@ADWilson:
Wow, what an amazing build! Seriously, you thought of everything! Why the heck didn't I ever think of making a playhouse for kids on a lot? I had one as a child, so I *should* have thought of it!
This is really an awesome house. I would LOVE to live in it myself!
CeCe is very cute, and I love that you made a dalmation for the firefighter!
@SamelaRita:
As usual, you supply something interesting for us to do. What a nifty renovacy! I know many of us will enjoy playing it.
@GraceyManor:
Wow, what a cute little house, so well put together! I love the way you decorated those rooms; it just has that homey, lived-in appeal. It has so many activities for everyone to do!
And you made another dalmation! What an interesting coinkydink, and they're such cute dogs.
@Charlottekn:
What an interesting house that you based this on! (Love the history behind it.) The house has a nice, rustic feel to it, and seems like it would be just right for a family beginning to grow.
It's hilarious that the ghost was doing chores and milking the cow. I take it that he's not part of the family, but has an urn or gravestone on the lot? Or does one of them has his urn in their inventory?
I really love the Christmas look to the other lot; that's my favorite holiday, and I'm all excited for it coming up. Your community lot will be a great one to steal borrow as well.
@Hidehi:
I always love your builds; your studio is one of my go-to places to get good builds for my games. The house is lovely, and looks like it would be a pleasure to play. (Will it go in Supernatural World? That's one of my favorite worlds as well.)
Rose is a very cute Sim, and the fact that her favorite color is purple - and that she wears it in every outfit - makes my little heart all happy. (It's my favorite color too!)
@LMC6255:
What a wonderful futuristic (or in this case, alien) home! What fun it will be to play in Lunar Lakes! (I love that world, but I've only played it once. I dressed everyone in the town up with stuff from the Movie Stuff pack. )
Amy and Meteor are very unique! They also have very interesting back-stories. They look like they will be a lot of fun to play.
@BreeMiles:
That house looks niiiiice! The outside looks fabulous, and I love what we can see of the inside. You're also one of my go-to builders, so I'm sure it's a house everyone will love to play.
TO MY BUDDY:
I'm sorry I haven't posted for you yet. I'm finalizing some details on it. I'm being very picky about the presentation right now. Don't worry, it will be ready soon!
Love the charming farmhouse! It looks like it has everything the siblings will need in order to succeed at the farming life. Going to be fun seeing the shenanigans Grandpa Ghost gets up to, hee hee hee
The holiday-themed park is a cute idea and I really like how you designed it.
@ADWilson:
Wow, what an amazing build! Seriously, you thought of everything! Why the heck didn't I ever think of making a playhouse for kids on a lot? I had one as a child, so I *should* have thought of it!
This is really an awesome house. I would LOVE to live in it myself!
CeCe is very cute, and I love that you made a dalmation for the firefighter!
@SamelaRita:
As usual, you supply something interesting for us to do. What a nifty renovacy! I know many of us will enjoy playing it.
@GraceyManor:
Wow, what a cute little house, so well put together! I love the way you decorated those rooms; it just has that homey, lived-in appeal. It has so many activities for everyone to do!
And you made another dalmation! What an interesting coinkydink, and they're such cute dogs.
@Charlottekn:
What an interesting house that you based this on! (Love the history behind it.) The house has a nice, rustic feel to it, and seems like it would be just right for a family beginning to grow.
It's hilarious that the ghost was doing chores and milking the cow. I take it that he's not part of the family, but has an urn or gravestone on the lot? Or does one of them has his urn in their inventory?
I really love the Christmas look to the other lot; that's my favorite holiday, and I'm all excited for it coming up. Your community lot will be a great one to steal borrow as well.
@Hidehi:
I always love your builds; your studio is one of my go-to places to get good builds for my games. The house is lovely, and looks like it would be a pleasure to play. (Will it go in Supernatural World? That's one of my favorite worlds as well.)
Rose is a very cute Sim, and the fact that her favorite color is purple - and that she wears it in every outfit - makes my little heart all happy. (It's my favorite color too!)
@LMC6255:
What a wonderful futuristic (or in this case, alien) home! What fun it will be to play in Lunar Lakes! (I love that world, but I've only played it once. I dressed everyone in the town up with stuff from the Movie Stuff pack. )
Amy and Meteor are very unique! They also have very interesting back-stories. They look like they will be a lot of fun to play.
@BreeMiles:
That house looks niiiiice! The outside looks fabulous, and I love what we can see of the inside. You're also one of my go-to builders, so I'm sure it's a house everyone will love to play.
TO MY BUDDY:
I'm sorry I haven't posted for you yet. I'm finalizing some details on it. I'm being very picky about the presentation right now. Don't worry, it will be ready soon!
Thank you sweetie, I added a few pictures to my blog!
@Charlottekn:
What an interesting house that you based this on! (Love the history behind it.) The house has a nice, rustic feel to it, and seems like it would be just right for a family beginning to grow.
It's hilarious that the ghost was doing chores and milking the cow. I take it that he's not part of the family, but has an urn or gravestone on the lot? Or does one of them has his urn in their inventory?
I really love the Christmas look to the other lot; that's my favorite holiday, and I'm all excited for it coming up. Your community lot will be a great one to steal borrow as well.
He's still part of the family. I made a parent for the kids and then moved them out. It was funny though. The minute I moved them in, he went and took a shower and then started cleaning and tending animals.
@BreeMiles Thank you for the gorgeous house!! I saw the photos and the décor is beautiful!! I love the style of the house and the color scheme! I am looking forward to seeing this lovely build in game!
@Charlottekn My goodness what a lovely New England farmhouse! I love the overall design and the décor, especially the windows in the dining room! @Hidehi I love, love, love the thatched English cottage! The lovely exterior and cozy décor gives this build an overall warmth! Rose Bush is a very pretty Sim and I am certain she has the gumption to make a living gardening, she will find that special Sim to share her garden with!
I was really pleased when I was given your name to build for. I was very intrigued by your buddy letter, and the fact that you work as a Ghost Hunter in real life. The fact that you like haunted houses was definitely an intriguing prospect.
I was a bit confused by the fact that you dislike Victorians, yet you love haunted houses, particularly Disney's Gracey Manor. There are two Gracey Manors: The one in Disneyworld which is kind of a castle; and the one at Disneyland California, an Antebellum Colonial - a type of Victorian. Looking at the floor plan for the one in Disneyworld, that would have been impossible; no matter how you would rotate it, it would call for some of the stairways to be diagonal, something you simply can't do in any Sims game. I tried for several days to figure it out, and eventually gave up and decided to do the other one.
Addy said you like the Now and Then set, so I decided the Antebellum wasn't out of the question; it would use the roof pieces, and not the Victorian style towers that I suspect is what you dislike. I personally love Victorians, but I don't like the EA built ones.
So, I based the outside of this house on the Gracey Manor at Disneyland; of course the inside is all my own. I did not duplicate what was in the ride; it wouldn't make any sense for a Sim family home.
