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Hi KaytayRoall - These are my gifts to you!

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Hi buddy @KaytayRoall :blush: Finally the time has come to reveal my gifts for you! It was such a nice surprise to find out you were my buddy. After you gifted me Aurora Skies in your Second Chances and New Beginnings contest, I felt like this was a great opportunity to thank you again and to do something back by making you something wonderful to play in your game :heart:

It was a real challenge and I had a lot of fun making these gifts! I played with whole new aspects of my game that I had never enjoyed before. So thank you for that :smile: Anyway, I hope you enjoy your gifts just as much as I enjoyed making them :blush: Have fun!

Comments

  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited February 2016
    Gift 1: Mills Household

    Meet Emma Mills and her daughter Joy. Ever since Emma was young, she wanted to become an equestrian. But when she found out she was pregnant, she put her dreams on hold so she could take care of little Joy. Emma found a job as a receptionist, Joy was born and while the years passed they lived a happy life together.

    But Emma’s dream of working with horses always lingered in her mind. Emma adores her daughter and wants to be a good example for her. Now Joy is getting older she really wants to show her that she can do and become anything in life, especially since Emma didn’t fulfil her dreams yet. So Emma quit her job and she and Joy moved to another town. They found a nice house with enough space and adopted a horse. They named her Hope. What will the future bring for this family? Will Emma be able to chase her dreams after all? And will Joy have the courage to chase a dream of her own?

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    Downloads:
    Mills Household
    Emma Mills
    Hope
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited February 2016
    Gift 2: Equestrian Regional Training Grounds

    Since the Mills household moved to a new town to chase their dreams, Emma and Hope needed a place to practice their skills. So for your second gift I rebuild the Equestrian Regional Training Grounds that came with Appaloosa Plains. I removed the outside area and replaced it with an extra training field for beginners. I did some landscaping and added a new outside area. I also rebuild the inside of the building. It now has access to the upper floor, where I put in a lounge area, kitchen and two bathrooms.

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    On a sunny day Emma decided that they would visit the Equestrian Regional Training Grounds in their new town. While Emma and Hope where enjoying each other's company and where working on their skills, Joy had a fun time as well. She loves butterflies and discovered some flying around next to the Training Grounds. She also rode a horse of her own.

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    Downloads:
    Equestrian Regional Training Grounds
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited February 2016
    Gift 3: Rosewood Gardens

    Enjoy a nice day out in the park with the whole family. It doesn't matter if you want to work on your skills or just want to have fun, Rosewood Gardens offers both. The parc has four corners, each with a different theme: a greenhouse, fishing pond, games area and childrens playground. All corners are connected to a gazebo that stands in the middle of it all. Inside Sims can read and play different games. The upper floor offers a nice view over the surrounding area. A lovely day is guaranteed!

    This was actually the first gift I created :) In your letter you mentioned earth tones and the color blue, the world Hidden Springs and having new places to send your sims around town. So this became my starting point and inspiration while I was building. Rosewood Gardens is built in Hidden Springs, but I think it would fit in other worlds as well. Hopefully you and your Sims will enjoy this new addition in their town :blush:

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    And while I was testing everything I used Snow White, a Sim I created that was inspired by the television series Once Upon a Time. So funny, because when Snow visited Rosewood Gardens she captured a blue bird, something she does in the series as well :)

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    Downloads:
    Rosewood Gardens
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited March 2016
    Gift 4: Maple Tree Homestead

    Moving to a new town means moving to a new home. So I present you: Maple Tree Homestead. I know it's not a starter home, but I fell in love with the Mills so I wanted them to have a really nice family home. So if Emma earned enough money with races and training foals (or by using the money cheat o:)), she, Joy and Hope can move into a bigger house :).

    Maple Tree Homestead is a two story house, suited for three Sims. The first floor has a hallway and bathroom with laundry area. The spacious kitchen with a canning and baker's station is big enough for Emma and Joy to cook and bake together and has access to the roofed porche with a sitting and dining area. The first floor also has a big living room. It's a nice room to spent time in as a family, but also to invite friends. There is enough room to lounge in front of the tv and to play games together.

    On the second floor there currently are two bedrooms and a bathroom. But if you ever decide to expand the Mills family, or want to use this house for another family, there is enough room (on top of the living room) to extend and add more bedrooms.

    The large garden contains a horse stable for two horses and a greenhouse with fruit trees and bushes which can be used to make jams and marmalades. It also has a children's play area for Joy, a chicken coop and a little terrace. There is also room to add things to the garden.

