Author Archives: Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

Hi, my name is Gizelle Faye. I am an artist, florist, stylist, calligrapher, letterer, mum, and wife to Harry. I am a bohemian risk-taker who fell in love with an old soul. Three months before our wedding in 2012, I went cuckoo and left my corporate job to pursue my dreams and founded Cuckoo Cloud Concepts. For about a decade, I was the creative director of Cuckoo Cloud Concepts, dreaming up unforgettable and picture-perfect moments from a tropical island called Cebu. I specialized and honed my skills in photo shoot styling, product styling, floristry, calligraphy, and lettering. During the pandemic, I rediscovered my love for painting amidst the dark times. The universe proved a lot more cuckoo than me and sent me and my family on a journey that will find us in Camden, New South Wales. But I vow to always bloom where I am planted. Today, in this new city, I host art workshops and offer social media content styling and creation, and other creative services for small businesses. Here, you will find an archive of my paintings and other works of art inspired by nature, scenes, architecture, and BTS, as well as art events I run in different venues in Sydney.

be kind, rewind four | transcending time

blue floral dress – thrifted | leopard-print wedges – shoe etiquette | braided belt – primal rave wholesale | cutout cuff – downtown find | rings: mustache, spike and lion – downtown finds

it always feels like Christmas to me whenever i find a good condition vintage dress for a steal (say, P50?). some vintage clothes have a certain wear and tear in them and some have the obviously dated fit. this floral dress is definitely one of my favorites — it has that old-style feel of the 50’s like something my grandma wore and its material is made of a thicker chiffon with a thicker lining (not those flimsy ones you find in clothes nowadays) but the fit and style transcends time. at least i think it does. i am just such a sucker for girly dresses with a certain whimsy or frill.

be kind, rewind details: remember a year and a half ago that i wore this dress to formo? (mind you, i stood out and was definitely misplaced — photo below). paired it then with my Gold Dot Alfreda wedges and now i wanted to add more oomph to it by pairing it with a contrasting leopard print pair of wedges from Shoe Etiquette.

how else would you style this dress?

i’m sure there are a lot of ways and i can’t wait to recycle this on more occasions. ♥

friday work perk

aqua green lace top – primal rave wholesale | denim cut-offs – thrifted | black tank top (underneath) – borrowed from aimee | aqua green flats – solemate, sm department store | chunky gun-metal necklace – downtown find | silver bangles, red wooden bangle & bead bracelet – downtown finds & gifted | rings: feather connector ring – downtown find | orange howlite ring – dane’s giveaway
black stone ring – snatched from sis | wedding ring & engagement ring

back in July 2011, when i decided to go back to the “corporate” world and get the job i used to have, i anticipated smart business casual attires and a bittersweet goodbye to short shorts and laid back boho outfits. imagine my suprise when i showed up for an interview in a grey pencil skirt, sheer polka dot top with a ruffled neckline, a black blazer and strappy heels at 1PM (in the excruciating heat) and everyone there was dressed in flip-flops, jeans, cotton tops and dresses. LOL. as it turned out, the company i was applying for didn’t have a strict dress code. which was such a relief.

of course i had to keep up my tirade of business casual outfits for the next three interviews because stepping down to casual jeans wasn’t an option. what would the recruitment people say when i showed up for the next one dressed down? just wouldn’t be right, right? when i got accepted, i was glad to have had the chance to still express my own style without having to be imprisoned with stiff corporate attires — unless the CEO needs to impress potential clients which i’m happy to come dressed in slacks, a crisp white shirt and killer heels. *wink*

outfit above is just one of my super dressed down outfits for friday nights in the office and never was a friday where i didn’t wear short shorts. my agents followed suit and it’s a boho beach day every friday. ♥

midnight walks

i landed a job in one of the companies in Cebu I.T. park right after i graduated, back when there were still three buildings standing there. i was 21 and naive then and didn’t care too much about work but only thought about shopping and when i can finally meet a guy who will fall head over heels in love with me. the park became my home and walking its dark streets in the middle of the night with friends or dates was pretty much just normal to me. before jeepneys or buildings started popping out, walking the empty sidewalks was much needed for a breath of fresh air. the walks were filled with laughter and small-mindedness when accompanied with friends or music and stimulating conversations when accompanied with a date. one such date (and all other dates that followed) was with Harry.

