Tuesday, January 5

18...

the day after christmas our #1 turned 18
and so the shed received a quick dressing down of 'gleeful festive' pretties.
my mum and i hung up bunting that i bought in from the yard and quickly put through Mrs W. Machine... we found a left over packet of paper lanterns from my 40th birthday (oh so long ago)



even the 'whatnot gleeful' tree became a 'whatnot' birthday tree complete with vintage wallpapered numbers


i was tres brave all day and was only caught once hugging her very very tightly with tears in my eyes, begging her never to leave. i think in the current circumstances, when your first born becomes an official adult it is allowable to have one moment of 'break down'.

i do believe she enjoyed her day and we even got a rare 'shot' of us together... she mentioned that it was not perhaps the best shot of her, saying her hair wasn't behaving and her 'stance' a little dubious. i said "not my problem dearie, i'm looking okay in this picture and you have youth on your side, we are going with this one"


she is busy painting the laundry room and fretting at the enormity of the task she has taken on whilst still in pyjamas ~ Tif

59 comments:

Sister Patty said...

TIFFANY!!! I finally got to bed a little after 10 last night, despite the snoring bear next to me... So I picked up my brand new issue of Artful Blogging and started (as always) from front to back, and stopped in my tracks on page 2 when I saw your name in print!!! I am so thrilled for you! What an honor to be in that magazine -- well-deserved, I might add! What an amazine article! CONGRATS!!!

carole said...

how interesting - i didn't realise you had older children - you look so young! love ready at your lovely quirky blog x

Farmgirl Cyn said...

Well! For heavens sake! She's a real beaut, that gal of yours! And yes! I think you look rather charming yourself, dear Tif! And I know exactly what you are going thru, for I have been there 4 times myself now...and am not so much anxious for the 5th one this summer, as she is my last. Seize the day...that is my motto.

Char said...

what a wonderful birthday - i hope she has many many more wonder-filled ones.

Lora said...

i can't believe you have an 18 year old! you look amazing!!! (i love your outfit!)
congratulations... i'm sure my oldest who is now 6 will be 18 in a blink of an eye...
blessings,
lora

Rubyred said...

Happy 18 th birthday to your beautiful daughter!Lovely photo of you both!
I had to suppress a big sob on New Years Eve as my daughter aged 20 was returning to Uni in Brighton. Actually she was returning for a party at her Uni house! Anyway, as I hugged her and munched her cheek (like I did when she was a baby), a sob rose from my chest! As I tried to stop it my voice went all squeaky!
God being a mom is hard sometimes!That was my little breakdown moment!
Rachel x

Heckety said...

I do so like your decorations. My #3 has miniature lanterns like yours up in her room and it takes much willpower from me not to 'borrow' them, awfully dinky!

silverpebble said...

Well you couple of whipper snappers, how is it that one of you is the mother of the other? Surely the sheer amount of youthfulness in the picture means that it cannot be true!

Many belated happy returns of the day to the daughter of the mossy shed.

As for the hair, I sympathise, although this 'do' looks positively sleek and ordered to me. I speak as the owner of a sometime frightwig.

Please may I begin my challenge of the utmost kind now, at the beginning of 2010? I have not yet ventured to the High Street. It is a little too shiny for me anyway.

xx

Jennifer said...

Your home is so beautiful, so calm and peaceful looking. What a wonderful birthday celebration, and great pic of you two.

Sara said...

beautiful!

Anonymous said...

she is beautiful, you must be a proud mama...

Anonymous said...

An awesome picture...you don't look old enough to have a grownup child!!! :)
Your home is so cozy and whimsical..I LOVE it xx

Kate Kelleher said...

Let’s hope she is not as risquĂ© as her mother and that she has some panties on! Well done on getting through this monumental milestone in one piece. You are looking great!

even eve said...

i want that dining room, it's pretty and cute

Jen said...

congratulations on raising a child to adulthood. She's very pretty and will one day look at that photo and think, what was i worrying about!!!

you're very pretty too :)

Christine Chitnis said...

You two couldn't be any cuter. Best birthday wishes to your #1!!

