My New Cushy Cave!

Well, I had a few people who wanted me to get an FA chat thread up on the forum, so I was happy to oblige! :D
You can now find my Cushy Cave here:

Illiana's Cushy Cave

I also have several projects currently in the works...so keep your eyes peeled here for updates. Of course now that I have that nice new cave, I have a place to show exclusive pictures of my upcoming lots...lots of pictures. Hehehe! So, you might want to visit there as well!

Thank you to everyone who congratulated me on the Announcement page, in my guestbook, in my cave, and even privately. You guys and gals here on TSR are the absolute BEST! I sure hope you like my next projects, and that they make your sims happy!

Your friend -
Illiana

Featured Artist...ME?!!!!

I have had many surprises in my life that will always be with me...and being granted the status of Featured Artist here on TSR is certainly one I will always cherish and remember!

I don't really have the words to express how proud I feel today! Thank you all so VERY much for your kindness, support, and wonderful compliments that just made me want to build more and more. I am stunned, happy, excited, REALLY nervous, and extremely thrilled! Oh my goodness!!!! *Happy dance!*

Thank you to Steve, Thomas, and all the staff at TSR for their help, and for the honor I am being given today. I shall certainly work hard and try to do my very best...after all, just LOOK at all the talent around this place?! Yeah...no pressure here. LOL!

Thank you to all of my friends I have made here on TSR! The list is so unforgiveably long, that I shall spare the space and just give you all (((MEGA HUGS!!!!))) Your support, encouragement, waggling fingers, and broad shoulders mean the world to me! Thank you all!!!!

Thank you to my son for kicking me in the tuckus and telling me to just TRY uploading a house and see what happens, instead of worrying so much about the technical stuff.

But most of all...thank you to all of you who have downloaded my homes. :D It is really YOU that has helped me get to this point. It is the people who download homes, community lots, and tutorials that encourage artists to create more. So thank you to everyone who has ever downloaded one of my creations...no matter what it was! YOU are the real reason I love to build...and title or no, that will NEVER change! Thank you!

--A VERY grateful,
Illiana

July Lot Tally!

Another month, and another tally. Here is a quick list of the homes I have built, and their EPs!
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Lots:

Lots available for download: 10

Type of Lots:
Community Lots - 1
Residential Lots - 9

EPs used:
Base Game - 5
UNI - 1
Uni/NL/OFB - 1
Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - 3

Content in Lots:
Maxis Only (No Custom Content) - 8
Some Custom Content - 2
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BONUS

Sets: 7 (All Maxis Only!)
Base Game - 3
Uni/NL/OFB - 4

* 1 Community Lot Pending - (Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - Maxis Only)
* 1 Community Lot Approved and scheduled for release (Uni/NL/OFB - Maxis Only)
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*Whew!* I've learned a LOT of new things this month! LOL! Once again, thank you ALL for your continued support and wonderful compliments! You all make lot building SO worth it! :D

--Illiana

Llama Field Arena!

Don't know what's gotten into me, but Community Lots keep popping into my head. LOL! I've just finished testing this one, and miracle of miracles there was NO lag, and it played smooth as can be. Yay!!! Just a matter of getting the preview shots for it now...and uploading of course. ;) Facts: Community Lot EPs Needed - Uni/NL/OFB/SEAS/BV Custom Content - None - Maxis Only Lot Size - 6x5 Functions as: Park - Llama Field Arena has tiered seating, bathroom facilities, food stands, a bandstand, electronic gadget sales, arcade games, a photobooth, chess games, and a nice green field to play catch or kickybag on! Here's a neighborhood shot of the Arena. You can see more pictures of this lot on the TSR Forums: Llama Field Arena Keep watching the Coming Soon area for release date information, and thanks for all of your wonderful support!!! :D --Illiana

Polls and New Lots!

POLLS Well, with 101 people voting, here are the results of my latest poll... What is the average size of your sim families? 4 - 45.54% - (46 votes) 3 - 20.79% - (21 votes) 5 - 14.85% - (15 votes) 1-2 - 12.87% - (13 votes) 6 or more! - 7.92% - (8 votes) Good. That was pretty much what I figured, and I just LOVE being at least partially right. LOL! Thank you all SO much for participating. Every poll helps me learn what people want so I can make better homes for everyone! Thank you! ----------------------------------- NEW LOTS Have 2 new lots on the way, and they couldn't be more different from each other. ;) ILLUSTRA - The first is a Modern home that I am REALLY proud of! Illustra is a 3 bedroom home designed to take in views from the ocean or a cliff top. It is NOT a beach lot, but would look great near water. It's a 3 bedroom Maxis only home, and will be available on the 29th (Tuesday). THE AVU DRIVE-IN THEATER - The second is a flash back into the past! I have created a 1950's retro-styled drive-in theater! It is lacking cars though, since it is...as usual...Maxis only. These you will have to add yourself. It is a community lot with a small cafe/snack bar, place to buy video games, bathrooms, swings, etc. It is designed more as a park with a small eatery. It would be great for screenies, stories, teenager hang-out (for those sneaking teens), or just as ambience for retro hoods. It is due out August 3rd (Sunday). ----------------------------------- I cannot thank you all enough for your support and encouragement! I have met some of the most wonderful people here, and have to thank my son and rose-maman for talking me into uploading my homes in the first place. LOL! Well, guess I'd better get cracking! Homes to build, and sims to make happy you know. Thank you all...you make building SO worth it! -Illiana

100,000 Downloads!!!!

