cuckoo cloud concepts – Girl Gone Cuckoo

The Making of Lucelence

{L u c e l e n c e}
The state of being fine and beautiful, shining, brilliant

There’s this space we discovered that was slightly abandoned by the times but had a lot of potential. It resonated with us so much because in these difficult times, it’s easy to dwell on the ugly parts and just stay there but we have to cling on that silver lining of hope, of the potential once this is all over.

So we gathered our closest friends in the industry and collaborated with Dried Flowers PH newly founded by girl boss and Cuckoo stylist, Chyrel Gomez to create this dreamy editorial. It is our way of saying, we will stay steadfast, brilliant and shining even in these dark times.

I was ready but I wasn’t.

You know how it has been 8 months since I last did a wedding? It has also been more than a year since we last did an editorial. We do them because it’s the perfect way for us to have more freedom creatively and basically do whatever we want. I was so ready to get back into it but then I also wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for how physically exhausting it was but how energizing it was at the same time. I spent months alone with my thoughts that it was such a great relief to be in the midst of other creatives. Even with a mask, it felt like I could breathe again.

Here are more behind-the-scene photos:

The amazing creatives involved in this editorial:

Premium dried flowers Dried Flower PH
Floral design and wardrobe styling Cuckoo Cloud Concepts
Photography Helium Hearts Photos
Videography Studio Ilustrado
Hair & Make-up Nicko dela Peña
Cake Cupkeyk n’ Art
Stationery Foreverafternoon
Place Cards Charm Pia Tan
Cutleries & plates Tala Curated Rentals
Table & chairs T&C Rentals & Event Services
Venue White Heart Lane
Model Katt Belleza
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Special thanks to Evolve PH CO and Jumax Morgia
#LUCELENCE

Rustic Berries: #bnbweddingtutorial BTS

Bride and Breakfast recently launched their Youtube channel showing brides various how to’s and tips in achieving their dream wedding. For their fifth installment on their #bnbweddingtutorial, they’ve tapped my styling company, Cuckoo Cloud Concepts, photographer Marlon Capuyan and other Cebu-based suppliers to show future brides How to Do a Rustic Wild Berries Wedding. I have to say that the BNB team has challenged me yet again with a bolder color palette. I do love a challenge and I especially love doing something out of the usual — because you know, pastels dominate weddings and this one is totally different. I totally adore the berry hues of this shoot and having to work with rich tones. Here are some behind-the-scene shots (using our camera — official photos by Marlon Capuyan can be found here.)

As for what I wore that day, I opted for a loose knit top and flowy skirt — something I can easily move around in.

Love in the Tropics: FAAD2015 Editorial BTS

{a quick break from my maternity posts — i’ve got 2 more preggy posts left!}

Forever and a Day: The Wedding Show
Zen, of Events Avenue, approached us in 2013 to ask Cuckoo Cloud Concepts to be the creative consultant for the event. The goal was to make a bridal show geared towards promoting different wedding styles. The 2014 Forever and a Day wedding show happened and it was an eye-opener. We had a lot of things to improve on but it paved way for new wedding vendors and artists.

For FAAD2015, I decided to now fully participate in the planning and not just consult on the creative aspect of the event. We started planning for 2015 wedding show early in November 2014 and aimed for something more streamlined and more focused on contemporary style. It was something new to the wedding industry but we wanted future grooms and brides to think outside the box. It’s our 2nd year so we had a bit of traction but we still had and I know, will have a long way to go.

I’ll be doing a post about what happened during the show, but meanwhile here are some snaps of the Tropical editorial we did for FAAD2015 {Also, catch what we did last year}.

photography, Blinkbox Photos | video, Studio Teknikolor | flowers, decor & styling, Cuckoo Cloud Concepts | hair & make-up, Markie Bautista with Kennith Tomongha | bridal gowns, Disegno Dado {white} and Kieren Stefan Tirado {blue} | groom’s suit, Jerrick Macasocol | accessories, Strozzi | cake & desserts, Torta ug Uban Pa | invites, Foreverafternoon | event organizer, Events Avenue | shoot location, Chateau by the Sea | models, Tara Chua & Daryl Borces

since I got married in 2012, I haven’t stopped planning weddings — the decor and style that is. the wedding industry is a whole new world by itself and having been in this field for almost 3 years, i can definitely say i have learned a lot and know that i will still have a lot to learn. one thing is and will always be true, the reason i became a wedding stylist is not just to start and continue creating but mainly to make people happy. there is nothing more rewarding than a thank you after a job well done. ♥

Gizelle Faye Girl Gone Cuckoo Vanille Ice Cream Cebu Fashion Blogger 01 — A quick shot of the crumpled outfit — goes to show how immersed I am when I’m styling shoots or events. A classic yet bright outfit apt for our Tropical-themed editorial.

