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.

Cryst Jewelries Giveaway!

as you all may know, i am the girl who can’t get enough of her accessories and i am so glad to announce that Cryst Jewelries are giving away this beautiful crystal bracelet to one of my lucky readers! the designer, Crystalyn Yason makes amazing jewelry that are intricate and makes for bold statements. Joining the giveaway is easy:

Like Cryst Jewelries’ Facebook Page
Visit Cryst Jewelries’ Website
Leave a comment here telling me what your favorite item in their shop is and your e-mail address so I know how to contact you

Giveaway is OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS and ends on August 4, 2010 so you have two weeks to join the giveaway. Winner will be picked through Random.org. Now, here’s a few tidbits about the designer, Crystalyn Yason and Cryst Jewelries:

1) How did Cryst Jewelries start?

In 2001, my mom and I had a small jewelry business, in that business, she taught me some basic techniques on bead stringing and wire working. That was the first time when I had a relationship with beading. The business lasted for almost a year.

Then, several years after when I got married, me and my husband temporarily moved to the US since his work was based there, because my visa does not allow me to work in the US, I always stayed at home and had a lot of free time, so I have a lot of time to think, and by that time I always felt that I should be doing something in terms of jewelry design and making. Then one day while we were in a book store, I found some books detailing bead weaving techniques, and while browsing through the pages, I became excited in learning these beading weaving techniques that I’ve never seen before. And from that point on, I knew that I found the best form of expression and creativity for myself.

2) What is your design aesthetic?

I mainly focus on designing and creating elegant jewelries with emphasis on detail and color combination. My design inspirations come from the beauty of nature, the beads themselves,
and the places I had visited.

3) Currently, what is your personal favorite in your collection?

My favorite is my “Abstract on Beach” piece (http://crystjewelries.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Fit_For_A_Queen#photo=9) because it personally reminds me of the place where I said “Yes” to my suitor (to become my boyfriend)… which several years later became husband. And thus, I created a piece inspired by the ocean.

Thanks for your time and your help!

a need for forty percent

harry is out of town and i was staring into my computer screen, just feeling really restless and bored. i needed to go out, grab a bite with friends, get a bit tipsy and maybe dance the night away. although i used to be the girl who couldn’t not end her week without a trip to the bar and have some drinks, i haven’t been going out regularly because 1) i am always so freakin’ tired and just want to sleep 2) i have found to hate being in a crowd of pretentious people. with having nothing to do at work anymore, i have surprisingly stored a lot of unused energy over the week and was itching to just move!

i initially was able to convince my friends to go dancing at Loft but after meeting here at my house, we ended up deciding to just hang out at my friend’s friend’s bar — just a place to chill out and have a few drinks with grilled pork on skewers or what we call ‘pork barbecue.’ i have such a weakness for barbecue and am able to devour several sticks at a time. our barbecue here in the philippines is the smartly skewered lean pork then ended with a piece or two of fat. the pork is then smothered with barbecue sauce — just a mixture of soy sauce, maybe a bit of vinegar, ketchup, sugar, a little chili and oil. damn, we ended up eating more rice with the barbecue than expected. guilt-trip at its best!

ice cold tanduay ice was a perfect complement to the barbecue but with only 7% alcoholic content, i ended up drinking about 5 bottles with only a tinge of tipsiness and a really bloated tummy at the end of the night plus a painful headache the next morning. guess i always need my 40% of alcoholic content per volume from my favorite absolut kurant!

diagonally striped top – thrifted

zipped-up grey denim skirt – thrifted

long black cardigan – thrifted

navy blue bejeweled flats – parisian | sm dept store

metallic blue thin belt – props

pink polka bangle – DIY

square gun-metal with bird imprint necklace- a gift from gelie

dog tags – custom-made

How To Pop The Question by Abazias.com

When it comes time for a guy to pop the question to a loved one, he must be aware of the kind of engagement ring the woman wants and her ring size. Throughout your time together, you can gather information to help you decide what ring will be the best choice as she will undoubtedly drop hints about what she really likes. Once chosen, you must also be aware that the ring will be expensive. Although the lowest prices seem to be on the web, you can also find great deals at stores. There are seasons and times when rings of this quality are put on sale. If you spend the time, you can find diamonds at a discount. In Abazias.com you can buy a loose diamond now and a ring setting later on which will allow you to save money for the next step.

