[leaf it to me]

I found this idea on ArtClubBlog and thought it looked so special, yet had a spectacularly simple technique, that my son's grade 2 class would be more than capable of doing it.

I had to prep a few things for them though, as we only have an hour session, so firstly I came up with some simple leaf designs they could use (this seemed appropriate as it's Autumn ... well, for a couple more days anyway), and using the 'scribble on the back of the drawing' transfer method, the kids will be tracing the design onto each board, then pencilling in the transferred design so the shape is nice and clear...

Now for the fun (aka potentially messy) bit... I got some cheap wood glue, it has to be thick PVA for this technique to work, and one I chose doesn't dry clear, but it doesn't matter as it's going to be covered over in the next step. I put the glue in a squeezy sauce bottle I picked up from the $2 shop, and then traced over the design using the glue to make a raised leaf shape.

Once this was dry (so there are no opaque areas in the glue), I painted the entire board (over the raised glue design) liberally with regular (runny) PVA (this one needs to dry clear). It's also a good idea to make sure you've got some heavy duty plastic sheeting on the table you're working on as you will get glue on it! I used newspaper, but it was a pain to peel off.

Then I covered the glued board with a sheet of heavy duty aluminium foil (I used Woolies Select home brand, just don't use the really cheap stuff that tends to be too thin and will tear too easily). Make sure your foil is at least 2cm bigger on all sides so you can wrap it around the back later. Once your board is covered with the foil, smooth it out from the centre with a tissue, and burnish the foil down into and around all the lumps and bumps. Using a cotton bud, rub down into all the small areas so your embossed image stands out. You may find the foil might tear slightly and glue will ooze out, but don't worry, just rub it over with the tissue to remove the excess (remember this PVA dries clear).

When you've got all of the foil firmly secured, use the cotton bud to add designs into the background - lines, crosshatches, swirls, whatever you like. Rub over again with a tissue once you've finished to remove any further excess glue. Leave to dry, then wrap and glue the foil that goes beyond the edge of the board onto the back...the neater your corners, the better it will sit when you frame it.

Rub along all edges with a tissue again to define the edges, then dab some black shoe polish (the kind with the sponge applicator) over the foil, and rub it into the design using the sponge. This will make all your swirls and crosshatches stand out and give it an antique look. I have only done half of the sample in the photo with the polish to give you a before and after shot.

Once you're happy with everything, you can mount it on another bit of coloured board a couple of centimetres bigger, and there you have it, beautiful foil art!

I'm looking forward to see how the grade 2s go with this project when we start it this afternoon. Should be fun. :)

[chop chop]

My neighbour has a framing business and so kindly gives me off cuts of Matt board every so often. Today I got 'a-chopping' with a borrowed guillotine cutting squares for the year two's next art project. Such pretty colours, the kids are gonna love it, and the art we're gonna do with aluminium foil is going to be so much fun! ---watch this space---

[new dance shoes]

I was lucky enough to pickup a pair of chorus shoes from a friend who no longer dances for a bargain price, but unfortunately they were not the right colour. Well, a trip to the local cobbler, and a can of black shoe paint later, and 'voila!' - new dance shoes!

[cruise postscript]

It seems my little man missed me while I was away, shedding a few tears on Mother's day in my absence, so this morning we spent a while having cuddles on the deck. He really likes his new shark tooth necklace I brought back from Vanuatu, as well as the Ferrari branded cap (his brother got a Rip Curl one), a 'super monkey' that has a cape and a bungee built into its arms so it can fly through the air and 700F (Pacific Francs) in foreign currency - which is equivalent to A$7.

I had a bit of sleep to catch up on yesterday when I arrived back home, and today is time to catch up on washing ... back to reality now... one load down, two to go.

The cruising life is very much to my liking, and I'm in love with the new skill of quilling that I learnt. I especially like the daisies, and finished two cards with this technique while I was away. I think I've found a new Thursday art therapy activity.

I will have a bit of saving up for the next cruise out in the big blue though, as I think the boys will want to come along next time. For the meantime though, they'll just have to settle for cruising in our little 19 foot speedboat on Moreton Bay and around Stradbroke Island. Quite frankly though, our local beaches are really the most beautiful in the world ... we truly are blessed to live in such a lovely country.