Gizelle Faye Girl Gone Cuckoo Vanilla Ice Cream Cebu Fashion Blogger -2 — Floral love that my mom made for the shoot — yep, she’s my official florist. We love flowers so much and can talk about it for hours when we’re at home.

chambray button-down shirt, thrifted | orange linen pleated skirt, thrifted | green braided leather belt, thrifted | two-strap sandals, gifted by sister | tortoise sunnies, cotton on

maternity diary: the 2nd trimester

so I finally surpassed the first 3 months of pregnancy and have reached what they call the “safe zone.” i’m not sure though because i still continue to worry. my tummy has become bigger and the bulge is showing a bit but our little pumpkin was still so little that i couldn’t feel her yet, couldn’t physically know she’s inside.

one day, as if Maddy wanted to appease me knowing that her mommy is a worry-wart, i felt a small movement that felt like popcorn then a pinch. she kicked with her tiny little feet! i couldn’t believe it — she was really in there. it was like she was telling me, “Mommy, I’m here.”

i later found out with delight that Maddy loves the classics. oh how i tried to make her listen to my indie favorites such as Monsters & Men and Mumford & Sons but she much rather preferred the likes of Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. ironically though, she’d kick up a storm whenever she’d hear old school hip-hop songs (my songs during the day) like “Drop It Like its Hot.” LOL

Maddy loves it when i sing to her and i use my songs to get her to kick during slow mornings. she’d gladly oblige after a verse or 2 of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” she also loves it when her papa whispers stories to her (true or just made-up). we were halfway there and we were counting down the days.

printed off-shouldered maxi dress from BFTS | black wide-brimmed felt hat from Cotton On | accesories from various vintage stores & Forever21

“maternity session taken at 35 weeks” | photography by Burtz Rolian of Blinkbox Photos | hair and make-up by Suzaine Christi Smith

maternity diary: the pregnant stylist

I got pregnant but the world didn’t stop for me. Sure, I had to take extra care of myself and people around me were careful with me too, and gave me special attention but I had to continue working — 1) To do what I love and continue to pursue my passion for creating and 2) Because I needed to make a living considering I am a full-time stylist.

Throughout my pregnancy, I was lucky enough to have had stylists wanting to join the team. I had to laugh because God really does put everything into perfect timing. On my 1st trimester, Tara Chua joined Cuckoo Cloud Concepts as my co-stylist then Ephraim Rabanez on the 3rd trimester. I continued conceptualizing photo shoots but Tara or Phraim executed the styling for me, together with my production assistant, Amalia Bautista. I continued to attend all events {weddings} that we had to style and just made sure to sit down whenever I can and lie low on physical activities. Believe it or not, I even flew to Pagadian to style a wedding on the last week of my 1st trimester. A week before I was due to give birth, I attended the last 2 weddings of the month. Whenever I got afraid, I had to remind myself that God won’t give me something I can’t handle.

This post is a tribute to my support system all throughout my pregnancy and even after that. To Tara, Phraim, Amalia, my Uncle Jesan, my amazing mom and dad, my trying-not-to-be-supportive but awesome hubby Harry and now Phil (who just recently joined us as a stylist) and all my event assistants — THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. ♥

silk kimono from BFTS | floral crown by Cuckoo Cloud Concepts

photography by Rainbowfish Photo | hair & make-up by Markie Bautista

once upon a time: a bride & breakfast editorial

one of the best gifts 2013 has blessed me and Cuckoo Cloud Concepts is a small message, on January, from Janna Simpao of Bride and Breakfast asking if we’d be interested in doing an editorial with them. i just woke up at 6AM to pee when i saw her message sent at 3AM. i literally shook and jumped off my bed!

