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.

never much of a follower

it’s funny how i’ve only started wearing gladiator flats now when the craze over it had died and other fashion experts have actually said it ‘is’ dead. nah, the hell with trends, i never go along with most of them anyway and i love them now and that’s all that matters. come to think of it, i never did like going with the crowd too much. not that i do it on purpose but sometimes i just allow everything crazy to pass before i start looking at it and get interested in it like how i’ve only started reading the Harry Potter series right when everybody else was on Book 4. i started reading the series on semestral break 2002 and boy did i catch up with everyone then by reading all the first 3 books over the 2-week break. or like when a song is all everyone can talk (or sing) about and i only stop and listen to it when everyone else has moved on to the next. i guess the craze over something distracts me from the actual purpose or meaning of the thing or i guess this is just some crazy bullshit i have in me just because i grew up a weird middle child. LOL.

so anyway, my family and i had an early trip to Simala today so we can give our thanksgiving and also send our petitions to Mama Mary. i am spiritual at most but also religious on a few occasions. i’m not a perfect catholic but i do have a strong faith in something bigger than us. everything i do, i put 100% in and the rest i pray for. as the trip was due south, we couldn’t help but drop by the shoe capital of Cebu — Carcar and buy ourselves some shoes too. my mom and sisters bought themselves some ballet flats for only P300 ($6) and we all bought TOMs-like espadrilles from a local store there for only P300 ($6) too!

ps. thank you everyone for the love and encouragement on my last post! i did come up with a good column idea for Instyle Cebu so kristine and i are in the works on establishing it. i knew i can always count on you guys!

mix prints dress – thrifted

mustard green cardi – thrifted

taupe gladiator flats – parisian, sm dept store

owl necklace – carbon find

black wallet – xoxo

work watch – swatch

what do i know about fashion?

kristine of instylecebu.com and glamarazzi.com invited me and a few of the cebu fashion bloggers and fashionistas to be contributing writers to Instyle Cebu —- to write about Cebu fashion, lifestyle, shopping or anything related to it. i am still undecided about taking on this great opportunity and challenge because after all, what do i really know about fashion? there’s so much to know about it and so much to take in. i don’t have a full grasp on upcoming trends or even upcoming designers and only do when i see a few picks of other fashion bloggers from recent collections. i am neither avant-garde nor have enough guts to rock daring and out of this world accessories. and i have never in my life purchased a designer piece and haven’t purchased a single piece of clothing (except shoes) from the mall in the last 5 years.

what i do know about fashion though is how it is supposed to be a medium of self-expression. i am able to assemble and put on good outfits that are a mix of classic and quirky styles without breaking the bank. for a whole outfit, the most expensive i’ve donned cost me only P3000 ($65) and the only item of clothing i own that went beyond P1000 ($20) are shoes. so if i were to take on this writing gig, what can i write about anyway?

ps. i am happy to announce that since my current work allows me to be creative and flexible with my time, i am now able to take more outfit shots and easily manage my schedule in accordance to the normal life patterns of non-vampires. this means that i might be able to do posts more often, if not daily!

floral top – mom’s closet (thrifted)

black leggings – random

black platforms – forever 21

stacks of bangles – carbon and bangkok finds

rings – all from props

now a day walker

after my two weeks vacay or more like bumming around, i went back to work. for those first-time readers of my blog (welcome), i resigned from my comfortable but very sad life in the call center last July 27 and planned to take the whole month off but after a week of sitting at home, browsing the internet and watching DVDs, not to mention piggin’ out, i decided to take my position as marketing executive at DrawingBoard Creative Studios yesterday. i did have until september to start and i know you think i’m crazy for giving up a whole month’s worth of rest but i am too restless and too much of a workaholic to stay at home and not be productive. i just felt like if i didn’t move around and make myself busy, i’m wasting my life away when i could have done something about it. i’ve realized that it’s really not about taking a break from work alone but taking a break from work that i was unhappy with — which is what i did. so for the first time in 5 years, i now hold a job which requires me to wake up in the morning and end the day just when everybody else does. believe it or not, i actually found the water in the early morning to be colder than at night and it took me a few seconds before i fully stepped in the shower. i have also discovered the blinding light and the very warm heat of the sun as i drive to work (which reminds me to buy some lotion with SPF).

i still have plans to fulfill my ‘i have never’ challenges though so don’t fret — i have not forgotten about those adventures. i might peel an orange next and believe me, because of my traumatic childhood orange experience, this feat is going to be very difficult for me!

