Makeup by DFW Makeup

From g j spiller photography

table style="width:auto;">From g j spiller photographytable style="width:auto;">From g j spiller photographytable style="width:auto;">From g j spiller photographytr>

like i blogged before, i met danielle, from DFW Makeup, at a teresa and james' wedding, and talked about taking pictures for her new website. we thought it would be fun to do some different makeup looks and spend an afternoon with some models, showcasing her makeup. danielle had so many creative ideas! she derives inspiration from different sources, it was cool to see the process, and her imagination running wild. i am used to photographing events, documenting events as i see it, and even when i do my portraits, i usually let my clients be natural and be themselves with minimal direction. so it was definitely a nice change of pace. 

our models highlighted here are loriana and armani, both music artists/songwriters. they were great sports and went with the flow. luckily, they were good at posing, and having a good idea about modeling. i'm used to shooting interactions with people, and capturing genuine moments, this shoot challenged me to have to direct and shoot at the same time. 

check out their individual slideshows. danielle's makeup was fabulous, and the girls were gorgeous! 

click here to view their slideshows in a separate window!

loriana slideshow

armani slideshow

also check out loriana's site to listen to her music (i can't wait until we hear her music on the radio!)

salsa, tacos, and a plastic donkey

Bravo Tumbao Dance Company provided the free salsa lessons, and the exciting dance exposition (see slideshow for more pix of their dancing!)

This is Fred!!! 

Tierra y Libertad provided the ballet folklorico performances. Colorful, energetic...beautiful. See more in the slideshow!

j. and i got married last year, in south pasadena's Holy Family Catholic Church. that church holds significance, because it was the church that inspired j. to renew his faith, get baptized and confirmed, and he says, it also inspired him to "upgrade" (i hate the word "settle down") and propose to me. (j. and i had known each other for 11 years before we got married. we were 'babies' when we met). we absolutely love this church. the community is welcoming and warm. you really feel like small-towny there. the church, of course, is beautiful and reminiscent of the churches i attended while i was young, with the smell of old missalettes, incense, and old wood, not like the new, spacious, marble-esque, cold modern churches popping up around los angeles.

we recently moved 22 miles away, to covina, and miss our parish. we don't get to go as often as we should. so we were jazzed that we were able to volunteer our photography services and donate a bingo prize (a $250 valued session) this weekend at the parish festival. we were especially excited when we were told they needed someone to man the photo booth, and take pictures of kids and families on top of a burro (donkey). so i brought my digital SLR and powered up my batteries because i was excited to shoot a real live burro. i've seen them rented for birthday parties, before, but never was upfront, close and personal to one.

when we got to the photo booth, we saw a donkey all right. a plastic rental donkey. our lil' booth looked lonely, with our white tent, polaroid camera, and "Fred" (we named him!). we thought, ok, we really need to pump it up and encourage some kids and parents to take pictures at our booth. it was only 5 tickets. so everyone that passed by, we sold Fred like he was the next best thing since...the cow. it didn't take but 5 min., that we had our first customers. much to our surprise, we had steady business for at least 3 hours! Fred was a hit! who knew? 

we had so much fun, meeting new and old friends. it made us miss our church more. we really need to go at least 1x a month and attend mass here. 

the entertainment was great! folklorico (Tierra y Libertad), salsa lessons (Bravo Tumbao), and a salsa band (Latin Sol). who could ask for anything more! i love the dancing pictures, especially, because you can see the joy and fun in a dancer's face. it's so exhilarating to watch and even more fun to photograph! i'll post more pix about the excellent salsa band, Latin Sol, on my next blog entry. they were sooooo good! their music made you want to shake that thang! there's nothing like LIVE music!!! see pix of them in the slideshow!

thank you to Juan Jimenez, the entertainment coordinator, for being such a cool guy, even though Fred was worked like a horse (we didn't know we couldn't put kids on Fred! yikes! busted!).  we would also like to thank Barbara Wagner, the event coordinator, for giving us such a cool, fun job! we hope to have the opportunity again!

above are some pictures of the event! click here to view the slideshow!