we met on a Sunday night then got acquainted over lunch on a Monday. Tuesday breakfast followed and before we knew it, we were inseparable. so you see, i’m almost 28, have gone through a lot but still a little naive. i still think about shopping, especially over shoes and continue to think about the day that i finally met that guy who fell head over heels in love with me. ♥

just us two

pale blue vintage dress – thrifted | brown oxford wedges – forever 21, gifted by sweet | feather necklace – downtown find | cutout cuff – downtown find | rings: skull and brain – downtown finds

i once found it funny and foolishly romantic that my friend’s parents celebrate their anniversary of when they first got together as a couple (you know, as boyfriend and girlfriend) and that they celebrate their wedding anniversary too. little did i know, i’d be doing the same thing too.

harry and i officially became an “us” on january 27, 2008. it has been four years since then. ♥

blanc magazine online

on january 12, Cebu’s underground youth and stylistas gathered for the launching of blanc, an online magazine that chronicles the latest fashion, art, androgyny, culture and most importantly, street style of Cebu. according to blanc‘s editor-in-chief, josei ouano cuizon, the magazine started a year ago after a group of stylish friends were talking about what they wanted and didn’t want in a fashion magazine. well surely, after hours of talking, one of them may have strongly suggested that they start their own.

apart from Bloggers United 2, never have i attended an event where street style was so rich and prominent, i didn’t feel odd wearing an overly-colorblocked outfit. we were surrounded by strong individual styles and not with the usual identical body-con or bondage dresses. and with my CFB sisters there, even rain couldn’t stop us from having fun.

the fashion show of creations from a few of Cebu’s young designers

the amazing blanc magazine staff

cebu fashion bloggers in action — garbed in our distinct styles

here it is: the first official issue of blanc magazine with the queen of cebu, bee urgello, on the cover

for a lethal dose of underground fashion and art by Cebu’s youth, it is imperative that you:

♥ bookmark blanc magazine‘s website

♥ like the facebook page

♥ follow the magazine on twitter

http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf

Open publication – Free publishing – More blanc

photos grabbed from:
toni of perfumed red shoes | jeemah of cupcakes and choices | gillian of by details
phil of the fourth kid | angeli of miss enthusiast

thank you, darleng

this was your signature pose, darleng and i sincerely pray you get just that — peace.

though we’re still all recovering from the shock and disbelief but it is indeed too soon to be associating you with the word “was.” well death, they say, is always on time and that we should accept it. for now, all we can do is remember not your death but the life you lived.

i have to admit, i wasn’t always your biggest fan. the relationship you had with my sister was, for the lack of a better word, confusing but it made perfect sense to the both of you. over the last 2 years, i have seen my sister mature and learn to be independent. she has grown up to be kinder, more considerate and level-headed and it wouldn’t have happened if not for you. i have seen her sincerely and inexplicably in love. my sister has learned what it is to truly love without inhibitions, without conditions. for that, darleng, i thank you with all my heart. you changed her life and in turn, you changed ours. you will forever be missed. we love you!

to my readers, who have been patient enough to hang on after 2 weeks of being MIA, thank you. my family went through a shocking and tragic ordeal on the morning of Sinulog and we needed time to recover from the grief. my sister needs all the support so for now, i am a sister first, a wife second and a blogger third. as always, thank you for your support. life is a gift from God and we should cherish it everyday.

cebu fashion bloggers x parade of dresses

finally got to meet Cherie of Parade of Dresses ♥

i have always been in awe of Cherie’s blog and the style and photos it contains. the colorful and soft outfits, the breezy beach photos and the gorgeous afternoon sun are all elements of her blog that never cease to take my stress away. so you can imagine how excited i was, actually all of us, when she asked if it was okay to meet on january 7. in perfect timing, the meet-up was right after the maze event so even without sleep, i pushed myself to survive the night and survive i did. this is all to bond with the cebu fashion bloggers and of course, to meet the gorgeous Cherie. ♥

here the photos and i have to warn you, it’s really heavy. well, what do you expect when stylish people convene.

