Select Artist

Because of the fact that I haven't been able to update since last May, I've decided to step down from Featured Artist to Select Artist. I'm far from retiring, as I have several projects still in the works. It's just really hard to find time for me to do them all right now. However, I've decided to take this opportunity to update pretty much all of my previous creations by adding shadows, making anything base-game compatible that isn't, adding a second version of any object that might need to be updated for an expansion pack, creating repository textures for those that can use them, and making the wood textures on all of my objects universal so they can be mixed and matched much easier. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, but I wasn't sure how to handle the locked status of my objects. Since that's no longer an issue, I'll be updating as much as I can while working on the projects I have going on. And speaking of those projects, if you'll look on page 2 of my blog, you'll find the inspiration for the (majority of the) sets that I'm working on. And here are a few previews of what I've got so far: The Anna Collection: The Cheval Collection: The Colver Collection: The Italian Sunset Collection: The Mariella Collection: The Polaris Collection: The Q-Bik Collection: The Rado New Colony Collection: The Retro Violet Collection: The Streamlined Collection: The Torino Collection: And the last preview is just an addition to the Secret Garden Bedroom that I'm working on:

Update

Lots of things have changed since my last set was published. Not only did I finally upgrade my computer (motherboard, processor, RAM, and graphics card) so that it will finally stop crashing every five minutes when I'm not just surfing the net, but I also got a job two weeks ago. It's not the most glamerous job, and certainly not the kind of job I was looking for, but it will help us financially, and it gives me something to do. But it's really hard work. I'm so tired when I get home, so not much is getting done around the house, and nothing has gotten done on sets since I started. But, just before I started working, I started working on a new set. A nursery for the Pablo Collection. I'm hoping to get the meshes ready to upload in the next couple of days, but until then, here are a few MilkShape previews:

Changing Things Up a Bit

This Tuesday (10/23), I have a job interview. If all goes well, I'll be working withing a couple of weeks. This means that I'll have less time for Simming, but that doesn't mean I want to retire my FA status just yet. So, instead of releasing two mesh sets a month (which is always my intention, even if things don't always go that way), I'll be releasing only one a month. However, to keep from being banished into total obscurity, I'll be releasing the mesh sets on week, then two weeks later the recolors will follow (with the SuperSet). If Thomas doesn't give me full approval on this, I may have to go to releasing the recolors one at a time throughout the month. I, personally, don't like to do things this way. There are several reasons as to way, and I won't go into that right now.

So starting now, I just finished uploading the Pablo Bedroom. I'll have it set to release this Wednesday, the 23rd. I think this time I'll set the recolors to release on the 1st of November, but after that it's likely to only be two releases a month from me.

And I'm Back!

I nearly lost all of my recent sets, but I managed to recover them using a program called R-Studio. So now I'm back to work, sporting more RAM than I had before the old RAM died, and a new processor (plus a new power supply). :) Here's a (bad) preview of the set that I'm working on now. I hope to be uploading tomorrow, so it can publish by the weekend. I've become a bit obsessed with the Pablo collection. After the bedroom is up, I'll be working on a bathroom, a kitchen, and possibly a nursery. Oh, and one more thing ... I (hopefully) fixed the objects from the living that were having problems.

Pablo (and computer) Troubles

I've gotten two PMs about my Pablo Living. They said that the recolors for the EC Back, Shelves, and Bookcase aren't showing up. Unfortunately, my RAM has died in my computer. I'm running on a single 512MB stick right now, and I'm afraid to do anything to intensive on the computer (because I'm also scared that the power supply is on its last leg as well).

I will do my best to find and fix the problems by next week, but I hate to say that I can't guarantee anything.

Coming Soon

I know that a bathroom was the overwhelming winner of my last poll, but it's not coming together well. I've yet to find a bathroom set that not only inspires me, but flows together well as a whole set and is simple enough for me to make. I was working on the Anna bedroom from the previous poll before my hard drive failed on me. When that happened, I lost that entire folder. I'm not sure when/if I'll redo everything from that set. So as for now, I'm working on the Pablo Collection. I'll be doing it separately, though. I'm finishing up the couches from my living room set that I started long ago, and I'll be adding pieces from the Pablo Collection to it. Then I'll finish up the bedroom set and add the rest of the pieces from the collection to it. Here's a little teaser of what's to come: Oh, and one more thing regarding the last poll ... I was surprised at how close wanting master/slave files to not wanting them was. I personally prefer not doing them, so that is what I'll continue to be doing for the majority of the sets from now on. However, the seating from the above set will be master/slave. However, I'm trying to get Thomas to include a way to have two versions of one object in the next version of the site. If that happens, I'll be uploading files the way I have been in the past with an alternate that will not only be master/slave, but also updated for the latest expansion.