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    Downloads:
    Maple Tree Homestead
    Mills Household + Maple Tree Homestead
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    Hi buddy! :) Don't worry about keeping me waiting, life happens and I'm still finishing up my own last gift that I'm giving, so no rush. :) I'm happy to hear you had fun with some new aspects of the game while making them. That's one of my favorite parts about the exchanges is being pushed out of my comfort zone to find fun new things!
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    @KaytayRoall Your first gift is finally up! :smile: You're right about being pushed out of the comfort zone. Until now I never played with horses. But after reading your letter I was challenged to do so after all. And I'm having so much fun! I hope you enjoy this first gift as well. I have two other gifts that are ready to be uploaded, but I'm still working on the last one. So I'm going back in game to work on it some more now :wink:
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    :o I am in love! Hope is so gorgeous! And what a great little family. The story you created for them is so wonderful. <3<3<3. I can't wait to get them in game and see how their story unfolds. Thank you so much, this is a perfect gift!
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited February 2016
    Thank you for your sweet message @KaytayRoall :heart: I'm so glad you like the Mills household and their backstory. I hope you have a lot of fun playing with them! I just uploaded your second gift. This one is related to Emma and her dream of becoming an equestrian. :smile:
  • cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    Really nice colors and great lay out! Plus the kids' spring rider is perfect.
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    What a fantastic remodel! I love the extra function you've given it, with the kitchen, lounge and bathrooms. And it's great you added a couple things for a kid to enjoy! I suspect Joy will be meeting her mum here after school often. The beginner training area is another great addition. <3 Thank you so much, @Martje89!
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited February 2016
    Thank you @ciane :) I liked the spring ride as well. Joy was having so much fun so I just had to capture it in a screenshot.

    @KaytayRoall That's great to hear! I'm glad you like it :blush: I thought the original Training Grounds were a bit boring and it was a shame that there was so much unused space. So I had some fun adding new things to it. I think Joy will definitely like visiting the Training Grounds while Emma is working on her skills there :smile:

    Speaking of gifts, I just uploaded your third gift. It was supposed to be the fourth one I wanted to give, although it was the first one I made. But since I'm still working on your last gift, I decided to just go ahead and gift it know! :smiley: Anyway, your last gift will be something for Emma, Joy and Hope and it might take me a few days to finish everything. So that will be something to look forward to :wink:
  • cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    I love, love, love those gardens. Very nice job!
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    :love: So pretty... Rosewood Gardens is such a gorgeous little park! I can definitely see it fitting well in a number of different worlds. I love the soft, neutral tones and all the greenery. The enclosed pavilion is so clever. The greenhouse is a great touch, a community garden that will have harvestables in any season. It's great that there's plenty for kids to do here, too! And a pond and outdoor games... you fit so much into such a little lot! I can't wait to get this in my game to explore every little corner, because I can see even from just the pictures that there's so much attention to detail.

    I love the pictures with Snow White, too. Amusingly, my boyfriend and I were just talking about her earlier today. I'm a couple seasons behind on the show now, but she was my favorite character and the actress has a voice role in an upcoming movie that I'm looking forward to.
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    ciane wrote: »
    I love, love, love those gardens. Very nice job!

    Yay! I'm happy to read that @ciane :blush: Thank you!
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    :love: So pretty... Rosewood Gardens is such a gorgeous little park! I can definitely see it fitting well in a number of different worlds. I love the soft, neutral tones and all the greenery. The enclosed pavilion is so clever. The greenhouse is a great touch, a community garden that will have harvestables in any season. It's great that there's plenty for kids to do here, too! And a pond and outdoor games... you fit so much into such a little lot! I can't wait to get this in my game to explore every little corner, because I can see even from just the pictures that there's so much attention to detail.

    I love the pictures with Snow White, too. Amusingly, my boyfriend and I were just talking about her earlier today. I'm a couple seasons behind on the show now, but she was my favorite character and the actress has a voice role in an upcoming movie that I'm looking forward to.

    @KaytayRoall I just wanted to let you know I'm still working on your last gift. But I made some great progress tonight and I hope to have everything ready this weekend. Also, I'm so glad to see you like Rosewood Gardens :smiley: I really liked the idea of making a park that would be a great place to visit as a family. The enclosed pavilion was the first thing I built and it became the center of attention while I was adding things to the park :) It's also fun to see you noticed the details. I like to add a lot of details to my builds. That's probably the reason why it takes me a lot of time to actually finish something :D I keep building and rebuilding until I feel everything is in the right place. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Oh well... o:) I guess that means you just have to wait a little bit more until I can show you what I have in store for Emma, Joy and Hope. :)

    And Once Upon a Time is a great show. I'm also a couple of seasons behind (currently watching season 3). Ginnifer Goodwin sure is a great actress and one of my favorite charactes as well. I searched for the movie you mentioned and watched the trailer. It seems a really fun movie. Here in the Netherlands it's already in theaters, so I might just go and watch it sometime :smile:

    Anyway, enough talking (I tend to talk too much sometimes :wink:). I'm off to bed now since it's already 23.49 PM here. I hope you have a lovely day / evening :kissing_heart:
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    @Martje89
    I do not mind waiting at all. I'm sure it will be worth the wait. :)

    I got my game set up to play the Mills today and am having so much fun with them. It took a bit of shuffling, but I managed to get the training grounds, park, equestrian center and their house all close together. Well, "house"... they are living in a barn right now, the loft of which has been converted into an apartment. It's small and a bit minimal, but at least they have the proper facilities for Hope. They spent the first day at the park, playing, gardening and reading inside when it got too hot. Joy is so helpful, scattering hay and helping with the chores. She's a really great kid. Emma works on her riding skill while Joy is at school and has won a couple beginner races, but she prefers to spend the evenings with her daughter, so she's adopted a foal and is going to train him up for later sale to make money without having to race. Joy has made a couple friends at school, including a little boy who is also being raised by a single mother.

