the good kind of blurry days

i am going to use "throwback thursday" as an excuse for my delinquency because really, it's been a year since this outfit shot was taken. i did still have long, ombre hair but i am still wearing my favorite black booties. 

i count my months by how many weddings or engagement sessions i style now. i label my months as the wedding season (may, june, december, january) or as the ghost month (august) and before i know it, the year has ended. it really is different living an artist's life. the days are a blur but it's the good kind. 

 

 

owl tee - gifted by karen | white pleated skirt - primal rave | black booties - rubi shoes, cotton on | black bucket bag - thrifted | blue wide-brimmed hat - cotton on | bracelets - cotton on & downtown finds | feather earrings - downtown find | ring - downtown find | neon yellow belt - cotton on

bloggers united six: the crazy and fun day that was

i am trying to get back on track so here i am being a good blogger and posting the Bloggers United 6 event the day after it happened. i want to try kicking procrastination to the curb and plan to do the same for all my posts in the future (although I do have a lot of catching up to do -- like how my hair transitioned from long, ombre and side-shaved to short, curly and blonde to being wavy and plum. haha!)

the first time we, the Cebu Fashion Bloggers, got invited to join Bloggers United, it was for the 2nd installment of the event. now, we can't believe we're on the 6th! our hugest thank you's to the founders and organizers of Bloggers United -- Aisa Ipac, Ana Gonzales and Melai Entuna for doing such an amazing job. the blogger's bazaar gets bigger and better every time and i know they've done such an humongous feat!

 here's Eden Villarba (www.chicinthetropics.com) and i with Aisa Ipac (www.aisaipac.com)

Eden and i got stuck to manning our booth all day as the influx of people was crazy so we weren't able to go around and take photos with other bloggers. here are a few other photos i grabbed from Facebook -- Eden and I with our favorite blogger Kookie Buhain and a new friend i met this year, Argie Alcantara. 

just a few snapshots as we went around:

and a snapshot of our booth price drop -- something we did later in the afternoon. we don't want to go home with excess baggage! LOL

and of course, the compulsory outfit shot:

black pleated button-up top - badgley mischka (thrifted) | fringe faux leather skirt - forever 21 | dark taupe booties - rubi shoes, cotton on | silver cuff - rubi, cotton on | lavender chandelier earrings - forever 21 | special thanks to miss juliet of hollywood nails for my hair (whoot!)

ladies who lunch

i started blogging in 2009 and was widely influenced by international bloggers Karla de Rass, the young Alice Xue and Rumi Neely. however, as all other bloggers, i started obscure and wrapped in my own bubble until i met other fellow bloggers from my own town. it has been a notorious notion that the relationship with people you meet over the internet seldom last but as with my love for proving notions wrong, i am proud to say the people i've met over the internet, specifically in the blogosphere, have become one of my closest friends. 

i met with a couple of my blogger friends, Toni Pino and Eden Villarba last month for a quick brunch at iTea and it's funny realizing that we all met as single ladies who just love fashion to becoming closer friends and now all happily attached and in serious relationships. Toni just even had a super cuddly baby girl, Vania whom i can't get enough of. we're thinking of doing a shoot, all four of us who're happily attached (including Mildred) and maybe call it Ladies Who Lunch, what do you think? 

i wanted to take Vania home to cuddle! so so so adorable!

leopard print knit top - thrifted | red palazzos - props | sequined flats - footzyfolds | oversized sunnies - fashion de bella | brass sphere necklace - downtown find | gold petal cuffs - props | black basic watch - gifted by sister | rings: snake & leopard - gifted by dad, bangkok finds, red stone ring - downtown find | blue oversized leather bag - RAF by plains and prints

never too old for sinulog

the Sinulog festivities have grown over the last years. more and more people flock to Cebu from different parts of the country to venerate sto. nino and of course, to experience how it is to party in Sinulog. the first photo below is how Sinulog looks like in Cebu. imagine that volume of people and multiply that by 100. now imagine, half of these are inebriated and are most likely to splash water (or beer) on you or paint your face with poster color or worse, black oil. don't expect to go home clean and untainted -- especially if you're intent on partying. be prepared to give your Sinulog shirt a good funeral because you will never be able to wear it again. this year, we even saw everyone sharing the love, holding placards saying "free hugs." Sinulog is indeed a happy time. 

when Harry and I were asked what we'll be doing this year for Sinulog, we figured we're too old for the street party and planned on staying at home. after all, we're an old married couple (or we feel like one). admittedly, after last year's tragic incident, Sinulog has scarred me. good thing we went out though because that was one of the most fun we've had in a long time. it was also a great time to spend with my sisters -- as we danced crazily, not caring what other people would think. 

neon striped top (which died at the end of the day) - props | denim levis cut-offs - thrifted | grey flats - solemate, sm dept store | tan fringe bag - urban originals | black hat - cotton on | feather necklace - downtown find | oversized sunnies - urban outfitters | bangles and bracelets - downtown finds and braid & bonds

where is my Islands Souvenirs cut&style shirt? i wore the pink at the beach and gave the other one to my cousin after her pleas. LOL. 

pit senyor! x islands souvenirs cut & style your sinulog shirt

my hectic schedule (and not being able to blog for days) might not show this but it was truly an honor being one of the ambassadors for Islands Souvenirs Cut & Style Your Sinulog Shirt project. headed by Kryz Uy and together with Eden Villarba, Marco Diala and Gillian Uang, we were all given a chance to show our creative side and style the popular Sinulog shirts from Islands Souvenirs. 

each of us were given shirts and were tasked to create two styles. one pair, they display on the Islands Souvenir shops and the other, to be worn by us. the event took place last week and i couldn't wait for Sinulog day and had to bring my shirt to the beach, last weekend. here's my first design: 

DIY shirt - Islands Souvenirs | white cut-offs - thrifted | yellow beaded necklace - props | elephant tusk necklace - bangkok find | bangles with beads - braids and bonds | red bangles - WAGW | beaded bracelets - downtown finds

it is very easy to make actually and here's a guide on how you can create this style:

♥ first, cut off the edges of the shirt -- from the hem, the collar and the sleeves. you can go sleeveless or like me, cut it shorter to cover your arms a bit. i also cut the collar deeper in the back. it is Sinulog after all and the streets will be swamped and you'd need to breathe from all the partying.

