Spring Fling Homemade Gift Exchange ~ CLOSED

https://i.imgur.com/TDkk63e.png
Please add to your calendar!!!

Sign Ups: Sunday, March 11 to Saturday, March 24 ending at 6 pm (EST)
Late Buddy Letters will not be accepted!

Buddy Names: Each Buddy name will be sent via private message and should arrive by 6 pm (EST) on Sunday, March 25.

ALL check-ins need to be done via the thread.
Do not send a private message or post on my Sims 3 My Page wall.

Check-in ONE: Before or by the end of Monday, March 26.
This lets me know that you have received your Buddy name.
If you haven’t received a name and need it re-sent, please let me know ASAP!

Check-in TWO: Before or by the end of Tuesday, April 3.
This is just a general check-in to let me know that you’re doing okay.

If you need help with anything or foresee any problems, be sure to ask or mention this! General questions should be asked in the thread, but Buddy specific ones must be sent to me via private message.

Check-in THREE: Before or by the end of Tuesday, April 17.
Your gift should be almost ready to go at this time.

VERY Important!!!: If you miss one of the above check-ins without letting me know beforehand, you will receive a private message. If you do not respond by the date listed in the private message, you will be eliminated from this gift exchange and won’t receive a gift. The person who had you will be asked if they would like to gift the Buddy you were assigned. The only exception against elimination is letting me know ahead of time that you will miss a deadline.

GIFTING Time: Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29.
If you are unable to gift during this time, let me know ASAP!

https://i.imgur.com/RDkgBul.png

Remember, this is a Sims 3 only gift exchange ~ NO Sims 4 gifts allowed.

The rules have been categorized in the hopes that they’ll be easier to read.
Be sure to check each spoiler tag!

Hello, Buddy!


Make Gifts!


Gifting Time!

G1. You must gift and be gifted.

G2. When a gift is being given, post a message in the thread.
This message must include:
Your Buddy’s name
Gift number (very helpful to Buddy & host!)
Link to the studio upload
Screenshots showing off the gift.

G3. In the gift message, it’s best to put more than 3 screenshots inside a spoiler tag to prevent page jumping as pictures load and to help with page loading times.

The way it works looks like this:
pictures and accompanying text go here
Remember to remove the spaces before and after each bracket!

G4. To keep things cozy, gifts will be given in this thread. Do not make a separate gifting thread for your Buddy.

G5. Gift one gift a day maximum. Gifting lots of gifts might be nice, but it can be overwhelming!

G6. If you download or add a gift to your favorites list, please ‘Recommend It’.

G7. Everybody loves compliments!
Gifts take time & effort so let Buddies know what caught your eye.

https://i.imgur.com/v7YTyMl.png

Please use this form!
It’s a guide to give your Buddy as much information as possible. Include any additional info you think would help them get to know your way of playing the game.

The more details, the better!!!

Remember, this is a guide and not a step-by-step wishlist.
You might or might not get something that is mentioned here.

As always, your Buddy is looking forward to creating something truly unique for you!


Buddy Letter form:

Username:

Link to your Sims 3 My Page: (This is to help me when Buddy pairings are being made, especially if I don’t know you very well. If you’d rather not put your link here, please send me a PM with this information)

I have installed the following Expansion Packs:

I have installed the following Stuff Packs:

I own the following Store Content:

I own the following EA-made Worlds: (Please note that others might not feel comfortable using a custom world so please list only those made by EA)

Some of my favorite colors are:

I really don’t like this color:

I love to use items from this set:

I prefer to play in this EA-made World:

I enjoy this style of build the most: (Example: Craftsman)

I really don’t want this in my game:

I would or would not like lots in the following sizes: (If you’re a fan of tiny lots, then here is a great place to mention that! If larger lots make your game lag while loading them, be sure to mention that!)

I want/don’t want berry sims:

I want/don’t want occult sims: (Be sure to specifically list those that you are fine with or mention which ones you don’t want to see in your game!)

I want/don’t want pets in the household: (Like cats more than dogs? Prefer cute puppies to horses? Don’t want any critters? Mention it!)

Do you want your sims and/or pets skilled up for you? If so, how much? (Example: A couple of points, but not maxed out)

Are there certain skills you want skilled because you really like having them ready when you start with a new sim or household? (Example: A few points in Cooking would be nice so sims don’t burn the waffles and can make more than a mean bowl of cereal!)

Are there particular skill items that you really like having in a build? (Example: I love having sims that can cook, garden, paint and write so having those skilling objects would be awe-sim!)

Other: (Describe here anything that you’d really like that might or might not have been previously mentioned!)


