I've been having issues lately that I think might have something to do with corrupt save files I tried loading into the game after I lost my computer files (including game info), tried to restore them using a file restorer program and various PC backups I had, and ended up having to switch my exported lots back into a New saved game & world. Ever since then, certain reflective objets like glass lamps and that tall standing clock decor thing from the base game, all have this odd sheen on them. The glass on the lamos glows purple when I shift the camera certain ways, and the bottom half of the face of the base game clock decor object I caught last night glowing red.

Did I fudge up my game?

File restorer programs do a good job of recovering data, but success is not 100% guaranteed. Especially if there has been any read/write activity on the computer after the files were lost. There is a possibility that it read the textures incorrectly when they were recovered. Have you tried deleting and re-buying the weird objects, or do new ones do the same thing?

If they do, and if you start a brand new game without any of the old saved games, do they still do it?

Yup, that's EXACTLY what happened! The file restorer is brilliant, but I had already started replacing my lost files with backups by the time I booted the restorer up (like an idiot), so practically everything it gave me was only, like...half full.... I didn't realize what I had done until I loaded the Dashboard and TSRW, and neither recognized certain CC I 'restored' cuz some of the data in it was suddenly missing. Darn. I sgould have waited.

And I think you're right about that corrupt saved game thing--I took out the one I knew was giving me problems, deleted one of the purple lamps, and now EA's clock is back to normal! I'll save Vanilla Testing as a last alternative--I'll see instead about re-downloading and installing the lamps that were acting up, and see if they still Purple-ize.

But now I noticed someting else that may or may not have been around for a while--I wasn't paying attention You know those arrows that appear through the walls in Build Mode, the green and red one? Usually, they look a little see through, but now, even in my new save game, they appear totally opaque.
Crap. I hope this isn't graphics card related.