Twilight Fan Art

Oh Hai!

You asked for it.  You got it.  More Twilight fan art from all over the web (not drawn by me as I can’t draw).  Enjoy!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Things I Like on Etsy – Saturday

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I have been looking for great stuff on Etsy that I can share with the world.  Here are a few for Saturday.

Sun and Moon Mason Jar Night Light by Geek Gear.

I really, really, really want one of these.  One day I will buy one.  For now I drool over this awesome night light made from and old – fashioned mason jar.

Check it out at The Geek Gear Store on www.etsy.com.

Twilight Vampire Dictionary Pendant by oliviamoon

Yes I am a major Twilight fan.  This pendant is unique and creative and great for the Twilight fan or any word lover.

Check it out at oliviamoon on Etsy.com.

If you like these unique items you might also like the following item from my Etsy shop Rockshanks.

Hero’s Rainbow Bridge Beaded Bracelet

I have named my latest creation after my beloved cat Hero who recently passed away from cancer. The reference to the Rainbow Bridge comes from a poem. It is a place where pets who have passed on wait for their owners to join them. It seemed the perfect name for this rainbow shaded bracelet.

** 15% of the sale of Hero’s Rainbow Bridge Bracelets will be donated to the Tacoma/Pierce County Humane Society.**

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

More Twilight Anime

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In honor of the imminent release of New Moon, I offer for your consideration some more awesome Twilight related artwork from around the internet.  Once again I must give propers to the artists who produced these clever illustrations and cartoons.  I love making jewelry, but I wish I could do what you do.  Enjoy!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

My New Etsy Store – Please, Please, Please Visit

Oh Hai,

It has been a long time since I have posted anything about my Artism.  I have just been so caught up in all of the cuteness out there.  I have just opened a new Etsy shop that I am very proud of, and I wanted to share it with the world.  If you have never gone to the Etsy website, you should (Etsy.com).  It is an awesome market place for handmade and vintage items as well as crafting supplies.  I think it is a perfect place for my repurposed or upcycled (suggested by an Ebay customer) jewelry.  Below are a few new examples of my artism that can be found on Etsy.  If you like what you see, please visit my store Rockshanks Repurposed Art Jewelry.

Religious/Cross Themed Overloaded Charm Bracelet

Teacher Themed Overloaded Charm Bracelet

Banned Books Literature Bracelet

Twilight Themed Overloaded Charm Bracelet

Star Wars Rebel Pilot Minifigure Necklace

Souvenir Spoon Necklace

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

LOLPotter and LOLTwilight

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I know, I know.  Enough of the LOL stuff already.  This stuff just makes me smile a lot.  In this post Harry Potter and Twilight get the LOLCat treatment.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

To All Those Who Can Draw, I Salute You!

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While I do have my own creative talents, I find myself constantly in awe of those who can draw.  Hey that rhymes.  I am so jealous and wish I could draw.  If I could, the Twilight nerd that I am, I would certainly be making some Twilight art like the following folks.  I just love this stuff, so I thought I would share a little more with you.

Major shout outs to those of you with this talent.  It’s awesome.  RAWR!  I do write, however, and need to resist the urge to do some Twilight fan fiction.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

One Last Thing I Am Obsessed With Today – Twilight Anime

Oh Hai Again!

One last thing I am obsessed with right now, Twilight anime.  When searching for pictures from the Twilight movies on the internet (it’s a long story), I ran across some amazing artwork.  It seems that numerous Twilight fans out there have turned the characters into anime style artwork.  (I am sure I have the terminology wrong.  Please forgive me.)  Most of what I have seen is really amazing and creative.  I find myself quite jealous of these artists’ talents.  I did not get the drawing gene in my family, that distinction went to my brother.   Darn him.  Anyway, here are a just a few examples that I liked.  I salute all you great artists out there for your amazing talents.

The Cullens

Edward, Bella, and Nessie

The Cullen Family

Edward With Nessie

Breaking Dawn Cover

The Cullen Family

Next time, Twilight fan fiction.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Some Books I am Obsessed With

Oh Hai Again!