Jessica @ Sunny Tuesday said...

She looks adorable! Maybe you should leave your "whatnot" tree up all year long. It's really cute.

Ange said...

Oh congratulations and félicitations! I had to look twice of course to see which one was the 18 year old (don't tell #1 that though!) Joyeux anniversaire and enjoy the break down - must be a very tear wrenchingly gleeful moment!

Red or Gray Art said...

a bittersweet moment made beautiful by you mom...happy photo!

nacherluver said...

Gulp! I feel your pain... almost. Just dropped off my eldest at his first driver's ed class. He's only a sophomore but I am already more than aware how fast the time flies and no matter how much I let him know he can live with me until he's 80, he still has his own plans for after graduation!
Hug your girl hard while she's there. The tears are a good thing!
You're both adorable, by the way!

mamas collection said...

Absolutely beautiful.

janjan said...

What a beautiful young woman and what a proud mama.

Love the blog, and loved you being risque. I once did that and was in a panic worrying over who would see me, would the cops pull me over and then I remembered I needed petrol and half way out of the car at the servo I realised what I looked like. Luckily my jami's are an old t-shirt and trakky daks, so I braved it out. At 6 a.m. there isn't usually anyone around but this day all the truckies chose to fill up at the same time. I don't use that servo anymore LOL.

Good Girls Studio said...

Happiest Birthday wishes to your little girl! You must be very proud of her! Wow 18! She's a whole person now :)

Anonymous said...

Happy B Day to your #1! :)
I think this is a great picture of you two!
And your home is so beautiful! I'm jealous ;)

the carnival by the sea said...

your daughter is beautiful! just like her mum :) wow, 18..i'm bracing myself, my oldest is only two years away from 18 as well. time flies too fast..

happy new year!

barbara said...

Dear Tif,
The photo of you both is so adorable ...
and your decorations are so special for this momentous day in your family.
I love the new crochet in your previous post, what wonderful colors and the yarn is so pretty - hope your New Year is filled with cool crochet happiness and much risque behavior ...

Shokoofeh said...

She is beautiful!
:)

Happy birthday to her!
xo

Lyn said...

I love your house and it's decoration. Happy birthday #1 and you both look great!
Love
Lyn
xxx

Sue said...

What a beautiful daughter you have ( and you look pretty good too...Lol).

I hope she had a wonderful day.

Sue xx

Patricia said...

That really is a beautiful photo, you both look just lovely.

I am in agreeance, most definitely go with one where you look good, I know I do now, they are precious those pics.

The birthday decorations look fabulous and happy!

Serenata said...

A very happy birthday to your daughter. My #1 turned 18 in July - very frightening! Lovely photo of the two of you together.

Romero said...

Hola !
Me gusta mucho tu blog... te contacte por tus fotos de Flickr.....es todo tan hermoso!!!...te felicito...y te sigo!

kathe said...

Two beauties, take a bow Mom. The "shed" looks fantastic, cozy and light at the same time, I love visiting!

Anonymous said...

Aw, Tiff, my 'baby girl" turns 18 in February...she's counting off the days and I'm trying to slow down the clock!( only seems like yesterday that I was 18,good grief!) You both look great in that picture by the way.x

Caterina Giglio said...

nice photo!
I just took your challenge and actually it is easy for me, since I have been living in the land of the gently used and antique for several years now. I will do a post on my blog and link back to you... thanks, caterina

Diane and Kelly said...

She is lovely young lady. Happy Birthday!

Kelly
Second Hand Chicks

Sue said...

What a lovely picture of you and your daughter and yes you are allowed to be a little emotional when the first one reaches adulthood,by the time you get to the fourth one you'll just take it in your stride and feel a lot older!


Sue

A Beautiful Party said...

your house is so beautiful! lovely lovely birthday decorations!

Francesca said...

i love how you adapted your tree for your first born's birthday. amazing times. 18 years. wowy. i remember it well. i was miserable! wishing much more joy for your gal! happy new year to you all. xxx
p.s it's been snowing here all day, a winter wonderland.

Anonymous said...

