Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

Sims 3 aMAYzing Gift Exchange ~ DONE :)

Comments

  • cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    BreeMiles wrote: »
    I am now nearing 60 items in my little Amazing Gift Exchange Folder! Its going to be a super awesome year to play Sims 3! <3 Gorgeous creations everyone!! <3

    I know what you mean! I've downloaded everything (or at least one version of everything) to play later. I'll have to add the stories to my site as I explore them all.

  • BreeMilesBreeMiles Posts: 8,903 Member
    @ciane that will be for some very interesting reading! Can't wait! <3
  • GraceyManorGraceyManor Posts: 20,079 Member
    Hi everyone! =) Came by to browse everyone's creations and I must say they're all wonderful!.Some real talent on here.:o
  • equuestequuest Posts: 718 Member
    Time to play catch up on everyone's gifts! :)

    @ciane I love love love the interior of your Haiku apartment! The interior looks so modern with an asian flair! I really love how the ceiling continues the pattern that's on the walls.

    @suzes I love the Culpepper household! I love the story that you wrote for Lainey Culpepper, it was really interesting. What a pity that Paulo left though, but she seems content with her farm and magic. I really should play more supernatural characters, they seem fun! Serendipity Farm is suits the family beautifully! I love the eclectic interior that really speaks to Lainey's story about frequent traveling! I also love the idea of farms in Isla Paradiso, it has beautiful scenery.

    @Jessabeans I love the mill that you created! What a great build to fix up and make a great converted family home. The stairs in the interior are definitely my favorite part, I like how you mentioned that's where the mill equipment originally was! Also, I have a special love for grungy interiors <3

    @SamelaRita Beautiful story! It's wonderful how all of the family is moving out to be closer to one another. I can't wait to see the house they're moving into :)

    @ADWilson Dan and Marge look like an interesting household to play! The fact that their relationship might change is an intriguing idea.

    @60smusicluvr K.I.🐸🐸🐸🐸 is a beautiful home! I love how you decorated the exterior, and the interior is so cozy! I downloaded it into my game and I loved looking around to see how you decorated everything. It's lovely.

    @Mystik1978 I love the household you created! Once again more supernatural sims. I really think I need to learn to love supernatural sims. And I'm a horse lover in real life, so that's something I want to play with more too! I was just thinking the other day that I wanted to create a horse farm in the sims.

    @Hidehi What an interesting household and idea for their Jungle camp! I really like that idea, it would be really interesting to play out. I love how you made the sims also, their outfits really speak to their personalities.

    @BreeMiles Ciane's Place is a beautiful and modern home! I'm definitely going to download it and look around. I love how detailed it looks. And the household that you made is great too!

    @AlphaFen Haha! Vincenzo seems like he would be a challenging sim to play! I really like him a lot!

    @BreeMiles Both houses that you made for the community are beautiful! <3 Thank you! I can't wait to explore them more.

    Okay, well now I have to go do some homework, so I'll catch up more later :) Everyone is doing a great job in this gift exchange! (Left off at page 41).
  • 60smusicluvr60smusicluvr Posts: 1,982 Member
    @Kgaff, it's time to introduce you to gift #3!

    I was really intrigued by one of the styles you mentioned. I had been wanting to try it out before. Problem was that I found much of the things I looked at, there uh, landscaping was, uh . . . Little to be desired. :neutral: For such a GRAND looking design, why isn't the landscaping on this style of home, like, AMAZEBALLS?!

    I was DETERMINED with all my might NOT to use the mansion set pieces from the store. But silly me had to learn how to use the half mansard roofs, first, because the mansard roof piece were made for 7 X 7 roofs or larger. Seriously, EA? :angry: That's where Gift #2 came in handy.

    I played with my boxes for several hours (probably) before I found a structure that I liked and, when I threw the paint on, everything began to click and take shape. I had a bit of an inkling that you really, really like tropical/beach.y/coastal looking homes and I was thinking, hmm, I've never really tried that out before. That would give this home the pop of color it needs.

