. All shower-proof skin tones make use of three parts: The skin tone, a top mesh, and a bottom mesh.

2.A. THE SKIN TONE

A skin tone, or commonly "skintone", is the component of a sim that most closely parallels the epidermis of a human being. The colour range and level of realism of a skin tone is limited only by the imagination and skill of the creator. A skin tone may include especial detailing for additional mesh shapes such as a devil's barbed tail, a satyr's goat legs, or so on. The skin tone must be installed to the normal downloads location in order to be used.

[-]My Documents

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2.B. THE TOP MESH

All sims in a true nude state will make use of a top mesh and a bottom mesh. The top mesh controls the shape of the body from the waist line to the neck, including the hands and arms. In some instances other items may be included (e.g., piercings, angel wings, etc). The top mesh must be installed to the normal downloads location or visual errors will occur (see below).

[-]My Documents

   [-]EA Games

      [-]The Sims 2

           Cameras

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           Config

           Downloads <-- here

           HTTPCache

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2.B. THE BOTTOM MESH

All sims in a true nude state will make use of a top mesh and a bottom mesh. The bottom mesh controls the shape of the body from the waist line to the feet. As with the top mesh, other items may be included. The bottom mesh must be installed to the normal downloads location or visual errors will occur (see below).

[-]My Documents

   [-]EA Games

      [-]The Sims 2

           Cameras

           Collections

           Config

           Downloads <-- here

           HTTPCache

           Logs

           LotCatalog

        [+]Movies

        [+]Music

        [+]Neighborhoods

           Paintings

        [+]Projects

           SavedSims

           SC4Terrains

           Teleport

           Thumbnails

---

3. POSSIBLE ERRORS

The primary benefit of shower-proof skin tones is that they retain a custom mesh's body shape in a true nude state. The true nude state occurs only in three instances without outside influence: the shower, the bath tub, and -- in some instances -- the hot tub. There are potential errors that will be noted that will inform us that something is not working.

3.A. MAXIS NORMAL SHAPE IN THE SHOWER, BATH TUB, OR HOT TUB

Firstly, it should be understood that not all skin tones are available in a shower-proof condition. Sims using these non-shower-proof skin tones will not make use of a special mesh in a true nude state. When you see a sim revert to the Maxis normal meshes in the shower, this is most likely due to the misunderstanding that because a sim is a bodybuilder in clothed states, that the skin tone magically knows to stay a bodybuilder in the shower. This could not be farther from the truth. There is no way to add a new body shape to the game so that it operates in this manner.

You must make certain to use a shower-proof skin tone when making your sim to prevent this sort of error.

If you have used a shower-proof skin tone for the sim, then one of three things is at fault (in no particular order):

--1. The skin tone may not have been made properly shower-proof.

--2. There is a mod interfering with the operation of the shower-proof skin tone.

--3. There is a mod interfering with the operation of the sim entering into a true nude state.

Generally speaking, the appearance of Maxis normal meshes indicates that the skin tone in use was not made shower-proof.

3.B. FLOATING HEAD IN THE SHOWER, BATH TUB, OR HOT TUB

If either or both the torso and/or legs go missing in the shower, bath tub, or hot tub, this is almost always a clear indication that the required mesh is not installed in the downloads folder, or -- rarely -- is not being used by the game due to some internal error of the game's custom content catalogue function.

If you are certain that you have installed the mesh(es) in the downloads folder, make certain that it is not in a sub-folder. If it is not in a sub-folder, try moving the problem mesh to the SavedSims folder.

[-]My Documents

   [-]EA Games

      [-]The Sims 2

           Cameras

           Collections

           Config

           Downloads

           HTTPCache

           Logs

           LotCatalog

        [+]Movies

        [+]Music

        [+]Neighborhoods

           Paintings

        [+]Projects

           SavedSims <-- here

           SC4Terrains

           Teleport

           Thumbnails

If moving the mesh(es) to the SavedSims folder does not correct the problem, it may require re-installing the game to get the mesh(es) to function properly. Before moving to this extremity, it is usually a good idea to politely inquire in the location you downloaded the shower-proof skin tone if anyone else is having a similar problem, sometimes even the best creators make mistakes, and certainly downloading an updated mesh is far less trouble than re-installing The Sims 2.