Once purchased, you must also have a romantic plan in which to present her the ring. Many choose the most famous love holiday of all, Valentine’s Day, while others pick other holidays such as birthdays or even Christmas. While that may be a good idea for some, it can be any day and it will be appreciated no matter when you decide to make the leap. It is imperative that you pick a spot that has meaning to the both of you as this memory will last forever and will be very near and dear to her heart. The location of your first date or where you were when you first felt love for her are good options. Remember, this is the woman who will be your wife and you must make it a memorable day out of respect and love. Whatever the circumstance, diamonds will make that day special along with the love that you express to her by asking her to marry you.

When Abazias.com contacted me to sponsor my blog, how could I say no? Not only is it a good way to give a hint to Harry that I am so ready to get hitched (*wink*), their site actually offers a wide range of jewelries perfect for any occasion. My favorites would have to be these babies:

The best thing about Abazias.com is their ‘Build Your Own Ring’ feature which allows you to either start with choosing the setting or start with the rock. If your boyfriend knows you well and knows what kind of diamond you would love to wear then Abazias.com is perfect for you. I myself would prefer the asscher diamond on a tapered cathedral setting, just a classic and elegant cut. So for those ladies who are ready like me, go ahead and envision your perfect engagement ring by trying out their ‘Build Your Own Ring’ feature — he just might see you browsing the Abazias.com and get a hint as well.

what would you do?

on monday, my resignation became official. yes, i know i already wrote about submitting my resignation and talking to my manager but for the last 2 or so weeks, they have been holding on to this hope that i will change my mind so they kept me talking to higher management and have tried postponing my decision by saying, “let’s talk again on monday…just spend the weekend thinking about your decision.” they told me that on 3 fridays. so i just nodded only to come back every monday with the same plan in mind. i didn’t mean to give them a hard time and i am definitely not trying to give too much importance to myself. i am sorry guys, but you can’t hold this girl down.

so i have 6 more working days (counting tonight) until my last day in the corporate world. i am counting the days and have been counting the hours, literally! i have already transitioned all my tasks to the other supervisors that i have ended up not doing anything on my shift. i get home but cannot sleep because i have all these things running in my mind, like what i am going to do with my freedom. two things top my list but that’s it. so out of curiosity, i am going to ask you:

what would you do if you were 25 years old and you just quit your day job, taking enough savings you’ve made over the past 4 years?

grey oversized knitted top – thrifted

black long cardigan – thrifted

jeans – bebe jeans

grey metal-embellished flats – a gift from charm (so fab!)

my over-used grey bag – mongkok ladies’ market, hongkong

pearl and bead necklace – DIY-ed in college

stone ring – thrifted in carbon

cuffs – both from props

work watch – swatch

Sensible Wishes

Besides good health and time spent with my family, here my sensible birthday wishes this year:

Books by Haruki Murakami and Jane Austen

New painting materials + spare time to really paint:

Lessons

Lessons on pattern making and sewing:

And the most sensible of all, more flat shoes for all the errands I have to run:

ps. I know the Jeffrey Campbells are not flats. I have been secretly desiring them for months now! Who hasn’t right?
11 more days to go before my birthday — the books are available at Fully Booked or National Bookstore and the painting materials can be found in Visayan Bookstore or National Bookstore. The shoes??? Well, I accept local ones inspired by these amazing ones! *wink*
images are courtesy of:http://www.mariawilliam.net/materials.htmlhttp://tatler.typepad.com/malpaso/http://thepocket.wordpress.com/http://vintagesewing.info/1940s/42-mpd/mpd-01.htmlhttp://www.polyvore.com

a craving i regretted

after having spent the whole weekend at home and just mostly sleeping, i was in serious need of something good to eat. reading other blogs post food porn didn’t help either. it made me all the more hungry for something to comfort me — ah, the perils of comfort food. it was 9:00 AM and i have been up for almost 4 hours. i already had a hearty breakfast at 6:00 AM but i still wanted to eat something that would fill in this void in me. (what void? i don’t know) does this sound familiar to you? do you get food cravings too?