One more thing: I apologize for the rooms not looking very cluttered in the images. You mentioned that you like deco, and I'm not so great with that; I tend to build simple, and only add deco as I play. However, many of the rooms are more cluttered and busy than the images will show; I took the pictures about a week before gifting time so I could get my post in order, but I continued adding stuff to the rooms as I looked at things and fiddled with everything. I had time to re-take some (but not all) of the overview shots, but not the inside ones. So the rooms aren't really as empty as the inside pictures may make them seem.
I will also apologize for the fact that I'm NOT very good with color. I tried using that swatch matching site that someone posted, but unfortunately, some of the swatches in CASt have inclusions and overlays, so even if you set a color number, the swatch in the game won't match. It's frustrating, so I gave up on it. I won't feel insulted if anyone feels the need to recolor things.
So now, on to the pictures!
First, this is the image of Disneyland's Gracey Manor that I based it on.
Then, this is my own take on it.
Floor Overviews
First Floor
A = Ballroom
B = Kitchen
C = Drawing Room / Tea Room
D = Breakfast room
E = Dining Room
F = Gallery
z = Common restrooms
Second Floor
G = Billiard room
H = Library
I = Study
J = Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Third Floor
K = Family and skilling room
L = Master Bedroom Suite (bedroom, sitting room, and bathroom)
M = Children's bedroom suite. Designed generally for girls, has playroom, three bedrooms, and two attached bathrooms.
N = Children's bedroom suite. Designed generally for boys, has playroom, three bedrooms, and two attached bathrooms.
O = Hallway, and central common area for sitting and reading.
P-U = Small bedrooms, either for children or guests.
z = Various bathrooms
Roof (Wasn't there a fourth floor....?)
Greenhouse
Cellar
Individual Room Close-up Overviews
First floor
Ballroom
Drawing room / Tea room
Kitchen, dining areas, and gallery walk
Second floor
Billiard room
Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Library and Study
Third floor
Third floor hallway and common room
Family room
Master bedroom suite
Girls' rooms
Boys' rooms
Full bathrooms for children
Both of these are identical. Each suite is also connected to a half bathroom in addition to the full bathroom.
Whatever happened to that fourth floor...?
Inside Screenshots
Many of these, unfortunately, were before I added rugs and deco to most of the rooms, so they look more empty in these pictures than the rooms look now. First floor
Ballroom
Drawing room / Tea room
Breakfast room
Dining room
Gallery
Second floor
Billiard room
Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Library
Study
Third floor
Third floor hallway and common room
Family room
Master bedroom suite
Girls' playroom
Boys' playroom
Hm... what room is this?
I know I saw these somewhere. Can you find them?
Did the fourth floor disappear?
Outside areas
Overview
West side
Back
East side
Greenhouse
Cemetery
Playground
Some of the furnishings and activities on the lot are the following:
Ballroom: Two dance floors from Ambitions, two dance floors from the ballet store set, piano, bass violin, violin, two stereos from the Carousel set, and two buffet tables (Valentine's set, I believe). I think the furniture was from a regular pack, but I don't know which one(s). Paintings are all from Supernatural. Yes, those paintings.
Kitchen: Counters, stove, and dishwasher are from the Edwardian store set. Also includes a baker's station, and a canning station. Deco is from various packs and store sets, none is important if you don't own the set.
Dining room: I think the table is from the Gothique set, but I'm not entirely sure; when you select it in BB mode, it shows no name, but it does show a store icon. Same with the chairs; no idea what set they're from, as they give me no name. Hopefully this won't be a problem. The table at the far end is the Wedding Reception Table from the wedding store set.
Breakfast room: Table is Sunup Breakfast Table from base game. Chairs are the same as in the dining room. Deco is mostly from base game; the hutch is from Supernatural, and the wall shelves from the store, I think the vineyard set.
Gallery: Most of the paintings are from Supernatural (more on THAT later). The one at the end is from the Now and Then set. The one of Bella is from one of the free sets.
Drawing room: The chairs, end tables, and coffee tables are from World Adventures. The sofas are from a store set, but are unnamed, so I don't know what set. The paintings are either all, or mostly, from Supernatural. The Tea Set is from the Old Mill set. The deco is all from various store and packs, none of which is essential. The piano is either base game or late night, whichever the piano was introduced with.
Billiard room: The billiard table and kingdomino tables are from Showtime. The regular tables are from Movie Stuff, and the chairs are from the Gothique set. The bar is from Supernatural. The buffet table is from base game. The deco comes from various places, and none of it is essential.
Library: The bookshelves are from the rococo set. The floor lamps are from the Gothic Glamor set. The couches are from Movie Stuff. The statues are from the Live Laugh Love set. None of the remaining deco is essential. Each of the bookshelves is filled with various books: One has all the fishing books, one has the recipe books, one has all the skilling books, etc. I didn't add any of the general books to any of the bookshelves.
Study: The bookshelves are base game. The desk is from a store set, but I don't know which one. The main chair comes from University, and the other three chairs are from Movie Stuff. Everything else in that room is deco.
Hallway: The door that leads out to the outside balcony is the Pedro Estates door.
The fireplaces on the third floor are the Washington's Fireplace Deluxe, and are from the store, but I don't know which set. The bookshelves are from base game. The sofas are a recolor of the India Inspired Bangalor Love Seat; that sofa has one of the highest comfort ratings of a sofa, and is extremely inexpensive; I use it a lot. The statue is from World Adventures. The painting easels at one end of one of the hallways is the Ricardo Richards Easel; it's from a pack, but that same one whose icon I can't recognize.
Family room: The TV is from a pack, but I don't recognize the icon, so I can't tell you which one. The sofas and chairs are from base game. The family room includes the following skilling stations: Alchemy table, Science Research Station, Catalyst Chemistry Lab, Pedestrian Sculpting Station, Scraptronic Workbench, and a Keep Me Clean Outdoor Shower, for the times that the various skilling stations will light your Sims on fire. (And they will.)
Master Bedroom Suite: The bed is from the Master Suite stuff pack, appropriately enough. It's one of my favorite beds; it has the highest stats of any bed in the game. The desk is from the rococo set, the mirror is from the Kingdom of Cambodia set, the dresser is from Showtime, and the wardrobe is from Supernatural. The wardrobe has a passageway to Narnia... if your Sim has the right frame of mind. The bathtub is from Pets, the toilet is from Kingdom of Cambodia, and the sink is base game. The counters are from a store set, not sure which one. The sofa is an unnamed item from the store; I really wish they wouldn't do that. The Soothsayer's Crystal Ball is from the store; when I was testing the build, the various other Sims in the household kept using it autonomously, so I guess it must have a high attraction factor. The television is from the Gothic Glamor living room; the pretty one that hangs on the wall. The Alchemy cabinet is from Supernatural, of course. I had intended to fill it for you with various potions, but ran out of time.
