* TTFN

I've thought long and hard about whether or not I'll play my game again - and I currently have no answer. I've not loaded it up in quite some time, and have no inclination to either. Real life ain't so bad once you give it a good go.

I felt the need to write this post to say thank you to all of you that have made playing this game a much richer experience. The simming community is amongst the biggest and best out there, and it's been a pleasure (mostly) to be a part of it. I've made a few wonderful *keeper* friends, and some great acquaintances. I've even made a few enemies... which was fun!

I won't say that I'll never play again - I just might. This blog is going to remain here - fully intact - just in case I *get the urge*.

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley.

If you're wondering where I am and what I'm doing - you can find me here, under my real name - the whole *incognito/username* thing was fun with the sims - but not so much without it. Yes. I am rolling my eyes at myself, right along with you. I've traded the sims in for my first obsession - food and cooking and EATING!

Here's where I send a huge hug to Ninoo. Because I can.

Much love

L xx

* The Washboard Laundromat

I built this launderette/laundromat (depending on which side of the pond you live), quite some time ago and haven't given it much thought since. It's currently residing in my Sunset Valley, on the corner of Mirabello Road, just opposite where the original hospital sat and on the land that was previously occupied by the art gallery. Though the art gallery lot was demolished and replaced with a smaller parcel of land. I think it's 30 x 20, but will have to go back into my game to check and can't be arsed right now.

It has a cupcake cafe attached to it's backside, because I could - and it has all been playtested. You may want to remove the dukebox, as random sims turn up for a boogie when your playable sim is washing his smalls. I quite liked that though, the madness of the SV sims is always entertaining :)

Also, I succumbed and used laundry type items from the Town Life SP, and a neon Car Wall hanging thingy from Fast Lane. It's all easily replaced with objects from Ambitions though (was ambitions the one where we got laundry????). If ya want it, the download and it's details are at the bottom of this page...

* Ninoo's Cemetary

When Ninoo requested a Chapel, she also slipped in (illegally) a request for a cemetary to go with it. BAD NINOO. I've been sort of distracted just lately and Ninoo has been my ray of sunshine. The girl is absolutely, utterly and completely NUTZ and I love her. So I figured I'd finally better pull my finger out, and do this for her.

As requested, it has all the gumpf that a cemetary normally has, and there's an underground *tomb* type bar, with a grotto style hot tub. Nothing special, just a little extra that's completely alterable. The lot has been play tested and is fully functional. All the gravestones are generic ones, and can/should be replaced as you play your games and your sims actually kick the bucket :D

I kept the shades of blue that Ninoo wanted for the Chapel, too... and I have a feeling that I forgot to designate it as a cemetary!!!! You can do that though ;)

* Everything Changes

Over the past 10 years or so, I've been a member of various Simming Communities and co-owned several downloads sites, one of which was Sims 3 Musketeers. I've wanted to do my own thing for a while now, and the time is right - so I have removed all of my downloads from S3M, and they are now here, on my blog. If anything is missing, it's because I plan on redoing it at some point in the future.

You can find easily accessable links in the column on the left, that let you know where the downloads are - both Community and Residential. Where there are more than one type of *lot* to download, there is an additional label eg. Library/Art Gallery. If that's all too confusing, let me know and I'll attempt to simplify things.

Don't forget that there's more than just downloads labeled though. This is, after all, a blog :)

If anyone has any issues with my downloads, whether it's locating them, or just plain *download not working*, please let me know here (or on tumblr), somewhere - and I'll do what I can to help.

L xx

* Minus One

Just a quick note to let people know that I have resigned as admin/top dog at The Sims Daily. 

It was fun while it lasted and I want to reassure friends and enemies alike - yes, I have enemies (they even send me nasty little PMs from time to time.. can you imagine???!!!???... oh the shame of finally understanding that not everyone is as wonderful as me) - that I was not pushed out or asked to leave - in fact it's not what the rest of the team wanted, it's what I wanted. 

I am far happier bimbling about all over the shot, doing my own thing, than I am having to deal with the almost daily crisis that crop up when you're trying to please all of the people, all of the time. I'm not a people pleaser, so you can imagine just how often I would get my knickers in a twist!!!

Thankyou to all the people that make/have made the forum such a special place to spend time, and although I am no longer admin, I promise I will continue to turn up and *try the patience of a saint*, on a regular basis.

