Hey there!! I am Anika Gandhi.
I am the creative force behind Anika’s DIY Life.
I am here to empower and inspire you with ideas, tools, and skills you need on your journey to fill your life with DIY!
I want to show you that if I, having NO experience with DIY, can do this, YOU totally can too!
Come join me and learn with me!
My Story
I grew up in India. Growing up, I was always been crafty – the handmade card, macrame, embroidery, and little crafts kind of person. I had ZERO exposure to power tools or DIY – it wasn’t really a thing in India.
I came to this country 18 years ago for grad school. I got my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, got married, and got a job.
8 years ago, on a quest for some cute furniture for my daughter, I stumbled on to the world of DIY blogs! I realized I could do this! I picked up a power drill for the very first time and built my first project.
I was hooked!
I started this blog to show others that it is possible!
It is possible to not have any experience and pick up power tools for the first time and build your own furniture.
That feeling when you walk into a room to see all the beautiful things YOU built… I want everyone to experience that!
Since building that little table, I have gone on to build almost 90% of the furniture in our home.
You can click here to see all my woodworking projects.
Not just woodworking, I have taught myself many facets of home improvement and updated many parts of the home.
You can click here to see my home improvement projects.
My mission however remains constant.
I always make sure to make all my projects approachable and doable for everyone. I want you to look at the project or tutorial and think to yourself – “I can make that!”
I believe it so much that I put it on a T-shirt 🙂
Get your T-shirt here. I have a few other fun designs too!
I am humbled, thrilled, and excited that my work has won me a few accolades and been featured by so many amazing magazines, blogs, and websites, including those listed below.
I won the Best Creative Skill Award (International) at the 2019 Amara Interior Blog Awards.
Features
I have collaborated multiple times with Jen Woodhouse and Rogue Engineer to design and build projects.
Click on the logos to go directly to the features of my work.
A few fun facts!
Now that you have a formal introduction, here are a few fun facts about me –
- I am quite scared of touching anything non-human.
- I have serious nausea towards tea! I could not even drink it to save my life! NOT KIDDING!! This is a big problem in social situations given that I am from India! I am not a big fan of coffee either (My friends (including my husband) wonder how I got through grad school and Ph.D. without caffeine!)
- I am a trained Indian classical dancer (in Bharatnatyam). I have also learned Jazz and Modern and I love all things dance and music!
- I am a “pseudo” vegetarian… I prefer vegetarian food any day but then buffalo wings are my weakness 😉
- I absolutely love earrings – the bigger, the blingier, the better!!
Write to me!
I absolutely love hearing from my readers! Send me pictures of your projects, questions, feedback or a note just because! Email me at anika{at}anikasdiylife{dot}com
Or you could write to me the old fashioned way (which I love by the way!) –
P.O. Box 974
Cypress, CA 90630
Shannan Rozenberg says
Hi. I just found you on Pinterest and I’m so excited. I’ve never built anything but I’m inspired. I have a question: I found you because I was looking for something to fix the small flaws I see in the new bookshelves I just had built. I love your article about painting plywood furniture to show no seams, imperfections, etc. My question is: can I use your technique to correct already PAINTED furniture? Thank you for your advice.
Anika Gandhi says
Hi Shannan, So happy you found the article helpful. For already painted furniture, it would depend on what type of paint it already has. You would need to either strip old paint or use a sealing primer before re-painting.
Susan says
Hi Anika. I’m loving your blog and am definitely inspired to build a few things beginning with the lattice planter box. As a beginner with zero experience, what tools are a must for me to have? Thank you!
Anika Gandhi says
Hi Susan,
So glad you are here! Take a look at the Beginner woodworking guide here – https://www.anikasdiylife.com/beginner-woodworking-starting-guide/ It has lots of information to get you started.
Julia says
I placed an order but I have not received the plans. I tried emailing, but my email was returned undeliverable. I may have purchased more than one set of plans, because when I didn’t receive plans I thought I may not have completed the payment process. Please contact me and update my order to purchase only the cube chair plans.
Thank you
Anika Gandhi says
Hi Julia,
I have just sent you an email. Please respond to that so we can get it resolved quickly.
My email is [email protected]. Please check for any typos when sending me the email.
Thank you, Anika
Shailesh Panchal says
Your story has inspired me a lot. I do lots of DIY with my Kids. Also many creative stuff using Lego Bricks. Knowing that you are from India, I was searching for the state 🙂 , but found that you are at other side of the sphere. But with internet it small world. Great to know about you. Best Regards
Thank You.
Pooja marwa says
Hi Anika,
I stumbled over your blog while searching for ideas for Board and Batten wall. Thanks for the instructions on that. My question was, is it ok to just use liquid nails instead of drilling the nails on the board. This is my first DIY project in my first own house, so am a bit nervous!
Your reply would be greatly appreciated.
Anika Gandhi says
Hi Pooja,
I would still suggest using nails because they will help hold the boards in place while the liquid nails dry. If not, they can slip.