Etsy Love :: Moss Rings (!)

AdornJewelry's little-bit-o-moss for your winter digits. I first saw these on You Grow Girl. Photo courtesy of Gayla Trail. (Thanks *so* much, Gayla!)

Would it be too much if I wore four, five - six of them?! Would that put me on the precipice of eccentric?

Moss Make Your Heart Race? Read on.

When LISH reader Betsy wrote me about what she has done with moss around her home and in her gardens, I asked if she could send some photos. Lucky us! Fawn over them with me.

Betsy says that she just takes a little from the woods around her house, tucks the moss in the spot where she would like it to grow/spread/do its magic and even when it looks like it might not make it, she says that it comes back the following spring - in full. Look at those stepping stones! What little woodland sprite wouldn't love to trollop along that path?!

So there you have it. Moss gardening made simple. With the patience and creativity I can only aspire to having. Thank you, Betsy!

Mossily yours,

Tracey

So much happening around these parts lately.

But, you wouldn't tell that from my blog. As it appears that I have been eating throughout all of my waking hours. Hmmmmm. I was getting ready to post another recipe, but held back.

Willa went as a bat for Halloween and though she was fighting a cold, won many a heart. We spent a lot of the weekend breaking in a new backpack carrier and getting out to walk the autumn-colored foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Willa likes to kick me with her heels, into my love handles, as it is her version of giddy-up-and-go. I oblige. I have that cauliflower gratin and persimmon pudding to walk off.

I have also been truly lucky to spend some serious, quality time with my friends. A much-needed ladies' night out for tapas . . . . a mini-mama gathering in the red room here in Sugar Hollow . . . walking with Leora on the land she explored as a child.

Oh, yes. And the working mama thing. I could devote an entire post to how stretched thin I feel some days. But it is what I need to do for our family right now. And we have the sweetest of women looking after Willa while I sit at my post during the day. I visit Willa and nurse her every midday. And I have the coveted four-day work week - working 8 until 5 the other days. Still, some days. So hard . . .

Coming up in the next week or so - Betsy's awe-inspiring moss creations within her own gardens; I age some terracotta with moss and buttermilk; homemade applesauce (you will never eat store bought again) and I drool over Tasha Tudor's world.

Get out there and rock the vote, peeps. It is an exciting time to be part of a democracy.

DIY and Grow Along - Moss Terrariums

Last month, days of mist, rain, fog and humidity restocked my moss source on our land. When I should have been doing lame things like, I dunno, scrubbing grout (does anyone enjoy this?!) - I instead gathered up a healthy pile of moss and created this. The lidded candy jar was a $1 find at a garage sale. You can also use a mason jar and they are super-cheap ($9 for a dozen at the local grocery store . . . )

Here's my tutorial on how to make one. I skipped the rock layer at the bottom this time around - the moss may not need as much drainage as other terrarium plants . . .

Have you had fun with moss lately? Or terrariums? Post your links!

Etsy Love: Speaking of Mossy Creations . . . TheOakLeaves

TheOakLeaves shop evokes the smells of the deepest, richest parts of the woods. In clever containers with bewitching touches. Handmade terrariums that can be shipped to you and yours!

Off to find my own little cool spot under a log . . .

Moss Lawns Make The New York Times

An article about lovers of moss, collectors of moss, cultivators of moss and secret hoarders of moss. They are kindred spirits. Written by former Rolling Stone writer Jancee Dunn.

Moss Underfoot

Afresh from a previous night's viewing of Jane Eyre, I have moors and moss on the brain this morning.

And there is a place that actually sells moss. Moss Acres. They are kindred spirits, as their woodland creations and the trinity of water/moss/shade draw me in immediately. Inviting me to sit. And spend an afternoon. Among the cool rocks, the shade and the fairies. I meant, frogs. Who said fairies? Not fairies. Frogs. (Nervous giggle). A-hem.

They sell fern moss, cushion moss, hair cap moss and rock cap moss. Some mosses are sold by the square foot, the cubic square foot or by the clump (of course!). They also offer starter moss kits and moss sampler kits.

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These photos are from the Moss Acres website.