I thought I would share an obsession I have that has absolutely nothing to do with cute baby animals.  I am a voracious reader.  Below are a few of my favorite books or book series.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: One of the greatest kids book series of all time that was written for adults as well.  I have read the adventures of the boy wizard many times over.  I wish I had a fraction of the writing talent that J.K. Rowling does.  My favorite of the Harry Potter Books is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. My favorite character from the series is Serius Black.  What a great name.  What a great character.  What amazing writing.

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer: A quintessential guilty pleasure.  I don’t know why I like it, but I do.  Perhaps it is the hopeless romantic in me.  Mrs. Meyer really knows how to create a perfect couple and lots and lots of romantic tension.  Summer would be the great time to start reading this series.  You will go through withdrawal when you’re done.

Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer:  I first encountered Rumpole in his B.B.C. Television incarnation.  The books are even better than the series starring Leo McKern.  Rumpole is an irreverent barrister representing criminals and angering judges down at London’s criminal court the Old Bailey.  He is witty and well read and has a wife he calls “She Who Must Be Obeyed.”  These books are sweet and funny. I am sure you will really enjoy them.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr: A mystery can’t go wrong when one of the main characters is Teddy Roosevelt.  This book, that is set in New York City, is about a doctor who is one of the first to study serial killers.  He uses his scientific knowledge to solve a series of grisly murders.  It is a might gory, but also captivating.  It will keep your interest from beginning to end.  The sequel, The Angel of Death, is not quite as good, but it is also a good read.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Every mystery worth their salt loves Sherlock Holmes.  The Holmes stories were my first introduction to mysteries, and I still love these stories today.  What more can I say about a mystery classic.

The Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs: I love mysteries, and I love tea.  This series of books combines both in a really fun way and includes recipes that are actually good (yes, I have tried some.)  Theodosia Browning, the proprietress of the Indigo Tea Shop solves mysteries in Charleston, SC.    Mrs. Childs also writes a scrap booking series that is fun.

Howard’s End by E.M. Forster: When I was in college I went on an E.M. Forster kick after I read Howard’s End.  I think his use of language is just gorgeous.  He creates word pictures like no one else I have ever read.  The main characters in the book are the Schlegel sisters.  One impulsively marries a wealthy widow and the other gets involved in scandle.  It’s a great, classic story.

The Penn Dutch Inn Mysteries by Tamar Myers: This is a totally silly series of books centered around the Penn Dutch inn.  The inn is run by Magdalena Yoder, a Mennonite, and attracts big time Hollywood stars.  Magdalena has an Amish cook, a flighty “Presbyterian” sister who keeps her tiny dog in her bra, and  Jewish doctor husband.  It is really hard to describe this series.  There is nothing serious about them, but they are great fun.  Tamar Myers also writes a fun antique series.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams: This is the first in the Echo Falls mystery series.  It is a young adult series but does not talk down to the reader.  I am in the middle of this book right now, but I can already tell I will be reading the other two books in the series.  Ingrid Levin-Hill is the 13 year old slueth around which the stories revolve.   She is your typical teenager who plays soccer, loves acting in the local community theater, is involved in her first romance, and finds herself solving a local mystery.  It’s a good read for adults and kids alike.

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy:  Despite the title, this book is more serious than some of the mysteries I enjoy.  It takes place in the White House kitchen, and reveals some of the real life secrets of White House dining.  The mystery revolves around a peace conference and involves lots of intrigue.  A very good read.

Well, I hope you find something you enjoy here.  As I think of them, I will post more books that I have enjoyed over the past years of my reading obsession.

Thank You For Your Consideration and Go Out There and Read,

The Graham Ten

This Just In Literary Crack Cocaine Has Been Discovered and It’s Name is Twilight

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I finally decided I had to step up and face my addiction to the Twilight series of books.  Yes, my name is Erica, and I am an addict.  I have always devoured books.  As a kid I wasn’t picky about what I read.  I sampled from all over and loved it all.  On a summer day I could complete one or two books depending on their size and always come back for more.  As an adult I settled into a comfortable pattern of reading mystery novels.  I really love mystery novels because if a mystery is written very well there is a puzzle for you to solve as you are reading and that appeals to me.   It takes a lot to get me to step outside my mystery comfort zone.   It takes a really strong drug.