(if you would like to have additional info on any of the groups above, please let me know! info@gjspillerphotography.com)

Kajukenbo Studio: Softball Game

johnny's martial arts studio. check out their site: www.bundaskajukenbo.com/

can't rain on this parade!

j. just recently joined a martial arts studio called Bunda's Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute. he joined because he has always wanted to learn a martial art, and also get back in shape. unfortunately, since we got married, even though our life has gotten busier and more prosperous, we have been getting out of shape in the process! so he thought he'd take that step to exercise. he absolutely loves going to the  classes 3 times a week.

we attended the annual "Ohana Picnic" this sat. now, you'd think the forecast of rain all sat. would stop this bunch. as you can see with the pictures (and the slideshow), that this was not the case. it was definitely a fun-loving spirit among the members. "Ohana" means "family" in hawaiian, and this was absolutely a family affair. husbands, wives, and children are members of this studio. they were all so friendly, and seemed to be having a great time, even with the gloomy weather looming overhead. 

the craziest thing was the softball game in the rain, no less!! this was j.'s first time playing softball, and he did really well. his team won! yay! check out the slideshow. there's lots of action shots! here are just SOME of the pix i liked. too many to choose from. 

also, if you're looking for a martial arts/self defense class, check out the studio! they take all ages! 

thank you, Starr Design

thank you, jessica, for working with me and creating my new banner for my website. it is modern, simple, clean lines, with a touch of femininity, and incorporated our logo and colors. 

i highly recommend jessica, if you want help with your branding. she does it all. check out her site! she's so talented. and...she was very patient with my revisions. i know what i want, unfortunately, when i see it. haahaha...she's the true professional. 

and...we will be in touch again, because i will probably be changing my whole site by the end of the year, so i'll need help!!! 

check her out, especially those with their own small businesses. tell her Guen from GJ Spiller Photography, sent ya!

new blog look!

check me out!!!! this is the first blog i "designed" myself. i am very proud of myself. although i was up until 430a doing it (started at 1230a) and trying to figure out how to copy/paste code. 

i have to rave about this site that gave me these cool blog "elements" to dress up my blog. it's called  Shabby Miss Jenn Designs. if you're a scrapbooker type, which i used to be, before i had this business,  you'll love her designs. AND the cool thing, is they have video tutorials on how to add these cute elements to your blog site. it's so easy. well, once you get the hang of it. but if you already have a blog or site, you'll pick up quickly. i bought this package of files for about $6. 

this is great for people that also like to change up their blog look. i get bored with my blog and is constantly changing the look. i change my blog regularly, rather than my homepage, because it's more interactive and gets more traffic. plus...it's purrrr-ty.

have a go at it!

it's my birthday! i'm 36 yrs. YOUNG!

this is the cake my loving hubby had made for me for my birthday! let me tell you the background to this story.

i have been hearing about this cake for DAYS. i have never seen this man get so excited about a cake before. this cake has been the anticipation of the week. he's been sneaking out of the house for 2 days, secret phone call conversations, EVEN the neighbors were invited to just VIEW the cake (not eat, VIEW) the night before my birthday. i was instructed not to peek, and look at the cake until my birthday.

so of course, this morning, i was excited to see my surprise. and i love it. it's beautiful. it has purple in it (which always reminds me of my youth....i was a purple-a-aholic....hey! it was the 80's). and i love it because it says...."darling wife." he's learning, folks....

but seriously, i love my cake. and johnny says we owe it all to Christine's Creations. thank you for my wonderful chocolate, white fondant cake! she does custom orders, so if you need a custom cake for that special "darling," let me know. i'll pass on her info to you! 

thank you,  johnny, for my wonderful cake surprise!

summertime

summer always reminds me of going to the park, bbqs, plate lunches, kids playing and running around in slippers, uncles jamming music, and aunties "talking story." going to the annual Alondra Park Ho'olaule'a reminds me of just that.  johnny and i just came back from the event, and even though it was hot, we had a great time, just being there. there is live music and entertainment from different hula studios, or halaus, and plenty of food and booths to visit. going to the different booths reminds us of going to the Aloha Stadium swap meet in Oahu, Hawai'i, perusing through the aloha gear and crafts that remind you of "back home." my dad was born and raised in Oahu, one of the islands of Hawai'i. even though i am filipino, my brothers and i were raised with 2 traditions, filipino and hawaiian influences. so hawai'i, because it holds great significant to my childhood and culture, is considered, "back home," to me. 

we visited the Sassy Sister Crafts booth. cutest craftiest gifts! they were so kind to custom design a basket o' goodies for a client of ours. check out their blog! they're so creative and if you want to experience the "spirit of aloha," they definitely bring that spirit to their business and the customer.

another great find was the Little Dragon Girls booth. i love the concept. it's my latest rave! the concept of the clothing line is to promote confidence and pride in one's self, one's culture: the belief that there's a "little dragon" in all girls. that's a great message to give to all little and young girls. tapping into our "dragon" or that fiery side inside of all of us, BEING and LOVING your SELF, leads to bigger, better, brighter opportunities, success, as well as happiness and joy. check out their site. i guarantee you'll love the designs for that "little dragon" girl in your life! below are a sample of some of the cute clothing they have!

baby shower centerpieces

these are so cute! lil' booties. they act as a centerpiece, and then, use the booties later. also comes in a vase that you can use! now that's my kind of gift! cute, practical, and reusable! 