---

This File Last Revised: Wednesday, 17 October, 2007

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
� Copyright 2007 Yakov Izakyn

Permission to use, copy and distribute this document and related graphics is hereby granted for private, non-commercial and education purposes only, provided that the above copyright notice appears with the following notice: this document may be reprinted and distributed for non-commercial and educational purposes only, and not for resale. No resale use may be made of material contained in this document at any time. All other rights reserved.

This document is protected by copyright as per the BERNE CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF
LITERARY AND ARTISTIC WORKS (Paris Text 1971), Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 (UK), Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 (USA), and other national and international laws and treaties, howerever, you are granted permission to:

1. use and study the material,


2. copy and share the material with others,


3. change the material in order to clarify the topic,


4. translate the material,


5. distribute changed and therefore derivative works,

so long as all derivative works are distrubted free-of-charge and retain the original copyright statement.

New uploads!!

I have a few new uploads coming soon. First, a house called Timber Pass. Next some value kitchen tiles that are simple and seamless. Next is a set of facial hair (recolors). They are recolors of Gabi's original goatee since I really liked it, but it needed the default colors and some funky ones. :)

Expensive Appliance recolors

I have gotten a few suggestions to recolor the expensive appliances in addition to my recolors of the cheap appliances. Maxis objects are notoriously difficult to recolor, their textures can be very complicated. I have had to completely recreate some parts in order to get them to look the way I wanted them to.

Also, in terms of "hunger points", the Econocool fridge has the same number as the expensive fridge. The only appliance that's really worth upgrading is the stove - the Dialectric has 2 "hunger points" while the expensive stove has 10. So let's just say that for now, I'm considering it, but at this time I'll have to put the project on hold. And when I do decide to take it on, I'll probably only recolor the expensive stove - because that's really the only appliance worth upgrading as far as game play is concerned.

I've got one more set of "cheap" appliances coming out - this time in bright colors. Beyond that, I've pretty much exhausted the range of colors that work for those objects. So right now, I'm back to concentrating on my "Just Color" series and hope to expand that to include a wider range of objects that hopefully can decorate every room in the house.

I want to thank everyone who has sent comments about my creations and I'm so happy that you like them!

Problems getting on Sims2 to create.

Okay I have had a few problems with playing Sims 2 since installing Bon Voyage. I originally thought it was my graphics cards even though there should be no problems.
The problem obviously was the graphics in some way I thought and made it pretty much impossible to play.

Although the video at the beginning and everything worked perfectly.

So I ended up uninstalling the whole lot. Right back to the original game. Then I reinstalled it and it seemed to be working..
Until I tried the other neighbourhood that I always used to play since getting Seasons. Patching never helped either.
Once I go onto this neighbourhood it messes up the graphics on all the others.
Even if I create a new neighbourhood it is all messed up.

So in the end my answer was... To stay out of that neighbourhood and don't create new ones hehe.

Anyway that would be why I haven't been able to make anything on Sims2 to upload.

Bon Voyage Sets, Walls and Floors, Seasons, and More

Well, I have finally finished up my first Bon Voyage Recolor Set, and it will be broken up into 3 parts- the first: bedrooms, second: living room/dining rooms, and third: miscellaneous. These sets will be released later this week.

With those sets done, I am resuming work on my walls and floors that I created back in August. I should be submitting most of them by Friday.

Third... I will be making another Seasons recolor set- the fifth one, and I will be releasing it in three parts, similar to the Bon Voyage Set.

Along with these sets, I will be finishing the Simplistic End Table Mesh set soon, work on the High Life Living Room Set, and then begin work on a new set that is top secret right now. ;-)

That's it for now!
Happy simming!
~simmyfan2852~

Meanwhile, to make my site less bare, I've decided to feature my Bellissimo recolours. I just love this set - a VitaSims creation. I know that some people have had trouble downloading from that site - instead of left clicking on the "download" link, right click and choose save as - some browsers, including mine (Firefox) have trouble saving those files - I find this solution works for me.

Well, finally saved up enough for a minisite. Guess I should get to work on some new recolours, huh? I tend to work in fits and spurts - spend a week or two doing nothing else, then drift away for awhile - Maybe I'll use this as an incentive to get back to obsessive recolouring.

