the trend Really man-made New from the producers of curbly.com, the Minneapolis do-it-yourself blogging community: ManMadeDIY.com, a crafting site for the postmodern male. Or, in its own words, a home for "men for whom 'making' means more than soldering, and who proudly store their knitting needles next to their circular saws." The site is fresh, funny and useful; recent posts ranged from one on a Millenium Falcon Bed, Five Manly Recipes for DIY Aftershave and how to make a screwdriver keychain "for tinkering on the go." One project, making hanging lamps from aerosol cans, notes its potential for an "Ikea hack." (For the uninitiated, that means the possibility of taking something out of an inexpensive Ikea product -- in this case, the pendant lighting setup -- and retrofitting it with the spray can.) Best bit so far: a video featuring site creator Chris Gardner with screw-by-screw instructions for making and mounting a laptop holder to your exercise bicycle. Ohio-based Gardner, who splits his time between the curbly and manmadediy sites, notes that the site's content and inspiration are created by -- and for -- women as well as men.
KIM YEAGER
Sofas your way Mass merchandiser Pier 1 is ripping a page from the customizer's handbook: Its new custom sofa program lets buyers choose one of three style, each of which has four different color choices. The poly microsuede "Reagan" and poly velvet "Abbie" models are on sales floors with the poly chenille "Carmen," pictured, arriving later this month. Prices range from $700 to $800; the retailer said finished pieces will be available to pick up or have delivered in 14 days. The sofas range from about 83 inches to 87 inches wide, 36 to 37 inches deep, and 34 to 36 inches high.
KIM YEAGER