Recent Set Problems

I know that some of you have reported my latest set as empty, but whenever I tried to download it (and asked a friend to), there were no issues, so I cleared the reports. Apparently, there's an issue right now with the servers or something. They're trying to figure what the issue is, but it seems that it only happens part of the time. So if it isn't working for you right now, try again in a few minutes. I don't know if it'll help, but clearing cookies or something might fix it too.

As for me, I just finished reinstalling TS2 after my new drive got all set up, and I'm about to reinstall my backed up games. Once I do that, I'll be taking some previews of the single beds that I made for previous sets. I know many of you have been wanting/asking for them, so I should hopefully be uploading those either today or tomorrow.

Btw, thank you so much for the info on Foxmarks, fw!

If it's not one thing, it's another

I'm sure that if you come to my site very often, you've probably noticed that I've been slowly uploading the Aaron Collection. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but real life keeps getting in the way. Two weeks ago was our annual family camping trip (that lasted nearly an entire week), so I've been trying to get things in order after coming home from that.

Right now, I'm also having some hard drive issues. My E drive (where all my Sims stuff is stored) decided that it wanted to have some major errors the night before we left, and I wasn't able to fully explore what was lost after Windows fixed all the errors. When I got home and was able to get on the computer again, I discovered that I lost that drive's entire Program Files folder, the Drivers and Installs folder, and at least one folder in my Meshing folder. That folder was the Anna collection. I had only finished about three meshes in that set, but I'm not looking forward to trying to do them again. I often have a tendency to just forget about it whenever I lose something like that.

So, I can't really say what's coming next. I've been doing a bit of work on a bathroom, but I don't know how soon it's going to come together. I'll probably try to get another bedroom or two (or three) from the last poll put together before I'm able to complete that.

My main project right now is to transfer all my files from both drives to two new drives and reinstall Windows on one of them. I'm not sure how long that's gonna take, but I won't be focusing hardcore on anything until after that's complete. (Anyone know how to save your favorites from Firefox?)

One more thing before I hit submit ... Thank you to everyone that signs my guestbook or leaves a comment (either here or on an object). I don't generally take the time to reply to them, but I really do appreciate them. They always make me smile. :)

Poison Ivy and other fun things

I've been fighting a severe rash from poison ivy all month. Never clear out brush in the dark. I've had it on my eyelids, which has made it hard to focus on anything for very long, so that explains the lack of updates.

I'm very nearly finished with the Aaron bedroom, and I've started work on a couple of the others. I also started looking at bathrooms and have a few ideas that I'll be trying to do soon.

The results over the slave objects question were closer than I expected. I prefer to do things without using a master/slave file, so that's how I'll continue to do it. For now, I'll continue to make everything I can base-game compatible, but I'm hoping that the next version of the site will allow for more than one version of an object.

As soon as the next version of the site is up and running, I'll be updating all of my older sets.

The Results are In!

I think enough people have voted ( 114! :o ) in the poll to declare the winners. The clear winner was the Aaron collection. I've already started working on that set, and it's coming along nicely. :)

The rest of the top five included the Anna collection, the Q-Bik collectiong, the Polaris collection, and the Pablo collection. I've finished up a few of the meshes of a few of the different sets for those.

For next month, I'll be finishing up the Sterling collection, and the Metro collection. They'll be available for upload in the first two weeks of the month. I hope to have the Aaron and the Anna collections ready by the last two weeks of the month. Then I'll work on the rest of the top set picks to either put up between other sets, or to come out in May.

I put up a new pole to keep me headed in the right direction after I've had my fill of doing bedrooms (unless more bedrooms wins the poll!).

I'll post some previews in a few days of what I've got done. :)