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  • MEET APRIL
  • DIY PROJECTS
    • Kids projects
    • DIY furniture
    • Design plans
    • DIY holiday projects
    • Macrame
    • Transformations
    • Woodworking
  • VIDEOS
  • CONTACT
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MEET APRIL

Hi lovely! I'm so glad you are here!

I'm a stay at home mom to two beautiful girls, a wife to an amazing man, and a dreamer in the free time that I have left. I dream of a world where we make what we need with our hands, less plastic, more items from natural materials, and more things with a soul. If I'm not spending time with my husband or kids you can find me either in my workshop, by the computer editing photos, or drinking wine outside on our beautiful backyard and thinking about my next big idea 😉

The mission of this blog is to inspire you to create something. There is no project small enough if you do it with heart and inspiration. I publish here a variety of projects with purpose, from small children activities and DIY toys to more advanced building furniture plans. I hope you can find something that will inspire you to unleash your creativity.

Being a stay at home mom has its own perks and cons. One of the challenges I was facing after having my first kid was not being able to work and feeling completely dissolved in motherhood. I couldn't find an outlet to let my creativity go. I was feeling down, had PPD, and generally didn't know what to do besides taking care of the baby (which I found beyond boring). Then one day before Christmas, while trying to figure out what to get to my friends that had absolutely everything, I decided to get them handmade gifts. I still remember the first things I made. It was DIY soap, body scrubs, recipe box, and trays for breakfast. Soon I realized that making soap isn't really my thing (ha, it created too much mess), but I discovered my absolute love for painting/staining furniture (it was so therapeutic) and working with wood.

Back then we still lived in Manhattan. I remember getting excited about the idea to make a wooden baby gym ( the one where the baby lays on the floor and looks up for the beads hanging off the string). I didn't have any basic tools and just went to the hardware store and asked to cut my wood to length. I even asked to make holes for it since I didn't even own a drill 🙂 I remember painting in the staircase of our Manhattan building, trying not to make too much mess and get evicted. By the time it was ready, I realized that I'd love to do something like this again.

A lot has changed since that baby gym 2 years ago. We moved to Connecticut to a house with a garage, that I customized as my workshop (yes, the downside is I have to shuffle snow in the winter :), I've got some serious power tools, I've learned so much along the process: about choosing the right wood, cutting it, painting it, screwing it together. There has been a lot of finished projects since then: door entryway organizer, rustic framed mirror, DIY activity cube and so much more. I also finished a few serious projects that I'm very proud of, like my daughter's Montessori Floor House bed and my large office desk.

Now get a cup of something to drink, get comfortable and browse for a while my blog, find inspiration for your next project that you can do while your kids are in bed, find something creative to make and I guarantee, when you are done, you will feel so accomplished and proud of yourself that it will make your day and motherhood journey way more enjoyable!

xoxo,

April

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Hi, I'm April! I love woodworking and making things! I hope you will stay for a while and get inspired to make something!

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ifonlyapril

DIY single mom | 📍CT
Hi 👋🏻 I haven't done this in awhile so thoug Hi 👋🏻
I haven't done this in awhile so thought I'd introduce myself.

Im a DIYer by passion, art business MA by education. 

I came to USA from Russia 13 years ago. I had an itching urge for adventures 😅

I lived in NYC for the most part and worked at the auction house till I had kids and had to move and adjust to suburban life. 

My passion for DIY started when I had my first baby and saw a Montessori baby gym. So I thought.. I probably can make it too! 

And I did 😅 

When we already moved to CT, I saw a Montessori floor house bed that was well over my budget, so I thought I'd try it out too... 

That's when I got my first power tools as an anniversary gift and the rest was history😂

Now I'm a single mom to 2 little girls (Sasha and Sia) and a beautiful long coat German Shepard puppy, named Drogo (after khal Drogo from GOT😁)

We bought our first house in the summer - a 1900s beauty so I had to switch gears from woodworking and start working on room renovations, to make this house our home. 

The progress is very slow, since life always gets on the way🤦🏻‍♀️ but my motto is progress, even slow is better than nothing. 

I can't wait to get a shed so I can pick up my woodworking projects again. Working out of my porch in the winter is not pleasant 🥶

If you'd like to know me more, sign up for my newsletter in link in bio! ☺️

Thank you for following my journey, now tell me something about yourself! 

#introduction #ifonlyapril
I'll get a cookie if I'll finish this bedroom at s I'll get a cookie if I'll finish this bedroom at some point 🤣 it's moving so slow but progress is good😁  @spoonflower 
#kidsbedroom #diykidsroom #homeimprovement  #ryobi #behrpaint #spoonflower
Three evenings well spent. Amazing DIY project, gr Three evenings well spent. Amazing DIY project, great conversations and now I have a beautiful 3-D book nook on my library shelves😍❤️ @byanavrin #diybooknook #ifonlyapril_diy
Yep, another "progress shot"... although I feel th Yep, another "progress shot"... although I feel the end is near 😁 follow @ifonlyapril to see this room transformation for my little bunny🤗☺️ 
#diyroomtransformation #diymakeover #diykidsbedroommakeover #makersgonnamake #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
I can't express it in any other words then... I ju I can't express it in any other words then... I just hate it🤷🏻‍♀️#roommakeover #kidsroommakeover #ifonlyapril_diy #ihateprimer #paintingdoors
We all love beautiful "before" and "after" room tr We all love beautiful "before" and "after" room transformations. But truth is... there is a lot of "work in progress" in between 😁 #diyroommakeover #diy #roomtransformation
Haha so here is a thing... I'm not sure how often Haha so here is a thing... I'm not sure how often you wash your hair, but I do it every 4-5 days. And my entire schedule depends on a "hair day"🤣

I'd never do a workout or a messy project if I just did my hair that morning😁 

Making videos every day with fresh hair is quite hard lol 

Now I'm trying out a new thing... I make "lifestyle", nice reels on my hair day and leave all messy projects for "not a hair day" 🙈😁

Can you relate? Or am I the only one?😁
Would you ever do a workout or a messy project if you just did your hair in the morning? 😅 
#dayhairdontcare #dontmesswithmyhair
Haha New Yorkers has seen it all 😅 so who cares Haha New Yorkers has seen it all 😅 so who cares🤣 #hairstyles #hairstylegoeswrong #funny #lifemoments
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