for more info, email celina from Pampered Sweets: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

pampered sweets: another hit!

celina from Pampered Sweets came through again. this past weekend, i was in charge of planning and leading the games for my cousin's baby shower. so i thought it would be nice to have some spa cakes and cake rolls made for the winners. each of the cakes above (top 4 pix) have a towel, bath gel/lotion, and/or loofah inside them. so you can enjoy them as a display in your bathroom, or pamper yourself and have a mini spa day. 

the diaper cake (bottom pic) is the one i had personalized for my cousin, mel. i wanted an asian-inspired theme cake, one that i have not seen before. because at the time, we didn't know what the sex of the baby was, we opted for neutral colors, yellow and green. it makes for a great centerpiece. it's funny because i overheard someone say, "wow! nice cake!....oh, it's not a cake after all!" as they tried to swipe some icing. this is what is inside this "cake."

1 green carters onesie 

1 bottle

1 green carters receiving blanket

1 Gerber pacifier

1 travel J&J shampoo

1 travel J&J lotion

1 travel J&J powder

1 teething gel

1 travel pamper wipes

1 sample Gerber baby wash

1 disposable huggies washcloth

1 sample huggies lotion

1 sample dreft baby laundry detergent

i would have posted this sooner, but i wanted it to be a surprise. can you believe that 3 tiered diaper cake held up for a whole month!!!! it is very well-made, and you would think, especially diapers, it would fall apart! that's what i like about her products. they are made well, not sloppy or cluttered like others i have seen, but clean and simple looking. 

i will post more pix of other cute baby centerpieces/gifts she makes. they're so adorable!

if you want more info on these personalized, one of a kind creations (because she makes them by order, none of them are pre-made), email her at myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

tell her, GUEN sent ya!

pampered sweets by celina

the pix above is a "diaper cake" present that i gave to a dear neighbor friend of mine, who was having her baby shower last weekend. i love ordering diaper cakes from Pampered Sweets because in comparison to other diaper cake makers online, she makes the most original and the best, in my opinion. i have seen diaper cakes that either look like a mountain mess of diapers, with "stuff" hanging around it, or it's just plain sloppy and unattractive!

all i had to do was give her some color schemes and a theme, and she created this beautiful, sassy, almost "sex and the city" homage "cake." i loved it! i have not seen anything like it, and i received a lot of oohs and aahs from the guests at the party. my neighbor does not want to take it apart! it was perfect because her theme for her baby shower was leopard print and pink! i think celina from Pampered Sweets exceeded my expectations.

some people might say, well, i can make that! which is probably correct, everyone's "crafty" these days. i consider myself a DIY crafter. but i'm busy with my business, family, puppy, and hubby and household...and don't have the time. if you're like me, don't have a lot of free time to make cute, personalized gifts, ordering from Pampered Sweets is the perfect gift making business for me! i put in my order, and picked it up on the way to the party. now that's a time saver. 

you can also see how much "treats" she puts in the cake. all the items that you see in the first picture represents the items she fills the diaper cake with. not to mention about 45 newborn diapers (that'll go quickly within the first month!!) that make the cake! she also makes favors, and smaller treat items. stay posted. i'll post those pix soon! she makes "sundaes," "cake rolls," and what she calls, "spa cakes." their the cutest. everyone i've given them to says they're too pretty to take apart, but the items are all practical, and nothing is glued on. just take apart, and use it!!

if you would like to know more info about Pampered Sweets, email celina at: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net. tell her guen, from gj spiller photo sent ya!

sassy sisters

i am a DIY gal. i love to create custom, handmade items and give them as gifts, or use them in my home. but nowadays, especially with having my own photography business, i just don't have the time i used to, to create cute stuff. i love giving cute stuff to my friends and family, and especially my clients, who have been generous, warm and wonderful to us.

if you're like me, you don't have the time, you wanna hit up the SASSY SISTERS, kim and michelle. they are the creative minds behind the cutest products!!! i recently bought 2 boxes (see pic) for 2 colleagues of mine, as thank you gifts. they also have these cute, one of a kind, post it notes. i like to give these as gifts, because it's something practical, cute, affordable, and it's stuff people will use, but might not buy for themselves (we're always thinking of others). 

they also make custom invitations, cards, clipboards, and lotion! the lotion,which was a citrus grapefruit fragrance smelled so good. i can see myself using this to start off my day!

they have pre-made stuff, but they also can customize any item. great ideas for shower gifts, favors, and thank you knick knacks for your fave person. 

 here's their blog! (they are also featured on our "links" side bar menu- see right) read all about them. if you want to know more info, email them: sassysistercrafts@yahoo.com

tell them guen from g.j. spiller photography sent ya!