i wanted to eat a full order of pasta or maybe a grilled quarter-pounder and have a brownie or cheesecake after. it’s then i realized that with the coming months of conscious unemployment, shoes are not my weakness. FOOD IS!

i immediately texted karen and invited her for lunch. we decided to eat at sbarro because we know they’d have good italian food and have big servings. boy, did i regret ordering my humongous sausage and pepperoni stuffed pizza! i mean, can somebody get dizzy after eating too much? apparently, i did! i wasn’t able to take photos of the food before i started gulfing it down. i couldn’t resist the dripping tomato sauce over the baked bread stuffed with cheesy goodness and perfectly salty sausage and pepperoni. here’s how my plate looked like (and trust me, i am not doing this again!):

karen couldn’t finish her half-order of baked zitti in white sauce. she said she was drinking too much of her raspberry iced tea so she got easily full. and no, we didn’t get cheesecake or dessert after. i had to buy some menthol rub from the pharmacy because my head was aching from how full i was. describe gluttonous and that’s me!

for filipinos out there, i think you’d know what i mean by the ‘pinoy attitude’ on food. i couldn’t eat the last slice of bread on my plate. it was all too much for me! haha! to those who don’t know, the ‘pinoy attitude’ on food means that we are always too shy or embarrassed to eat the last slice. ‘pinoys’ or filipinos usually leave the last bite for someone else, afraid of being deemed ‘greedy.’ so when we share a pan of pizza or a dish of chili wings, tendency is, there’s always a last slice or piece left and we’d have to banter and tease each other as to who gets to eat the last one because we are so ‘pinoy!’

striped top – thrifted

navy blue cover-up – thrifted

high-waisted denim skirt – thrifted

grey flats with zebra printed bow – sm dept store

dog-tag necklace – custom-made

gun-metal layered cuffs – props

stone ring – thrifted at carbon

grey bag – mongkok ladies’ market, hk

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

a weekend of nothing

nothing to do. nothing productive. this is exactly what i needed this weekend. it’s been raining intermittently all weekend and it’s just what our city needs. saturday morning after work was spent blog surfing and just discovering more awesome fashion blogs (ie. grunge manners). if i have schizophrenia, she would be my other personality — i wish i have the guts to dress like her and don’t give a shit about society. being a fashionista is already defying certain rules here in our small city and being grunge will definitely be a cause for more raised eyebrows and head-to-toe look-overs. the next hours of my saturday were spent sleeping and waking up to harry bringing over mcdonald’s cheeseburgers, large fries and an apple pie — major junk food fest, while watching karate kid which was good but so predictable.

here’s my sunday, so far: waking up next to harry, making my sunday even better. a breakfast of eggs, spam and leftover dinner. 2 episodes of how i met your mother season 1. sunday mass at 7:00 AM. caramel sundae and pancakes. and ongoing DVD marathons with harry. he says this may be a glimpse of sundays in our married life. if this is, sign me up as i’m packed and ready to go!

ps. it’s funny two competing fast food chains in the philippines are just right across each other. if i have to choose, i’d choose mcdonald’s over jollibee. i hate mayonnaise in my burger. haha!

floral electric pleats dress – thrifted

gun-metal layered necklace – props

silver cuffs with pink shells – props

oval stone ring – props

grey bag – mongkok ladies market, hk

how do you know?