As with many of you, the first time I encountered a literary drug was with the Harry Potter series of books.  J.K. Rowling’s writing, her magical use of words, the imaginative world she created, the epic fight of good and evil, all of it hooked me, and I was addicted.  I pre-ordered each book as soon as the release date was announced.  I waited with baited breath for the post-man on the designated delivery day (I wasn’t quite addicted enough to go to a midnight release party).  As soon as the book was out of the box,  I was reading, and reading, and reading.  Luckily I am a teacher and the Harry Potter books were generally released in the summer.  Ah, those wide open days in which I could feed my addiction.  But too soon the new book would be at an end.  What am I to do? Oh, read them over again of course.  I can’t tell you how many times I have read the series all the way through to feed my addiction.  It still makes me sad that the seventh book is the last.  There just has to be more Harry out there.   Please Ms. Rowling, give us some more. You are our drug dealer and we need some more.

It took quite a while for me to discover another series just as addictive, if not more so, as Harry Potter, but finally along came Twilight.

It all started innocently enough.  At first I was not at all interested in a young adult series of books about vampires. Then my sister in law said they were awesome, and she barely ever reads.  I wasn’t convinced yet.  When I went back to school, the books were everywhere.  All of the girls were reading it, not just the ones who enjoyed reading.  I was intrigued, but still holding my own.  Finally, the movie came out on video.  My nieces and I had a little slumber party and watched it.  Sure it was somewhat hokey, but the story drew me in.  I began to wonder what the book would be like.  Using the excuse that I wanted to make sure it was appropriate for my 12 year old niece, I bought a copy of Twilight and dug in.  This kind of drug does not pull you in slowly.  It slams into you and there is no more hope.  You will be reading all four books.  You just have no choice.  I am not sure why that is actually.  J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer have absolutely nothing in common.  Their writing styles are completely different but equally addicting.  Ms. Meyer’s seems to have a way of creating tention that keeps you reading.  You just have to know what will happen next.  And it is so romantic.  Haven’t we all dreamed of being in Bella’s shoes at some time in our lives?  The problem with all this in my mind is that I am not a 14 year old girl.  I am a 38 year old woman, and I am obsessed with Twilight.  What am I going to do when I reach the end of Breaking Dawn?  Read them again?  Listen to the audio books?  Scour Stephanie Meyer’s website for out takes and news about further books?  Is this normal?  Are there more adults like me out there?  Should I be ashamed of my addiction.  Or should I proclaim my love from the highest rooftop.  My theory about my addiction is that my social development was stunted in Junior High when I was kind of a nerd and an outcast.  I never was able to live out my own romantic fantasies, so now I am living vicariously through Bella and Edward.  That’s it I am seriously disturbed.  I need treatment.  No, what I need are more books.  Any suggestions?

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Twilight Loving Graham 10

A Muppet Awesome

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Friday night the TBTL gang did a show about why the Muppets matter.  Prior to the show they asked for input.  I posted a comment on their blog that brought back some great memories of Sunday night Muppet Show watching with my family past my normally early bedtime.

Graham 10 wrote…

Muppets = Later Bed Time

The Muppets totally matter. Some of my best childhood memories involve Muppets. When I was a kid there were only two television shows that I was allowed to stay up past my 7:30 bed time to watch. One was the Duke’s of Hazard (?) on Friday nights and the other was the Muppets. I think my parents allowed us kids to stay up late and watch the Muppets because they completely loved the show as well. Around the time I was in the sixth grade the Muppet Movie came out. Most of my musical memories of that year involve the soundtrack of the movie and the song Rainbow Connection. I can’t sing to save my life, but my childhood voice mangled that song over and over again that year. I still watch the Muppet Christmas Carol every year. Great Stuff!!!

May 29, 2009 1:55 pm

I was so excited yesterday to hear that Luke read my comment on air.  It was totally awesome and brought back even more warm and fuzzy memories.  That is one reason I love TBTL.  Almost everyday they talk about something from my childhood: Encyclopedia Brown, The A-Team, Madonna, The Muppets, The Blood Hound Gang from 3-2-1 Contact.  It goes on an on and its great fun to relive some of those great times from the past.  Thanks guys.  Oh, and Jen and I also now have something in common.  We both love the Converse clothing at Target.  Who knew we would share some fashion sense.

Next up!  Is it really normal for a 38 year old woman to totally obsessed over the Twilight books?

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham 10