Children's playrooms: Each playroom contains a dollhouse, two rocking horses, a toybox, a toy oven, and an activity table. Yes, children can actually use the toddler activity table; it develops their handiness, iirc. Each child's suite actually has two connected bathroom areas, although I almost consistently cut off one of those bathrooms in my screen shots. One of the bathroom areas contains two private toilets and a sink; the other one is a full bath, with bathtub as well as toilet and sink.
Children's bedrooms, or guest bedrooms: Each of these contains one single bed, one desk with chair, and one stuffed toy. Everything else is deco; I figured you can customize what toys you'd get your children, or just have them use the outside playground or their playrooms a lot. I tried to include every skilling item for children; I hope I succeeded.
There's a cellar under the greenhouse; it contains a nectar making vat, and several wine racks, all of which are empty. But maybe there are other racks that are not so empty elsewhere?
Outside: There's a rather extensive children's playground, with a swing, two slides, a water slide, a tree house, a jungle gym, and a bunch of different riding toys surrounding a stereo from the carousel set. There's also a chicken coop, a lemonade stand, and a mausoleum in the cemetery, if your Sims have other ideas. And a greenhouse for planting, but I didn't have time to plant anything for you. Was working on... um... er... something else for you. The gravestones are all deco, unfortunately, for reasons I will explain elsewhere.
Things used throughout: I used the Morris Wide curtains throughout the build; they're from the store, but I don't know which set. The rugs I believe are almost all base game, except the small rugs in the various children's rooms. There were a couple of rugs I recolored from one of the Gothique sets; it was the only one, besides the Savvy Sellers rugs, that fit properly in those places.
I didn't include any computers; I personally prefer to use either CC computers, or use the Transmogrifier on something else, and turn it into a computer. You can always add an EA computer to a few of the desks, if you prefer; I left them empty for you so you can do what you want there.
Hm... wasn't there a fourth floor when you look at the building from outside? Huh, I wonder what happened to it...
About the cemetery...
Originally, I had placed lots of fog emitters in the cemetery and throughout various parts of the house. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I forcibly selected the front area of the lot both on the build, and on any blank lot I was trying to place it on, it faced in a random direction each time I placed it. No matter what I tried, I could not fix this issue. This means anyone placing this lot will usually have to spin the lot to get it facing the front properly. Fog emitters duplicate each time it spins, which would cause a real mess throughout the entire build. So I took them all out, which of course takes away much of the creepiness. I recommend you add some of your own for flavor, in whatever places seem most appropriate to you.
About the graves... again, I will give you a more detailed explanation for this later.
Another odd thing:
Now, an odd thing happened to me during this build. While I was taking pictures of some of the rooms, I suddenly noticed that some of the paintings on the walls had vanished, and all that was left were these ghostly outlines. I replaced the paintings, but had to use MOO; apparently the game thought the paintings were still there. I took the pictures during this state. You can still see some images of various rooms - most notably the drawing room and ballroom - where there are ghostly images where paintings SHOULD be, but aren't.
Later, when I was going back to check on some things, I noticed that some of the paintings on the wall had a vibrating effect, like two items were there at the same time. I clicked to remove the painting... and another was underneath. So, apparently the paintings HAD still been there, they just weren't showing up as anything except that ghostly image. I don't know if that's because they were the paintings from Supernatural, or what, but it baffled me. That isn't what those Supernatural paintings are SUPPOSED to do; they're supposed to behave like the paintings in the Disneyland Haunted House, which is why I used them.
Just thought that was interesting... and perhaps appropriate for what's supposed to be a haunted house.
@LMC6255 I love your really imaginative take on Lunar Lakes (haven't played on that in ages!). That house looks perfect for the place and the occupants fit in so well too.
@BreeMiles Bradford home looks gorgeous from the outside and I love the interiors too. Can I move in..?
@Mia Skywalker That place is Amazing!!! And sounds like it's perfect for GraceyManor too...
Looks like I'm late to the party. In my defense... just kidding, I don't have one, except that my OCD went absolutely wild with this project in the last few days. Plus the Exchange decided to mess with me for a while: I saw my upload but the link would time out, and the lot wouldn't show up in a search. Anyway, reactions to everyone else's gifts coming as soon as I catch my breath and have some chocolate.
The suspense has probably evaporated by now, but I'll say it anyway: my buddy is @MiaSkywalker. Gift one:
It's a 20x30 Christmas-decorated cabin with some extra rations to help get your sims through the long cold winter. (I hope everything survived, but I haven't downloaded it to take a look.) I know you like using the baking oven, but I don't own it, so I put in the pizza oven instead and figured you could swap it out. The kitchen does have room to expand as well.
I didn't do much landscaping because it would all be buried under the snow anyway, and because you mentioned to Addy that your sims would be spending time building igloos and snowmen and the like, and it's a small-enough lot as it is. But a couple of evergreens seemed appropriate.
Edit: I forgot to say, when my sims tested a gift-giving party, all I needed to do to make enough space for the pile of presents was move the piano to inventory. I'd have left more space, but it looked kind of blank with nothing in that corner.
I did use CFE because I couldn't get the effect I wanted otherwise, namely that the attics didn't have snow.
I mean, of course a cabin has some attic space to store extra goodies, right? I playtested this over and over, and the attics always worked fine, as did everything else, so I hope I didn't accidentally mangle something.
I have to say @MiaSkywalker , I had a lot of fun building your gifts, and I learned some interesting things about the game as well. For more on that, you'll have to come back tomorrow.
Love the charming farmhouse! It looks like it has everything the siblings will need in order to succeed at the farming life. Going to be fun seeing the shenanigans Grandpa Ghost gets up to, hee hee hee
The holiday-themed park is a cute idea and I really like how you designed it.
Thanks! And yes, I can't deny I'm going to play my own Stardew Valley challenge, I think.
@MiaSkywalker That's a beautiful haunted mansion. I admit I always read Gracey's name as Gracie Mansion (the mayor of NYC's house). I'm also now fascinated that we have a real ghost hunter among us. I imagine this build will soon be filled with Ghost Hosts!
@LMC6255 I love the color and shapes of your build. It's very Jetsons-y but also looks like a comfortable place to live. And the adorable Meteor! Your pictures make LL look like a world I need to try out as well.
@BreeMiles I really love the silhouettes of the roofs and the palette of your interiors! This looks like a house that supports a busy family and lots of activity and kids.
@puzzlezaddict That is a great winter cabin and I love the big airy rooms. We need skiing in Sims 3, so this can be a ski lodge! I'm looking forward to downloading it and seeing how you made attics because CFE it still mysterious to me.
@MiaSkywalker
Edit: I'm home now.=) So I can respond
I never considered the haunted mansion a victorian..shows how much I know
about styles lol, Its the towers on victorians I don't care for, and a lot of the EA
victorians are overly bright.I'm sorry that I confused you with that.XD
I absolutely love the haunted mansion and am so glad to have another
version of my favorite ride! I owned all the items you used except for the keep
me clean shower, even though I own the venue it came with...anyone know why?
