Grab your little black dress and Save the Date for a PARIS IN A CUP REUNION tea at Studio 14 on Sunday, April 26. Chef David is coming out of retirement to serve up your favorite tea treats from this popular tearoom of yore.
Crafting a fulfilling life
Hello, I'm Trish Miller and I so enjoy working with Whimsicalitea in our beautiful Studio 14. I used to do crafts of all kinds, but for the past many years I've been acting and directing community theater. Now, at Studio 14, I've had a chance to reconnect to crafting and it's such a lovely experience.
On November 1st of last year, we organized a craft making Ancestor Remembrance plates for Dia de los Muertos. Participants brought photos of their loved ones and we provided small plates, easels, decorations and flowers so that each could choose their own design.
In December, participants decorated their own Jeweled Christmas Tree Ornament with lovely costume jewelry that was donated to Whimsicalitea. We have so much jewelry left, I felt we needed another "bejeweled" craft.
On January 24th, from 11:30 to 1:00 we are hosting a craft event to create Jeweled Photo Frames. The event is $25 ($15 for 12 and under) and includes a white frame for a 4x5 photo, jewelry, tools, some snacks and tea or coffee.
Come join the fun of this as we celebrate creativity and community. Click here to reserve a spot now.
Petits Fours & Petty Crimes at S14
Help catch the culprit at
Petits Fours & Petty Crimes
Sunday March 1st at 2pm
Enjoy a cold case over a hot cuppa at Studio 14 with the Tea & Sympathy Investigative Agency
$44.75 for card-carrying TSIA agents
$49.75 for non-agents
includes interactive mystery activity, catered Petite Afternoon Tea served by Volunteer stuff. (Tax & gratuity included)
Add $15 for wrapped themed mystery gift
Suggested Attire ~ Pastel 'tea wear'
Going Social
You can find us flitting about online in all sorts of places. Here's a list of our socials to help us connect
Do you have a Children's Book in you?
Studio 14 is thrilled to be able to offer Storytime once a month including crafts and tales with heart for the whole family. But there's a hitch. We've only published a handful of children's stories!
If YOU have a children's book in you that has been begging to be brought forth and benefit the world, please reach out to us. There is no cost to the authors our arts philanthropy chooses to publish, and you maintain the copyright and receive all of the proceeds.
So if you'd like to hold a children's book in your hands that shows your name on the cover, please get a hold of us and let's see what we can do. Make 2026 the year your book is born!
( Feel free to send questions & start a conversation with us via cestlaviesirene@gmail.com )
An all too familiar saga ...
We asked children's book author/illustrator Bradley Miller about the creation of his charming book Where Do Lost Socks Go? Here's what he had to say:
The idea for this story began after a day of laundry. Where two socks from two separate pairs miraculously disappeared from beginning to end.For some reason this started a long conversation at night between Trish and I as to what causes just one sock to disappear and not an entire pair.We started bouncing ideas back and forth with each other and came up with a basic idea. Trish came up with the idea for Mr. Argyle, and the main character was named after my best friend who had passed a few years earlier.It took quite some time to get all of the ideas into a story, but it was fun for the two of us to get it all together.
Hear Brad read his story during Storytime at Studio 14 on Saturday, January 24 at 2pm. There will be a simple craft and coloring pages available at no charge.
How it all begins ...
Grab your favorite family recipe to submit to the 2026 cookbook compendium!
OFFICIAL CALL FOR CONTENT for our 2026 COOKBOOK COMPENDIUM. This one will focus on RECIPES THAT INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE INGREDIENT THAT COMES FROM THE WATER (the sea, a river, etc).
Be sure to submit a recipe that is either original or "tweaked" (so we don't get sued), and include a blurb or short story — factual or fictional.
- Intentions due 02-28-26
- Content due 05-31-26
- Publishing date 08-30-26
All proceeds go toward our Whimsicalitea nonprofit's brick & mortar fund.
Submissions should be emailed to CestLaVieSirene@gmail.com
- Format: Word (preferably) or Google Docs
- Please do not put words in ALL CAPS, and limit yourself to 1 exclamation mark per sentence!!!
- "Fancy" fonts and formatting will need to be stripped out ... which means more work for our admin ... which means please don't do it!
When Socializing Turns Serious
When we announced our Gilded Age themed tea a few weeks ago, we had several people champing at the bit to step into the golden shoes of the period. But the question arose, how? Our Socialite Survival Kit option (available to event goers) includes calling cards, but as we learned, most of us don't know how to use them! So we've upped the ante by offering a tutorial of social graces from the era.
The Gilded Age did not boast your garden variety social structure. The rise of the Nouveau Riche plunged the Old Guard into crisis, and signaled a crumbling of tradition.
Relive that era of opulence and outcasts with a pair of symbiotic afternoon tea events hosted by Whimsicalitea Arts & the Tea Travellers Societea. The guest crowned Socialite of the Season will earn a $100 Curated Experiences card at Studio 14, applicable to all the events hosted there ... of which there are plenty! (2nd place earns $50, 3rd place $25)
Guests attending both events will receive a $10 discount in homage to their good graces.
Sunday, FEBRUARY 1 at 2pm
Studio 14 . Huntington Beach
The Snares of Gilded Age Etiquette
Learn the do's & don'ts of the day to get a leg up on the competition come for when the big day comes
$45 includes light afternoon tea (in the mode of the 1880s), societal history, tutorial, secrets to becoming the socialite of the season. (If you ordered the Socialite Survival Set for the Feb 22 event, you can pick it up at this preliminary tea)
❖
Teavent 2
Sunday, FEBRUARY 22 at 11am
To be held on the grand balconies
of Spring Tea Garden in Fullerton, overlooking the ballroom
(Think Bridgerton meets The Gilded Age)
Join Lady Castor and the creme de la creme of 1880s high society for an arts fundraiser tea that will determine who will be the socialite of the season. Expect tea to be spilled, rumors to be manufactured, and machinations to run rampant among the elite.
