Moss can be used to cover a variety of items, from chairs to brick walls to garden art.

“Moss. Huh. Good God, ya’ll…what is it good for? Absolutely everything.” [To the tune of "War" by Edwin Starr]

If you haven’t already discovered that my brain’s neural pathways are fraught with lyrics and useless pop culture then you obviously haven’t been reading my mindless drivel often enough.

Besides Starr’s groovy 1969 Motown hit, the other thing that popped into my head when I was researching how to make moss-related stuffs was Moss Man from He-Man and The Masters of The Universe.

My best friend from childhood had pretty much every awesome toy that was made for boys back in the 80s. Along with my slightly more condensed She-Ra collection we ruled the neighborhood, taking down Skeletor and his nasty brother Hordak, all before the street lights came on.

Now back to the moss.

Moss from my shaded backyard.

I love moss.

Everything about it.

It’s texture, smell and color are so…mossy!

It will cover almost anything, from bricks to roofs to rock-covered forest floors. I have always wanted to have a moss garden of my own, but I never really thought about how that would happen. I just thought it was something that only nature could do — until now!

I stumbled upon a couple of recipes for making moss paint using milk, buttermilk, dry milk, beer and yogurt. Considering that none of these products would be useful in our home after the moss paint was made, I opted for the beer.

What’s DIYing without a little alcohol, right? Especially on the weekends.

The recipe I used came from green art maven Helen Nodding and it is nothing more than moss, 12 ounces of beer, half-a-teaspoon of sugar, and a paint brush.

The acid pH of the beer helps create the perfect environment for moss to grow.

Just wash the moss with water to remove as much dirt as possible (a rinse in a colander was enough for me) then throw into a blender with the sugar and beer.

You may want to start on a low setting and gradually work up to the highest. It seems that the more you incorporate into the mixture, the better. It forms a kind of foamy slurry that sticks to the surface of the objects you wish to paint.

Be sure to break up the moss into small chunks before adding to the blender.

I chose to paint one of my terracotta torchiers.

I had originally planned to scrape and repaint them, but somehow a moss-covered piece seemed more interesting. It hasn’t had enough time to grow yet, but I’m hopeful that in a few weeks I’ll have some fluffy greenness sprouting.

Choose a paint brush to match your application. The slurry is easy to wash out and shouldn't harm the brush.

I’ll share pictures when the moss is growing.

Now get out there and get to mossin’!

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As an intellectually-inclined designer, I almost feel averse to pink; as though it should be avoided to prove my high-brow cred. But, alas, I’m still a girl and, therefore, innately drawn to some form of pink at times. And although I’m not personally partial to this infamously-girly color, I like this art piece because of the contrast between soft, feminine hues with striking and sexy black.

So, here it is, for your viewing pleasure – a bit of sticky-sweet fashion eye candy …

Painting: Fede Saenz, found on Jealous Curator.

Shopping credits: shoes, pants, bag, bracelet 1, bracelet 2, vest, blouse, necklace.

Nicole Longstreath of The Wardrobe Code is a wardrobe coach in Orange County, Ca. On June 2nd, she is hosting a transformative workshop called Reclaiming Your Wardrobe that will change the way you craft your image. She will guide you through identifying your signature style, getting your closet organized, building your wardrobe and a whole lot more. For more information and to register, visit this link.

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However, I spend a lot more time on my desktop than off these days.  And I’m a PC, so I’m still excluded from lots of fun Apple apps.  What I want(ed) is a similar way to edit and publish photos from my desktop – and OMG I found it.

On top of the quick-and-dirty filters, OMG also offers borders, which I happen to personally like better than regular filters (and are not easy to achieve in photoshop).

Hawaiian chickens: before & after border filter

You’ll have to save a copy of your filtered image in order to use it anywhere since it doesn’t have social sharing options.  But, honestly, I think that’s a better way to go anyway since then it’s not hosted on their site.

Give it a try, let me know what you think!

with 'Three" filter

with "Lomo" filter & "Photo" border

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I love the title because I think it expresses a common issue with women – it’s not that we don’t know who we are, it’s that too often we allow other factors to get in the way of us truly expressing who we are.  So it’s time you Reclaim Yourself – your personal style, what makes you shine.

The seminar is in Costa Mesa, CA (someday soon I think there willbe a webinar version) and I’m thrilled that she’s given me a discount code to share with my readers.

Register Here

Register using code RECLAIM041 for a discounted ticket of only $129 (Reg. $150)

What You’ll Get:

1. Accept and Love the Person You Are TODAY
2. Understand How Your Habits Affect Your Wardrobe
3. Identify Your Signature Style
4. Organize Your Closet for Stress-Free Mornings
5. Curate a Stylish and Functional Wardrobe
6. Shop Strategically and Save Money
7. Build a “Free-Range” Wardrobe
8. Maximize Your Wardrobe Without Shopping
9. Create Expert Color Schemes
10. Make it Work – EVERY DAY

Seriously, ladies, this workshop will change the way you look at yourself and get you excited about getting dressed each day – if you haven’t read my story (and/or are thinking “how shallow is this chick?”) go check it out.  As passionate as I am about having a home that fits your life, it’s equally important to love the person you see in the mirror each day.

This event will inspire you to show off that beautiful woman you are!

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There are so many different recipes for cupcakes, and which ones you like all comes down to personal preference. These are dense, moist, and not too sweet. They are also really easy to make. You can make them with one mixing bowl! I (unfortunately) can’t take credit for this recipe. It is Amy Sedaris’ recipe from her book I Like You: Hospitality From Under The Influence.