Lots of love to Dailies and The Crew,

L xx

* Ninoo's Chapel

...yes... it's ANOTHER CHURCH THINGY!!! This one was a request from Ninoo, at The Sims Daily forum, in the classified ads section. This... and a cemetary that I have yet to build. Ninoo asked for hues of blue, somewhere for her sims to get married, use the loo, eat and dance... hopefully I've covered all of the bases. She also asked for NO custom content, but store stuff was fine...

* Rachel's House

At The Sims Daily, Dee came up with the idea for a *Classified Ads* section, where people in need of buildings/decor help/landscaping could advertise that need. Charlestonsims (Rachel) asked for a large(ish) family home that would suit an American Suburb, with lightly landscaped gardens. I responded to the *ad* and this is what I built for it.

Happily, Rachel loves it - if she hadn't, I'd have built her something else and left this one as a bare bones lot. I quite like it too and thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

* St Ursine's Wedding Chapel

St Ursine's Wedding Chapel... named for a long lost, non-existent relative, of Claire Ursine... because I can. It's been built in Sunset Valley, but will obviously go anywhere. It does have virtually the entire Romanza Store Set (minus the clothing)... again - because I can... and has been playtested to within an inch of it's life. It works... for me... if it doesn't work for you, although I shall try to feel guilty about it - I wouldn't hold your breath. I am NEVER ... never... altering it again.

It had one staircase to the basement party room, and I'd put the cake too close to the bottom of it... have you any IDEA just how long a sodding sim will stand in line at the top of a staircase that's blocked at the bottom by other sims standing in line to watch a cake get cut??????????

No?

F*CKING HOURS!!!!!

It has been fixed. There are now two staircases... the empty cake table has been moved, and there's an extra empty table for plates to be stacked up on... yes... they even queued up to put their plates down.

If you want proof that it works go HERE. If you just want to download it, read on :)

* 15 Maywood Lane (Bare Bones)

I did tell you I had a shit load of these, and I have about 45 minutes to kill doing various non wifey related things, before I have to go and watch Castle with hubby. I was gonna make a cheesecake, but I don't have enough cream cheese... so I'm here instead, uploading another *nekkid* house for you to download, and hopefully enjoy. 

HAH! I've just seen where I left the mailbox... might be a good idea to move it if it's still there when you download it *rolls eyes*.

* Kisses and Wishes

A bit of a spoiler, I know - but I do like a happy ending at the beginning... plus, I just plain LOVE this picture... and it's my blog.. so there...

Anyhoo... on with the story.

* 17 Maywood Lane (Bare Bones)

 

And so... offering up a *bare naked house* was a huge success (if my downloads stats are correct), and as I have a shit load more in my game, I figured you could have 'em all, a bit at a time. This one is dead opposite the last one, in my Sunset Valley (though it'll obviously fit anywhere) and has been built simply because I liked the houseplan. I've no idea who I will give it to, I had thought the Harts might like it, but it's a bit big for a couple of escaped mental patients and their doting daughter...

I hope you like this one as much as you did the first one :)

* Bare Bones

Above, is 16 Maywood Lane. It's basically just the building, with windows and doors and interior rooms. There's not a speck of furniture, nor a plant to be had. I build these all the time, with specific families in mind, and never share them because they don't seem quite good enough without all of the floss... but my friends think I've got it wrong, and that a lot of people quite like the idea of a completely empty home or community lot, that they can personalise for themselves.

So I'm going to make it available for downloading and see what happens.

* Alvis' on the move...

After leaving the Wainrights *sob*, I thought I'd see if I could do anything to aid the Alvi family. Get them out of that rainbow puke house and into something a bit less... putrid. I can't stand it when my sims don't have decent homes to live in - it takes a poor picture, unless you're playing a grungified game - in which case, imperfection is the perfection you're aiming for.

I don't *do* grungy. I'm crap at it.

* The Other Sim Antics

I love taking random pictures of my sims and sim landscapes etc - that don't really fit in with what i want here, at my blog. So yesterday I opened a tumblr (or Simblr... it's all in the perspective) account. Other people tend to post all over the shot, and though I've felt a little guilty in the past, about sticking my images all over various forums.... I now only really participate in the one forum - so I reckon I can go for it and spam the living daylights out of various spots, with images from my game.

I shall continue to use my blog for stories and random simming, plus somewhere to say "Hey, look what I did... now go download it!", but now I have somehwere to stick stuff without explanation.

If you want to follow my simblr, or just take a poke about - it's HERE.

