Date Posted: 26th Nov 2011 at 8:27 PM

As a result of creating a few complimentary walls in the Basic Wall Superset I am prepping for upload, I've updated matching floors in Part 3: Woods of my Ultimate Ceiling Superset. A few of the wood floors, while seamless, were not smooth enough or had repetitive patterns I overlooked.



~*~Stephanie~*~

Date Posted: 14th Nov 2011 at 4:06 PM

It's been a strange past month. So strange that David and I didn't even notice our anniversary slipped past us. Not to worry, once everything is back to normal around here, we shall take a bit of time for ourselves! Poor David threw his back out mucking about with a gravestone. So, this upcoming week will be a bit of time at the doctors office getting him "straightened" out.

As for Simming...with the death, funeral and craziness of immigration drama...I went on a creation frenzy. I've been building things, but not uploading them. Part of the reason is that I've been trying to "perfect" things in my Sim world. I found myself creating lots and walls and then tearing them apart in order to "perfect" them. It became a cycle. In hindsight, I guess it was because my life has been feeling a bit out of control (especially awaiting immigration roadblocks and technicalities that leave a person existing in limbo).

So, I had to stop Simming...not only because I have been spreading myself a little thin, but also because I couldn't seem to stop editing my creations. For instance, I recreated Fallingwater 3 times. I redesigned the walls/floors in the Basic Wall Superset to the point of eliminating all obvious repeating patterns in the tiles. I also started several versions of Gwrych Parson's Retreat, but deleted each one because it wasn't quite "right". After setting that aside, I found myself organizing and reorganizing the Babylon 5 Walls into sets. Eventually, I put it all aside because I couldn't find closure with it.

Now that things are normalizing a bit (with both Immigration and my Father-in-law's funeral being over), I will be returning to Simming this week! I've got a few things to get into the queue, but all being well, I shall be back to Gwrych on December 1st!

Date Posted: 3rd Nov 2011 at 5:12 AM

For the past few weeks, my father-in-law has had been sick. David and I have been spending much time going back and forth to hospital with him. He was admitted a couple of weeks ago. Initially, we thought he would get better, but things took a turn in the last week of October. He died on Halloween, 8 years to the date that his wife died.

From my viewpoint, his life was a good one...one of hard work, love, challenges and forgiveness. He was so full of life, but in a way he was preparing us over the last few months for his passing and my life is richer for having known him. We were quite close and he will be greatly missed.

There is so much to do and to handle with funeral preparation and closing what remains of Dad's life. My days are full of real life stuff and my nights exhaustion.

So, I haven't been Simming much. I thought the distraction would bring a bit of release, but I am progressing at a much slower pace than anticipated. It seems to take the longest time to do the simplest Sim things. So, I just wanted to say that until things normalize in real life, I will be Simming minimally. I have 3 lots and a set of walls ready to upload. But, I am not in a space to upload just yet. Soon.

So, until we get back to a semblance of normality around here, I will be slowly Simming. I ask for a bit of patience.


~*~Stephanie~*~

Date Posted: 15th Oct 2011 at 4:47 PM

I've been playing around with the ideas of "swimmable lake" and "waterfall" (in large part due to inspiration from triciamanly). In my upcoming Gwrych lot (the Parson's Retreat), I want to use one or both of these concepts to create an outdoor spiritual getaway of sorts. In addition, I wanted to create a couple of modern 3x3 lots using these concepts as well.

So what did I decide to do. I decided to build Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright.

It's a magnificent and complicated lot to build (as I'm sure those who have already built it well realized), especially wanting to include a waterfall and a swimmable lake. I found it even more challenging than simreplicating Gwrych Castle or the Sistine Chapel. But it worked out!

This house allowed me to "practice" both concepts, but is also the most dynamic house I've ever attempted to recreate. The actual house truly is a natural work of art, as if the rocks on which it is built gave birth to it.

Anywho, below is a sneak peek at the house. It is massive and probably the largest residential lot I've ever built using most of the space on the lot (6x5). But, to do the house itself justice, doing it any other way would have been a waste for me.

So here it is. I am just finishing up with the lot after almost two weeks toil.


I am almost finished with the lot, but I will have to remove unnecessary CC to share it.

So, I shall get back to packaging my 700 Basic Walls Set (60% complete), deciding how to upload the Babylon 5 textures, building the shell for the Gwrych Parson's Retreat, uploading my "Other Side of the Tracks" lots and finally my Sim version of Fallingwater.

Busy, busy! Must distract myself from real life!

Date Posted: 5th Aug 2011 at 6:45 PM

Last Updated: October 3rd, 2011

Date Posted: 16th Jan 2011 at 3:57 AM

I've been working on my first real-life novel and the inspiration has been high to the point where the plot is playing out in my dreams and consuming my thoughts during my waking hours. I'm also on a spiritual quest at the moment and just enjoying life itself just for the sake of doing so. So Simming is being put into a neat little box for now, only to be pulled out on occassion. But for me, this is definitely a good thing!