    So, what do you get when you combine a modern Second Empire style home with colorful plants?



    Note: Some screenshots don't represent the final product entirely. I did some very minor changes that allowed me to reroute the sims, so pesky neighbors wouldn't enjoy the pool. (Pic below is entirely up to date)

    hSeQ9bX.jpg
    Can you spot the difference between the pic below and the one above?
    fLPVAjo.jpg

    6bY8nB9.jpg

    356nVLe.jpg
    vwJ5tmJ.jpg

    Let's' spin around!
    XpcxxPx.jpg
    BGrLToe.jpg
    419OJUk.jpg
    9UChaqx.jpg
    EmDnCQ9.jpg
    7iycgRU.jpg

    From above in both directions!
    73cGT9R.jpg
    8ZuK6vv.jpg

    You can see from those screenshots best, how little room the home takes up on this 30X30 lot. The landscaping makes the home look much larger than it actually is. It's quite a bit smaller than KISS.

    Here are the lots side by side for comparison
    av6MMOC.jpg

    You've probably guessed by now that this is the home that I had difficulty doing interior decorating on. I was looking for something that would match the outside, so I imagined something a bit Moroccan and coastal, but that was completely out of my element. I was SO indecisive and that was just on the kitchen! So, the interior is completely empty. I hope that you and everyone else that downloads this build has fun decorating the inside and puts their own little spin on it! :heart:
    Below I have tips on how to place shutters

    Now, I remember I had mentioned, somewhere in this thread, being frustrated when the shutters don't fit on any of the windows, though that was several days before I even began this one and, as you can see, I managed to put shutters on this build.

    I've tried to put shutters down on so many of my builds without any success.

    I want to share with everyone that may not know, just a couple secrets about those pesky shutters that I learned, while I made this home.

    First, these shutters and windows look like they were made for each other. Before finding them, I looked around for windows with the shutters already attached, but there aren't very many. The best one I found was from the store, but it wasn't working entirely.

    1. The window and shutter combination I found were both from the basegame

    If you've worked with the shutters before, you may notice that they can be incredibly hard to place and when you are able to place them, they tend to disappear, when you put the walls up.

    2. The shutters will disappear if they aren't directly below the roof. So, if you have a two story building, and you try to put the shutters on the top and bottom floors, the shutters on the bottom floor will disappear, when you put all the walls up.

    Sometimes, as I demonstrate here, you already have a roof above the shutters, but they still won't show up! :angry:
    72pq2DW.jpg

    This could be because 1 of 3 factors.

    3. If you are one of those simmers that doesn't want to see the sky through the roof and want to have a ceiling, instead, the shutters will disappear. So, do not put floor tile directly above any window with shutters.

    The screenshot I took here looks like it was taken from pretty far away, so it's just a temporary problem.

    4. Lower level shutters will disappear if you move away from the lot too far. Notice how the upstairs shutters are still visible :grey_question:

    You may notice that the shutters aren't visible if you don't own the property.

    5. If you've followed all the steps above and still are missing shutters from view, this is because your sim has to own the property in order to see them. It does not matter how close you are to the lot, they will NEVER show up. :rage:

    That makes up all the things I learned about the pesky shutters. So, now that you know what to do, you can finally place them without all the frustration.

    I have one last thing to share, before I go. Those that want to download this lot, please take note:

    On the second level of this home, you might notice this little problem area.
    UgeK7TR.jpg

    I've determined that it will have to stay a problem (and hopefully not a very big issue) because when I tried to fix it, it oddly effected these decor pieces. They wouldn't show up, after I deleted this wall and rebuilt it.
    Gw1zHNL.jpg

  • suzsessuzses Posts: 2,433 Member
    Hello @Mystik1978

    I was really glad to learn Katie makes great horses. You had mentioned a horse in your letter, and since Colin likes horses, I thought making you one would work out well. You see, though, EA horses are the one thing I always thought they got right. I'm perfectly happy with most any horse that shows up, and so I doubted I was the person to make one that would cause anyone to ooh and aah.

