After World War II, Sims returned to illustration and painting and created a number of somewhat surreal and meticulous, finely-detailed gouaches. There are approximately 30 images of this kind. The variety of subjects include stylized figures in elaborate costumes, ballet dancers, circus performers and botanical studies.
In the 1950s the family moved to Germany for several years and Sims continued to paint and sketch throughout Europe. She filled several sketchbooks with landscape and architectural drawings and paintings. It was at this time that she began to experiment with abstraction and started to incorporate elements of Cubism into her compositions. 18 paintings of cathedrals, castles and landscapes that are done in this style survive.
Sims wrote and illustrated in the early 50s an original children's story, "Edible Vegedibles." The story (written in poetic form) is about the occupants of a garden that come alive during a storm and perform variety acts in the furrows. There are 20 images of these anthropomorphic vegetables, executed as finely-detailed gouache drawings in an outrageously whimsical style.
During the 50s and 60s Sims was also painting large scale realistic imagery in watercolor of figures, portraits, still-lifes and landscapes. Only a few of these works survive.