You are both so beautiful. And it's amazing to you have a gal who is so grown up when you look so young (we're about the same age you & I and my "gal" is all of 4). The decorations look great too. Cheers.

Hear Me Roar! said...

She looks so beautiful and all grown up! I can attest to what a wonderful daughter you have, and what a wonderful job you've done raising her (or 'jerking her up' as my mother says). I've only met her once, but she was everything I wasn't at that age (and mostly still am not); poised, confident, and good at small talk. Happy late Birthday!

ninainvorm said...

Oh, you're both very gorgeous and come on, you know it! ;)
Congrats on such a special day! (and had to laugh about your little breakdown story)

Annu said...

Your style is so unique and amazing! The pictures of your craftĂ­ng make me wanna start all my projects all over again :)

the mama monster said...

happy birthday to your oldest! i cannot imagine my oldest ( now 4 1/2) ever being 18. but i guess i shall have to face it one day. i love your home some much. would you mind telling me your paint colors? i have a problem with whites looking to cool, your whites are so warm and happy. also the coral pink you use sometimes, is that spray paint or in a can?

* said...

ok i no longer am depressed that my firstborn is a few weeks from twelve. thanks ;)

the happiest of birthdays to her!

& yes, you do look fabulous in that photo.

LissyLou said...

awww happy 18th - you both look lovely and that room is lovely too xx

Vicki's Bit-o-earth said...

Hi Miss Dottie Angel Tif! I've been following your blog for awhile now, but just saw you in Artful Blogging! I know its a little late, but anyways - Congrats! You deserve it! (: Vicki

Kristi said...

I am a new reader to your blog, and just have to tell you how much I love your home decor. Such great style. Happy Birthday to your daughter, and happy celebrating to you. You both look gorgeous.

Jen Kershner said...

I think it is a gorgeous picture of both of you. Happy Birthday to your big girl!

dottie angel said...

dearest lovely readers,
i am thanking you most kindly for your birthday wishes for our #1, it truly has warmed my heart and made my day...
Tif x

Heather Mattern said...

I am thrilled to have stumbled upon your blog, its very inspiring and lovely!

Chrissy Stanley said...

I just discovered your blog and I love it, love it, love it. I am currently 36 and you have given me incredible hope that I can aspire to be cool when I turn 40. I have 3 little ones and I can't imagine what it'll be like when my eldest at 9 turns 18. You inspire and make me smile!

Debrina said...

You two are just so beautiful! I hope your #1 had an amazing birthday bash! I thought you were standing next to a cardboard cutout of some movie star at first! Lol! I really had to do a double take there!
Well, this is only my 2nd contact to you, but I'd like to say thank you for influencing my new year's resolution to buy only 2nd hand. In fact, I have started a bartering circle here: http://thebartercircle.blogspot.com/
As I'm an artist and a crafter, I realised that not all things are easy to buy 2nd hand - especially glue! Also, I posed a question on my Debrina's Diary blog: what are you doing for sanitary needs?

Yvonne said...

Your home is lovely. I am doing your challenge. I have always lived gently and will continue to do so. I have put your link up on my blog. You are an inspiration.

Polly Jones said...

I'm going to steal the birthday tree idea for my daughter's 18th birthday later this year. Your aesthetic makes me happy, I really enjoy the blog.

Merrily Down the Stream said...

Her.
You.
Home.
Beautiful!

charlotte said...

LOVE that response to your daughter regarding photo selection! BOTH of you look fabulous. thanks for so much lovely inspiration here. happy new year!

~ Junkyard Jennifer said...

The photo of the two of you looks great! I know this day will come for me soon enough--I'm a little overwhelmed that my 2nd child turns 6 today. The years seem to fly by and although he's still so young, I'm a little incredulous that he's 6. And, that my oldest will be 8 soon...!

And, I sit here and think, 'How did that happen?!' So, perhaps I will always think that as each year my children age another year... Happy {belated} Birthday to your oldest!

And, Happy New Year to you! :)
~ Jennifer

web design Los Angeles said...

She is beautiful. Extend my belated happy birthday greetings to her.