In continuation of the set . . .

I have not been rushing on this set - I want each piece to be interesting and complete so I have been taking my time finishing up a few pieces - I think I have one more item to go, but we'll see - it needs something. I would love to make my own camera that actually worked, but the truth is - I would want to make a vintage camera that one holds at waist level and looks down into the view finder from the top.
So it would be a decoration - not a functional item and I don't know that I know enough about that sort of thing to sit down and mesh it. Perhaps a photo album - vintage, of course. With the new video tape option in Generations, I thought the photo backdrop would be a fun object for people. ATS3 also has a gorgeous news room studio set that the screen would be fun for screen shots.

The victrola has tested well and people seem to like it. I wanted a couple of 78s to go with it - one sleeved and one unsleeved. The shine is something I am debating. In full sunlight the records have a high sheen even though the specular is not dead on white - it's actually 50% grey. It might still be too strong, but I wanted something that would reflect like a normal record would.

The book looks really nice in game in close up. That said - because it is open and flat - at a distance and at an angle - the details show poorly. This sort of thing is really for the person who wants to have something for a screenshot that is crisp. I added a cabinet that I actually own. This was acquired in Arizona (when I tell people I lived in Arizona, I say it like Phoenix is the name of the state. If you are reading this and you're from Arizona - sorry - there were three places to be and not one of them struck me as a place to stay). I bought it from a fellow named Michael Todd - he owned an antique store and was a really nice guy. He introduced me to Sordid Lives - the movie. A note about Arizona or the state of Phoenix . . . my brief time there was extreme and surreal. Helped to transform an old hotel into what was supposed to be a retirement resort, but it could not shake the crack den feel that it really was. Anyway, the real cabinet is metal with a celluloid knob. It would be difficult to get the actual paint texture in game - it's sort of wrinkled, but an industrial finish that is intentional.

 
To bring the set together, I wanted some sort of vintage lamp(s). I have a number of them - some were actually heat lamps from the 40s - they had this strange carbon screw in thing for the socket - but a regular light bulb actually worked in it too so - yeah! But, I digress. I toyed with the idea of adding one of those lights - I have two and they are each unique, but because of the vintage photo backdrop, I wanted to tie the lamp in, so I created these:

These light my real life studio and without adding a cord to push their polygon limits above obscene, they pretty much look the same sans a few obsessive details (again to cut down on 'costs' of the poly count). I am really happy with these. Two sizes - spotlights - three channels - glass bulb. This is the sort of thing when I see it in an antique store I nearly trip over my feet trying to run to them. I was extremely lucky to get two of these in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They fold up and collapse and retract into almost nothing. I had to rewire them entirely and I painted the shades a metallic olivine (Modern Masters Metallic Paints). I love them and actually - I use amber bulbs in them to act like a night light. When I found them they were filthy and tucked into a corner and dirt ass cheap. So - they're cheap at objects in the game too. Here are more shots of the details:

These also have that strange industrial wrinkled paint in reality - so I used a hammerite paint finish from the game - you've seen that finish in real life on tool boxes and industrial vacuum cleaners.

Completely off the topic, I wanted to include some more photos of the garden. No Laika today - she's at doggy day care. A place called Wag-A-Lot - you can watch her on camera all day long when she's there. Fancy that. Garden pictures:

 I lied. I found a picture I took of her last night . . .

Echinacea - this is a pale lavender/pink

 Yellow Yarrow

 Pink Geyser Gaura

 Tiki Torch Echinacea - vivid orange - my favorite color

 This is sad - we just got this plant and I don't know the name of it . . .

 Euphorbia - this is a deep green/purple - it's like a thing out of Star Trek

 Dill flower - I adore dill - it's great in salad and in egg or tuna salad . . . .

Okay - off to figure out what the last item should be for this set. I am leaning heavily on the photo album idea. I haven't seen one that I would own myself out there . . . . so picky. tsk tsk.