Don't worry about photos, I'm not good at them either, and I'm really not good
at recoloring stuff! But from the phhotos it looks like you did a beautiful job doing it.
I'm downloading now.And can't wait to play it! I even have haunted mansion sims
to put in it.
Yep, I do paranormal investigations as a side job.Countless Stories I could share.
Even Gracey Manor at Disneyworld has its own resident ghost.
Thank you so much for building this! screenshots to come soon ^_^
@seaben The house is such a creative design, especially how it feels airy on the inside without being overbearing on the outside, and the landscaping is so pretty and interesting to look at. It feels like exactly where a family of fairies would make a home for themselves.
@ADWilson Your house has everything without being overwhelming, which is impressive. I like how so much of the design is understated without being plain, detailed enough to catch the attention but not overly flashy. And I'd never thought of building a children's playhouse, but I'm totally stealing that idea. The sims are adorable too, and Cody seems like the kind of guy who would absolutely *accidentally* unzip his jacket just a little farther than was necessary while out walking the dog. I'm sure the neighbors don't mind the view though.
@SamelaRita That house is lovely, and tempting enough to draw sims all the way in before they notice the suspicious water stains. It sounds like a fun challenge too; I look forward to seeing how you've set it up. I'm glad you were able to participate even if you couldn't be an official buddy.
@GraceyManor The house is very cute and looks like it fits perfectly into Sunset Valley. It also suits the sims as you've described them, including the adorable pets. I know people are fawning over the Dalmations, but it's the cat that made me smile—I had a seal point as a kid, and seeing one even in a game still makes me smile.
@Charlottekn You really managed to capture the essence of an old farmhouse that's been in use for a couple hundred years. I love how grandpa's a ghost and still helping run the farm too, that he's not going to get a little thing like death get in the way of a good day's work. Hopefully the grandkids inherited some of his work ethic. The park is very cute, and it's great to have somewhere entertaining to send sims in winter.
@Hidehi The cottage is absolutely adorable and really makes me want to buy Brunch at the Old Mill, which I've never really been interested in before. I love how you set up the garden too, how it's not just for work but a pleasant place to relax. Rose is pretty and seems perfect for the house.
@LMC6255 That's a fascinating build, one that I'd never have had the creativity to create. It definitely looks like it should be in Lunar Lakes or a similar world but still feels like an inviting home. The sim and horse look like a great match, and the horse especially is beautiful despite or maybe because of its unusual coloring.
@BreeMiles The house is so elegant, and I really like how you broke up the front façade both in shape and pattern. I kind of want to take the whole thing apart just to see how you did it.
@MiaSkywalker Wow, that's incredible attention to detail in every inch of the house. You definitely captured the feel of an old grand estate as well as the layout and furnishings. And I personally think the colors work really well; I wouldn't know that you had issues with color at all.
@Charlottekn I didn't know how to use CFE either until this gift wouldn't cooperate without it. My one previous attempt at using it led to me scrapping a couple hours' worth of work on an existing build, and that was enough to put me off it for a while, but this build wasn't going to work the way I saw it in my head otherwise. If you want, I can dig up the tutorials I used. But the most helpful thing was simply building a box and seeing what I could and couldn't do.
There are still some complications as far as weather and lighting are concerned, and you'll see how I tried to get around that with the walls one square outside the dormers. If you want me to describe what I did, just ask. It's definitely not perfect, but it's a lot better than without CFE at all.
@MiaSkywalker
I owned all the items you used except for the keep
me clean shower, even though I own the venue it came with...anyone know why?
@GraceyManor - Since that venue is part of the gold version on Sunlit Tides, I wonder if you installed the standard version accidentally.
LOVED all the lots and play on words and interesting characters and pets! I tried to leave a comment on everyone's upload on my page (or yours, if we aren't friends).
Those who know me well, know that I'm itching to start the renovancy first, but that hasn't stopped me from downloading some of the other gifts to play later.
May you all have a happy, healthy, hope-filled holiday full of random acts of kindness and much gratitude!
@MiaSkywalker
You absolutely outdid yourself with the mansion! You
are such a talented builder, this home is gorgeous!
This entrance way is so elegant and classy, I can picture many
weddings here.It also reminds me of "Annie" for some reason
with Mr Warbucks and Annie singing "Together at last" LOL I don't
know why.XD
Sally's my haunted mansion bride, she's exploring the home.
The tea room is my favorite! the colors! I love that shade of pink.
And the tea table is one of my favorite objects!
I literally squeeled when I saw the library, being a bookworm myself
I could get lost for hours in there
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this wallpaper, I love lighthouses!
Pardon the mascot.LOL I already moved ghosties into it.^_^
@puzzlezaddict:
Your gift has been checked and is CC free.
Actually, I had no idea you were my buddy. Goes to show how well my critical thinking is working. . I had wondered who your buddy was going to be, but never thought it was me!
I *love* that house! You caught the festive spirit so perfectly! And lots of purple! I love purple and wood tones together like that. What a wonderful adorable house!
I'm still having some problems with the game crashing my system, and I am currently set to the version of my The Sims 3 directory with no mods or CC, so not my PLAYING game right now, but rest assured, this house is going to go in right away! I have my two Sims that are ready to move in to this as a second home, and holiday getaway. (I really need to figure out that crashing problem. It's so odd.)
And yeah, I have some vision problems that have to do with color. It's genetic, actually; neither my mother nor my brother can see bright red at all. So it's not the same red/green "color blindness" that everyone assumes that all people with color problems have, because it's not gender linked; pretty much everyone on my mother's side of the family has it, from her father down. Neither my sister nor I have the problem, although my niece and nephew (my brother's kids) both have it. Otoh, I have some problems distinguishing most colors. Strangely, I can see variations and shades of purple very distinctly, yet other colors, not so much. It's probably why I'm so attracted to purple; I see it more distinctly than I do other colors.
My sister, however, sees shades and variations of colors like it's nobody's business. It's one of the reasons she's such an amazing artist; she just KNOWS what color should be where in things, and gets them absolutely perfect. My brother is convinced that her ability to see these shades in such detail is directly related to his and my mother's problem seeing red, and my own problem differentiating most colors. It's like the same genetic variant, but with a shift.
@MiaSkywalker
I owned all the items you used except for the keep
me clean shower, even though I own the venue it came with...anyone know why?
@GraceyManor - Since that venue is part of the gold version on Sunlit Tides, I wonder if you installed the standard version accidentally.
LOVED all the lots and play on words and interesting characters and pets! I tried to leave a comment on everyone's upload on my page (or yours, if we aren't friends).
Those who know me well, know that I'm itching to start the renovancy first, but that hasn't stopped me from downloading some of the other gifts to play later.
May you all have a happy, healthy, hope-filled holiday full of random acts of kindness and much gratitude!
Another thing to do is use ciane's method of installing Store items. If your .ebc files get too large, the game will ignore some of the items in them. Look at her sig; there's a link to a forum post where she explains her method very well.