    It makes me very happy that you'll be well taken care of in the horse department because, you see, I decided to go in a somewhat different direction.

    Gift #4
    Paradise Equestrian Center


    47896787301_a78fb9bd94_z.jpg


    Download link: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310516

    Pictures here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmDrfdxr

    Since there are no interiors for this lot (unless you count the inside of an all-in-one :D ), I only have a few pictures to share. I do hope you find there are fun things to do here, though.

    This might be a good place to mention that the lots I chose to work with are all on one island, the larger one, because I thought sims would be less inclined this way to take off the wrong way across the water to get to their destination a good part of the day later. They were staying on the roads for me when traveling from the farm to the downtown lot from yesterday and to the equestrian center.

    I do have something else for you tomorrow :) so don't go away.

    Ackney-upon-Sherne Collab on the forum here
    My Sims 3 Studio
    My forum builds thread
  • BreeMilesBreeMiles Posts: 8,903 Member
    @60smusicluvr your Sunny Side Up Second Empire Victorian Estate is super lovely, I love the colors you have used and the detail is wonderful! Don't mind if I do add it to my Amazing Gift Exchange folder! :)
    @suzses Paradise Equestrian Center is just what I need for my game, such a wonderful place and beautiful and very detailed! Yes grabbing it up! <3
  • KgaffKgaff Posts: 1,614 Member

    @60smusicluvr What can I say, I'm speechless except for that fact that I'm the lucky person who got this!! <3

    It's beautiful, from the roof tops to the landscaping. I love the green you used and the gardens and the roof decorations, just all of it. I can't wait to check out the inside layout get to work on it. :)

    BTW, I have always had trouble with shutters, most of the time they go in backwards (shutter on the inside instead of out) or they don't snap to the spot I want them, and as you said, they only fit a small group of windows.

    I'm going to see if I can keep my launcher up and running long enough to grab this and check it out in game.

    THANK YOU SO MUCH <3
  • mysterionzmysterionz Posts: 3,608 Member
    Gift to @friendsfan367

    Link: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310525

    I only had time for a family due to my schedule and schoolwork. I hope you enjoy
    Oh hamburgers!
  • friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    Bubbz3388 wrote: »
    Gift to @friendsfan367

    Link: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310525

    I only had time for a family due to my schedule and schoolwork. I hope you enjoy

    i love them. its okay like addy says the letter is just a guide. i'm sorry i won't be able to give my thoughts just yet. i made new account so some of my privleges come and go but downloading won't work i downloaded at least 4 games aready but they don't show up on the page.
  • mysterionzmysterionz Posts: 3,608 Member
    Bubbz3388 wrote: »
    Gift to @friendsfan367

    Link: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310525

    I only had time for a family due to my schedule and schoolwork. I hope you enjoy

    i love them. its okay like addy says the letter is just a guide. i'm sorry i won't be able to give my thoughts just yet. i made new account so some of my privleges come and go but downloading won't work i downloaded at least 4 games aready but they don't show up on the page.

    Sounds good.
    Oh hamburgers!
  • mysterionzmysterionz Posts: 3,608 Member
    @LMC6255 didn’t get to see it until now. I bet I’ll have fun playing this family. Also on a coincidence, I looked up the meanings of all the sims names in the household and they all seem to be German or French in origin. That’s pretty cool.
    Oh hamburgers!
  • JessabeansJessabeans Posts: 3,714 Member
    ciane wrote: »
    BreeMiles wrote:
    I am now nearing 60 items in my little Amazing Gift Exchange Folder! Its going to be a super awesome year to play Sims 3! <3 Gorgeous creations everyone!! <3

    I know what you mean! I've downloaded everything (or at least one version of everything) to play later. I'll have to add the stories to my site as I explore them all.

    I'm looking forward to that Ciane.