of course, i will not end this post without telling you guys about Drawingboard Creative Studios. as marketing executive, i am after all responsible for handling existing accounts and most importantly, finding new ones. Drawingboard is an advertising and design company that offers printing and design services, as well as marketing or branding packages. a few of the specific services that Drawingboard offers are calling cards, event or company posters, brochures, flyers, invitations, menu design and printing, mascot design (especially for new companies like restaurants), and logo design. this is not just a sales pitch but we have competitive prices and one of a kind designs — surely an investment for a company or individual seeking to improve their marketing strategy. for those interested, just e-mail me at drawingboardcreative@gmail.com

plain white tee – props

boyfriend jeans – abercrombie vintage

long black cardigan – thrifted

beaded sandals – people are people

tan zebra-print hat – sm men’s dept

round imprinted necklace – gifted from gelie

gun-metal wire cuff – props

i love you like i love reese’s

after the crazy night we had, my sister and i unconsciously just decided to stay home all day friday and lock ourselves in our room. what with the really painful headache and hangover, we couldn’t really move around. so we spent the whole day watching How I Met Your Mother or taking turns using the computer. we did get bored by 7:00 PM and at one point decided to go to SM and go shopping but we were too lazy to take a shower and dress up. it wasn’t until 10:00 PM that we felt that we needed to go out and since watching How I Met Your Mother always makes me hungry, i convinced Aimee to grab some pizza and hot wings.

so we drove over to Banilad Town Center and visited Yellow Cab Pizza what we needed to cure our hangover was an oily and cheesy pizza and the super yummy Yellow Cab hot wings. and since we were already there, we had ourselves some frozen yogurt from Yo-Go Boy too. if you’re asking what those round toppings on the fro-yo are, those are the awesomely yummy reese’s puffs. the puff just melts in your mouth and the peanut butter and chocolate just explodes in your mouth! perfect combination to the blueberry and cashew nuts! the pig-out was definitely worth the 20 minute drive from our house!

white graphic tee – borrowed from boyfriend (props)

black leggings – random

black beaded sandals – people are people

bangles: gold and pink rhinestones – gifted from india | enamel bangles – HK find

fairy long necklace – props

black handbag – nine west

on aimee:

multi-colored top – marc jacobs (from my manager’s garage sale)

white shorts – props

white oversized bag – celine (gifted from her bf)

i’ve never..episode one: the broiled duck embryo

so my friends ‘attempted’ a belated surprise birthday for me until i ran into them on my way inside ayala and found them mulling over which cake to buy in vanille patisserie. i actually felt bad at first because i was supposed to meet karen there at 8:00 PM and she told me she would just text me when she’s on her way, only to find her with our other friends without texting me. it took me a minute to realize after seeing their shocked faces that it was a surprise for me. so i gave them time and told them i had an errand to run and will be back right after. but yes, even when i busted them planning my surprise, it was still pretty sweet. they had the waiter bring my birthday cake (the small balls on top are super yummy truffles) and my balloons. and guess what? they gave me a jane austen book too! yey!

anyway, so on to the much awaited balot challenge — one of the many challenges my friends and i are going to make over the next few weeks. we drove midtown and found a balot vendor by the city’s rotunda and each bought a 16-day old balot — one with a slightly formed duckling inside. with the help of the dark street, some vinegar and salt, suffice to say, it wasn’t much of an excruciating experience for me as it was for karen. she really had a hard time swallowing the duck embryo. here are some photos:

grey dress – props

leopard-print flats – parisian, sm dept store

bangles – gifted

rings: starfish and round white – props

necklaces: fairy – props | handbag – parkmall

ps. Join Fashionista Fortune Cookie’s First Ever Giveaway! She’s giving away 3 jackets!

off to the next adventure!

these photos are in continuation with my weekend at my most favorite beach house in Daanbantayan. i think we might have abused the use of this beach house and i’m really thankful for my dad’s friends who have allowed us to use this place whenever available. this is the first time i’ve spent my birthday here and being at such a pivotal point in my life — turning 26, just having resigned and soon to be taking on a new career, it’s only fitting that i be in a place where i can think and just take in the silence because in the next week, i will be diving into a whole different world. more details about my new career next week. all i can say is that it will involve meeting a lot of new people.

on to what i wore here: i’ve always loved 80’s fashion and i think i can say that the cut-off shoulders are definitely 80’s. i’ve had this for years and have only worn this twice. i usually let go of clothes i have seldom used but i just love the pattern and color of this top. this is of coursed paired with my undying denim shorts and my favorite beach hat.

and by the way, i’d like to announce that the winner of the Cryst Jewelries giveaway is Gessyl of Gessyl Enchanted. Congratulations! I just sent you an e-mail so just reply to that with your contact details.