You might have to use the method just to install that one venue; you would temporarily move out all of your .ebc files, install that venue, rename that .ebc file (as per her instructions), and then move the other .ebc files back.
Her post explains it better than I'm doing. It works like a charm; it fixed my problems with some of my store stuff not appearing for such a long time.
@MiaSkywalker That makes me think of tetrachromacy, although I have zero medical or scientific training that would give me any insight into it. But from what I understand, it happens (very rarely) in women who have one normal gene for red cones and one that's mutated and reacts best to a kind of orange/yellow. So someone with only the mutated version might have trouble picking up red at all. And apparently most women with one normal and one mutated gene don't actually perceive extra colors; it's sort of the luck of the draw how their vision turns out. Those that do see the difference are often very talented in color-related professions like fashion or interior decorating.
No idea if that's the case with your family, but I can certainly see how purple could be extra vibrant for someone who doesn't always see other colors as clearly. And of course I'm glad you like the house. I was actually a bit worried that there was a little too much purple, to be honest, but if you're happy, that's what matters.
@puzzlezaddict:
I am really, really excited to be able to play that house you built for me! It's wonderful! I keep looking at the pictures you posted, and thinking how perfect it is!
@GraceyManor:
I'm really glad you like it! I was actually worried that you wouldn't, because it's a Victorian. Yeah, there are many kinds of Victorians; that's a Colonial Antebellum style, and I think that *technically* those were built after Queen Victorian's time, but it still falls into that category. I'm not sure about the timing, though; Victoria lived for a very long time. (And had LOTS of kids and grandkids. She's the reason that the titles "prince" and "princess" won't go past three generations of a ruler in Great Britain.) I actually looked deeply into the history of Victorians at one point, and CreativeMetaphor led me to a wonderful online architectural guide; it has lots of floor plans of different kinds of Victorians that one particular architectural firm built during those times. I use it all the time.
I actually love Victorian towers, I just don't like how they look when you only use base game items and options. If you start using some of the roofing pieces, like the cornices that come with some of the different store worlds and venues, they actually start to look good. But I guess towers look better on more medieval and fantasy builds than they do on Victorians, and that's another style that I love to build.
There's another part to my gift coming, and I was going to wait until tomorrow to post it... but I might do it today. It will explain something about the build, and why I had to make a decision that I made.
@Charlottekn I didn't know how to use CFE either until this gift wouldn't cooperate without it. My one previous attempt at using it led to me scrapping a couple hours' worth of work on an existing build, and that was enough to put me off it for a while, but this build wasn't going to work the way I saw it in my head otherwise. If you want, I can dig up the tutorials I used. But the most helpful thing was simply building a box and seeing what I could and couldn't do.
There are still some complications as far as weather and lighting are concerned, and you'll see how I tried to get around that with the walls one square outside the dormers. If you want me to describe what I did, just ask. It's definitely not perfect, but it's a lot better than without CFE at all.
I looked at tutorials online and I could get a garage attached, I couldn't get cars to go in. I definitely still have trouble with CFE for interiors. I think I'll try using a box as well, instead of trying it on some more complex blueprint. I love seeing how people accomplish this stuff, even if I can't quite get it myself. Yet.
@GraceyManor There's a lot of kinds of Victorians. The bright, towered ones are probably Queen Anne style and I'm not a big fan of those either.
Wowee! Having seen and commented on sneaky peek pictures, I'm not sure of what to say that hasn't already been mentioned. I can only imagine how long it took you to make this massive build. It's spacious but doesn't feel like a cavern. The furnishings are elegant and the color palette is quite pleasing.
Comments
Wow, what an amazing build! Seriously, you thought of everything! Why the heck didn't I ever think of making a playhouse for kids on a lot? I had one as a child, so I *should* have thought of it!
This is really an awesome house. I would LOVE to live in it myself!
CeCe is very cute, and I love that you made a dalmation for the firefighter!
@SamelaRita:
As usual, you supply something interesting for us to do. What a nifty renovacy! I know many of us will enjoy playing it.
@GraceyManor:
Wow, what a cute little house, so well put together! I love the way you decorated those rooms; it just has that homey, lived-in appeal. It has so many activities for everyone to do!
And you made another dalmation! What an interesting coinkydink, and they're such cute dogs.
@Charlottekn:
What an interesting house that you based this on! (Love the history behind it.) The house has a nice, rustic feel to it, and seems like it would be just right for a family beginning to grow.
It's hilarious that the ghost was doing chores and milking the cow. I take it that he's not part of the family, but has an urn or gravestone on the lot? Or does one of them has his urn in their inventory?
I really love the Christmas look to the other lot; that's my favorite holiday, and I'm all excited for it coming up. Your community lot will be a great one to steal borrow as well.
@Hidehi:
I always love your builds; your studio is one of my go-to places to get good builds for my games. The house is lovely, and looks like it would be a pleasure to play. (Will it go in Supernatural World? That's one of my favorite worlds as well.)
Rose is a very cute Sim, and the fact that her favorite color is purple - and that she wears it in every outfit - makes my little heart all happy. (It's my favorite color too!)
@LMC6255:
What a wonderful futuristic (or in this case, alien) home! What fun it will be to play in Lunar Lakes! (I love that world, but I've only played it once. I dressed everyone in the town up with stuff from the Movie Stuff pack.
Amy and Meteor are very unique! They also have very interesting back-stories. They look like they will be a lot of fun to play.
@BreeMiles:
That house looks niiiiice! The outside looks fabulous, and I love what we can see of the inside. You're also one of my go-to builders, so I'm sure it's a house everyone will love to play.
TO MY BUDDY:
I'm sorry I haven't posted for you yet. I'm finalizing some details on it. I'm being very picky about the presentation right now.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
My Blog
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Thank you Addy, I wanted a little Christmas without it being all decked out for Christmas. I will let my buddy put the lights on!
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Share Your Newest Sims 4 Creation Thread
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Love the charming farmhouse! It looks like it has everything the siblings will need in order to succeed at the farming life. Going to be fun seeing the shenanigans Grandpa Ghost gets up to, hee hee hee
The holiday-themed park is a cute idea and I really like how you designed it.
Sims 3 Blog: Have I Got A Story For You!
Sims 4 Blog: Addy Plays Sims 4
Thank you sweetie, I added a few pictures to my blog!
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Share Your Newest Sims 4 Creation Thread
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He's still part of the family. I made a parent for the kids and then moved them out. It was funny though. The minute I moved them in, he went and took a shower and then started cleaning and tending animals.
@BreeMiles Thank you for the gorgeous house!! I saw the photos and the décor is beautiful!! I love the style of the house and the color scheme! I am looking forward to seeing this lovely build in game!
@Hidehi I love, love, love the thatched English cottage! The lovely exterior and cozy décor gives this build an overall warmth! Rose Bush is a very pretty Sim and I am certain she has the gumption to make a living gardening, she will find that special Sim to share her garden with!