    I know for people who don't play renos 4 is kinda overkill but I don't expect people to play all of them. I was hoping that out of the 4 one would strike your fancy. I've been nervous creating out of my depth all month but I'm happy I didn't miss the mark for those that enjoy doing them. It was a ton of fun to play through several of the ones I found around to get an idea of what to include.

    I'm going to get my last gift uploaded either after I get my little one lunch today or this evening. The 4th gift has an alternate version too, for those who aren't into renovations. I will catch up on the new gifts that have been uploaded today as soon as I get a chance.
  • ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    @60smusicluvr
    Sunny Side Up is gorgeous! Players will have a lot of fun decorating this.
    Your attention to detail has created a home with wonderful landscaping that even the most snobbish of sims won't turn their nose up at.
  • BreeMilesBreeMiles Posts: 8,903 Member
    @Bubbz3388 super cute family and I grabbed them up! Can't wait to see where their journey leads me! <3
  • ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    @suzses
    Gorgeous equestrian center that could easily find a home in non-tropical locations! Although there is a certain appeal to having a sim ride a horse along the beach ... {{jots idea down}}
  • suzsessuzses Posts: 2,433 Member
    edited May 2019
    @ADWilson What a great idea to use the two-unit approach for Marge and Don. I like that they mirror each other and are individualized, as well as the shared mail/recycling/garbage setup out front and the nice backyards.

    And thank you also for Mr. Fixit and his fixer-upper! Mr. Fixit should be in heaven with this lot, as will a few simmers around here I imagine.

    And on to Prissy Place. Love the entry area with its fountain, plantings - very pretty and calm. I like also that the main living areas are toward the back with easy access to the backyard area. It has a nice open kitchen and living arrangement, large kitchen space, cute pantry area, and a nice office nook.


    @60smusicluvr Hello Sunshine is really darling and cheery. I love it!

    And wow, Sunnyside Up! (Love your lot names). This is so well built and detailed, and I love the landscaping. I will be borrowing this to put somewhere and will have fun furnishing and decorating it.


    @ciane Another apartment building - these must have kept you pretty busy! I love its contemporary style and textures. I'm always on the lookout for apartments to stick in my worlds and intend to grab this one. The common areas, indoors and out, have wonderful amenities and lots to do. Thinking the residents won't often want to leave home. Xia and Mi are nice roomie sims, too.

    @SamelaRita It's very nice that you and Addie figured out a way to preview the gifts you made. The boardwalk looks to be a good spot for sims to mingle and have a bit of fun. I find it amusing that the name conjures up a beach environment, while the property itself looks to be in the middle of horse country, with perhaps the only water around being in the horse trough. Looking forward to hearing all about it when you get home. :)


    @AlphaFen Ah, Magda, so "normal." Not unexpectedly, a very fun story and "interesting" sim.


    @Jessabeans How is it you make rundown and nearly falling down so attractive? Loving Tudor Revival even as it stands. I know it's intended to be renovated, and no doubt will be many times, but I can almost imagine putting in a semi-homeless, poor sim and leaving it be what it is.




    Ackney-upon-Sherne Collab on the forum here
    My Sims 3 Studio
    My forum builds thread
  • ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    @Bubbz3388
    Your gift to @friendsfan367 looks great!


    When I ran it through custard, it came up with 2 CAS items.
    I tried to install to see if anything came through or not but am unable to install (am having launcher issues on top of everything else!). Left a note on the front page but thought I would mention it here as well. I don't think it's an issue but since I truly can't check, I can't say for certain one way or the other. Sorry.

    bubbzcas.jpg
  • 60smusicluvr60smusicluvr Posts: 1,982 Member
    Kgaff wrote: »
    @60smusicluvr What can I say, I'm speechless except for that fact that I'm the lucky person who got this!! <3

    It's beautiful, from the roof tops to the landscaping. I love the green you used and the gardens and the roof decorations, just all of it. I can't wait to check out the inside layout get to work on it. :)

    [. . . ]