[day 7 - last day at sea]

When I woke up this morning I just sat looking out my window for a while, and for a moment I thought I saw a bird flying just above the waves, until it dived under the water again and I realised it was a flying fish! That was a bit cool to see. Mum had some great swans made out of towels in her room, which look like they follow a similar technique to the elephant, so it might be cool to try this at home.

After a leisurely brekky, it was time to pack the suitcase in readiness for tonight when they all needed to be collected. Apart from this, there were only two other activities I wanted to do for the day - a Zumba class with the lovely Rocky, and quilling with one of the dancers. It was a little bit rockier in the front of the ship in the Dome Nightclub when we did Zumba, so it made it very interesting with the up and down motion as the floor kept moving and you couldn't quite tell when you'd land back down. Was lots of fun though, and I think I must have better fitness since I did the last class on Mother's Day (probably from walking all the stairs multiple times everyday), as I certainly didn't get as puffed out this time. Yay!

Had a lovely last lunch in the buffet of prawns, crumbed wahoo, crab quiche, salad and rice - it was delicious. I then did a wander round the ship, sat down on the back deck at the Oasis (on the posh lounges with the cushions) and read some more 'Hunger Games' on my iPad. The sun was out most of the time, but occasionally it hid behind clouds, so the breeze felt a little fresher at these times.

Another wander round the deck and some chatting to some people I knew, and before I knew it, it was time for quilling. With all the little flowers I'd made over the past couple of days, I just made a few more, and then assembled two cards during the class. Mason, who is one of the most flexible dancers I've seen, was our instructor. Basically, today's class was pretty much finishing off whatever we wanted. Mum also joined the class for the first time today and got her little quilling kit, so she'll be set for crafty projects now. I exchanged details with my two newfound friends, and perhaps we will be able to organise a crafternoon sometime soon.

Our waiter Dexter showed us another little trick with toothpicks at dinner, and this was our last supper in the Waterfront restaurant. I caught the final jam session of all the musicians and the entertainment staff singing in the Atrium - and was blown away by Rocky's singing of a Heart song, not only can she Zumba, this girl has got a fabulous voice.

Well, it's our last night sleeping onboard the Pacific Dawn tonight, as tomorrow we disembark at 7.40am. I've had a wonderful time aboard, and even though I think I would love to have the bed made for me everyday, meals served to me, and basically be waited on hand and foot, I think I'm looking forward to going home just a little bit.

I wonder if my boys have missed me while I've been gone?

[day 6 - on our way home :( ]

Had a quiet day at sea, even though it was a bit rock 'n roll in the swell, it wasn't too bad, you just did the zig-zag walk as you moved around the ship. I've pretty much figured where everything is now, and have been walking the stairs wherever possible, so hopefully I might get a nice surprise when I get home and jump on the scales (one can only hope!).

In the morning I went to a cooking demonstration by the head chef and maitre'd, and then took a tour through the ship's galley. They also had ice sculptures and fruit carving on display.

Mum and her new hubby Ron did a tango dance class in the Dome nightclub (she is pictured above with Jamie E, one of the dancers doing the instructing), it was a very interesting class as there were a few more extra dance steps as the ship heaved up and down in the swell.

White caps were visible outside and the overcast conditions weren't all that nice up on top deck. Nevertheless we had a leisurely lunch of burgers and chips on the uppermost level (in an area protected from the wind and the occasional shower), and then at 3pm I was once again at the quilling class with my new friends. We made some more paper daisies today.

Before dinner my cabin steward Martin showed me how to make some towel animals. I videoed the demo, so my son's teacher, who was keen to learn, can see how to do it! Dexter was once again our fabulous waiter at dinner for the second formal night of the cruise, and he had a few more tricks and naughty jokes to share. He's been so much fun, I decided to tip him $20, and decorated an envelope with my newfound skill of quilling. Considering he earns only $50 a day, $20 will be welcomed I'm sure for his wife and two kids aged 10 and 11 back home in the Phillipines.