@Puddinroy I am so happy that you like your gift! I hope you have an awesome time with it in game!!
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
This is for my buddy.... @GraceyManor!
Gracey Manor Antebellum
I was really pleased when I was given your name to build for. I was very intrigued by your buddy letter, and the fact that you work as a Ghost Hunter in real life. The fact that you like haunted houses was definitely an intriguing prospect.
I was a bit confused by the fact that you dislike Victorians, yet you love haunted houses, particularly Disney's Gracey Manor. There are two Gracey Manors: The one in Disneyworld which is kind of a castle; and the one at Disneyland California, an Antebellum Colonial - a type of Victorian. Looking at the floor plan for the one in Disneyworld, that would have been impossible; no matter how you would rotate it, it would call for some of the stairways to be diagonal, something you simply can't do in any Sims game. I tried for several days to figure it out, and eventually gave up and decided to do the other one.
Addy said you like the Now and Then set, so I decided the Antebellum wasn't out of the question; it would use the roof pieces, and not the Victorian style towers that I suspect is what you dislike. I personally love Victorians, but I don't like the EA built ones.
So, I based the outside of this house on the Gracey Manor at Disneyland; of course the inside is all my own. I did not duplicate what was in the ride; it wouldn't make any sense for a Sim family home.
One more thing: I apologize for the rooms not looking very cluttered in the images. You mentioned that you like deco, and I'm not so great with that; I tend to build simple, and only add deco as I play. However, many of the rooms are more cluttered and busy than the images will show; I took the pictures about a week before gifting time so I could get my post in order, but I continued adding stuff to the rooms as I looked at things and fiddled with everything. I had time to re-take some (but not all) of the overview shots, but not the inside ones. So the rooms aren't really as empty as the inside pictures may make them seem.
I will also apologize for the fact that I'm NOT very good with color. I tried using that swatch matching site that someone posted, but unfortunately, some of the swatches in CASt have inclusions and overlays, so even if you set a color number, the swatch in the game won't match. It's frustrating, so I gave up on it. I won't feel insulted if anyone feels the need to recolor things.
So now, on to the pictures!
Then, this is my own take on it.
Floor Overviews
A = Ballroom
B = Kitchen
C = Drawing Room / Tea Room
D = Breakfast room
E = Dining Room
F = Gallery
z = Common restrooms
Second Floor
G = Billiard room
H = Library
I = Study
J = Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Third Floor
K = Family and skilling room
L = Master Bedroom Suite (bedroom, sitting room, and bathroom)
M = Children's bedroom suite. Designed generally for girls, has playroom, three bedrooms, and two attached bathrooms.
N = Children's bedroom suite. Designed generally for boys, has playroom, three bedrooms, and two attached bathrooms.
O = Hallway, and central common area for sitting and reading.
P-U = Small bedrooms, either for children or guests.
z = Various bathrooms
Roof (Wasn't there a fourth floor....?)
Greenhouse
Cellar
Individual Room Close-up Overviews
Drawing room / Tea room
Kitchen, dining areas, and gallery walk
Second floor
Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Library and Study
Third floor
Family room
Master bedroom suite
Girls' rooms
Boys' rooms
Full bathrooms for children
Whatever happened to that fourth floor...?
Inside Screenshots
First floor
Drawing room / Tea room
Breakfast room
Dining room
Gallery
Second floor
Balcony (overlooks ballroom)
Library
Study
Third floor
Family room
Master bedroom suite
Girls' playroom
Boys' playroom
Hm... what room is this?
I know I saw these somewhere. Can you find them?
Did the fourth floor disappear?
Outside areas
West side
Back
East side
Greenhouse
Cemetery
Playground
Some of the furnishings and activities on the lot are the following:
Kitchen: Counters, stove, and dishwasher are from the Edwardian store set. Also includes a baker's station, and a canning station. Deco is from various packs and store sets, none is important if you don't own the set.
Dining room: I think the table is from the Gothique set, but I'm not entirely sure; when you select it in BB mode, it shows no name, but it does show a store icon. Same with the chairs; no idea what set they're from, as they give me no name. Hopefully this won't be a problem. The table at the far end is the Wedding Reception Table from the wedding store set.
Breakfast room: Table is Sunup Breakfast Table from base game. Chairs are the same as in the dining room. Deco is mostly from base game; the hutch is from Supernatural, and the wall shelves from the store, I think the vineyard set.
Gallery: Most of the paintings are from Supernatural (more on THAT later). The one at the end is from the Now and Then set. The one of Bella is from one of the free sets.
Drawing room: The chairs, end tables, and coffee tables are from World Adventures. The sofas are from a store set, but are unnamed, so I don't know what set. The paintings are either all, or mostly, from Supernatural. The Tea Set is from the Old Mill set. The deco is all from various store and packs, none of which is essential. The piano is either base game or late night, whichever the piano was introduced with.
Billiard room: The billiard table and kingdomino tables are from Showtime. The regular tables are from Movie Stuff, and the chairs are from the Gothique set. The bar is from Supernatural. The buffet table is from base game. The deco comes from various places, and none of it is essential.
Library: The bookshelves are from the rococo set. The floor lamps are from the Gothic Glamor set. The couches are from Movie Stuff. The statues are from the Live Laugh Love set. None of the remaining deco is essential. Each of the bookshelves is filled with various books: One has all the fishing books, one has the recipe books, one has all the skilling books, etc. I didn't add any of the general books to any of the bookshelves.
Study: The bookshelves are base game. The desk is from a store set, but I don't know which one. The main chair comes from University, and the other three chairs are from Movie Stuff. Everything else in that room is deco.
Hallway: The door that leads out to the outside balcony is the Pedro Estates door.
The fireplaces on the third floor are the Washington's Fireplace Deluxe, and are from the store, but I don't know which set. The bookshelves are from base game. The sofas are a recolor of the India Inspired Bangalor Love Seat; that sofa has one of the highest comfort ratings of a sofa, and is extremely inexpensive; I use it a lot. The statue is from World Adventures. The painting easels at one end of one of the hallways is the Ricardo Richards Easel; it's from a pack, but that same one whose icon I can't recognize.
Family room: The TV is from a pack, but I don't recognize the icon, so I can't tell you which one. The sofas and chairs are from base game. The family room includes the following skilling stations: Alchemy table, Science Research Station, Catalyst Chemistry Lab, Pedestrian Sculpting Station, Scraptronic Workbench, and a Keep Me Clean Outdoor Shower, for the times that the various skilling stations will light your Sims on fire. (And they will.)
Master Bedroom Suite: The bed is from the Master Suite stuff pack, appropriately enough. It's one of my favorite beds; it has the highest stats of any bed in the game. The desk is from the rococo set, the mirror is from the Kingdom of Cambodia set, the dresser is from Showtime, and the wardrobe is from Supernatural. The wardrobe has a passageway to Narnia... if your Sim has the right frame of mind. The bathtub is from Pets, the toilet is from Kingdom of Cambodia, and the sink is base game. The counters are from a store set, not sure which one. The sofa is an unnamed item from the store; I really wish they wouldn't do that. The Soothsayer's Crystal Ball is from the store; when I was testing the build, the various other Sims in the household kept using it autonomously, so I guess it must have a high attraction factor. The television is from the Gothic Glamor living room; the pretty one that hangs on the wall. The Alchemy cabinet is from Supernatural, of course. I had intended to fill it for you with various potions, but ran out of time.