    THANK YOU SO MUCH <3

    I'm so glad you love it, Kgaff. :relaxed: This was my baby. <3 By the way, I'm happy I figured out how to use the roof pieces, rather than use the store set (although, I love the store set, don't get me wrong) and now I'm confident that I can make another one with little issue. There definitely needs to be more Second Empires on the exchange and that's a huge reason why I wanted this gift to be THE ONE. Really love the style of them, but I think the next time I'll go a little more traditional. ;)
    Kgaff wrote: »
    @60smusicluvr
    BTW, I have always had trouble with shutters, most of the time they go in backwards (shutter on the inside instead of out) or they don't snap to the spot I want them, and as you said, they only fit a small group of windows.

    That's EXACTLY what I meant, when I said they are incredibly difficult to put on. I wondered if my eyes were deceiving me, when I saw it snapped to the correct spot, but I was so relieved and happy about it. :):relieved:


    Don't go away! I have one last gift for you, tomorrow. >:)

    I'm seeing lots more amazing builds coming in. I will come back, later tonight, to comment.
  • ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    Heading out to take daughter to doctor for follow-up appointment and will be back later.
    She's doing pretty well overall and wants me to give thanks for your kind messages.
  • mysterionzmysterionz Posts: 3,608 Member
    ADWilson wrote: »
    @Bubbz3388
    Your gift to @friendsfan367 looks great!


    When I ran it through custard, it came up with 2 CAS items.
    I tried to install to see if anything came through or not but am unable to install (am having launcher issues on top of everything else!). Left a note on the front page but thought I would mention it here as well. I don't think it's an issue but since I truly can't check, I can't say for certain one way or the other. Sorry.

    bubbzcas.jpg

    Hmmm that’s odd.. idk what caused it
    Oh hamburgers!
  • AlphaFFrogAlphaFFrog Posts: 1,250 Member
    edited May 2019
    @equuest Beautiful shade of green on the exterior and the mix and match style of the furniture gives it a characterful eclectic feel like someone has been building up their home over time with every piece having a story. It just really works but I can't quite put it into words (sorry, words are not my strong point)

    @BreeMiles Little modern looks so calm, it's modern but not too edgy perfect for Aurora Skies and I love the lights on the front path waiting to welcome you

    @60smusicluvr Love the green brick, the grand portico, colourful flowers and extra credit for the use of the word amazeballs :p

    @suzses It's great how you've combined the rustic of the stables with an Island aesthetic and given sims something to do so they can have a proper day out.

    @Bubbz3388 The Neumann's do look interesting and all the kids means you get to play with each life stage all in one gift, very thoughtful :)
  • AlphaFFrogAlphaFFrog Posts: 1,250 Member
    edited May 2019
    @Jessabeans I know exactly how you feel spending the past month being nervous and out of your depth trying to create a reno :#

    @Mmdrgntobldrgn You mentioned you’d be busy, and I apologise a big gift has caught you at a bad time, but whenever you are free this will be here waiting for you :)

    Gift 3 for @Mmdrgntobldrgn Forging a New Path - a Renovacy Challenge

    Renovacy Challenge Rules – credit to the marvellous @SamelaRita

    Name: Forging a New Path
    Cost: Financial Cost: £47,485 Personal Cost: Love, hope, sanity and clean clothing
    Lot Size: 40x40
    Style Fifty shades of tetanus
    CC/CAP/Spawners:Nada/None/Zero
    MOO/CFE: MOO was used to delete two automatic chimney stacks and place the two smoky bits on top of the colourable stacks. No CFE of any kind or any other form of elevation including moral or spiritual was used in this build o:)
    Over Dramatic Preamble: Do you ever get the urge to drop out of college? Marry someone you’ve known for two months? Use all your savings to buy a place cold enough to make penguins invent flipper knitwear? Think that centuries worth of metalworking run off is "totally fixable"? No!? What the llama have you been doing with your life!!? Grab some protective clothing and let the McGowans show you how self destruction is done! B)

    pfshypt.jpg
    Once home to a blacksmith, his family and a fire breathing dragon, aka his mother-in-law, Inglestone Forge was abandoned over a century ago. Since then the forge has since been fled from by numerous surveyors, most right minded folk and anyone with a basic preservation instinct, till a knight in shining armour came to its rescue

