A Note from Goldie
Avenida Sims
Spotlight -- April 12-18, 2006
If you're looking for something unique, Avenida Sims is the place you want to go! With quality custom content of every category, you're sure to find something to take home to your sims! Whether it's a new bedspread, an exotic houseplant, or a new outfit, your sims are bound to love it. I recently was able to sit down with Abe, the developer and creator of Avenida Sims, and he let me know the inside info of everything about his website. Abe, who also goes by Abe-Sim, creates all of the custom content and runs Avenida Sims from his home in Tokyo, Japan. He first started Avenida Sims back in April of 2004, which of course means that Avenida Sims was originally a Sims 1 website! He did not anticipate making the change to Sims 2, but found out that there was much more room for creativity with the Sims 2. Abe used to spend most of his free time playing a program that let the user build 3D house construction, however he soon found that The Sims was much more interesting. So he started building structures and making his own custom content, and Avenida Sims was born!
Currently, Abe is the only person behind Avenida Sims, which is amazing when you see all of the downloads that are available. Many of his objects have a modern feel to them, and his fans just can't get enough! With an average of 10,000 visitors per week and 35,000 to 50,000 downloads each week (which differs depending on whether there was an update) it is easy to see that Sims 2 fans from all over the world are loving Avenida Sims. Abe continues to update his site every two weeks, which gives him enough time to design and create new objects and skins. He puts a lot of time into creating his content, which is evident in the quality of his work. In the future, he hopes to have a small staff to help him with the site in which updates will be more frequent. For now, his Japanese tips and texts are updated frequently and he spends time on his Japanese column when new expansion packs come out to update and renew the disclaimers. He also takes the time to make sure all of his downloads become EP ready with the release of every new expansion. And with all the downloads he has available, you can see that that takes a lot of time!
Avenida Sims is a free site, and Abe does accept donations. However, he does not keep the donations for himself. All of the money that his fans donate, goes directly to UNICEF, which is a global organization that reaches out to provide children all over the world with food, health services, and education. To learn more about UNICEF, and to see what these donations go towards click here.
Now, what about his creations? Abe has objects ranging from outdoor lighting to roofs, living room sets to candelabras, patio furniture to nursery furniture. You can even find ground covers and glass floors! There are some very original houseplants, both big and small, and his garden lighting is simply beautiful. And it's not only objects that Abe creates. He has some fabulous recolors of sleepwear for both male and female as well as some beautiful genetics including hair recolors and custom eyes. He also provides accessories ranging from mustaches to earrings which I am sure your sims will be dying to try! His latest update is a gorgeous bedroom set with all new meshes in a dark wood finish. (I downloaded it for my game immediately!) I also asked Abe where his inspiration for his creations comes from, and he told me that he spends a lot of time in meditation which gets his creative juices flowing. And also by playing the game itself, he gets a feel for what he wants in his own game, and then creates it and provides it for others to use as well!
And what does the future hold for Avenida Sims? "I hope my site to be existence that is irreplaceable, original, and unique. And I should decrease the difference between contents on an English side and a Japanese," Abe says. After spending much time checking out all that Avenida Sims has to offer, I must tell you Abe...you have already achieved your dream! Avenida Sims has objects that you will not find any place else, which makes it irreplaceable. The custom content is most definitely original and unique, and absolutely creative. And if you take a look at Abe's guest book, you can see comments in both Japanese and English. Which proves that Avenida Sims has bridged the gap between two countries and two cultures on opposite sides of the globe. Avenida Sims' future looks very bright indeed.
I also asked Abe if he had any advice or tips to give to new Sims 2 creators. He told me that he recommends combining plural software. For example, he uses Milkshape3D and Metasequoia (a Japanese free 3D tool) as well as 3Dace (another Japanese free 3D tool) to make his creations. Click on these links to go to the appropriate sites where you can download each of these tools: MilkShape 3D, Metasequoia, and 3Dace. (I should warn you that the Metasequoia and 3Dace websites are completely in Japanese, however I was able to translate them using google's translator.) Abe also had another piece of advice, which I think is very inspirational and worth remembering: "If I talk about spiritual side...when you care about others' evaluation too much, only boring work can be made. Please value self sense and individuality."
Fans of Avenida Sims are full of gratitude for Abe and all of his hard work. And likewise, Abe is very thankful to all of his fans and visitors. I asked him if he had any words of thanks to his fans. Here's what he said: "Oh, it is what I want to insist very much. I appreciate cheering words
from the bottom of my heart. I will make an effort to send the new enjoyment to your game."