Cherie and her equally pretty sister — she’s still 17 and so cute!

jerrick, a young cebuano designer , whose necklace i covet and the gomez sisters — liezyl and chyrel

gillian in her tribal printed body con dress & ombre denim vest | mildred in her mixed print outfit & jaw-dropping leather skirt

chyrel in her ooh lala red jeans and sky-high booties | vanessa in her chic navy blazer & fun earrings

mildred and me | toni in her yummy fringe bag & gold glitter oxfords from shoe etiquette (me wants one)

chyrel, gillian, me and jerrick

mildred, eden, philip, chyrel & gillian

the super-talented wonder kid of our group, philip lapinid and me

me with the uber gorgeous toni in her pixie hair (doesn’t it suit her perfectly?)

group shot! the cebu fashion bloggers with Cherie and her sister

from the left: jerrick, eden, chyrel, cherie’s sister, cherie, me, jem and liezyl

the outfit:

my gecko ring, tassel earrings and woven cuffs

my hilariously high-maintenance fringe knit top — it was getting in everything i wore LOL

giraffe meets leopard — my giraffe printed wedge from shoe etiquette & mildred’s leopard wedges from F21

fringe knit top – primal rave wholesale | sheer printed maxi skirt – thrifted | giraffe-printed wedges – shoe etiquette | tassel earrings – DIY | woven cuff – downtown find | gecko ring – bangkok find | chain clutch – vintage from mom

photos courtesy of toni pino & mildred zapanta

the maze teen model search

in my resolution to be a better blogger, a Cebuana fashion blogger at that, by doing more posts, saying yes to more events and supporting the local fashion industry in any way i can, i said “yes” to Eden’s invite to attend as one of the guests for The Maze Teen Image Model Search which was held at the Ayala Activity Center last January 7, 2012.

Maze, which coincidentally is where my sister’s retail shop Props is located, is a one-stop hip shop in Ayala Cebu where one can find every fashionista’s needs, from chic dresses & accessories and even tech gadgets.

the cebu fashion bloggers on front row

i gotta’ hand it to yves camingue for the styling in this segment of the show. tribal prints overload, layered on each other — i drool! i was literally bouncing in my seat!

the fans were the funnest part of the search — they went crazy for their model bets!

the talented hosts, eden and mark in their costume changes — of course styled by yves. turquoise is the peg for the night and i love it!

the lovely ladies in their gowns designed by Cebu’s Young Designers and wearing shoes by Shandar

my favorite in the search — she was chic, she had potential and best of all, she tripped so many times in this dress and even fell but she picked herself up and forged ahead. ♥

kudos goes to the Carolyn Tan, the CEO of Hype Management and Development Corp., for donating P15,000 to Clothes for Life — an association of fashion designers spearheaded by Cary Santiago and Wendell Quisido and supports several beneficiaries, including the Little Lamb Children’s Center (source: http://www.everythingcebu.com/sidebar-photoblog/queen-of-cebu-2010/)

and the winners are…

naomi grace and john paul

congratulations!

freeman feature x the humanizer

on the day we left for Manila to attend the Bloggers United 2 event, Freeman released a feature of us, the Cebu bloggers attending the event, written by Kristine Roa (online article here). the miracle it took for us to get a copy of this article was so funny because Mildred and Alexa literally had to steal this page from a coffee shop at the airport. some photos used on the article were submitted by the bloggers who were not able to do the photo shoot with us the week prior. as for some of us, we did an afternoon shoot with Rolan Icban, the humanizer.

i have to say, it was really fun doing the shoot with the girls and Roland. as talkative as i am with my friends but i don’t do well with strangers because i tend do be too shy but Roland knew how to direct our poses and amazingly captured the light in all of our photos. i definitely look forward to getting another chance to do a shoot with the humanizer.

printed vintage dress – thrifted | black tights – sm department store | black lace-up booties – parisian, sm department store | black floppy hat – shopyapi.com | bangles & rings – downtown finds

gillian uang ♥ vanessa east ♥ eden villarba ♥ gizelle sembrano

we ♥ the humanizer!

