H&M Summer Style 3

This is my third set of clothing created using the H&M Fashion Stuff meshes to create an understated, feminine summer wardrobe. This set comprises four dresses, one pair of shorts worn with a camisole and one pair of jeans worn with a halter top. I think the shoes in this set are particularly cute.

This week is World Without Time Retro Week and I think that two of the dresses in this set have a retro feel: one is fifties-inspired, the other I think has a sixties look. I have categorised the fifties dress under everyday and formal wear. All other items are categorised as everyday wear only.



All the items are available for adult and young adult females and require the H&M Fashion Stuff Pack.

H&M Summer Style 2

I enjoyed creating my first set of re-colours of H&M Fashion Stuff Pack meshes so much that I decided to make a second set. Again, I've taken the textures supplied with the stuff pack and given them a more subtle, feminine re-working. As before, the basic shapes of the outfits are meshed on so there is limited scope for change and, rather disappointingly, the meshes are not bump map enabled. This set comprises eight complete outfits: two pretty summer dresses, two tunics, two denim mini skirts and two versatile pairs of trousers.



Again, my objective was to create outfits which were more suitable for everyday wear than the originals.

All outfits are available for adult and young adult females and require the H&M Fashion Stuff Pack.

H&M Summer Style

These are my first new creations since returning from my first anniversary holiday and were inspired by the H&M Fashion Stuff Pack which I recently installed.

I must say that when I first looked through the new H&M clothing in CAS I was a bit disappointed. Most of the clothing was not to my taste at all, quite gaudy and just a bit too "out there" for me. However, on closer inspection, I realised that some of the meshes might lend themselves quite nicely to re-colouring with more subtle, feminine textures, and the footwear is amongst the best I've seen from Maxis, with some absolutely gorgeous boots, mules, ballet pumps and strappy sandals. However, the H&M meshes aren't the most versatile. On the whole, the shape of the original garment can't be altered, only the textures. Anyway, here is what I came up with:



These are fairly simple re-colours as it wasn't possible to change the basic shape of the clothing much. My main aim was to make the H&M clothing more accessible for everyday wear and closer to my taste i.e. a little more elegant and feminine. What eventually materialised was a capsule wardrobe for summer, including comfy trousers and versatile short dresses suitable for both day and evening wear.

The H&M Fashion Stuff Pack is quite accessory happy and I have removed some of these from the outfits in order to allow a range of jewellery to be worn, although I did replace some - necklaces, and often bracelets, can generally be removed simply by altering the alpha file if you really don't like them. I have changed the original shoes very little as they were just so cute.

All outfits are available for adult and young adult females and obviously you need to have the H&M Fashion Stuff Pack installed in order for them to appear in your game.

Adiós

I am flying south on holiday tomorrow for a week to celebrate my First Wedding Anniversary. Installing Bon Voyage has really put me in the holiday mood. Hopefully, the weather will be better than it's been in Scotland recently. So if you wonder why I'm not replying to PMs, guestbook entries and comments next week, now you will understand. I've been trying to learn some Spanish over the last few weeks. It will be interesting to see if anyone there is able to understand me! Adiós!

Free sets

As of tomorrow, the first two sets I made for The Sims 2 will be available to download for free indefinitely. These are Embroidered camisole set and Embroidered camisoles II.





Both sets are for female adults only and are categorised as underwear. All use a standard Maxis base game mesh i.e. no mesh downloads or expansion/stuff packs required.

For Katherine

As you may have heard, one of our Select Artists, Katherine (known here as My Lady Craven), died tragically on March 17th following a road traffic accident. I didn't know Katherine very well but we corresponded for a while as I helped her develop her preview picture style. She came across as a very happy, friendly, enthusiastic person who clearly loved The Sims. She was very supportive of the creators here and often left encouraging comments. I have decided to make a particular set of my gowns, Marquise, which she said she loved, freely available permanently in her memory. R.I.P. Katherine.

Anniversary Waltz

To celebrate my forthcoming First Wedding Anniversary I have created a set of 18th century ballgowns in the style of my own bridal gown. The beautiful afprincessgown mesh was created by Siluetta and is available here at TSR. The gowns come in 14 colours, some with contrast front panels and sleeves, some with lace trim at the neckline, all with rose embroidery on the bodice and lace up corset back. For maximum versatility, I have deliberately not included any jewellery as part of the gown; the neck is bare so that you are free to use and alternate the jewellery of your choice. I would highly recommend Xandher's stunning Collette Choker Collection , which complements the gowns perfectly.



The gowns are available for adults and young adults.

Love Stories

My First Wedding Anniversary is rapidly approaching and I wanted to make something appropriate. The first anniversary is traditionally associated with giving gifts made of paper, so I decided to make some decorative books with a romantic theme. I found some wonderful meshes made by Thayet here at TSR and set about researching the great romantic novels. I was surprised and rather dismayed when I realised that almost all of the great love stories are tragic: Romeo & Juliet, Wuthering Heights, Gone With The Wind, Anna Karenina, Dr. Zhivago, The English Patient, Love Story, Les Liaisons Dangereuses...I wonder why that is. Is a happy ending just not dramatic enough? Please let me know if you can think of any great love stories with a happy ending!



This set requires five meshes created by Thayet here at TSR and the books can be found in the game under decorative > miscellaneous. Unfortunately, your Sims won't be able to read them. Probably just as well, really, as they might just get upset!

Simmer Sun Signs

My Simmer Sun Signs poll has been running since 1 Feb 2007, so, after over 14 months, I think it's probably time for a new one! Thank you to the 1694 people who participated. The question was, "What is your sun sign?" and here are the results in descending order of popularity:

Taurus 9.9%
Leo 9.43%
Virgo 8.9%
Pisces 8.84%
Cancer 8.78%
Libra 8.49%
Scorpio 8.37%
Aries 8.01%
Aquarius 7.9%
Gemini 7.84%
Capricorn 7.19%
Sagittarius 6.48%

If each sign had received an equal share of the vote that would have meant 8.33% each. At almost 10% of the vote, Taureans seem to be much more prevalent than would be expected by chance, and, at under 6.5% of the vote, there are proportionately fewer Sagittarians playing the Sims than predicted. I was hoping for an obvious ranking of signs according to element or quality, but this doesn't seem to have happened. I am not an expert in statistics or astrology, so further analysis by someone who knows about one or other - or preferably both! - would be appreciated.

I have recently installed Bon Voyage, which I think is a fantastic expansion pack. It has re-kindled my passion for The Sims, which had been waning, and I am probably more excited about The Sims now than I have been since first installing The Sims 1! This led me to wonder which are other people's favourite packs and this will be the topic of my new poll. It's a bit of an old chestnut, I know, but I'll be fascinated to see which packs come out on top - and bottom!

Missing items fixed

I recently discovered that I had uploaded a couple of duplicate items and that two items were in fact missing from their respective sets. Thank you, perfectangel, for letting me know about these errors. They have now been rectified and if you wish to download these missing items they are as follows:

1. Valentine Lingerie Silk Chemise Set from 09/02/06: cerulean chemise was missing.

2. Pyjama Party Part 2 from 11/10/07: Pink Top & Leggings without socks was missing.

If you notice that I have made any more careless errors, please do let me know!