Night & Day

I've been dying to get my hands on the gorgeous ladies' suit mesh from Glamour Life Stuff for a long time and, now that I've finally installed this pack, I've at long last been able to have a go at re-colouring it. I wanted to make a slightly more modest version with less cleavage on display. I've made five linen suits in subtle pastel colours worn with a white lace camisole for everyday use and five silk suits in vibrant colours worn with a black lace camisole and black choker suitable for a night on the town. The changes are not major as I really liked the original suits to begin with. I didn't want to interfere with the original shoes which I like very much and I haven't changed the actual suits much beyond altering the colours and adding damask patterning to some of the lapels and trim.



All suits are available for adult and young adult females. You will need to have the Glamour Life Stuff Pack installed for them to show up in your game. The pastel suits are categorised under everyday wear and the dark suits are categorised under formal wear.

New poll!

Thanks to everyone who took part in my Hallowe'en poll. My first Hallowe'en set is currently being completed and prepared for upload - it's a "wig" (hair) set for cheerleader costumes and I hope you'll all like it.
There's plenty more to come, too - between now and Hallowe'en, I will only be making spooky/gothy/novelty sorta downloads (taking into account all your poll answers, of course).

I'm now looking for feedback on my hair sets. I only do the four genetic colours, because that's what I like to have in my game. But it's not me that downloads the sets, it's you! Please answer my poll, post in my guestbook, PM me, and let me know what colours of hair you like to download. From the results of that poll, I'll put together some swatches, and shortlist a maximum of around 10 - 12 "standard" colours that all my new hair sets will come in (and I may add new "extended" parts for my old hair sets with those extra colours too).

Thanks again for all your feedback, through polls and comments. Keep it coming!

Something Old, Something New

Well, they say everything old is new again, and I guess that is a little bit true. I am uploading a lot of my older works that will be new to TSR. These will placed in the free rotation on a permanent basis, there will be a one day hitch when they will not be free, but they will be free after the first day.

Many of these items were inspired by the work of other artists, namely: Cyclonesue, Gara (Gara's Boutique), Katy_76 (Sims Mod Board - dead site), Marina (Marina's Sims 2), Olemantiker (InSIM, etc), Padre333, Shakeshaft, Shannanigan, Shtinky00 (Holy Simoly & TSR), SimAddict99, Simtomatic, Solander (Pimp-my-Sims), Solfal, Suzanne (Sim People & Me), and Windkeeper -- and many others as well.

These items are meant to compliment the work of these artists and hopefully both you and they will find them satisfactory.

First up will be my Construction Set, then following in close order my Arkham and Post-Modernist Sets.

Edit 14 Oct 2007: The Construction set is now posted and free :)

Edit 15 Oct 2007: The Arkham Set is now posted and free :)

Back to Building

I'm finally doing some building again. Expect many new starter homes from me, particularly ones that would work well as vacation cottages for Bon Voyage. I also realize that I haven't made many new community lots lately. So, we'll see if I come up with some unique ones in the near future. What I'd like to do is experiment with terrain paints more.

Which reminds me.... if you'd like to do the same, head on over to the Challenges and Contests section of the Sims 2 Forum here at TSR. There's still time to enter the October S2HBAA contest. Our theme this month is Scary Cemeteries, so you can put all those creepy terrains to good use! :)

Poll Results

Thanks to all 81 users who took part in my last poll. Here are the results:

What do you like to download?(Check all that apply)

Lots 39.51%(32 votes)
Clothing 74.07%(60 votes)
Hair/Makeup 61.73%(50 votes)
Objects 77.78%(63 votes)
Wallpaper 28.4%(23 votes)
Flooring 23.46%(19 votes)
Sims 20.99%(17 votes)
Pets 4.94%(4 votes)

Roses and Spooky Lamps

Had a busy weekend of making objects, I completed two sets: Rose Flowers and Halloween Table Lamps. Preview pictures below...

Sleepy Hollow: Excelsior Mill

A very old mill that is still standing after all these years. If your Sims like dwellings with a history, this is perfect for them. The mill has been partially converted into a house, but does need some fixing up. Wonderful slatted windows and door by that famous german craftsman, OleManTiker, and a water wheel (which is decorative only) by reknown waterologist, MsBarrows. Comes with an invisible driveway (ah, just park the car on the grass). And there is one odd thing (only one?) .... there really isn't a front door. There is an arched doorway into the living area. Somehow it just seemed right to leave the arch ... a regular door just didn't look right. Excelsior Mill pix ...