    Marianna – not actually a knight
    N64zb53.jpg

    What Marianna lacked in actual armour and credible jousting skills she made up for in hopeless romanticism, she knew she and new handy husband Lachlan could escape the 9 to 5 fates of their parents! They would make they’re own lives and their own home! With a workshop for him and a dark room for her! Maybe it was the rudimentary plumbing, the high risk of mercury poisoning or the way the estate agent broke down in tears when they said they’d buy it, but they knew they’d made the right decision. So ignoring the advice, warnings and desperate pleas of their parents they moved into the forge with the wide eyed innocence of lambs ignorant of the long term consequences of damp

    Is it damp? Is it ivy? Is it a never ending money sucking vortex? Who knows?
    jfPEkHO.jpg

    The house came with many wonderful surprises like original stonework, indoor rainforests, ancient timber beams and accidental 10ft plummets through the ceiling, but the most unplanned joyous of them all was that Marianna was already pregnant….with quads…. :#

    (l-r) Harper, Mason, Fletcher and Taylor confirming Marianna’s worst fears that their first words will be tetanus
    Af8ONtE.jpg

    With their budget getting as tight as Marianna’s maternity clothes renovation plans were put on hold. In fact everything was put on hold, their dreams, their plans, their marriage. Now Lachlan spends all his time trying to make money in the workshop providing for the children he never sees :pensive: While Marianna spends all of her waking (and non waking) hours toddler wrangling, that’s when she’s not busy being wrangled by toddlers. With Lachlan retreating into his loner shell and exhausted perfectionist Marianna finding fault with everything loves young dream is slowly turning into a nightmare. Will they fix their house? Will they fix their marriage? And for the love of llamas will someone please fix the bathroom wall!!? :weary:

    04D2CYe.jpg
    Sim Traits
    Marianna: Perfectionist, loves the outdoors, hopeless romantic, artistic, photographer’s eye
    Lachlan: Artistic, shy, handy, eccentric, good
    Mason:Good, clumsy
    Fletcher: Artistic, brave
    Taylor: Loves the outdoors, excitable
    Harper: Loner, genius
    Giant spider over the bath: Fear of toddlers, fear of spiders, fear of accents
  • KgaffKgaff Posts: 1,614 Member

    I have one more gift for @Jessabeans . Gift 3

    In your letter you mentioned that you tend to build symmetrically and with wide open spaces. This one is a bit different and defiantly not symmetrical.

    When I found the inspiration picture for this it was meant to be a lake side cabin but I think it will fit in any lot. This was a build I struggled with due to the angled fireplace wall and I've never successfully done a loft but I like the way it turned out.

    Sunburst

    Affordable Scandinavian style cabin house plan with a loft. The main floor has an open concept kitchen, dining and living room with one bedroom and one bath. Large floor to ceiling windows let in an abundance of light.

    33972255298_bc808c9c1a_h.jpg
    46933299635_338201b42c_b.jpg

    47797416772_074ff98c13_b.jpg

    33972254998_ea97038692_b.jpg

    46933299375_24d5f17671_b.jpg

    The loft area with large windows, a desk, sofa and painting. There's lots of room on the walls for all your masterpieces
    47797416432_08017d64b9_b.jpg

    Side yard with a fire pit and sauna. Most of the back yard is left empty for anything you might want to add
    33972254728_3273791c46_b.jpg[/url]

    Inspiration picture
    32905617097_92cabe7af3_b.jpg

    Download https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310542
  • BreeMilesBreeMiles Posts: 8,903 Member
    edited May 2019
    @AlphaFen your Forging a New Path is very lovely and calls to me to add it to my Amazing Gift folder! Wonderful creation! <3 The toddlers are so super cute! <3

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file
Return to top