be kind, rewind three | animalia

printed cape tunic – thrifted | over-worn jeans – chillypapa | strappy animal printed wedges – gifted | cutout layered necklace & feather necklace – downtown finds | brass bangles, studded wood bangle, bead bracelet & square bangle – downtown finds | lion & alligator ring – downtown finds (all accessories are only worth P300) | brown sunnies – borrowed from Aimee

i know it’s not just me when i say this: most days, i plan my outfit around what pair of shoes i decide to wear. despite the serious lack of sleep, when i woke up today, i knew i wanted to wear the strappy animal-printed wedges that Harry gave me for Christmas. i felt i needed to be loose and free or i’d get tantrums at work so i immediately thought of my over-worn cape tunic and more overly worn jeans which incidentally paired well with my new pair of shoes. (would you believe i own only 1 pair of jeans? believe it, because i really do). and when undecided on what accessories to wear, i say wear them all as long as the outfit can accommodate it. so voila, i’m set for work!

speaking of over-worn, this post will now serve as my third installment of my “be kind, rewind” series. i’ve worn these pair of jeans and the same cape tunic while walking snickers here and i’ve worn the cape tunic over a neon bikini here. all these posts were done in 2010 by the way. i can’t believe it’s been that long.

i hope everyone is having an awesome new year! the world might end in 2012 so let’s live everyday as if it’s our last!

cheers to 2012!

Good morning 2012!

the Sembrano tres marias — meeting 2012’s first sunrise! (forgive my sister Aimee, she doesn’t realize Cebu pavements are not as clean as Aussie’s..LOL!)

Mr. and Mrs. B’s first new year as a married couple! ♥ ♥ ♥

Harry, me and my kulit sister, Aimee!

Sam, Kate, Armand, Aimee, Me and Harry

i miss Armand!

family’s night out? LOL.
Mr. and Mrs. B ~ Harry & Gizelle + Aimee + Mr. and Mrs. Tan ~ Warren & Charm

with the super hilarious Mary Ty, one of the amazing designers of MEGA YDC. our jaws hurt from laughing!

now, on to the outfit…

polka tent blouse – primal rave | bandage skirt – primal rave | black strappy heels – people are people
brass cuff – shopyapi.com | feather necklace & brass layered necklace – downtown finds | rings – downtown finds

Aimee’s outfit: pink bandage dress with sleeve cutouts – primal rave | chain bag – vintage
leopard heels – people are people | necklace and bangles – downtown finds

can you guess what those things are beside the lion?

the polka dressing tradition continues! this is my 4th new year wearing polka — they say it’s good luck and brings in more money for the year! here’s to not just more money but more love, guidance from God, opportunities to seize and risks to take…

2011 was definitely a roller coaster ride for me. half the year were mornings where i didn’t know whether i wanted to wake up or just sleep through the day but i was blessed enough to realize life is too short and took mine back. 2011 blessed me with a job that i loved [all this time], a promotion, a fiance, a family reunion and fiinally, a husband.

to 2012, may you bring as many opportunities and adventures as you’ve given in 2011 — only less confusion, heartache and drama. ♥ ♥ ♥

different but it’s Christmas all the same

true, this year was a different Christmas than all the others i’ve spent. for one, i missed a whole lot of misa de gallo because of work. i shopped too late for gifts because i was waiting for additional funds — like, 3 days before Christmas and i’m not done yet. it was the first time i decorated our tree on my own because my mom got sick with flu and it was already December 20 — Christmas is not complete without an overly decorated tree in our house. we didn’t have a big noche buena like we used to but my sisters (and i helped a little) cooked yummy seafood and hungarian pasta and we had our fill of my tita’s home-made ham. lastly, we didn’t open gifts after midnight because we didn’t wrap our gifts this year. to sum it all up, my Christmas was a lot simpler than it used to but you know what? what mattered most is that i had 85% of my family complete — with my little sister back from Australia but minus Harry who was in Bohol with his family. being in the company of people who will love you unconditionally is still the best Christmas one can have. i am, indeed, lucky. ♥

merry christmas everyone! ♥