at 17 years old, how do you know what you want to do for the rest of your life? and if you do, how do you know how to get there? unlike some lucky people who know that they want to be accountants upon graduating high school and decide to take up accountancy or who know they want to be architects and decide to take up architecture, i only knew that i wanted to be involved in the arts — sketching, drawing, painting but that i wanted to have a ‘stable’ job. you know how they make you take up an aptitude and interest test before graduation? well, my interest was on the creative side but my aptitude lead to engineering. apparently, i was good at math and at being logical. it took me by surprise.

my mom wanted me to take up nursing but i knew in my mind that i could be greater so i asked if i can pursue medicine. it was impossible at that time because we couldn’t afford it. my dad wanted me to take up accountancy because it was practical and that it would have what he took up when he was young, rather than taking up dentistry. taking up fine arts at that time was out of the question because my mom and dad feared that i couldn’t get a ‘stable’ and high-paying job after graduation. with a confused state of mind, i took up computer engineering, trusting my aptitude results.

the first two years in college was actually enjoyable for me but on the the 3rd year, i immediately found out that it was never something i wanted to do after i graduate. we were already on the year where we had to pick majors and we were making projects dealing with electronics. i picked ‘networking’ to major on because well, i was on the internet most of the time and was very interested in web designing. i had two more years to go before i graduate college and it was too late to take up another course and waste my parent’s money. so i pursued the course half-heartedly. i remember asking my mom one afternoon at church, “mom, what if i don’t want to be a computer engineer? all i can picture myself is owning a boutique.” my mom said, “well, that’s what you can do after you earn enough money to start your own business.”

on 2006 i graduated with a right to put up an ‘Engr.’ before my name. but here i am, fast forward to 2010, not a practicing engineer but i can finally tell my mom, “i am finally there mom. i am going to put up shop!”

knitted shirt dress – thrifted (have had this for 5 years!)

white tank top – metro kids’ section (sequined by me)

brown leggings – random

brown platform heels – matthews at CMG

owl necklace – thrifted at carbon

rings: dark auburn stone – thrifted at carbon | black square – props

piles of bangles: faux gold plastic ones – gifted from india | wooden – props

make it your own

this may sound cheesy quoting something from a video-game-turned-movie but it is true: “we make our own destiny…” that doesn’t mean that i don’t believe that God has a higher plan for us or that everything happens for a reason because i do. it’s just that the choices we make and the risks we take mold our lives. we cannot just sit on our asses and think that we are victims of our own lives. we have to work hard at making our lives better and only when we fail do we accept that everything happens for a reason. sometimes, failing once should not be something that should discourage us and stop us from trying. if we fail once, it just means that we should do things differently and try again. it is when we fail that we learn of our faults and learn to pick ourselves up.

i am not invincible. no one is (unless superman does exist) but life is too short to be in fear all the time. life is too short to wait for something good to happen to our lives. i say, let’s make it our own — destiny, that is. take risks. fall in love. follow your heart.

ps. meet my ‘beanie’ puppy — louie. he was given by my former manager for christmas and he has been with me through a lot of stressful times and yes, risks.

pale pink polka dress – lil’ sister’s

white bag – lil’ sister’s

white studded sandals – so fab! (a gift from aimee)

dog tag necklace – custom-made

imprinted round necklace – a gift from gelie

bangles – all from props (now in maze, ayala!)

hoes over bros

i know my title is from one tree hill — you know, brooke’s clothing line. but it greatly defines my weekend.

it’s monday morning and i have to work tonight so as much as i’d like to write up an elaborate post on my thoughts or my weekend, i am really not in the mood. i think i’ve sat in front of my pc for 3 hours now, contemplating on how i can compose my thoughts and put them into good writing. aside from that, i am so tempted to pop in a 3rd french baker brownie bit in my mouth. we all have one of those days right?