* Mirabello Institute of Art

I've built an art gallery to replace the rather large one in Sunset Valley. When I started it, I had no clue what I was doing, even though I'd decided on an exterior build quite early on - the inside defeated me. I was bored out of my mind with it, then came across some half decent images that helped inspire the interior. My sims absolutely love it - there's a cafe, as well as easels and a sculpting wheel/table, so that your sims can do more than just look at the art. I'm hoping to eventually replace all of the buy mode art, with art created by the sims, within the studio (you can do this too!) - but it'll take too long to do that and share it, so I've shared it now :)

* Puppy Love

I left Susan and Boyd Wainwright, a couple of weeks back (maybe longer, can't be arsed to check), with a boredom solver, firmly ensconced in a dog bed, in their living room. It was Boyd's idea, not mine - so I figured I'd let him be the one to explain to Susan, just what he had done when she was out working late...

* The Edge

I have always absolutely LOATHED the 28 Hour Wellness Centre/Gym thingy in Sunset Valley - to a point where my sims have always been exceptionally unfit unless they didn't mind jogging to work occasionally. So I figured I'd built a Sports Bar - might as well build my sims a Gym/Fitness and leisure centre to go with it... don't ask me how I worked that out. I don't know. Call it a theme... or boredom. You choose.

* Mullen's Bar

My sims were desperately in need of somewhere to go that wasn't a park, a pool, a beach or a made over Rabbit Hole and I have no idea why - but my mind hit on Sports Bar - so I built one. It has been marginally playtested, and the only fault I can find, is that sims sitting at the bar turn their heads in the wrong direction for watching the TV and I can't be arsed to change that. If it pisses me off LOADS I shall just remove the tv's completely... it's not like anyone'll be watching them when there's a brand new pool table upstairs!!!

* Empty Nest

 So .... having left Claire and Captain Underpants to deal with their own honeymoon (if they even had one), I hunted around Sunset Valley for my next victim(s) and came across the Wainwrights... a couple of happily married adult sims with a young adult daughter (Blair) who no longer lived at home... no kids, no need to have kids, no need to earn money to support kids... the perfect couple.

Maybe.

* Captain Underpants

... after an incredibly successful date with Claire, Yves felt the need to take a nap in Claire's bed whilst she was at work. He'd worn his favourite sexy (or so he thought) underpants in the hopes of getting a little more out of the date than a meal and a snog - these were his lucky underpants, because he'd always *gotten lucky* when he'd worn them in the past.

* Guilty conscience

Seeing as Claire wasn't having much luck scaling the ladder of  Master Thiefdom - when the opportunity arose to do a side job in Champs Les Sims - she took it. She needed a break from the mundanity of Sunset Valley (and so did I)... being a doting mum was all well and good, but there were times when Claire really needed her space. The fact that toddlers are unable to go on holiday, was a welcome break for me too !!!

* One more reason to love this community

I'm not often given to soppiness. It makes me cringe. But I had to share now, because although this community has it's share of ups and downs, it's highs and lows... occasionally, someone goes that extra mile and reminds me why I still play this game. It's not the game that keeps me coming back for more. It's the people that play it.

Let me explain... at the The Sims Daily Forum, I asked if anyone had seen a multicoloured chandalier, as a sim object, that I could use in my game. Loads of people helped out with suggestions and links, Laure even went as far as creating one from different chandaliers in her own game, to show me that I could do something similar in my game.

ATS Sandy went the entire distance though, and meshed it.... but she's a devious little bugger and wants people to participate in the challenges that we create at The Sims Daily, so although she made it - I now have to join in the Valentines Challenge, if I want to have it. Crafty or what?

Here's the Challenge...

...and here's the participation prize

NOW can you see why I was feeling all soppy???

* Here We Hoe

A couple of weeks ago, after reading through through a few comments at the TSD forum - we decided to run a gardening challenge that might encourage our members to think outside the box, when creating outdoor spaces... and I had to share a few images from the challenge, so far, because I am in awe of how much people have pushed themselves to try something truly new. The above image is the entry by Phyre, a wildflower meadow on an uneven landscape.

There are more images below, by other members. I'm sorry I couldn't include more but you'll just have to go see for yourselves how beautiful they all are.  I'm unsure if you'll be able to see the complete entries unless you are already a member.  We recently had to change what guests can see in the forum, due to an excess of spamming traffic. I just wanted to share these images, because these people are my friends and there is nothing quite like sharing *The Happy*!