Thursday, May 31, 2012

Challenge of Literature Blog Hop


I have a feeling there are a few of you out there that are going to faint after seeing this blog post. YES, it is true, Tracey of "A Beadiful Mess" is posting about B*E*A*D*S! Amazing, isn't it? My lovely and talented Sister-in-law  Sister, Kim of "Jumbled Hutch" told me about this challenge. I went to Erin's blog to check it out and thought, this isn't for me, sounds to hard, sounds like a stretch. I did everything I could to talk my self out of participating. Later that same day, I went back and just signed up. I felt good about it. I needed the challenge, to stretch, to challenge myself, and more importantly, to make myself do SOMETHING beady!

When I was a kid growing up, we didn't have much. We had 6 children in our family. Times were tough and we scraped by through divorce, remarriage, job loss etc. One day my Mother went out to some rummage sales. I would say I was about 10 years old then. She knew my love of dogs because I reminded her of it constantly by begging for a dog. I had names picked out, what color of dog I wanted. I had bought dog dishes, toys and collars at rummage sales with the money I scrounged up from various babysitting jobs. It was not to be. No one else shared my love and desire for a dog. Anyway, knowing of my dog obsession, she came across a book called "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London. There was a picture of a dog on the cover and it was only a quarter, so she bought it for me. The description if the book is: A classic novel of adventure, drawn from London's own experiences as a Klondike adventurer, relating the story of a heroic dog, who, caught in the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature. I was in heaven. I must have read that book at least 100 times. It sticks in my mind as the defining moment of my love of books. When this challenge presented itself, I knew right away this would be the book I would model my piece after. I present to you, "The Call of the Wild".

Kim made me this wolf centerpiece out of an old book page!

And you can best "believe", I have dogs today, and have had dogs for 37 years. I am not me without a dog in my life. See the other entries HERE.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your piece is gorgeous! I love the colors, it is perfect! It is simple but elegant! A piece you will get a lot of wear out of! I am glad to see your creative spark is back :)

I have not read Call of the Wild, but it is next on my list! I can't image you without a dog in your life! Sometimes things touch us all the way to our soul, this is one of the good things that has touched your soul! I am so lucky to share so many wonderful things with you! Love you bunches!

Alice said...

What a fabulous piece! I love the center piece your sister made. What a great memory of your childhood-and one that had quite an impact in later years...even today.

Amy F said...

That is such a cool piece!

Shai Williams said...

I am also a dog lover sharing my life with 4 of them. Couldn't imagine being without them. And your necklace is such a fitting tribute to the book!

Off the Beadin' Path said...

Oh, that pendant is wonderful! And many people share your love of this book! A touching story and a great necklace, see, not too hard after all!

The Crazy Creative Corner said...

Oh, wow, I could feel the chill from the Great White North when I looked at that. Awesome piece!

Amy S. said...

Tracey - that necklace is so gorgeous!!! And your post brought tears to my eyes!!! What a great selection and what a wonderfully inspired piece!!!

Therese's Treasures said...

Hi Tracey,
I love your pendant it is beautiful! It takes me back to "Call Of The Wild" I read it to my Son when he was still to young to read it his self.
Therese

A Polymer Penchant said...

So glad you decided to join in the fun. That pendant is so fitting, what a great connectiion!

Jenny said...

Its late on Thursday as I am hopping, an done of my 2 is snoring so loudly! on his bed near my feet. This is a lovely piece, heartfelt, and pleasing to the eye! Haven't read CotW but don't need to - in order to appreciate this necklace!

Cece Cormier said...

Great piece.

TesoriTrovati said...

I love hearing the story of how you found this book and it was a defining moment for you. It certainly solidified your love of dogs and it is a great classic. I love the pendant that you chose. It captures the spirit of the book completely. And I am so thankful that you decided to challenge yourself. It was fun, right? Thank you for playing with me in this Challenge! Enjoy the day. Erin

Anonymous said...

I can feel the spirit of Alaska in this necklace! Great job!

EB Bead and Metal Works, LLC said...

I am glad you decided to join the fun :) I have not read that book in years - but I think you captured it perfectly with that pendant! Awesome work!

Kim said...

I love your necklace it is just beautiful. And I agree, I need a dog in my life (preferably more than one). Otherwise it's just not the same. The focal your sister made is just beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Love your pendant, what a great choice of book too! Your love of the book, and of dogs, shines through!

SoulsFireDesigns said...

Oh that is just lovely! You have such amazing skill with beads! I am ashamed to say I've never read that classic, but it is on my list of to read books and you have just bumped it up on the list! Thank you so much for sharing!

Lynn said...

Funny how a simple act of buying a second hand book can impact your life. Pretty neat. The pendant is awesome!

Galeria Rocco said...

I really like the pendant, very unusual! I have a black shar-pei cross girl, she looks very much like Muddox! Amazing dog, I'm sure she is an old soul.