This text is to certify that I have read ALL the posts and will follow the rules for participation as well as pay attention to important dates.
~ end of form ~


If you’re having trouble figuring out what to say in your letter, peek at the previous gift exchange for ideas.
Sweet SIMtember Homemade Gift Exchange


Don’t worry. Have FUN!
Your Buddy will <3 what you make for them!

http://i.imgur.com/PJ7Xkkc.png

In alphabetical order:

Catdog123
ciane
DinoJr
fleshjenn
Jessabeans
KaytayRoall
Kgaff
KhemKat19
MiaSkywalker
Morakai
MsPrissy88
Mystik1978
suzses

https://i.imgur.com/d5ftiJw.png
For Buddies with names that begin with numbers or A to K

To: Catdog123
From: the Catdog Gift Brigade

Gift 1 from suzses
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450565/#Comment_16450565
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2 from Kgaff
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451821/#Comment_16451821
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3 from KaytayRoall & DinoJr
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16453678/#Comment_16453678
Checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: ciane
From: KaytayRoall

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451069/#Comment_16451069
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16452316/#Comment_16452316
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16455862/#Comment_16455862
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: DinoJr
From: ADWilson

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450054/#Comment_16450054
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2 from MsPrissy88:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451613/#Comment_16451613
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16453168/#Comment_16453168
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 4:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454805/#Comment_16454805
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)


~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: fleshjenn
From: DinoJr

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450161/#Comment_16450161
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451814/#Comment_16451814
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16453686/#Comment_16453686
Checked and is CC Free o:)


~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: Jessabeans
From: Catdog123

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450704/#Comment_16450704
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16452265/#Comment_16452265
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454095/#Comment_16454095
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 4:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16455679/#Comment_16455679
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: KaytayRoall
From: fleshjenn

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16452146/#Comment_16452146
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454196/#Comment_16454196
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16455656/#Comment_16455656
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To: Kgaff
From: Mystik1978

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16452386/#Comment_16452386
Checked and is CC Free o:)

While-You-Wait
From: Addy
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16460359/#Comment_16460359
Checked and is CC Free o:)

While-You-Wait
From: Catdog123
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16461353/#Comment_16461353
Checked and CC Free o:)

While-You-Wait
From: suzses
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16461476/#Comment_16461476
Checked and CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: KhemKat19
From: ciane

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450028/#Comment_16450028
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Git 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451500/#Comment_16451500
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16453162/#Comment_16453162
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 4:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454844/#Comment_16454844
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

https://i.imgur.com/d5ftiJw.png
For Buddies with names that begin with L to Z

To: MiaSkywalker
From: suzses

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450301/#Comment_16450301
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451502/#Comment_16451502
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16453266/#Comment_16453266
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 4:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454815/#Comment_16454815
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: Morakai
From: Kgaff

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450321/#Comment_16450321
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451816/#Comment_16451816
Checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: MsPrissy88
From: Your Buddy, KhemKat19

Gift 1:


~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: Mystik1978
From: MiaSkywalker

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450558/#Comment_16450558
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16452789/#Comment_16452789
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454464/#Comment_16454464
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: suzses
From: Jessabeans

Gift 1:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16450347/#Comment_16450347
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 2
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16451990/#Comment_16451990
Checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 3:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16454198/#Comment_16454198
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

Gift 4:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16455953/#Comment_16455953
Mia checked and is CC Free o:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To: Everyone
From: Addy
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16463477/#Comment_16463477
Checked and is CC Free o:)

https://i.imgur.com/Ys2Egdk.png

What is a homemade gift exchange?
Each participant (Buddy) writes a letter mentioning things they would like or not like to have in their game ~ each Buddy then gets paired with another Buddy and secretly makes a gift for him/her (this can be a build, pet or sim) ~ during gifting time, the Buddies reveal themselves and share their gift for their special someone.

What is a homemade gift?
Something that is created while in-game and not purchased from the Sims 3 store is a homemade gift. A residential or community lot counts. A sim or pet needs more than simply being created in CAS, they should be taken in-game and given a bit of personality. Giving them a few skill points and/or place things in their personal inventory are just a couple of suggestions you might want to consider.

How do I start a clean, no CC game?
1 Rename your “The Sims 3” folder to something else. I often use “The Sims 3 old”.
2 Start the game. Since it can’t find the folder, it will proceed to make a brand new one and that will be have the factory default settings. It doesn’t contain CC, mods or Sims 3 store content.
3 Exit the game. Your folder will have the new folder labeled “The Sims 3”.
4 Add whatever Sims 3 store content you’d like to use in the gift for your Buddy.
5 Unless you’re familiar with mods and whether they create custom content, it might be best to not use them.