    And I'm rambling, sorry. I just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying playing with all my wonderful gifts. <3 Thank you so much!
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited March 2016
    Hi @KaytayRoall :smile: Your last gift is finally up. I hope you like it!

    I'm so glad to read you're having fun with the Mills family. Thank you for sharing your story :heart: Really clever that Emma adopted a foal to make some extra money. Maybe she can earn enough to move to a bigger house :wink: I also love the part where Joy met a little boy at school that's also being raised by a single mother. Who knows what will happen with those two in the future :) If you ever feel like sharing more, I would be happy to read it! Enjoy your last gift :blush:
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • thereesespiecethereesespiece Posts: 614 Member
    you are so talented @Martje89!!
  • tanubanuetanubanue Posts: 4,116 Member
    @Martje89

    Loving the house for sure :) And the family will go into my game when I finally get into play. Well all the things will lol Can't wait to see how it all works out!
  • KaytayRoallKaytayRoall Posts: 923 Member
    Today must be my day. I aced my physics test, had my professor tell me how much he enjoys having me in his class (so much he tried to convince me I should become a physics teacher myself) and then I come home to find yet another incredible gift for my game! :D

    Maple Tree Homestead is so wonderful and suits the Mills family perfectly. <3 All the outdoors spaces are wonderful, the stove on the porch, the little playground, the greenhouse and the open stable. I love that you included the chickens, too! The big kitchen is great and I can't wait to play around with the baker's oven and canning station. I've owned them for a long time, but hardly used them. The living room is so cozy, but with plenty of seating for guests or extended family. And I like that there is room to expand! I can't wait to get it in game and explore it completely. Hmmm. To start over with the Mills or try to earn enough money to move them into this...? Probably both eventually. :D

    I've had a hectic week, so I haven't had much time to play the last few days. And it will probably be a couple more before I have time again, but my game is somewhat farther along. They are doing better in terms of money after selling a horse and winning more races and competitions. They built a cottage so they don't have to live in the hay loft anymore, but it's still small and basic. With the apartment above the barn available, Emma decided to rent it out to someone in exchange for their help keeping up with all the farm chores. So Nicholas Riverhawk, a HS townie, moved in with them. He takes care of the garden mostly and helps with some of the other chores, but isn't much of a rider so that still falls to Emma to train and ride the horses. Emma's relationship with Nicholas has become something a bit more, though, since they have so much in common. Emma hasn't told Joy yet, because she doesn't know what her daughter will think, but she can't put it off much longer. After hitting his adult birthday, Nicholas proposed because he wants to settle down and Emma said yes. As for Joy, she is a teen now and very independent. Emma spent a day teaching her how to ride and now Joy will go off on rides on her own sometimes. She usually goes over to friends' houses after school to work on homework together and hang out. Brent, the boy I mentioned previously (who is, by the way, an aged up version of one of @friendsfan367 's gifts to me last exchange), is still her best friend, but it was Star Shue, a HS townie, whom Joy asked to prom.

    I think that's most of it. I know some of it doesn't mean much in terms of actual game mechanics, but this is the sort of story that I tell in my head while I'm playing. Anyway, I love the Mills, the training grounds (which Emma uses frequently), the park and now the home you've made for me so much. <3 Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    PS. I think I might have declined friend requests from you a couple times because I didn't recognize your name over on the sims 3 site, but I finally figured it out and accepted. Sorry, I'm a little dense sometimes!
  • Okblondee7Okblondee7 Posts: 2,607 Member
    @Martje89. I am so impressed! I hope you don't mind that I helped myself to your beautiful family. :)
  • pxelskiespxelskies Posts: 1,064 Member
    Amazing creations @Martje89! The Mills are a lovely household, and their home is gorgeous! I also love Rosewood Gardens and your rebuild of the Equestrian Regional Training Grounds <3
  • Bookworm742Bookworm742 Posts: 4,068 Member
    I'm thinking I might have already commented on Rosewood Gardens, but just in case I didn't, it looks wonderful! I especially like the little pond area. And Maple Tree Homestead looks fabulous! It's kinda perfect for AP. And I love the stable and greenhouse! A little something for everyone. :smiley:
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    edited March 2016
    you are so talented @Martje89!!

    Aww that's sweet @LaineeCheri Thank you! :kissing_heart:
    Post edited by Martje89 on
  • Martje89Martje89 Posts: 938 Member
    tanubanue wrote: »
    @Martje89

    Loving the house for sure :) And the family will go into my game when I finally get into play. Well all the things will lol Can't wait to see how it all works out!

    Thank you @tanubanue :) I hope you will have a lot of fun with everything!
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