Cuckoo Cloud Concepts was just a start-up wedding styling team that April and i started in October 2012 — something we did with a leap by leaving our cubicles and taking on the endeavor full time. we didn’t have any assurance of clientele nor whether Cebu would bite the idea of engagement session stylists or wedding stylists. we presented ourselves not as florist but a team who adds additional styling to weddings that would capture the couple’s personality further. so it was an amazing surprise to have been caught by the Philippines’ no. 1 wedding blog much more being invited to do an editorial.

we got to work immediately and worked on the project for two months. here are the behind-the-scene shots and for the editorial, you can check them out here.

love conquers all: why i do what i do

such a cheesy title, isn’t it? well, it’s true no matter how much we deny it. love is really one of the reasons why i choose to do what i do — style for engagement shoots and weddings. we don’t just get to do what we love which is expressing our love for art and crafts, we also get to meet new amazing people. people who are in love.

styling for Christian and Sheila was truly an honor, especially after hearing their love story and what they went through. they’ve been together for 7 years and have gone through so many trials that rival that of a teleserye and yet they’re still going strong and still look like high school sweethearts. here are some of the behind-the-scene shots, of course with the mandatory outfit shots (*wink*). As for the actual photos of this lovely engagement session by the ocean, check them out here.

styling for footzyfolds spring/summer 2013

i once again had the pleasure of styling for Footzyfolds Philippines’ spring / summer 2013 campaign. with the sleeker styles this season, the look we wanted to achieve was fresher in breezier yet still classic outfits. of course, we couldn’t veer away from the nautical trend as this season offered chic foldable boat shoes too. here are the outtakes — official photos to be posted soon.

details: models from Model’s Association of Cebu | HMUA by Ramil Solis | wardrobe styling by Gizelle Faye | photography by Dan Ong | outfits by Dino Lloren, William Manahan, Philip Rodriguez and stylist’s own

MAC model AR Duenas, make-up artist extraordinaire Ramil Solis and former Ms. World Philippines Karla Bautista – Siao

in Footzyfolds classic styles for Spring / Summer with the girls wearing William Manahan’s very chic SS 2013 cocktail dresses

MAC model Kim Covert with MAC’s very own Chicoy

even if was wearing heels, i don’t think i can ever fare with these beauties..haha!

sneaking in an outfit shot:

chambray button-up – thrifted | denim cut-offs – thrifted | peacock summer sandals – people are people | geometric stone earrings – lovechic.ph | neon pink belt – props

a little sacrifice goes a long way

next on the queue of my posts is Harry and mine’s February Boracay honeymoon – vacation but since we should all be in a somber mood for the Holy Week, i figured i should post them starting Easter. here’s a regular daily outfit post, after one of our Cuckoo meetings. this was taken last January, when we spent the whole afternoon discussing our business plans for the rest of the year.

working freelance was something both April and i decided to do in October when we launched Cuckoo Cloud Concepts and definitely, one of the major advantages is flexibility and being able to manage our own time without being strapped to corporate necessities. nevertheless, freelancing is hard and certainly has a few downs as well. since we’re a start-up company, we have to let go of personal wants to allocate funds for materials, fare to and fro supply stores and our workplace and we have to accommodate long working hours. it’s hard not to be able to expect a certain amount of earning every month for the bills and we’ve had to depend on our super-supportive hubbies to get through.

they say though, and this has been a tried and tested testament, that a little sacrifice goes a long way. we’re lucky enough to have such supportive people in our lives to cushion our sacrifices but we know that when we work hard with what we’re passionate about, we will surely get there. security and stability will come. for now, we just have to work our asses off.

unplanned trips make the best adventures

one of the challenges of ensuring a good photo shoot session is finding a good location. i have been finding myself craning my neck during road trips or even short trips to visit a place to look for a good spot to do a photo shoot. i usually sleep during trips as i find being in a vehicle lulling. however, Cebu City is really small and with soon-to-be married couples now investing more on a great engagement sessions, it has become difficult not to have the same location as the other. depending on the skill of the photographer, some common locations can still become different. nevertheless, finding new ones is still part of the highs of a stylist’s job.

last February, in an effort to find new scenery and to cheer up our beach-loving pregnant friend, Mildred — who is incidentally the wife of Marlon Capuyan, one of the highly talented photographers that Cuckoo Cloud Concepts have frequently collaborated with, we went on an unplanned southern road trip. just a simple text, “let’s go to the beach” (cue Nikki Minaj) and an “okay, I’ll tell Harry. see you 8:00 AM tomorrow,” we were off! certainly, unplanned trips make the best adventures. no expectations, just enjoying things as they come.

do keep your eyes open for the editorial that we have been working on for the top wedding blog in the country. *palpitations* our hearts and souls have certainly been poured into this endeavor.

p.s. my flip-flops is one of those, “omigad, i can’t believe i bought this. it looked good with one outfit but i can’t wear it again.” and i wore these because the trip was very much unplanned and we literally had ourselves running out the door early in the morning.

december diary: styling for footzyfolds THE FASHION SHOTS

so as promised, here are the actual photos of the Footzyfolds shoot that i styled. i still have a few that i don’t have though but i’m just too excited and can’t wait to post the ones i have.