After dinner we caught the new show 'Please don't stop the music', and the costumes and dancing were just amazing. They've only performed this show once before (the cruise before this one after the refit), I just loved it, and having front row seats was even better.

I left Mum and Ron to head off to bed and caught up with the 'Pink Ladies' in the Orient Bar ... a couple of them got up on stage with me and sang 'Dancing Queen' at the Karaoke. They then went up to the nightclub, but as this is right at the front of the ship, it was a bit too rocky, so they headed off to the Casino and I followed. It wasn't really doing much for me there with them while they played the pokies, so I made my way to watch the champagne waterfall where they stack all the glasses up in a pyramid and then pour champagne in the top glass and it trickles down filling all the glasses below it.

Last day tomorrow.... Waaaahhhhh! Having too much fun, I don't wanna come home just yet!

[day 5 - haggling and waterfalls]

Amazingly, I was up early at 6.30am full of beans and with way too much energy considering how late I went to bed! Oh well, sleep when I'm dead... I raced up onto deck to take photos as we docked in Port Vila, Vanuatu. I also ducked down to the Reception Desk, and Mum's camera had been handed in. Yay! The weather was warm (26 degrees) with a few clouds, and the sun was just peaking through.

I surveyed the mad scene of taxi and bus drivers all vying for our business ... it was very confronting ... luckily I had be warned of this by friends who'd been on this cruise before. We teamed up with the 'pink ladies' ... four crazy 50-something ladies who come from the Gold Coast, and wear signature pink hats.

Like monkeys in a cage, you're met as you walk through the chain wire fence by about 50 black men all screaming at you and they're running down, jostling and in your face. The first driver said, "I take you for A$150", to which I replied, "No, too much", the price kept dropping until I said yes to A$70, which made it $10 each, which I thought was more than fair for the day. He agreed he would take us around and wait for us while we visited the sights. A couple of older ladies, who'd been friends since they worked together as 14yr-olds doing their tailoring apprenticeship, also tagged along with us (safety in numbers) and we filled the minibus. No seatbelts, and in average condition, we hoped we'd chosen our bus and driver wisely. Our driver's name was Sam. He took us to Cascade Waterfalls, which was very pretty ... although I'd already had a sneak peak at a video from a friend, it's just not the same as experiencing it yourself. The older ladies waited in the bus while we did this and then he took us to the beach opposite Hideaway Island, which is basically this little island about 100m off shore that has a resort on it. Islander children waved and followed the bus just before we got there, and the older ladies threw wrapped lollies and chocolates out the window for them. The kids raced to meet us, and then started picking up shells off the beach and giving them to us. When I took their photo, they all yelled 'Facebook', I thought that was funny.

We then drove back to town and Sam waited for us for an hour so we could go shopping. My boys will be very happy as I got a couple surprises each for them, and my hubby will be even happier as I have an 1125ml bottle of OP Rum for him that I picked up for A$20. Happy days.

Some quick browsing of the markets before I got back on the ship, and then I went straight to another quilling class, got an ice cream from the New Zealand Ice Cream shop on board (for my late, late lunch) and watched an ice carving demonstration.

The weather Gods weren't being as kind, as the wind had picked up as we left port, and it drizzled rain at times. For the first time we've really felt the rock and roll, and you walk a great zig-zag line as you walk down the halls. I'm thinking this is lucky it's on our way home, as it's given us a chance to get our 'sea legs'. Dinner was again with Dexter and Marlon, and my Mum's partner who didn't order dessert, got a 'special' delivery when the rest of us received our sweets.

Having an earlier night tonight, and I won't be in a big hurry to get up either as we've a day at sea. On our way home... sniff, holiday is coming to an end.

[day 4 - swimming with the fishes]

Woke up this morning to see the coast of Lifou (pronounced Lee-foo) come into view. This island is in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Calendonia, however it is very different from Noumea as it is more traditional and not urbanised.

After breakfast we caught the tender to shore (the ship's tender (dinghy) is 38 foot long, which is twice the length of my own boat), but it felt very familiar being closer to the water in a smaller craft. Lots of walking done today, including to a church on the headland overlooking the bay where the ship was at anchor ... with many steps up to the top ... but the view was worth it once we got there.