♥ dip-bleach (if it's colored) or dip-dye (if it's white) the shirt and prepare a small bottle of bleach or a packet of colored dye

♥ dip a smaller part of the bottom for 30 minutes then dip the shirt halfway and leave it for 4 hours (or until you reach your desired shade). 

 

♥ when you reach the desired result of your shirt, wash them in water and soap and hang to dry.
♥ once dry, begin cutting the shirt in fringes.

♥ for a more stylish effect, you can cut the front strips thinly and braid every fringe or so.

you still have tonight and tomorrow morning to style your Sinulog shirts! and as an added treat, if you wear your Islands Souvenirs shirt to VUDU's Sinulog Party Series, you get free cover charge!

see you all on the streets! pit senyor!

december diary: bloggers united FOUR x the airport

have i ever told you guys that i have this great fear of flying? in general, i have this great fear of heights. being in a plane that is thousands of miles up in the air (i actually don't know if i got the numbers right) just makes me very uncomfortable. yes, travelling by air is quicker and saves you tons of time but just thinking of the entire vessel suddenly falling just scares the bejeezus out of me. i mean, i know how to swim so if a ship sinks, i can try to survive. but if a plane falls, i wouldn't know what to do! okay so i'm being morbid and i have to stop myself. 

anyway, i had to face my fear of flying for the Bloggers United 4 event and i couldn't be happier that i had my two sisters to accompany me. also if it weren't for joseph gordon levitt's funny performance on SNL, i wouldn't have survived the flight. December began with a typhoon and after that, it was raining intermittently all throughout the month. so on the day of our flight, we had grey skies and the dreaded turbulence. to top it all off, we had the worst landing of all time --- literally, our butts flew a feet from our seats when we hit the ground. kudos to the pilot -- not! 

scarf print pleated maxi skirt - thrifted | violet tank top - thrifted | oversized knit cardigan - thrifted | polka gold flats - props | studded black belt - props | black floppy hat - cotton on | elephent tusk necklace - bangkok find | black and gold watch - gifted by sister | gold coral cuff - props

look back once then move forward x cheers to 2013!

i'm in a bit of a panic here because not only is it another month, it's another year and i'm still catching up with posts from december 2012. so i better hurry up then!

but before i proceed with my catch-up posts, here's a quick look back into my 2012:

my favorite looks

it's on this year that i have found a sense of style that is true to myself. over the last 3 years since i started my blog, i've been experimenting with various looks. this year, i've been more picky with my closet items when i shop and only get the ones that truly represent who i am.

          

       

               

falling in love all over again

i was civilly married last year however, it was only this year that Harry and i started planning for our Church wedding. we had our engagement session shot by the amazing Marlon Capuyan and it felt like day one with Harry all over again. 

how i took the risk and chose my passion

i may have spoken about resigning in October and choosing to do what i love but i don't think i've discussed in detail what i actually do for a living now. my friend April and I launched Cuckoo Cloud Concepts back in October and as Harry would say it, "We've gone Cuckoo!"

Cuckoo Cloud Concepts specializes in styling and set design for engagement sessions that have a fun and quirky vibe. we love couples who'd like to tell a story with their engagement session and want to make a fun memory of their love story. we also style weddings for couples who want handmade elements in their wedding. so far, things have been unexpectedly good. we're still starting a bit slow but there has been a lot of potential and upcoming opportunities. we are especially thankful for Marlon and Mildred for their support -- as they've been there for us since the start. of course, our Mr. Cuckoos have been our number one fans. here are some of the work we've done -- and you can check out our website and Facebook page for more details: 

what i did, resigning from a high-paying corporate job, is a great risk. honestly, i don't have money to spend for personal stuff right now and my money is enough for day-by-day expenses but that's okay. i've realized you have to undergo a bit of sacrifice to pursue something you love. i love fashion that's why i have this blog but i'm also happy that i get to do a bit of that for the couples in their shoots. i've dipped my hands into DIY-ing again and it feels good knowing that i can create something beautiful with my hands. of course, i love weddings. am in love with weddings which makes this job all the more fun. so ---

"hi, i'm gizelle. former sales and call center manager. now a happy stylist and set designer for Cuckoo Cloud Concepts. nice to meet you!" ♥

experienced Bloggers United twice!

a look back in words

in words, my twenty-twelve has been a roller coaster. it started really dark what with the tragedy my family experienced in january. we slowly had to move on from it to support my sister and i underwent hell at work, all while preparing for my wedding. i lost weight because i could only eat once a day due to work stress and my personal life almost faltered. but in the end, everything turned out well. the choices we make mold our lives to what we what we want them to be in the end. on December 22, i got married in front of God and our families in my dream bohemian wedding gown and to the love of my life, Harry. (and if some of you are wondering, i'm 28. not 22 so yes, it's the right time for me get married. haha!)

happy new year everyone! 
here's a year of fashion brilliance (or mistakes) and hopefully a whole wall of beautiful shoes by the end of year.