MiaSkywalker has suggested another method that removes most of the CC from a game (CC can stick to a .sim file and will be transferrable through the Exchange).

Her method:
1 Remove or rename the mods folder.
2 Rename the extension of all .dbc files in the DCCache folder to something else, like XXX.dbc.backup (Note: .ebc is store content and .dbc is CC).

How do I post an image?
Above the “Leave a Comment” box is a toolbar with formatting options. The one that looks like a picture is used to post an image. Move your mouse cursor over it and the message shows “Image”. Click on it and paste or type your image link location in the box. Image should be seen when “Preview” button is pressed.

How do I post a link?
Above the “Leave a Comment” box is a toolbar with formatting options. The one that looks like two interlocking chains in a link is used to post a link. Move your mouse cursor over it and the message shows “Url”. Click on it and paste or type your url location in the box (TIP: remember to remove the text that automatically appears before entering your information!). Press the “ok” button. Link should be seen when “Preview” button is pressed.

If you want the link title to be other than the link address, type in your changes to the wording that is located before <= Note: There isn’t an asterisk in the line of code, just in this example to keep the example from showing up oddly

Is CAP custom content?
Looking over previous gift exchanges, this little nugget was discovered. TnT_Terry wrote, “CAP is NOT considered CC at all (it's an EA/Sims 3 program), but will definitely show separately in custard. Most importantly, when using patterns on any lot/sim/object it is always best to link to every pattern used because they don't always transfer with upload.”

However, please note that there are Buddies who don’t want anything that shows up separately in custard so it is probably best not to include them.

https://i.imgur.com/kUbAOcB.png

Building Inspiration:
rosemow has a post showing various links
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/12888646/#Comment_12888646

djsdragongirl suggested
http://www.thehouseplanshop.com
http://www.thehousedesigners.com

ADWilson suggested
http://www.houseplans.com/

Color Selection:
ciane suggested
http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette

ADWilson suggested
http://design-seeds.com/

Tutorials:
Carl’s Sims 3 Guide has some nice tutorials and a beginner builder’s guide.
http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/

Notes regarding Zoo U Courses:
1 Some links in the thread no longer work.
2 Tutorials that are missing pictures aren’t included below. Exceptions are the MOO tutorials because the picture links work, you just have to click on the link.
3 Some of the topics contain multiple url links due to lesson posts not being consecutive.

Zoo U Courses:
Fog Emitters: lesson by SimEve
4 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9553690/#Comment_9553690

Fog Emitters Advanced Techniques
3 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9619507/#Comment_9619507

Landscaping Start to Finish: lesson by itguyinsc
Link to lot used in lesson
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/10585153/#Comment_10585153
Slideshows
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/10586817/#Comment_10586817
2 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/10586998/#Comment_10586998
1 post
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/10587181/#Comment_10587181
1 post
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/10587738/#Comment_10587738

Modern House: lesson by WibbleLikeAJelly
6 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/8843461/#Comment_8843461

MOO U!: lesson by TarynTempestwind
What MOO can do for You
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11087341/#Comment_11087341
Model Home
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11095078/#Comment_11095078
4 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11113205/#Comment_11113205
1 post
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11113726/#Comment_11113726

MooU! Lesson 2
Overview of lesson
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11134561/#Comment_11134561
3 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11143549/#Comment_11143549

MOO U! Lesson 3
Overview of lesson
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11178885/#Comment_11178885
2 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11195661/#Comment_11195661

MOOve Your Grass!: lesson by TarynTempestwind
6 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11955557/#Comment_11955557
Tips in case lesson isn’t working quite right
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11964748/#Comment_11964748

MOOve Your Grass! Lesson 2
4 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11994910/#Comment_11994910

Roofing 101: lessons by ruthless_kk
3 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/8368990/#Comment_8368990

1 post – Porches
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/8432633/#Comment_8432633

2 posts – Advanced Roofing
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/8432637/#Comment_8432637

Tomb Building: lessons by Lissykin

Triggers, Behaviors, Torches and Doors
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221195/#Comment_9221195
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221205/#Comment_9221205
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221283/#Comment_9221283
2 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221345/#Comment_9221345
4 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221360/#Comment_9221360
2 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221410/#Comment_9221410
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9221455/#Comment_9221455

Dive Wells, Hole in the Wall, Keys and Treasure Chests
3 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9270620/#Comment_9270620

Statues, Processors and Sundries
3 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9323869/#Comment_9323869

Fog Emitters and Finishing Touches
2 posts
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/9378657/#Comment_9378657

Victorians 101: lesson by ruthless_kk
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11542928/#Comment_11542928

The
Spring
Fling
Homemade
Gift
Exchange
is
OPEN!!!

Looking forward to seeing Buddy Letters :)