The local people still live in traditional huts, there are a few roads, but those with cars like to drive fast, not slowing down on the single lane bitumen road while us tourists were walking around. As they drive on the right hand side of the road, you also get a bit thrown which way to look out for them.

The highlight of the day had to be snorkelling over the coral. I've never done this before, and it was great just floating around looking at the little fish dart in and out around the coral. The coral wasn't brightly coloured, more dirty oranges and browns, but the shapes were varied and interesting. To get to the beach and water we had to clamber down a home-made ladder, which was a bit of a fun to navigate with a camera, fins and mask in your hands. The wind picked up a bit as the day went on, so there was a small swell coming in as we swam. I was very conscious not to to get washed onto a coral bombie and get a nasty coral cut. Some other cruisers said they saw some Nemo's (clown fish) and a large clam, but sadly I must of missed that area as I floated around. I was pretty happy with what I saw though, and it was so easy to just be looking down and not realise how far out you were actually swimming.

In the afternoon I did another quilling class with my two new friends who've been to the other two classes so far. All being on the one ship means that if you make an effort to say hello to other passengers they are more than willing to have a chat. I've been having a ball meeting other people, our waiter for dinner tonight, Dexter, was such good value, so much so, we specifically booked the same table so he can be our waiter for the next night.

The evening's theme was pirate, so a facial scar and Captain Jack Sparrow black eyeliner eyes were to the order of the evening's attire. The pirate show in the Showlounge was fabulous fun, great dancing, comedy and audience participation.

I was hoping to have an early night, but my Mum misplaced her camera somewhere between getting ready for dinner, and the show ... we turned her cabin upside down and retraced our steps to find it. No joy. Hopefully someone has handed it in and it'll turn up tomorrow.

Another post-midnight bedtime after uploading the blog, so this pirate wench better get me-self off to me bunk for some shut-eye. Arrrrrrggghh...

[day 3 - first port ... Noumea]

Thankyou weather Gods! The weather has been fabulous, with winds of 8 knots, calm seas and glorious sunshine, I couldn't be happier. Yay!

I spent the middle part of the day before we got to Noumea on the back deck reading "The Hunger Games" on my iPad, which was the first time I'd actually stopped and not taken part in an activity.

Before we docked at 3pm, I did a quick quilling class, and we disembarked at 4pm. We hadn't booked a tour on board, so we took a punt and jumped on a 1hr bus tour from the terminal. It turned out to be the best idea, as our fun and crazy French guide Flo, was so much fun, and also even better the three of us got the tour for the same price of one person for the ship's 1hr tour - bargain!
There is also something to be said for it being a small world, as the lady I sat next to on the bus lived in the next suburb from me, and a couple from her group of friends lives on my street, and are friends of our neighbours across the road. (For my boys - all I can say is, "That can't happen!")

I did some shopping at the markets above the terminal before we got back onboard, and bought myself a new sarong - I thought it was about time as the last one I bought 20 years ago! I also got to use a little French - 'Merci' (pronounced mer-cee, meaning thankyou), 'Bonsoir' (pronounced bon-swar, meaning good evening), and 'Oui' (pronounced Wee, meaning yes). Pretty basic stuff, but at least I made a little bit of an effort to assimilate. I also used the local currency, Pacific Francs, and my boys can look forward to getting some CentFrancs, which are the nice shiny golden coinage of Noumea as I asked for change on Francs instead of Australian dollars.

This evening's show was a Tahitian dance group from Noumea, and the girls shook their hips and grass skirts, and the shirtless boys looked fab in their sarongs, and even more spectacular when fire twirling.

Tonight's theme was country and western, and I did my best 'Daisy the farm-girl' impression. We headed up to the Dome nightclub for some bootscooting and thigh slapping, and a lot of 'Yeehar-ing' with a few dancers from the previous night's show and the Zumba instructor.

We set sail again around 11pm, and will wake up in Lifou in the morning!