To the rest of my fabulous readers, I am nearing 300 followers and you know what that means — another giveaway! This of course will be grander as this will be my birthday blowout to you guys as well. So definitely watch out for that!

striped cut-off top – thrifted

denim shorts – thrifted

beach hat – boracay find

bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store

necklaces: gun-metal imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made

blue rhinestone bra – bench body

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

twenty-six candles

there really is no turning back. i am not getting any younger and the best thing to do is just to enjoy life as it comes —- making to sure to make the most out of every moment and make a fool out of myself, if needed. so for my twenty-sixth birthday, i dyed my hair to a really light shade of brown, bought myself two books — haruki murakami’s ‘norwegian wood’ and nicholas sparks’ ‘dear john’ (yes, i’m sentimental like that), spent the weekend at the beach and danced under the rain!

harry was so sweet and gave me a bouquet of lilies and three pairs of sandals. just what i asked for! after the 3 hour ride from the beach, my family and i had dinner at a filipino restaurant and ended the night eating frozen yogurt — our latest obsession.

printed boho dress – thrifted

pink headband – torn off from my fringe shirt

necklaces: round imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made

bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store

ice cream special: doyle see

my first impression of doyle was crazy, insane and yep, freakin’ talented. as seatmates in our first year of college, we’d find ourselves drawing and doodling at the back of our test papers because we didn’t know the answers to the programming test. we would constantly talk about regretting not enrolling in fine arts, when it was what we always wanted. doyle soon transferred schools after that 1st year and zoom to 10 years after, you will find him as a damn talented musician, graphics and web programmer / designer and most importantly, the thriving designer of clothing line, Killapinas. here’s a peak into doyle’s mind — with an interview, photos and a choice of his favorite designs.

Who are you as an artist? What is your design aesthetic?
This is probably one of the hardest questions I get as I cannot easily define who I am as an artist or as a person in general. The only thing that I can think of is that I always keep an open mind. I try to filter out criticisms and apply those advice to my work. And lastly, I try to keep my work simple and try to always have a solid concept or story behind it. As for my style, I’m a bit flexible which goes from vector looking art to textured designs, some splatters, some circles and sometimes a bit cartoony as well.

What is Killapinas and how did it get to where it is now?
Killapinas is a small independent clothing line that I started last 2009. I guess having been in the “underground” local design circuit, being active online and hyping has helped push the brand to where it’s currently at.

Did you ever plan this venture? Or is it something that just came about? If so, how did it happen?
I initially had a vision of doing merch for local bands and printing them on my own but that never progressed as I had to juggle between college and helping our family business; and this was around early 2000. I got back to doing designs again around 2006/2007 when a local clothing approached me to do some designs for them. Eventually after a couple of years, that became a bit shady and I thought of starting my own line.

Who are your customers?
Buyers are mostly from Cebu but since we do shipping, our shirts have reached several parts of Luzon and Mindanao areas of the country as well.

Do you have other design or art projects besides your clothing line?
I do freelance designs once in a while for other clothing lines and bands both local and abroad.

Is designing your clothing line your main job?
Nope, I actually work full-time in a web development company. Killapinas is just kind of a “serious” hobby that I’m pursuing. Also, designing has been kind of my relaxation time from the work that I normally do in the office.

What inspires you?
I guess any artist would say that everything will give us inspiration, not just the positive things that you see and or experience but the negative ones as well. For me, it kind of sets the mood to where you want the direction of your art to go.

What do you have planned for Killapinas for the next 3 years?
Most likely establish the brand more, continue to create solid and cohesive designs, and maybe ship overseas.

Randoms:

Name and Age: Doyle See / 26
Website: www.doylesee.tk – but this doesn’t get regularly updated. I still have to change the layout and setup a sort of system so I can easily update the site. (:
Music You’re Listening to Now: The Conflict / Returners / The Ghost Inside
Favorite Article of Clothing: White shirts and short pants
Favorite Day: Sunday
Last Movie Watched and What You Thought of it: Predator. An old movie but still awesome.
Favorite Style on a Girl: I like girls in casual clothes, not a fan of makeups and too much accessories.
Current Obsession/s: T-shirts, Vans shoes, guitars, watches

You can find Killapinas on Facebook and Here: Killapinas.tk

the thing with rompers

so i finally know what everyone means about rompers being comfortable. yes, they sure are. but the funny thing is, it is such a hassle when you need to pee! haha!

so spent the day at Drawing Board Creative Studios, just getting the feel of the office and basically, just bugging everyone. this extra energy is making me jumpy and just willing to do any work, even operate the photocopy machine!

i want to write more but this means divulging initial plans for our clothing line. i have to keep quiet until everything is definite. *crossing fingers*

black romper – props

teal cardigan – thrifted

black faux snake-skin flats with gold chain details – parisian

grey bag – mongkok ladies market

elephant necklace – thrifted at carbon

enamel bangles: props | hongkong gift shop | gifted from april

pink rhinestone bangles – gifted from india

volume one: i have never…

i mentioned on my previous post that my friend, Karen and I are planning to make our month-long work break more memorable by doing things we’ve never done before. here’s the first five things we are going to do:

EAT TUNA SASHIMI. i have never eaten raw tuna. although i do eat salmon but i have always found the darker meat color of the tuna revolting.
LEARN TO COOK A FILIPINO DISH. i do know how to cook as long as there is a recipe so i know how to cook italian or thai food but i have never learned how to cook a filipino dish. filipino food is the way to a man’s heart, is what they say.
PEEL AN ORANGE. yes, peeling an orange is the most normal thing in the world and it’s weird why i haven’t done so. well, try being a 6-year old who ate a dozen oranges with your cousin and ended up getting sick because of it. i mean, really really sick that every time you smell an orange, you feel nauseous.
GO KARTING. the kartzone race track has been in cebu for quite some time but i never got around to tryng it. now is the time!
EAT A BALUT. a balut is the infamous fertilized duck that is boiled and eaten in its shell. i have eaten balut before but only the young one, with the regular yolk and balut soup. the one i have yet to try is the 16-day old and above balut that already has formed duck embryo so you can see its bill, feet and some feathers. my sister aimee, believe it or not, loves this food and i am too chicken to eat it. haha! good luck!

day-end posts will be made right after we’ve undergone one adventure. we shall commence next week!

image credits: tuna sashimi – http://fotobank.ru/image/SF14-2902.html | pork sinigang – http://www.thephilippineisland.com/philippine-recipes/filipino-sinigang-na-baboy-sour-soup-pork-recipe.html | orange peel – http://www.ilivechocolate.com/only-5-pds-for-an-hour-of-zesting/ | karting – http://www.cebudirectories.com/kartzone | balut – http://jbw53191.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

waking up whenever i want to!

i am officially free from the corporate world! and i am jumping like a kid on christmas day!

and then after jumping, i ran to my room, turned on the AC and watched 2 movies and totally cried over another nicholas sparks movie…haha!, slept, went to Harry’s place and ended the night drunk after jager bombs (say, jager bombs!) and my favorite kurant sprite (oh i love vodka) and with the infamous Orange Brutus Burger Steak…tihee!

so i woke up the next day with a really bad so-worth-it hangover, got a mani-pedi, went off to watch Inception with Karen while eating the mini-sampler burgers (5 mini-burgers with different toppings) from Flame it.

the best thing about this freedom is waking up whenever i want to! this break is like my summer. the best thing about school was getting summer and semestral breaks but when you start working, you don’t get any anymore. so here’s my chance, just for a month.

i hope everyone is having a great weekend!

ps. i know my mustard cardigan is a repeat and it may be too soon but i just love it too much! you know when you get a cardigan or jacket in a certain color that you think you can pair with anything? my mustard cardigan is that one for me now. it’s mustard and it has a hoodie. what could be better? haha okay, so maybe i’ll get over it and move on to the next one.

star-printed tee – thrifted

mustard cardigan – thrifted

denim shorts – thrifted

grey flats with animal-print bow – parisian, sm dept store

silver spring cuffs – thrifted at carbon

bronze bangle – props

printed enamel bangle – a gift from april mae

rings: orange howlite – dane’s giveaway | burnt orange stone – thrifted at carbon

round imprint necklace – a gift from gelie

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

a failed attempt to un-plan

for someone who intends to just unwind and not make any plans for my long-awaited permanent vacation from the corporate world, i am failing badly at it. my mind is just built to plan and look at least 5 steps ahead. i plan when i’m driving, i plan before i go to sleep and i just plan even when i’m doing something else. ironically, i like being spontaneous when it comes to having fun like road trips in the middle of the night or just deciding to go to Bantayan island without any plans where to stay or where to eat but when it comes to making a living and making sure that i am able to support my family and survive, i simply cannot just be spontaneous about it. so when i told my manager that i do not intend to plan for the next month, oh no boss, i think i was partly lying.

here is my failed attempt to un-plan:

start planning a clothing line with Armand Alforque next week | do part-time online article writing to earn extra bucks (and learn new stuff too) | celebrate my birthday in Daanbantayan with my family | Bangkok trip with family on the 3rd week of August | invest a little in my sister’s clothing shop, Props by being her shopper and wholesaler | start working as marketing executive for Drawing Board Creative Studios by September — it’s a growing advertising agency my sister and her fiance manage so at least i’ll be working closely with people and meet new ones as well AND it’s a day job — yey! |

my friend and i also planned to list down ten things we haven’t done in Cebu and pursue them over our vacation in August. apparently, quarter-life crisis is common among close friends so we both took leaves together. she’s on a one-month leave while mine will be permanent. will update you on our list..soon!

floral dress – thrifted

mustard cardigan – thrifted

white peep-toe heels – janeo, sm dept store

vintage-y long necklaces: watch – hongkong gift shop | safety pin + trinkets – DIY

rings: orange howlite ring – dane’s giveaway | burnt stone – thrifted at carbon

bangles – props and a gift from april