Children's playrooms: Each playroom contains a dollhouse, two rocking horses, a toybox, a toy oven, and an activity table. Yes, children can actually use the toddler activity table; it develops their handiness, iirc. Each child's suite actually has two connected bathroom areas, although I almost consistently cut off one of those bathrooms in my screen shots. One of the bathroom areas contains two private toilets and a sink; the other one is a full bath, with bathtub as well as toilet and sink.
Children's bedrooms, or guest bedrooms: Each of these contains one single bed, one desk with chair, and one stuffed toy. Everything else is deco; I figured you can customize what toys you'd get your children, or just have them use the outside playground or their playrooms a lot. I tried to include every skilling item for children; I hope I succeeded.
There's a cellar under the greenhouse; it contains a nectar making vat, and several wine racks, all of which are empty. But maybe there are other racks that are not so empty elsewhere?
Outside: There's a rather extensive children's playground, with a swing, two slides, a water slide, a tree house, a jungle gym, and a bunch of different riding toys surrounding a stereo from the carousel set. There's also a chicken coop, a lemonade stand, and a mausoleum in the cemetery, if your Sims have other ideas. And a greenhouse for planting, but I didn't have time to plant anything for you. Was working on... um... er... something else for you. The gravestones are all deco, unfortunately, for reasons I will explain elsewhere.
Things used throughout: I used the Morris Wide curtains throughout the build; they're from the store, but I don't know which set. The rugs I believe are almost all base game, except the small rugs in the various children's rooms. There were a couple of rugs I recolored from one of the Gothique sets; it was the only one, besides the Savvy Sellers rugs, that fit properly in those places.
I didn't include any computers; I personally prefer to use either CC computers, or use the Transmogrifier on something else, and turn it into a computer. You can always add an EA computer to a few of the desks, if you prefer; I left them empty for you so you can do what you want there.
Hm... wasn't there a fourth floor when you look at the building from outside? Huh, I wonder what happened to it...
About the cemetery...
About the graves... again, I will give you a more detailed explanation for this later.
Another odd thing:
Later, when I was going back to check on some things, I noticed that some of the paintings on the wall had a vibrating effect, like two items were there at the same time. I clicked to remove the painting... and another was underneath. So, apparently the paintings HAD still been there, they just weren't showing up as anything except that ghostly image. I don't know if that's because they were the paintings from Supernatural, or what, but it baffled me. That isn't what those Supernatural paintings are SUPPOSED to do; they're supposed to behave like the paintings in the Disneyland Haunted House, which is why I used them.
Just thought that was interesting... and perhaps appropriate for what's supposed to be a haunted house.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
@BreeMiles Bradford home looks gorgeous from the outside and I love the interiors too. Can I move in..?
@Mia Skywalker That place is Amazing!!! And sounds like it's perfect for GraceyManor too...
The suspense has probably evaporated by now, but I'll say it anyway: my buddy is @MiaSkywalker. Gift one:
It's a 20x30 Christmas-decorated cabin with some extra rations to help get your sims through the long cold winter. (I hope everything survived, but I haven't downloaded it to take a look.) I know you like using the baking oven, but I don't own it, so I put in the pizza oven instead and figured you could swap it out. The kitchen does have room to expand as well.
I didn't do much landscaping because it would all be buried under the snow anyway, and because you mentioned to Addy that your sims would be spending time building igloos and snowmen and the like, and it's a small-enough lot as it is. But a couple of evergreens seemed appropriate.
Edit: I forgot to say, when my sims tested a gift-giving party, all I needed to do to make enough space for the pile of presents was move the piano to inventory. I'd have left more space, but it looked kind of blank with nothing in that corner.
More pics:
Download link, if it happens to feel like working: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9490983
I did use CFE because I couldn't get the effect I wanted otherwise, namely that the attics didn't have snow.
I mean, of course a cabin has some attic space to store extra goodies, right? I playtested this over and over, and the attics always worked fine, as did everything else, so I hope I didn't accidentally mangle something.
I have to say @MiaSkywalker , I had a lot of fun building your gifts, and I learned some interesting things about the game as well. For more on that, you'll have to come back tomorrow.
Thanks! And yes, I can't deny I'm going to play my own Stardew Valley challenge, I think.
@MiaSkywalker That's a beautiful haunted mansion. I admit I always read Gracey's name as Gracie Mansion (the mayor of NYC's house). I'm also now fascinated that we have a real ghost hunter among us. I imagine this build will soon be filled with Ghost Hosts!
@LMC6255 I love the color and shapes of your build. It's very Jetsons-y but also looks like a comfortable place to live. And the adorable Meteor! Your pictures make LL look like a world I need to try out as well.
@BreeMiles I really love the silhouettes of the roofs and the palette of your interiors! This looks like a house that supports a busy family and lots of activity and kids.
@puzzlezaddict That is a great winter cabin and I love the big airy rooms. We need skiing in Sims 3, so this can be a ski lodge! I'm looking forward to downloading it and seeing how you made attics because CFE it still mysterious to me.
Edit: I'm home now.=) So I can respond
I never considered the haunted mansion a victorian..shows how much I know
about styles lol, Its the towers on victorians I don't care for, and a lot of the EA
victorians are overly bright.I'm sorry that I confused you with that.XD
I absolutely love the haunted mansion and am so glad to have another
version of my favorite ride! I owned all the items you used except for the keep
me clean shower, even though I own the venue it came with...anyone know why?
Don't worry about photos, I'm not good at them either, and I'm really not good
at recoloring stuff! But from the phhotos it looks like you did a beautiful job doing it.
I'm downloading now.And can't wait to play it! I even have haunted mansion sims
to put in it.
Yep, I do paranormal investigations as a side job.Countless Stories I could share.
Even Gracey Manor at Disneyworld has its own resident ghost.
Thank you so much for building this! screenshots to come soon ^_^
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
@seaben The house is such a creative design, especially how it feels airy on the inside without being overbearing on the outside, and the landscaping is so pretty and interesting to look at. It feels like exactly where a family of fairies would make a home for themselves.
@ADWilson Your house has everything without being overwhelming, which is impressive. I like how so much of the design is understated without being plain, detailed enough to catch the attention but not overly flashy. And I'd never thought of building a children's playhouse, but I'm totally stealing that idea. The sims are adorable too, and Cody seems like the kind of guy who would absolutely *accidentally* unzip his jacket just a little farther than was necessary while out walking the dog. I'm sure the neighbors don't mind the view though.