Some stats on the Pacific Dawn:
Length: 804ft (245m)
Draft: 8.2m
Capacity: 2076 passengers
Max speed: 22.5 knots

[day 2 - art at sea]

Hooray, I've finally got to do some art for me! A friend who's been on this cruise before recommended to go to the quilling class, and today, that's exactly what I did. I made a lovely card (not bad for a first effort) and then I stayed for the next craft class and made a paper rose.

I also got energetic and did a special mother daughter Zumba class today (as it's Mother's day) ... Was lots of fun, and I burnt a heap of calories, so I figure that means I can have more cocktails now! I found it a little difficult at times to keep up with the instructor, however I had a bit of a head start as many of the dance steps were familiar to me, but poor Mum ran out of puff part way through - good on her though, she had a go.

I managed a little lie down for an hour in the afternoon (as I didn't get whole lot of sleep last night, you know the usual first night sleeping in a different bed) and tonight we're getting glammed up in frocks and suits for the first formal night - should be a blast. I even got to wear the rose I made in my hair.

As the ship's satellite has been down, I haven't had WiFi to be able to upload my post each day, so that's why I thought I'd label them day one, day two etc. I know my boys were keen to know what I've been up to each day, but they'll just have to catch up on the news in chunks. Sorry boys, I have tried each night. It's also quite expensive - 75 cents a minute - but as I do all my writing offline, I should only need to be online briefly.

[day 1 - setting sail]

Well the weather was just gorgeous as we boarded the Pacific Dawn ... A beautiful blue sky with the sun sparkling on the water. I was a bit over all the queuing but the time we set sail, but did it one more time to get my Mojito. We slowly passed by Moreton Island and Tangalooma and then took in a sunset overlooking the glasshouse mountains. I had a chat to my boys at home via FaceTime while I still had local cellular coverage, and took them on a video tour of my room. My eldest son said I hadn't blogged yet ... Geez boy, give me a chance!

The amount of stuff to do and see onboard is a bit overwhelming, but my highlight so far was the first night's show 'Do Ya Wanna Dance' - which was a showcase of all the different dancing styles - jazz, ballroom, rock n roll, irish, flamenco, and more .... and I took special note of the fabulous jazz hands, duck dives and and killer high kicks - if only I were that flexible. For my dancing diva friends, it was very 'chorus', and the four guys, and four girls did about ten full costume changes, stockings, wigs, you name it!


As I settle in for the night I can feel the gentle rock of the swell up and down, and there are light winds forecast, so my fear of being sea sick has passed (for the moment), hopefully we'll continue to have this gorgeous weather and the boxes of Kwells and Travelcalm will remain unopened for the rest of the trip (fingers crossed).

[happy mother's day]

This Sunday will be the first Mother's Day I haven't been with my boys ... because I'll be off on my Cruise (with my Mum).

For the last couple of weeks I've been helping my 6yr old's Grade 2 class make the Mother's Day gift ... and didn't they turn out nice?

I've also just got a shiny new iPad, of which this post is my 'trial run' to see I can post from it ... and if this works, I might be able to post pics of my travels to the South Pacific if I have access to WiFi...well that's if I can drag myself away from the lounge by the pool and my cocktail! Cheers! and happy Mother's Day to all the mums. xx

[overseas holiday!]

Last year my Mum invited me on a Cruise, and how could I say no, afterall, it was an item on my bucket list. I've always wanted to go on one – ever since I watched 'The Love Boat' in the 80s. It's been 20 years since my last (& first) overseas holiday, so I'm very excited!

There's only 10 days before we leave, so last weekend I dug out my old suitcase from the very top of the wardrobe, and washed off the inches of dust. I also found a collector's item on it – an Ansett Australia luggage tag! (Just goes to prove how long ago I last used it.)

Mum and have been through a lot together the past 12 months after she had a serious accident in April last year, so it will be nice to spend Mother's Day with her on the high seas with the crew of the Pacific Dawn waiting on us. Can't wait to go snorkelling with the fishes in Vanuatu, not to mention doing an art or crafty course on board, or shaking my booty at 'The Dome'. 

It will be a bachelor party at my place while I'm away as I'm leaving my hubby and boys at home to fend for themselves, but I'm sure they'll cope, Macca's isn't too far down the road. :) x