With that said, I shall only Sim when I am inspired. My pattern as of late seems to be twice a week and only for a few hours each day. While I plan to finish with Gwrych, I've decided to let go of any other Sim ideas and only inspirational things. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but I must free up my time.

********************************************

With that said...On to the business:

As of January 15, 2011
A New Neighborhood Map and my Final 2 Jetsons' Lots have been Uploaded and Pending Changes and/or approval, you should see them posted soon.

********************************************
What's Next:
1. Final Gwrych Barony Residential Lots (5 remaining)
2. Final Gwrych Barony Hotel Lots (2)
3. Babylon 5 Texture Set 1
4. Final Gwrych Barony Apartment Lots (2)
5. Final Gwrych Barony Community Lots (2)

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FUTURE STUFF:
There are 5 other small sets of Gwrych lots that will follow the above uploads. There will also be future sets of Babylon 5 Textures. I will only work on Simtopia as an inspirational project over time.

Happy Simming All!

Date Posted: 9th Jan 2011 at 7:32 PM

I haven't been online for a couple of months now as I decided to take a complete vacation from all things Sim. I actually haven't used my main computer (The Simming computer) for a while now as the motivation to do so has been nil. But, today I am on-line on my Simming computer and we shall see if I can get back into the swing of things.


So...What's next...

Uploading a Neighborhood Map and 2 Jetson lots

Final BARONY Set:
Gwrych Barony Residential Lots (5 remaining)
Gwrych Barony Hotel Lots (2)
Gwrych Barony Apartment Lots (2)
Gwrych Barony Community Lots (2)

Babylon 5 Texture Set 1


FUTURE STUFF:
There are 5 other small sets of Gwrych lots that will follow the above uploads. As for the COMMUNITY LOTS Project, it is on the back burner UNTIL after Gwrych as well...but I encourage lot buildings to from time to time create a few functional community lots just for fun and because we need them!


Here is a "working" image of the Gwrych March/Barony lots placement for those of you interested. I warn that it may not make complete sense at the moment, but it will give you an idea of where to place the lots you already have for Gwrych. I used Map 4 as my Gwrych Vacation map. The area to the left that is not labeled includes the March lots. The upper right is the Barony and the Lower Part includes most of the remaining lots to come.


HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!

~*~Stephanie~*~

Date Posted: 29th Nov 2010 at 12:19 AM

MTS has 274 pages of Sim houses. There are 41 pages of community lots. It would be great if we could have more Community lots to compliment these houses by building complete neighborhoods that have more than shopping malls, restaurants, churches and coffee shops. It would be wonderful if lot builders can come together and give Sim downloaders more "functional" community lots to choose from.

There are many reasons why there are more residential lots than community lots. I'm sure that many lot builders prefer the decorative & design elements of creating a home moreso than creating businesses. It is also a bit more time consuming to test community lots and ensure they are functional for downloaders. Another reason community lots tend not to be as popular is because they tend to be limited as to what your sims will do there...but maybe we can come together and change all that!

FOR LOT CREATORS:

What:
"MTS COMMUNITY PROJECT"

Why:
To provide the Sim Community with a variety of smaller (with a few exceptions)Community/Commercial Lots that are more functional using minimal or necessary EPs/Stuff Packs and minimal to moderate Custom Content.

When:
Relaxed Time Frame / There is no "rush" to complete this and it will continue until the Master Community Project List is fulfilled (or interest to do so is nil). / Every 4 Months Creators will have the option of building 1 or 2 community lots depending on time and interest in doing so. / You can opt out/in a project at any time. / It's not a contest or a race...just a freedom of creativity.

How: A Master Community Lot Project List will be created and shared (more than likely here in my Journal or in a Project Thread elsewhere on MTS). 2 Lots will be selected from the list and a list of resources will be shared/generated and added to the main post with links. Creators will build 1 or 2 lots, sharing progress and getting ideas from the collective group as we go along. Lots can be uploaded as completed before or at the 4 month deadline.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS:
* I will also be adding a "CLICKABLE" list on the Project's main page when the time comes of everyone who is participating. This may prove useful down the road.

* There is room for compromise and/or other ideas in this plan. This is just to give everyone a better idea of how this could work.

* This will not begin until after the New Year to give everyone a bit of time to mull over the whole thing and start fresh next year.

FOR OBJECT MAKERS:
I'm also hoping this community project will inspire object creators to add those much needed decorative and functional extras as well. Some decorative items are necessary to pull off a specific look. Creating a fire station without an extinguisher or a fire hose would be a bit lack luster. The irony is that decorative items can be used to increase a Sims skills set as well. Then, there is the idea of making objects that are functional. For instance, David was thinking about creating a functional fireman's pole for the Simtopia Fire Station I built. Such things would be great. Or like a policeman shooting range in lieu of the ax-throwing. So, yes...I imagine as this project gets underway, object makers/modders may have a few ideas to share as well. Not to mention the fact that it would also be great to have a complete theme of objects available here at MTS.

