JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script src="http://ajax.microsoft.com/ajax/jquery.validate/1.7/jquery.validate.min.js"></script>
<form id="subscribeform" name="subscribeform" action="mailform.php" method="post">
    <div id="mailform">
        <div id="desc">Stay informed with the latest news from the Foundation: </div>     
        <input type="text" id="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter email address" value="Enter email address"/>
        <input type="image" src="http://www.bonemarrow.org/images/sendbutton.jpg" id="sendbutton" name="sendbutton" />
    </div>
</form>

CSS

div.error {
    font-size: 10px;
    width: 288px;
    text-align: center;
    display: inline;
    float: left;
    position: fixed;
    z-index: 1;
    padding: 2px;
    margin-left: 6px;
    background-color: #fcd6cf;
    border: 1px solid #bb1124;
    display: none;
}

JavaScript

$.fn.search = function() {
    return this.focus(function() {
        if (this.value == this.defaultValue) {
            this.value = "";
        }
    }).blur(function() {
        if (!this.value.length) {
            this.value = this.defaultValue;
        }
    });
};
$("#email").search();

$("#subscribeform").validate({
    errorElement: "div",
    errorPlacement: function(error, element) {
        error.insertBefore($("#desc"));
    },
    rules: {
        email: {
            email: true
        },
    },
    messages: {
        name: "Please specify your name",
        email: {
            email: "Please enter a valid email address."
        }
    }
});