Oh my goodness! I cannot believe that I have gotten to the 100,000 download mark! Thank you ALL so very much for your support and encouragement. I am so happy that so many people like the homes I have created. I'm honored and humbled today. TSR really is full of wonderful people!!!! Thank you again!

--(A VERY grateful) Illiana

New Gothic Community Lot

Zutafen mentioned Gothic Architecture on one of my previous blog messages, and it got me to thinking...yes I know, always a dangerous thing...so I decided to give a community lot a shot. This particular lot is aimed more towards being used as a University library/bookstore and coffee shop, but might even make a great Storytelling backdrop. ;) It is in no way completed yet, but I thought enough of it was done that I could show you a few sneak peeks. -------------------------------- Here's the info on it: - EPs required - Just Uni - I am thinking of putting it into a later EP game and adding more exterior decor as Uni decor is limited, but I'll have to see about that. If I do, it will be a seperate uploaded lot so both choices will be available. - Size - LARGE! (Read: This is a big lot - 5x5. Not a laptop lot or an older computer lot.) - Purpose - This will be set up as a Park/Bookstore/Library/Museum/Coffee Shop. If I create a later EP version as well, I want to remove the Museum part and replace it with a Restaurant instead. I'll have to see. - Floors - Although there are technically 7 floors in this building, there are actually only 3 playable. Trying to play a lot with more floors than that is nigh impossible. If you want to try to add stairs to the top 2 floors, go right ahead. ;) But for my release, the top 2 floors are decorative only. - Custom Content - As you can see there is some CC here. I have used a few items from Cyclonesue's wonderful Gothic Building set, but not a lot. The file size is going to be large enough without adding more CC to it. These are the only items I have used. Everything else is Maxis only. -------------------------------- Ok...bear in mind that this is NOT a finished lot. It may be a day or so before it's done, and then the testing will begin. Mwahahaha! Hope you all like it! If it is well received I may do a series of smaller Gothic lots to create a University-type block with this lot as the centerpiece. Thanks for your continued support, and wish me luck on completing this behemoth! :D UPDATED PICS - Finished! Zutafen tested it himself! He liked it...isn't he terrific?! :D --Illiana

June Lot Tally!

Purely out of curiosity each month I try to tally the numbers and find out what I have done. Here is a quick list of the homes I have built, and their EPs!

Total # of lots built and available for download:
16

Type of Lots:
Community Lots - 2 (Including 1 beach lot which is also a THEME)
Residential Lots - 14 (Including 1 beach lot)

EPs used:
Base Game - 3
OFB - 3
Uni/NL/OFB - 7
Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - 2
Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - (& SP Glamour Life) - 1

Content in Lots:
Maxis Only (No Custom Content) - 11
Some Custom Content - 5

BONUS -
1 tutorial
1 Lot Pending - (Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - Maxis Only)
1 Lot Approved and scheduled for release (Uni/NL/OFB/Seas/BV - Maxis Only)

Thank you all for your continued support and wonderful comments! I love building homes for others, and I love it even more when I find out that one of my lots has made someone happy. Thanks for another great month everyone!!! (Now...on to July! Mwahahahaha!)

--Illiana

New Project - Adobe?!

Yes that's right. I thought I would give an Adobe home a try...not some itty bitty one either. LOL! No, I had to go ALL out...er, or at least as far as Maxis Only would let me. They don't really make much in the way of Spanish/Meditteranean decor. So here's a few "known stats". (Keep in mind that this home still needs lighting and testing so it may be a day or so before it is ready to be uploaded.) 1 - It is Maxis Only - No Custom Content (CC) used in it at all. 2 - It will, as per my usual, be only available to the UBER-cheaters, or mega rich. LOL! (Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 - 400,000) 3 - It is a 4 bedroom, 3 and 1/2 bath home - 2 Stories 4 - It does have a study, formal dining, full kitchen, gorgeous living room, huge first floor master with large ensuite bath and walk-in dressing area...also a private deck, large bedrooms, living room is open to the 2nd floor, 2 fireplaces, an attached garage with minivan, fully landscaped, indoor and outdoor fountains, all skills, alarms, and phones supplied. 5 - An attempt has been made to try to capture the Spanish/Meditteranean feel that I wanted, but with Maxis only that is very hard to do. I am quite certain that those who enjoy this type of architecture/home will have the CC, or be able to get the CC, necessary to make this house be all that it can be! Enough babble - Here's some sneak previews - (Without lights, and no testing yet so some things MAY change...but I'm pretty careful so they may not. Hehehe!)

Plant Poll Results!

Here are the results of my latest poll - With 164 people participating!

Question 1:
What plants do you most like to see in the homes you download?

Flowers 34.76% (57)

Trees 29.27% (48)
Bushes 20.73% (34)
None 5.49% (9)
Ground Paints 4.88% (8)

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Question 2:
When you download a home do you like Custom Content plants?

Yes - I love new plants! 45.73% (75)

Maybe - Depends on the home! 31.71% (52)
No - I like to pick my own! 16.46% (27)
Don't care! 6.1% (10)

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So it would seem that (gardener be darned) most prefer flowers, although trees and bushes were still pretty close. I must say that I am surprised at the low numbers for ground paints though. That is an interesting result which I may have to look into in more depth later.

Also, it seems that CC plants are accepted much more readily than other objects or items. That, too, is surprising! I am actually a HUGE plant fan, and in my personal game I think I have just about every plant ever made...anywhere. LOL! But, I'm also a lazy player so they have to be low-no maintenance ones. ;) Hmmm...it is an interesting result, and I will bear this in mind in future building projects.

Thank you all for participating! Every new piece of information is another part of the puzzle. The more I know about what you like, the better job I can do for you. Thank you again!

--Illiana