If you haven't been to visit Avenida Sims, you are really missing out! Go and enjoy the unique works of Abe and don't forget you can leave a donation for UNICEF and a cheering word for Abe! Oh, and I'm sure you'll find a lot of new things for your simmies too!
All About Style
Spotlight -- April 6-12, 2006
Style, isn't that what it is all about? When you download skins for your Sims game, you are looking for style, whatever that style may be. Whether it's punk, rock, southern, modern, or historical...style is what it's all about. And at All About Style, you'll find all these things and more!
I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Judie, the creative developer of All About Style. And let me tell you, she is one busy gal! "I am the only person at All About Style...There is so much to do!" Judie says. Yep, that's right. Judie is the sole force behind All About Style. And when you see everything she has created, it is easy to understand why she is so busy! And what's even more amazing, All About Style is not a pay site, and Judie refuses to accept donations. Everything on her website is free to her adoring fans, of which she has many. With an average visitor count of 6,000 a day and 8,000 on the weekends, it is very clear that All About Style is a raging success!
Judie, who lives in Pennsylvania in the USA, started her skinning journey before The Sims 2 was even released. When Bodyshop became available, Judie decided to try her hand at a simple bathing suit. Much to her surprise, her first attempt at skinning was a success! "[I] was suprised that it looked kind of cute in the game...I was hooked," Judie says of her first skin. She then decided to enroll at her local community college in an online course for Photoshop7. Even at this early stage, Judie was committed to providing quality skins for herself and the Sims 2 community. Her next step was making clothes for the senior age group. "I started making clothes for the Seniors because they were so neglected," Judie says. After starting two Yahoo groups, Judie finally decided to take the plunge and All About Style was born in December of 2004.
If you've never been to All About Style, prepare to be amazed. With close to 2,000 skins and accessories free for download, there is something for everyone. All About Style offers beautiful and quality skins for every age group and every category. And that's not all. All About Style also provides matching accessories including jewelry and designer handbags that your fashion-minded sims will be more than happy to wear! Judie has also created a wide range of styles from rock, elegant, casual, and even historical. In fact, her historical themes are a huge hit at All About Style. Many of her loyal visitors enjoy having themed neighborhoods in their game. And they are never disappointed when they stop by All About Style to find that perfect skin. With themes such as Victorian, Regency, Medieval and Prairie just to name a few, you can outfit your sims from the Dark Ages all the way to the present! And All About Style provides the whole kit and kaboodle for the historical sim, including hairstyles (like sausage curls and up-do's) and accessories (such as cowboy hats and bonnets). So if you're looking for quality skins for your historical or themed neighborhood, I guarantee All About Style will satisfy your every desire.
But what about current styles? Does All About Style cater to the more present day genre as well? You betcha. Judie creates skins of all types, from super trendy to stay-at-home-mom. "I like realistic clothing that real people wear," she says. And that's what she creates. Quality skins that look as real as can be, as if your sim could just walk right off your computer screen and have a cup of coffee with you. Now that's what I call realistic! Whether you have a sim that lives on 5th Avenue in New York City or a mother of 10 in Wisconsin, All About Style has the perfect outfit.
So, where does Judie get her inspiration for all of these wonderful creations? Well, I was wondering that too...so I asked her! " Inspiration for contemporary clothing comes from fashion magazines to keep up with current trends and then many many on-line shopping sites," she tells me. And what about all of those amazing historical skins? "I am an addict at collecting old magazines on E-Bay from the 1800's, plus I am always looking for costuming books...I love reading about period fashion." Her love for fashion really shows itself in every single skin that she designs.
All About Style is as strong as ever. With weekly updates, there is always something new to see and enjoy. "I update every weekend...Friday is usually my theme day and Saturday is for comtemporary clothing," Judie says. And what does Judie have in store for us in the future? "I am very much committed to keeping up with the historical themes. I get so many requests from people with themed neighborhoods and also from those that enjoy creating their wonderful stories," she says.
I also asked Judie if she had any words of advice for new Sims 2 skins creators. And she gave a very valuable tip: "It would just be to keep at it...It is definately something that can be learned and something that really does not take that long to learn." While Judie says that it is not necessary to have any formal education or training, she does say that having a good knowledge of how to use a paint program is essential. So, if you're thinking about trying your hand at some skin designing, give it a shot! You may surprise yourself!
I will leave you with one last thought from Judie, "This has turned into a very rewarding hobby." And boy is she right. All About Style is not only rewarding for Judie; it is rewarding to every visitor that enters the site, and likewise every Sims 2 fan everywhere. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!