so here’s my weekend: 3 hours of sleep after my friday shift to meet karen and help her buy new glasses, long talks over frozen yogurt — i had bananas and caramel with crushed grahams and she had oreos and chocolate syrup, met up with canence to watch Eclipse — it’s our girlfriend date and we’ve watched the series together, watched Edward’s brooding eyes (he looked hotter in this movie by the way because he gained weight, his make-up looked natural so his lips are not red and his face not over compensated with white stuff) and of course, watched and listened to girls scream over Jacob’s hot body; had baked zitti at sbarro and talk to canence about ‘love over friendship’…or maybe vice versa; went home after almost falling asleep on the wheel and slept with my make-up on (again, damn!); attended my old company’s 4th of july party, played some ‘green’ games, met up with old co-worker girlfriends at dessert factory and had my cheesecake fix, then had a massage with harry to end my weekend.

blue and black top – thrifted

jeans – chillypapa

studded boots – mongkok ladies market, hongkong

round imprinted necklace – gift from gelie

gun-metal layered wire cuffs – props

rings: oval flat stone – props | orange howlite – dane’s giveaway

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

letting go of some comforts

my sisters and i have lived comfortably since we were young even when my parents were just making ends meet when it comes to house rent and bills. they’re both dentists and unfortunately, dental services here in the philippines are not as valued as it is in the U.S. filipinos have a ‘bahala na’ (never mind) attitude and would rather attend to other concerns than the state of their teeth. but even so, my sisters and i always had new shoes for the new school year, new bags and quality school materials. we always had birthday gifts and christmas gifts to look forward to. no, we were never given anything we wanted all the time. the gifts we received were always for special occasions and always something we worked hard for. i remember back then, aimee and i wanted barbie dolls but we would be told, “if you want one, save for it.” so we’d be given daily allowances (like P5 or P10 a day) and aimee and i would save that until we could afford that barbie or that tweety bird bag (i was a sucker for tweety bird then! haha!)…some gifts would be for prizes from high test scores or in my case, being at the top of the class.

my parents taught us the value of money and the importance of saving up. they taught us how to work hard and to sacrifice a little. i worked a full shift at a call center when i was on my graduating year in college and only slept 4 hours a day because i had to complete my thesis at the same time. i complained but i was happy being able to help my dad. sure, aimee and i are brats but not because we were given every material thing we wanted but because we know that our mom and dad are always there to back us up. (that is why, in college, our dad would drive us to vudu and fetch us there at 4:00 AM…hehehe. our dad is the coolest!)

as i am planning for un-employment, i won’t deny that i am worried for losing some comforts as i let go of my big salary, but i also know that i have been through tougher times. i have to temporarily let go of shoe shopping and weekly massages or movies but i know i will survive this.

striped top – dkny (thrifted!)

white tank top – random

boyfriend jeans – abercrombie

grey flats – so fab! (gift from big sis)

grey ombre pashmina scarf – hongkong street

round imprinted necklace – a gift from angelie (thanks!)

cuffs – props

square ring – props

passion over knowledge or vice versa

i was feeling a bit anxious about my recent choice to resign yesterday that i was only able to sleep 3 hours before my shift at 8:00 PM. anxiety meant i needed to talk to someone and just ramble away my issues. sometimes i just write my feelings down but yesterday, i needed a friend. i also have a feeling that these small anxiety attacks would surface every now and then in the days leading up to my resignation and yeah, maybe during my rest. i am after all applying for other jobs outside the call center industry. so i will be needing a friend more often and harry would just have to put up with my mood swings (as always).

i got a chance to talk to my friend, canence, who has always been the one who talked sense or logic to me whenever i am down. we talked about this rut that we’re in and about our plans to resign from our current jobs. i told her that i don’t have a back-up job i can fall to when i resign and that i am scared shitless because i don’t know what to do. she told me that unlike her who doesn’t know what she’s passionate about, it’s good that i am passionate about fashion and that i should pursue it. i told her that i have always been jealous of how she’s getting certified at networking (cisco) and have been expanding her knowledge that she can easily land a job anywhere. i only have my experience to back me up because i graduated with a degree in computer engineering but i wasted my 5 years in college because i can’t remember a thing about what i majored in. know what she told me? she says she feels that her knowledge is just on the surface and have nothing to back it up. well, i have passion, but not have too much knowledge to back it up.

passion over knowledge? or knowledge over passion? what do you think?