O'Riley Creations

09/05/2024

I wish I took more pictures of the process… but I made this mussel shell wreath. 💜 🐚 🌊 I have wanted to make a mussel shell wreath for awhile. For the last couple summers, I have been searching for the mussel shells on the beach like I used to find as a kid, but there was never enough or a lot of them were broken. This summer there were tons! I found all of these shells while walking the beach for two weeks in Ocean Park, ME in August. On Monday, I took some time to make the wreath. I didn’t do any research on how best to make it… I just went for it! I found a metal hoop at Reny’s. I used e6000 glue to adhere the shells on to the metal ring and in between each shell for reinforcement. I let it dry outside for a few days. This afternoon I hung in up on my old repurposed chair that I found for free alongside the road in OP a few years ago. As a bonus… my geranium from my campsite at camp bloomed for a 2nd time! DIY… upcycle… repurpose… making… things that make me happy… 💜🐚🌊💜 -Amy

07/14/2024

DIY Glass Bead Hanging Solar Light - made by Amy 💜

Making while working at a summer camp… challenging yet therapeutic! This took me longer than anticipated. I used a bottle of crafters glue instead of a glue gun. The crafters glue was not quick drying and required some tricky balancing to get the glass beads to stay in place long enough to try. Plus the humidity… blah! In the future, I think a glue gun would be better due to the rounded shape of the glass container. Here are a few pictures inside my camper… because the glue is still drying on the solar light. I will add more pics of the final project once it drys. Edited to added new photos of the final product.

Looking for feedback on pricing if I were to sell something like this:

Raw Materials (from the Dollar Tree):
Solar Light $1.25
Hanging Glass Container $1.25
1.5 bags of glass beads $2.00
TOTAL: $4.50

Consumable Materials:
Crafters Glue $1.25 (still plenty left)

Approximate Labor Hours:
Hard to tell because of current living conditions in a camper…. Lots of drying time in between adding sections of beads….my best guess…approximately 4 days following the following schedule… apply 2 rows of beads then wait 12 hours and apply 2 rows… repeat for a total of 14 rows. Then there’s the bottom and top.

What would you pay?

09/22/2022

Getting ready for fall! 🍁🎃🍂🧡 I found this twig pumpkin at a craft store and then today I found some battery operated orange lights … so I put them together and now I have my own ”pre-lit” pumpkin decoration.

I try to be frugal when I make DIY Crafts. 🤑 I found a legit pre lit pumpkin at a craftstore and the original price was $49.99! I loved it so much, but I was not willing to pay that much money. I ended up finding a smaller twig pumpkin on sale for 50% off. Then I found some battery operated lights for $1.25. So I decided to make my own. I don’t remember exactly how much I paid for the pumpkin, but I am pretty positive that this whole project cost me less than $8!

I think it’s super cute… what do you think? 🥰🧡💜

08/11/2022

Last night’s creations… painting beach rocks. This is my first time doing this. I love learning new things, so this was fun for me. Trying to figure out the best painting materials... if you have done this, do you have any pointers?

08/10/2022

Spending two weeks at the beach means you can collect all sorts to beach treasures to create with! 💜 The ideas are flowing….

08/04/2022

Pressed Fern Framed Art

Yesterday I finished this DIY project. A pressed fern that I framed and hung on a wall in our bathroom.

Commentary will be coming soon.

07/17/2022

07/14/2022

Sea Glass Shadow Box Creations! Here is a little insight into the behind the scenes of how I create these framed treasures. I usually have a person in mind that I would like to create one for. I do not have a bunch stock piled waiting to be sold. Each “O’Riley Creation” is unique and made upon request. I start by finding a quote for the person that will be receiving this creation. Once I find a quote, I think of a sea glass and heart-shaped rock design to match. I lay out all of the sea glass pieces first. Then I handwrite the quote. Then I hot glue the sea glass to the backing. The process is pretty simple, but the meaning behind the quote and the design is what I consider to be a labor of love. It makes my heart happy to create something that has meaning behind it. I just started a photo album to put photos of the ones that I make. If you see one you like or have someone in mind, please let me know and I would love to make one for you! 💜

PS... I just made 3 new ones today and will share the finished products with you soon... I don't want to spoil the surprise for the people getting them. This pic is a teaser... 🥰