Sleepy Hollow: Tiker's Mill

An interesting combination of old wood and crumbling stone is the base for this house. Small but roomy house and is perfect for a family just starting out. House comes with an invisible driveway by roddyaleixo. A special thanks to Olemantiker at InSIMenator, who has been most kind, allowing me to recolor and use his 'slatted' windows and door for this house. I have always loved these items and have used them for a long, long time in my game. The windows and door adds a special touch to Tiker's Mill, and this lot was named in honor of him! He is such a sweetheart!!! Tiker's Mill pix:

Your Guide to Easy Recoloring

I had made this guide for someone who wanted to know how to start designing custom content. Hopefully this can help one of you get started too! Please note that this guide does not cover image/graphics editing. I personally use Paint Shop Pro and have some knowledge of Photoshop. If you need help with image editing, please PM me. I'll consider making a guide for image editing in the future. :) What you will need SimPe, which you can find here: http://sims.ambertation.de/. A paint program. MS Paint, Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop are good examples. If you don't already have a paint program and cannot afford to purchase one, there are good free alternatives you can find by Googling "free paint programs" or "free graphics programs". Ultimate Paint is a good example, you can find that program on ultimatepaint.com. Recoloring We will start by opening SimPe and opening the Object Workshop. To get started, Object Workshop must load appropriate files. This can take several minutes. Click "Start" to begin the process. Once Object Workshop has fully loaded, you will choose the item you want to recolor. In this example, I have chosen the Cornerstone End Table. Once you have selected your item by highlighting it (click once to highlight), click "Next". Make sure "Recolor" is selected in the drop-down menu and that "Create Color Extension Package" is always selected. Once you have chosen these options, they will be this way for future recolors. Click Start! A window will open. Name your file and click "Save". Yet another window will open, as seen below. The following images will walk you through the rest of the process. Open the exported texture file in your paint program. :) When you've finished and saved your file, copy and paste the file into your Downloads folder to test it out and take a preview shot in the game. :) It's extra important that you give your file an original/unique name so that you can find it later for upload. Remember, this is an "easy guide", so there are things I have not included that you will learn along the way. This guide is to teach you the basics, give you a general idea of what is involved in recoloring, and provide you will a good foundation for other areas of creation. Once you get a feel for SimPe and your paint program, this process will take a very short time!

A Fix!

Enough people have asked for it - so I have done it. My Winter Wonderland set was based on a mesh by Athlan which no longer resides on TSR. So instead of trying to locate it (others had tried) I decided to just use a new mesh. I based the clothes on a mesh done by Madeleine2005. I hope you like it. The biggest difference is that the cowl is slightly larger and the jeans are tucked into the boots. Also keep an eye out for the Jefferson sofa recolours of a mesh done by Murano - really digging her stuff lately :) Hopefully I will have got myself sorted and get onto recolouring Padre's latest set - so keep an eye out for that! hugs Nancy xx

New "Prisoner" Lot

Next to come in "The Prisoner" lots range: the Stone Boat, seen throughout the series. It was used as a hideout, an electioneering platform, and a climbing-frame for old folks, of all things... but I am releasing it as a residential lot, so there. ;)

Merry Turkey!

Well, I didn't end up with time or motivation to get this set done in time for Thanksgiving but decided to go ahead with it anyway - perhaps some of your Sims have yet to finish their Thanksgiving dinners and can still get some use of out them. :)

So, this set features earthy brown and crimson tones. The base linens sport turkey track prints and the accent runners are turkeys in the straw. Since this set is later than I had hoped for, I'm releasing it immediately tomorrow morning, Mon., Oct. 15'07.

Now, on to the stack of Hallowe'en creations I've been planning! :P

THE BLOCK 2 PREVIEWS

Here are the previews of the first SIX LOTS in my latest BLOCK 2 SERIES! Coming soon! Hehe... hope ya all like it! Happy Simming and Gid Bless, Alyosha... AKA Nige. :)

Link for Formal Hair Mesh

Hi Guys. I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with the Sims Artists Union website and you're not able to get the mesh for my formal hair colors at this time. Seems like it's been down most of the day and the past few days it's been acting pretty weird. I'll keep an eye on it and let everyone know when the site's working again.
Again, I'm sorry for this.

Thanks for understanding,
queenie

Edit: Just checked the link again and it seems to be working now. It's possible it maybe go down again because it's seems like they're having problems with the site, but for now it's working.