@SamelaRita That house is lovely, and tempting enough to draw sims all the way in before they notice the suspicious water stains. It sounds like a fun challenge too; I look forward to seeing how you've set it up. I'm glad you were able to participate even if you couldn't be an official buddy.
@GraceyManor The house is very cute and looks like it fits perfectly into Sunset Valley. It also suits the sims as you've described them, including the adorable pets. I know people are fawning over the Dalmations, but it's the cat that made me smile—I had a seal point as a kid, and seeing one even in a game still makes me smile.
@Charlottekn You really managed to capture the essence of an old farmhouse that's been in use for a couple hundred years. I love how grandpa's a ghost and still helping run the farm too, that he's not going to get a little thing like death get in the way of a good day's work. Hopefully the grandkids inherited some of his work ethic. The park is very cute, and it's great to have somewhere entertaining to send sims in winter.
@Hidehi The cottage is absolutely adorable and really makes me want to buy Brunch at the Old Mill, which I've never really been interested in before. I love how you set up the garden too, how it's not just for work but a pleasant place to relax. Rose is pretty and seems perfect for the house.
@LMC6255 That's a fascinating build, one that I'd never have had the creativity to create. It definitely looks like it should be in Lunar Lakes or a similar world but still feels like an inviting home. The sim and horse look like a great match, and the horse especially is beautiful despite or maybe because of its unusual coloring.
@BreeMiles The house is so elegant, and I really like how you broke up the front façade both in shape and pattern. I kind of want to take the whole thing apart just to see how you did it.
@MiaSkywalker Wow, that's incredible attention to detail in every inch of the house. You definitely captured the feel of an old grand estate as well as the layout and furnishings. And I personally think the colors work really well; I wouldn't know that you had issues with color at all.
There are still some complications as far as weather and lighting are concerned, and you'll see how I tried to get around that with the walls one square outside the dormers. If you want me to describe what I did, just ask. It's definitely not perfect, but it's a lot better than without CFE at all.
LOVED all the lots and play on words and interesting characters and pets! I tried to leave a comment on everyone's upload on my page (or yours, if we aren't friends).
Those who know me well, know that I'm itching to start the renovancy first, but that hasn't stopped me from downloading some of the other gifts to play later.
May you all have a happy, healthy, hope-filled holiday full of random acts of kindness and much gratitude!
Store Install
Unlocked Stencils
random legacy
You absolutely outdid yourself with the mansion! You
are such a talented builder, this home is gorgeous!
This entrance way is so elegant and classy, I can picture many
weddings here.It also reminds me of "Annie" for some reason
with Mr Warbucks and Annie singing "Together at last" LOL I don't
know why.XD
Sally's my haunted mansion bride, she's exploring the home.
The tea room is my favorite! the colors! I love that shade of pink.
And the tea table is one of my favorite objects!
I literally squeeled when I saw the library, being a bookworm myself
I could get lost for hours in there
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this wallpaper, I love lighthouses!
Pardon the mascot.LOL I already moved ghosties into it.^_^
Thank you so much!
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
Your gift has been checked and is CC free.
Actually, I had no idea you were my buddy. Goes to show how well my critical thinking is working.
I *love* that house! You caught the festive spirit so perfectly! And lots of purple! I love purple and wood tones together like that. What a wonderful adorable house!
I'm still having some problems with the game crashing my system, and I am currently set to the version of my The Sims 3 directory with no mods or CC, so not my PLAYING game right now, but rest assured, this house is going to go in right away! I have my two Sims that are ready to move in to this as a second home, and holiday getaway.
And yeah, I have some vision problems that have to do with color. It's genetic, actually; neither my mother nor my brother can see bright red at all. So it's not the same red/green "color blindness" that everyone assumes that all people with color problems have, because it's not gender linked; pretty much everyone on my mother's side of the family has it, from her father down. Neither my sister nor I have the problem, although my niece and nephew (my brother's kids) both have it. Otoh, I have some problems distinguishing most colors. Strangely, I can see variations and shades of purple very distinctly, yet other colors, not so much. It's probably why I'm so attracted to purple; I see it more distinctly than I do other colors.
My sister, however, sees shades and variations of colors like it's nobody's business. It's one of the reasons she's such an amazing artist; she just KNOWS what color should be where in things, and gets them absolutely perfect. My brother is convinced that her ability to see these shades in such detail is directly related to his and my mother's problem seeing red, and my own problem differentiating most colors. It's like the same genetic variant, but with a shift.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Another thing to do is use ciane's method of installing Store items. If your .ebc files get too large, the game will ignore some of the items in them. Look at her sig; there's a link to a forum post where she explains her method very well.
You might have to use the method just to install that one venue; you would temporarily move out all of your .ebc files, install that venue, rename that .ebc file (as per her instructions), and then move the other .ebc files back.
Her post explains it better than I'm doing. It works like a charm; it fixed my problems with some of my store stuff not appearing for such a long time.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
No idea if that's the case with your family, but I can certainly see how purple could be extra vibrant for someone who doesn't always see other colors as clearly. And of course I'm glad you like the house. I was actually a bit worried that there was a little too much purple, to be honest, but if you're happy, that's what matters.
I am really, really excited to be able to play that house you built for me! It's wonderful! I keep looking at the pictures you posted, and thinking how perfect it is!
@GraceyManor:
I'm really glad you like it! I was actually worried that you wouldn't, because it's a Victorian. Yeah, there are many kinds of Victorians; that's a Colonial Antebellum style, and I think that *technically* those were built after Queen Victorian's time, but it still falls into that category. I'm not sure about the timing, though; Victoria lived for a very long time. (And had LOTS of kids and grandkids. She's the reason that the titles "prince" and "princess" won't go past three generations of a ruler in Great Britain.) I actually looked deeply into the history of Victorians at one point, and CreativeMetaphor led me to a wonderful online architectural guide; it has lots of floor plans of different kinds of Victorians that one particular architectural firm built during those times. I use it all the time.
I actually love Victorian towers, I just don't like how they look when you only use base game items and options. If you start using some of the roofing pieces, like the cornices that come with some of the different store worlds and venues, they actually start to look good. But I guess towers look better on more medieval and fantasy builds than they do on Victorians, and that's another style that I love to build.
There's another part to my gift coming, and I was going to wait until tomorrow to post it... but I might do it today. It will explain something about the build, and why I had to make a decision that I made.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
I looked at tutorials online and I could get a garage attached, I couldn't get cars to go in. I definitely still have trouble with CFE for interiors. I think I'll try using a box as well, instead of trying it on some more complex blueprint. I love seeing how people accomplish this stuff, even if I can't quite get it myself. Yet.
@GraceyManor There's a lot of kinds of Victorians. The bright, towered ones are probably Queen Anne style and I'm not a big fan of those either.
Wowee! Having seen and commented on sneaky peek pictures, I'm not sure of what to say that hasn't already been mentioned. I can only imagine how long it took you to make this massive build. It's spacious but doesn't feel like a cavern. The furnishings are elegant and the color palette is quite pleasing.
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