Footzyfolds are chic foldable shoes that are great alternatives to painful killer heels. the Footzyfolds pack comes with a pouch for the flats and a bigger pouch for your heels. the fashionable foldable flats, which have been featured on Oprah’s list are now in Cebu — available online here and in SCHU Ayala Cebu.

photography by Dan Douglas Ong | hair and make-up by Ramil Solis, assisted by Chris | fashion styling by Gizelle Faye of Cuckoo Cloud Concepts | ready-to-wear outfits by Props | accessories by Tseng Jewelry by Noreen Tseng and SEPA Cebu | MAC models: April, Raceene and Sue | special thanks to Valeriano Tomol III and Roger Alferez

SPARKBURST in gold footzyfolds | Cary Santiago gown | stylist’s earrings

SPARKBURST in silver multi footzyfolds | Cary Santiago dress

SNAKE BALLET in red and BOSTON in red footzyfolds | Umberto couture | stylist’s earrings

SNAKE BALLET in red footzyfolds | Arcy Gayatin dress | Tseng Jewelry by Noreen Tseng necklace

SPARKBURST in black footzyfolds | Arcy Gayatin dress | SEPA Cebu earrings

TASSLE in black footzyfolds booties | Arcy Gayatin dress | SEPA Cebu earrings | stylist’s cuff

OLENA in blue and BOSTON in red footzyfolds | Arcy Gayatin dresses | SEPA Cebu beaded necklace | stylist’s collar necklace

SUGAR in gold footzyfolds | PROPS ready-to-wear apparel | stylist’s hat

FRESCA in black footzyfolds | PROPS ready-to-wear apparel | Tseng Jewelry by Noreen Tseng necklace

SUGAR in silver footzyfolds | PROPS ready-to-wear apparel | stylist’s accessories

OLENA in blue footzyfolds | PROPS ready-to-wear apparel | SEPA Cebu turquoise necklace | stylist’s accessories

OLENA in red / camel footzyfolds | PROPS ready-to-wear apparel | stylist’s accessories

there are still more photos from the outdoor shot that the footzyfolds team did. styling was still done by me however, i had to prepare the outfits beforehand because i had to fly to Manila for Bloggers United 5 on the day of the shoot.

you guessed it, the Bloggers United 5 photos are up next! ♥

december diary: styling for footzyfolds

the month of December started with a typhoon (both literally and figuratively, for me).

typhoon Pablo blew through our country starting from the south and claimed a hundred lives. my heart goes out to the victims and their families.

on another note, December was crazy good for me despite the natural catastrophe and the unpredictable weather. it started with a styling stint for Footzyfolds Philippines, a project for Cuckoo Cloud Concepts — styling an engagement session for a couple who just got in from Dubai and will be having their wedding in 2 weeks, flying to Manila for a 2-day Bloggers United (4!) bazaar and finally, meeting Harry down the aisle in our dream bohemian wedding.

aside from frantically preparing for our wedding, my good friend Karla Bautista-Siao called me up to ask if i could style a photo shoot for Footzyfolds Philippines. it was really short notice and my logic told me that i shouldn’t because it was so near our wedding and i still had so many things to do but my heart told me not to pass it up.

it was truly an honor styling for Footzyfolds and working with the most amazing people. amazing Cebuano designers lent their designs for the shoot and when i say amazing, i mean Cary Santiago, Arcy Gayatin, Rey Humberto Villegas and Hadju Godinez from the House of Salvador Malto.

photography by Dan Douglas Ong | hair and make-up by Ramis Solis, assisted by Chris | fashion styling by Gizelle Faye of Cuckoo Cloud Concepts | ready-to-wear outfits by Props | accessories by Tseng Jewelry by Noreen Tseng and SEPA Cebu | MAC models: April, Raceene and Sue | special thanks to Valeriano Tomol III and Roger Alferez

here are some behind-the-scene shots. actual photos of the shoot will posted soon. ♥

MAC models discovered a new model on this shoot as well. she’s the sister of Footzyfolds’ operations manager and happened to visit the shoot that afternoon. suddenly my 5’2″ frame was buried amongst the tall and gorgeous models.

did you catch me trying to steal an outfit shot by the mirror? i was completely covered up that day because not only did December begin with a typhoon, the shoot took place on the day of the typhoon. anything for the love of styling.

next post: the actual photos of the shoot. ♥