ABOUT THE MASTER LIST
Below is a "temporary" list of lots for the project (created mainly from my Simtopia Project). I mention Simtopia because I started that project with the idea of creating a complete community...but it is for ALL Sim EPs/STUFF Packs and CC as needed. I wanted to involve the community for a similar project...this project...that uses minimal EPS/STUFF PACKS and Minimal to Moderate CC. Understand that Base Game Creations and Community Lots without CC is encouraged for this project.

I also mention Simtopia because I have created a few of the lots already with the goal of making them more "functional". If you haven't downloaded anything from the set, I encourage you to download at least 1 or 2 of the lots from the following link to see what I mean by more "functional" if you have all the EPs and STUFF PACKS.

I also think it may be interesting to download 1 or 2 of the Train/Airport lots to see what they are like as well. I have a few maxis modified things in my Post Office at the Train Station and in the Airport that make them a bit more functional as well.


Some of the places on this list may not (in the moment) seem realistic for a community lot. I know there are many places and things not included, but this is just a sample list to share the idea. I am also aware that many of the places may be a bit decorative at the moment, but through shared ideas and resources and hopefully a few creators who contribute a few unique objects to the project, we can make them more functional. Also there are several places that may be better combined into one and others that we can remove from the list. I just wanted to share what the list I compiled looks like. I think we can easily cut the list down to about 30 places. So that would be the first thing we as a group would do is to reduce the list to a more manageable size. Keep in mind This is not etched in stone and is editable. I just wanted to give everyone an idea of where this is heading.

HOW THINGS MIGHT WORK
So Let's say we decide to build lots in traditional, modern and futuristic styles ...

Please note that I didn't include Theme specific styles like (Medieval, Victorian, etc.) because there is very little support within Maxis/EA content to keep it simple and period appropriate.

So back to the scenerio... Our first assignment may be a Town Hall and an Art Museum ....

1st We brainstorm what both environments "may" look like and the types of activities it could include.
2nd We compile a list of resources.
3rd We begin building and share ideas and images (only if you want to) as you go along.
4th We work at our own pace (deciding if you wish to build 1 or both lots), keeping the 4 month deadline in mind.
5th We upload our creations as we finish them or before the deadline.

PARTICIPATION
I'm not trying to pressure anyone to participate with this project. Feel free to say "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks." Believe me, I won't be offended.

FYI
For now, this is just an idea, but it would be great to know how many people would be interested in doing this?

Date Posted: 27th Nov 2010 at 4:34 AM

Back to The Current "To Do" List

Task Set 1: Continue Gwrych Barony Residential Lots
Barony 3x5 Castle (Residential Version)COMPLETE
Barony 3x3 Manor House (Residential Version) COMPLETE
Barony 1x2 Tradesman Cottages - 2 (Poverty/Moderate) NEXT
Barony 1x2 Serf Hovels - 2 (Poverty/Moderate)
Barony 1x3 Parson's Cottage (RESIDENTIAL LOT)

Task Set 2: A Few Sideline Creations
A Jetson's Style Hotel - (A Request) IN PROGRESS (Decorating the Rooms)
Babylon 5 Textures - Blue Sector
A Small Modern House

Date Posted: 5th Nov 2010 at 5:12 PM

The Ultimate Ceiling Superset
I've FINALLY "Submitted" The Ultimate Ceiling Superset in 7 Parts. It's such a massive set, so I may have to make a few changes. With the exception of the Sistine Chapel uploads, there are enough ceilings/floors to style-out the ceilings (and/or floors) of any house be it a mansion or a futuristic warehouse.



Back to Things Medieval

For the Next Week or 2
Two Simultaneous Projects

Task 1: Continue Gwrych Barony Residential Lots
Barony 3x5 Castle (Residential Version)COMPLETE
Barony 3x3 Manor House (Residential Version) COMPLETE
Barony 1x2 Tradesman Cottages - 2 (Poverty/Moderate) NEXT
Barony 1x2 Serf Hovels - 2 (Poverty/Moderate)
Barony 1x3 Parson's Cottage (RESIDENTIAL LOT)

Task 2: Explore A Futuristic Hotel (A Request) IN PROGRESS Okay...not medieval, but something to break the medieval monotony!


THE VACATION
David and I had an extended Vacation the last week of October in Victoria B.C. (Canada) which I called Anniversary Part 2. As with everything...I got all "Dolled-Up" in a Sparkly little red number with a cropped jacket and leather boots. Believe me it was much more glamourous than it sounds! I always go big with FASHION when I go out (even to the grocery store).

We had a great hotel room in Victoria, fabulous meals and several small adventures. We visited The Nanaimo Art Gallery and The Nanaimo (Historical) Museum. We also went to Victoria, B.C. which is one of my favorite Big Cities of all times for a variety of reasons too numerous to name. We went to the Royal British Columbia Museum and watched an IMAX show about (what else) Vincent Van Gogh. I know, not everyone's cup of tea, but for me that's icing on the cake!

So... for those of you who asked, it was a brilliant trip with lots of love and reconnecting.


And now...back to silent Journal Mode whilst I work on the Gwrych Residential Lots and the Futuristic Hotel (what a contrast).

Hopefully, my next Journal Entry will be to report that I am uploading the lots from both Tasks.