This recipe is a good example of wording in recipes. Phrases such as ‘mixing somewhat well’, or ‘beat until smooth’ are extremely important. If it says to mix something only somewhat well, resist the temptation to keep mixing until the batter has no lumps and is completely smooth. It’s important to leave lumps and air in batter when noted.

Ingredients:

1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 ½ cups white flour

1 ¼ cups milk

Tools needed:

Mixing bowl, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, dry ingredients measuring cups, muffin tins, muffin tin liners, silicone bowl scraper.

Preheat oven to 375 F, and line the muffin tins with the muffin tin liners.

Put butter in mixing bowl and beat until somewhat smooth. I tend to leave the butter out overnight so it has time to get very soft. It makes it easier to mix. Stir in sugar and beat well.

Add the 2 eggs. Mix well. There can be a few lumps at this point.

Add vanilla, baking powder, salt, flour, milk. Beat until it’s smooth. There should be very little to no lumps in the batter.

Pour into individual baking cups. Fill them to about 2/3 full. Cupcakes don’t rise the way muffins do, but they aren’t supposed to be as big as muffins. If you fill them to the top, they will end up as larger cupcakes, but the center won’t cook as well. Try to keep them to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To finish, frost them. If you want a bit more sweetness, use a sugar frosting. If you’re like me and don’t want to overpower them with sweetness, then use a buttercream frosting. The picture below is a very simple vanilla buttercream that I am pretty sure is not a ‘real’ buttercream frosting, but it’s not too sweet and it works for me.

I will say these do not make a full 24. Even if you’re making smaller cupcakes, they will only make 18.

These are a favourite of some of my friends, and my brother – who is not a big fan of sugary desserts.

Let me know what you think!

This post was written by Andrea of I Was Here Designs in Toronto, Canada.  Andrea loves design (of course!) but she also loves to bake, and we’re thrilled to have her as our resident baker-blogger at Inspired Design Daily.  

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However, stripes can be tough to pull off for everyone, so here are some tricks to making stripes work for you:

• Try to keep your stripes thin and symmetrical
• Make sure they match up on side seams
• Avoid overly-thin knits which might reveal what’s underneath
• Avoid nautical embellishments, unless you want a glaringly nautical look

Shopping credits: cardigan, diagonal stripe dress, red hoodie, striped bag, striped clutch, halter dress, shoes, skirt.

Nicole Longstreath of The Wardrobe Code is a wardrobe coach in Orange County, Ca. On June 2nd, she is hosting a transformative workshop called Reclaiming Your Wardrobe that will change the way you craft your image. She will guide you through identifying your signature style, getting your closet organized, building your wardrobe and a whole lot more. For more information and to register, visit this link.

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My mom and me circa 1980. I could not imagine being a mom to an 11 month-old at 22 years of age.

My usual DIY posts consist of either a project that I complete myself or a collection of posts from other DIYers out there in Interwebs Land. This time, I deviated from the master plan and rather than finding DIYs for Mother’s Day, I decided to post about my own wonderful mother (or “mama” if you’re from the south).

One of my earliest memories — aside from the daily sobbing when  Sesame Street would end because I loved the show so much — was sitting on my mother’s lap in a brown vinyl rocking chair and listening intently as she sang to me. There were many songs but the one I remember the most was “You Are My Sunshine“.

I remember as I got older and became “a big girl” I was jealous that my younger sisters were still able to sit in her lap and get the special treatment. (Un)fortunately for me I was blessed with genes that sent me on a perpetual growth spurt pretty much from birth.

At a mere 18 months I looked more like a full-grown toddler than a baby and by Kindergarten I was taller than almost everyone in my class.

My T-Ball team picture makes me look like an Amazon with me and the coaches towering above the rest of the kids.

I recall one day in particular when I was around eight years-old and had gotten a pass to go to the restroom. As I walked down the hall someone behind me shouted to get my attention. I don’t remember exactly what they said, but when I turned around to face them, they were shocked to see that I was just a child. “Oh,” they said, “I thought you were a teacher.”

Thus began my love/hate relationship with being a big girl.

I eventually embraced it and am now quite content wearing heels that put me well above the six-foot mark even if my husband is 5’9″. It also comes in handy at concerts, when grocery shopping and the product you need is on the top shelf, and when decorating the very tip-top of the Christmas tree.

Though I was forced out of childhood by genetics I still fondly recall my special rocking chair time with my mother. I remember thinking she had the most beautiful voice in the world and I often wonder if my love for music didn’t begin with her singing to me and my sisters when we were little.

There are also audio tapes (remember those from the 80s?) with me practically gumming a microphone and singing songs. Another slightly fuzzier memory is me leaning on the arm of the rocking chair as my mom sang “Oh! Susanna” to one of my sisters. I remember singing with her and just being the happiest kid alive. Something about music and singing always made me smile.

As I was thinking of what I could get my mom for Mother’s Day, I realized that I can never give her anything that would adequately display my love and adoration of her role in my life. She has helped form who I am today, and quite frankly, I’m happy with that person!

I may not have the biggest house or the newest car or be settled into a cushy career, but I have learned to embrace my creativity and unique way of looking at the world, most of which I owe to her encouraging me to grow and experience life in an honest and authentic way.

"You Are My Sunshine" - Set of Four 8x10 prints | The Ink Society - Etsy

While browsing blogs and websites for this week’s DIY post ideas I came across this set of prints on Etsy that display the lyrics from “You Are My Sunshine”. This, I have decided, is the perfect gift for my mom.

It not only brings back beautiful memories of our relationship at it’s beginning but it says so much about her role in my life today.

She is my cheerleader, my counselor, my hard-truth teller, creative idea-bouncer and most importantly, my friend.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama. Thank you for being my sunshine.

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