$125 includes Champagne & keyboard reception
Afternoon tea service
Teacup party favor
Meaningful Mingling (orchestrated socializing to determine the Socialite of the Season)
Auction &/or drawing
Opportunity to be crowned Socialite of the Season
& earn a $100 Curated Experience Card at Studio 14
(good for all events held there)
2nd place earns a $50 card
3rd place earns a $25 card
The following ADD-ONS are available to embellish your experience
(and may increase your chances of being selected as socialite of the season)
Socialite Survival Set
$15
includes:
~ "Dance Card" schedule of social opportunities during the tea that will put you in Lady Castor's good graces
~ 25 society Calling Cards to hand out at the tea
~ A list of conversation topics (and trivia) that will garner praise amongst your peers
NOTE: If you attend our Feb 1st Gilded Age Manners class, you can pick up these items then so you'll have them ready when the time comes
Just a Trifle
$10
Surprise Keepsake from Lady Castor
Feb 22 event also includes
$25 donation to Whimsicalitea Arts philanthropy
tax & gratuity(Reminder, you'll receive $10 if you attend both events)
Journey for a better me
Today's blogpost comes from Whimsicalitea board member & Studio 14 volunteer and Craftress Merilou Benson:
At the start of the year, I pause to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. I'm not good at goal setting, but I try. I think about some short-term goals and a couple of long-term ones. Then, I create a vision board.
I find that having a vision board is a great way to display what I want in life. It helps me pause from the craziness of the world and spend some time focused on me. On the board, I put not only pictures but also key words/phrases and positive affirmations. I also include little hidden things that only I know about.
When I'm feeling lost or drained, looking at the vision board is a great way to have reminders of what I'm living for and what I want life to be. It also can give me a little spark to inspire me or be a cheerleader to help me keep moving forward.
If you want to create your vision board, click here to join me at Studio 14 on January 10 to create one.
See your name in E. Gads Hill Press' Autumn 2026 Anthology
It's that time again, friends. Time to place a CALL FOR CONTENT for our this year's anthology, TURNING POINTS.
Write whatever comes to you based on the title. It could be about a decision you made, a sliding doors situation, deja vu, you name it.
- Intentions due (to save you a spot) 01-31-26
- Content due 08-31-26
- Publish date 11-08-26
Submissions should be emailed to CestLaVieSirene@gmail.com
- Length: haiku (minimum) to 3K-word short story (maximum)
- Format: Word (preferably) or Google Docs
- Please do not put words in ALL CAPS, and limit yourself to 1 exclamation mark per sentence!!!
- Resist the temptation to use "fancy" fonts or tap the spacebar repeatedly to indent your text
All proceeds go toward Whimsicalitea's Studio 14 venue fund
🎁 Gifting Aftermath 🗑️
Welcome to our first official S14 blog post!
Our Cynosurae Tidings & Hearsay site is the place to go for gnuslets, facts, and info snippets. This blog will be where we post actual topics and "stuff".
And we're starting it out with a look at
what the blazes to do with all that post-holiday wrapping paper?!
Most commercial wrapping paper is not actually "paper" in the recyclable sense. Many varieties are coated in plastic, glitter, or metallic foils that contaminate recycling streams, and the wrapping paper ends up in landfill. So separating it into the recycling bin may not have the positive environmental impact you were hoping for.
What then, can we do with it? Here are 10 ideas to get started:
- Homemade Gift Tags: Cut out festive shapes from the used paper (stars, trees, circles, rectangles) and punch a hole in them. These can be used for future gifts, saving you money and adding a personal touch
- DIY Envelopes: Smaller, less crinkled pieces of wrapping paper are perfect for making custom envelopes for thank-you notes, birthday cards, or even just small messages throughout the year. There are many templates available online
- Paper Bows: Create beautiful, multi-layered bows for future gifts. There are various tutorials online for making intricate paper bows that look just as good, if not better, than store-bought ones
- Decorative Confetti or Shredded Filler: If you have a paper shredder, turn your leftover wrapping paper into colorful confetti for New Year's Eve parties or as decorative filler for gift baskets and packages throughout the year
- Line Drawers or Shelves: Give your drawers, shelves, or even the inside of a closet a festive or stylish makeover by lining them with pretty wrapping paper. It adds a pop of color and can protect surfaces. This used to be the go-to move for brides—they'd use the wrapping paper from shower and wedding presents to line drawers. In addition to being practical, it was a sweet reminder of the gifts received and those who gave them
- Christmas Ornament Storage: Use crumpled wrapping paper to cushion delicate Christmas ornaments when packing them away. It's a free and effective way to protect them until next year
- Paper Chains or Garlands: This is a classic craft! Cut the paper into strips, loop them together, and glue or staple to create colorful paper chains to decorate for future parties or even next Christmas
- Decoupage Projects: Use scraps of wrapping paper to decoupage onto various items like old shoeboxes, tins, picture frames, or even plain furniture to give them a fresh, decorative look
- Kids' Craft Supplies: Save all the leftover bits and pieces for kids' craft projects. It's excellent for collages, paper crafts, or even just for drawing and scribbling on the blank side
- DIY Book Covers: If you have larger, less damaged pieces, use them to cover textbooks, notebooks, or journals. It's a fun way to personalize and protect your books
Before you start, remember to remove any tape, ribbons, or embellishments from the wrapping paper, and flatten it out as much as possible for easier use. Do you have any repurposing ideas to share? We'd love to hear them!