Winging it With the O’Rileys

Winging it With the O’Rileys We have established "Winging it With the O’Rileys" as a way to promote our creative journeys as we live life… one step at a time. ~ *Amy & Bryan O'Riley, Jr.*

While I had hopes and dreams of all of the DIY and crafting projects I was going to do this summer… life changed and I ...
08/29/2026

While I had hopes and dreams of all of the DIY and crafting projects I was going to do this summer… life changed and I had to PIVOT! 🤭 Then most of my “me time” was spent in my gardens. However, as I was clearing brush, planting perennials/herbs/vegetables, I would notice opportunities for more DIY projects and crafts. 💚🥰

This is something I worked on periodically. I think I am now finished with it… but I may add more to it. Feathers? Beads? I found a lot of Y shaped branches and sticks and I thought … I could do something with them. Growing up in the Lutheran church and going to summer camp, 🏕️- I always made God’s Eyes and that got me thinking more about nature crafts. So I did a little social media scrolling and came across a video that demonstrated yarn weaving! I thought I would give it a shot. So… I grabbed some yarn that I had previously used for a different fall craft and came up with this…

Now… here’s where I need your thoughts… 💭 I originally envisioned this as a decoration for my gardens as something neat to look at and possibly as a source for birds to pull the yarn 🧶 for their nests … but then I thought maybe it’s an inside decoration with indoor plants, a wall hanging, or on a bookshelf.

What do you think?

Happy Saturday! I hope you enjoy your day… I know I will! 💜🙏

This afternoon, I took some time to work on a new DIY project… I’ve been looking for a couple bird baths for my new pere...
08/18/2026

This afternoon, I took some time to work on a new DIY project… I’ve been looking for a couple bird baths for my new perennial garden, but have not found any I like… plus, I prefer not to spend an arm and a leg… so I decided to make my own! I saw a similar idea 💡 while doom scrolling my social feeds and thought… why not! So… here I am winging it again! 💜🪽I found the spindles at an antique shop, the blue candle holder at another antique shop, and the ceramic bowls and glass bowl at a thrift store! I should have taken pictures of the bowls before adhering them together. 🤷‍♀️ I guess you’ll have to wait to see the finished project. Now to wait 24 hours for them to set! Patience is definitely a virtue. 🙄 I am in love with the blue candle stick and glass bowl. 💙 Now… here is where I wonder… the two with the spindles… would it be best to drive them into the ground as is, adhere a plate to the other end so it stands freely, or attach some sort of other supports??? What do you think? 🤔

Do you have some summer DIY projects you have been working on, enjoying, or dreaming about? I had big plans for some thi...
08/02/2026

Do you have some summer DIY projects you have been working on, enjoying, or dreaming about? I had big plans for some this summer… but when life happens… we need to PIVOT! However, here are a few of things I have going on… just by winging it! 💜🪽

🐚 Enjoying a mussel shell wreath I created a few years ago in my garden. 🦪

🕯️Enjoying last year’s DIY candle to keep the bugs away during an outdoor meal. 🍽️

🎍Using a dried bamboo stick I purchased on clearance as a support for a lilac tree I transplanted. 🪻

🪜Repurposed Gramps’ wooden ladder to be a future herb garden 🪴 in my new perennial garden I’ve been creating. 🪏

🪴Picked up a few treasures for my garden at one of my favorite antique stores. 🥰

Comment below and show me what you have been creating! 💜🪽🙏

07/30/2026

Here’s a quick tour of this summer’s perennial garden project. We had a gigantic pine tree fall in a storm last year and it destroyed a good chunk of the lilac patch that we have. So I waited until this spring to see what lilacs survived. This summer I have been working on clearing the dead and damaged parts. Now I’m planting perennials. Here is where the winging🪽 it part comes into play… I just purchased random clearance plants, some plants from the Merrimack Garden Club plant sale, and a local farm. I didn’t pay attention to whether they will all coexist together… I just liked them and hoping for the best as I wing it… 💜🪽🙏

Here’s what I planted…

Blue torch lavender
Citronella
Lantana
Cone flower
Black eyed Susan
Royal candles Speedwell
Dahlia
Butterfly blue pin cushion flower
Blue Boa Agastache
White Campion
Blanket flower
Beebalm
Yarrow
Butterfly bush
Coreopsis
Bluebell
Nepeta cats pajamas

Tonight I had some extra time so I spent it in the kitchen and made refrigerator pickles! 🥒 I had a cucumber and some fr...
07/30/2026

Tonight I had some extra time so I spent it in the kitchen and made refrigerator pickles! 🥒 I had a cucumber and some fresh garlic I purchased at the farmers market last week. Then I used fresh dill that I grew from seeds in my own herb 🪴 garden. Mixed in vinegar, peppercorns, salt, and a tiny bit of sugar. What have you been creating in your kitchen?

07/26/2026

If you were planning a garden to grow veggies for next season knowing materials are on clearance… what would you recommend in a yard with lots of wildlife like 🐰🦊🦌🐿️ 🌱garden beds? 🌱 in ground? 🌱 fencing?

Gardening! 👩‍🌾 🪴🪏🌱 This has been my latest hobby and where the new name of this page came from… because I am DEFINITELY ...
07/20/2026

Gardening! 👩‍🌾 🪴🪏🌱 This has been my latest hobby and where the new name of this page came from… because I am DEFINITELY “Winging it” 🪽💜 I do not have any formal training or knowledge in anything garden related…. But many of my ancestors had experience… my dad had a green thumb, my PopPop had vegetable gardens, my great grandparents had farms in PA, MA, and even Italy. Bryan’s grandparents had a huge garden on the property we live on now… I guess gardening is in my blood and genes and now I feel the call to spend my spare time dabbling in the gardening world. Some things seem to have come to me naturally… others are ideas from social media doom scrolling… and the librarian side of me is also doing some more traditional research… but I am still definitely a novice and I am just winging it… but I am learning one step at a time with big dreams for the future. Here is a snapshot of my latest gardening adventures…

This is Amy! 💜 I am making an effort to bring back this page. I have renamed/rebranded it to be more suitable with the j...
07/20/2026

This is Amy! 💜 I am making an effort to bring back this page. I have renamed/rebranded it to be more suitable with the journey life has been taking us on these days. I will be sharing the ways we continue to learn while creating and sharing our experiences. I hope you all will enjoy what we are sharing. Please follow and share along with us on our journey through this life... so here we go. I hope you enjoy "Winging it With the O'Rileys"! 💜🪶🪽

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