SATURDAY SCOOPS
Dream closet

Advertiser Staff and News Services

ClosetMaid Closet organization workshop 2 p.m. today Home Depot locations statewide Free 1 (800) 430-3376 or homedepot.com

Instructor Ken Boyce of the Home Depot in Iwilei suggests shelving as one way to organize your closet. He'll have more tips at a free class today. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

At workshops today at Home Depot stores statewide, you can learn to tame that jungle of junk and maximize storage space with a closet organization system.

"The benefit of organizing your closet is that you can actually obtain ... 30 percent more" space, said Iwilei instructor Ken Boyce. That's space to neatly store everything from excess clothing and family photo albums to stacks of books and childhood mementos.

The first step would be to clean out the area and remove what will not be used, including items that have not been used in a year, Boyce said.

"What you're not going to store in the closet, either go ahead and dispose of it, give to (charity) ... or maybe you've got family that you want to hand it down to," he said.

Determine how the closet will function, whether it will be used to store clothing or children's toys, or will double as a storage and work area.

Then measure the closet's depth, width and height, and decide what type of organizational and storage options you want to use. Choices include drawers, rods for clothes hangers, shelves and shoe racks. Boyce recommends using a sheet of graph paper to draw a design of which pieces will be used and where they will go.

Go to a home improvement store to find a system that will fit your needs. Basic systems may only take 30 to 45 minutes for beginners to put together, while more complicated ones may take four to six hours. But the project can definitely be tackled in a day, Boyce said.

Among the closet organization systems available at Home Depot:

• ClosetMaid eight-foot closet organizer, $24.98. Creates up to 10 feet of hanging space and 13 feet of storage shelf space.
• Spaceworks 4 shelf storage unit (36 inches wide, 54 inches high and 14 inches deep), $39.97. Chrome shelving, each of which holds up to 350 evenly distributed pounds.
• Mills Pride 10-foot closet organizer (24 inches wide, 85Ñ inches high and 14 3/8 inches deep), $54.96. Includes three 48-inch clothes hanging rods and two 24-inch interior clothes hanging rods.
• Mills Pride closet organizer (15Ñ inches wide, 83 inches high and 145/8 inches deep), $74.92. One high center tower and five interior shelves.
• Mills Pride 48-inch Versa Cabinet, $114. Includes two hanging rods and six adjustable-height shelves.

Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.

There's more than the Super Bowl on TV tomorrow

Yes, we know all about Super Bowl madness, but what about the rest of us/you who aren't much into football?

As usual, there is counter-programming planned tomorrow on other TV and cable stations, including:

• "National Geographic Ultimate Explorer" programs on MSNBC.
• A bunch of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" makeover shows on Bravo.
• "Charmed" — the series about a trio of witches in the modern world — episodes on TNT.
• Movies: "The Terminator" (above) on AMC, "Mask" on WE, "Psycho" on TCM

Oh, yeah, before we forget: The game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers will be televised from Houston at 1 p.m. tomorrow (kickoff at 1:25 p.m.) on KGMB, the CBS affiliate in Honolulu (pre-game programming begins at 9 a.m.).

No-bake cookies with oatmeal you can boil on stove

Cookie-making can be as involved or as easy as you want it to be. If you're looking for easy, try store-bought refrigerated sugar-cookie dough or a no-bake recipe. Here's a favorite no-bake cookie from the Quaker Oats Co. recipe exchange:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted peanuts (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Continue to boil one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add oats, peanut butter, peanuts and vanilla; mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto wax paper or foil; cool completely. Store on a plate covered with foil or plastic wrap, in a cool dry place.

Remember a Japanese neighborhood of yesteryear with a party tomorrow

If you said "vibrant community that served as a center for commerce and culture" instead of, oh, "drug-infested, high-crime area," you have a great memory and you'll probably really enjoy tomorrow's "Remembering 'A'ala" event in the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i's Teruya Courtyard.

The "talk-story" gathering, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., features food, entertainment and a chance to reflect on the 'A'ala that once was — a Japanese community of the 1920s and '30s where people from around the island used to go to shop, play and hang out.

The event will also feature a free JCCH exhibit, " 'A'ala: The Story of a Japanese Community in Hawai'i," which includes photographs and memorabilia. A book of the same name will be available for sale.

While there, don't miss the old neighborhood grinds: amaguri (roasted chestnuts), manapua, pepeiao, and a special 'A'ala bento prepared by Shiro's Saimin.

Proceeds will be used to take the exhibit to the Neighbor Islands.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth brings back 'New Kid' for another term

Brad Goda

Cast members include BullDog, Monica K. Cho and Moses Goods III as Nick, who arrives in Hawai'i from "Homeland" and must navigate his way through a new school and new ways of speaking and eating. Harry Wong III directs the award-winning play, which was written by Dennis Foon.

Catch "New Kid" at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. today, and Feb. 7 and 14, at Leeward Community College. It's recommended for youngsters 7 and older. Tickets are $12 general, $6 youths and seniors, and free for kids 2 and younger. 839-9885.

Hang 'em high: Consider framing your favorites

We don't live in museums, so it's impractical for most of us to have everything framed the way museums do it.

That said, there are some things you should consider reframing, like fine prints, drawings and special photographs, so they will last. Some points to consider, according to various experts:

• Don't hang works on paper or photographs in a room with direct sunlight. Hallways are great low-light locations for special items, and you can see the pieces every day.
• You can keep the frame itself. Generally, you can have an item remounted and rematted and keep the existing glass and frame. Consider upgrading to ultraviolet-filtering glass or acrylic, which is lighter in weight and ideal for bigger items.
• Don't be in a hurry. If you can't afford rematting and remounting for a while, prioritize and do one picture at a time.
• Hang special items on an interior wall. The picture will be exposed to fewer changes in temperature.
• Don't hang works on paper in kitchens, bathrooms or sunrooms. Humidity and light quickly cause damage. Instead, make a good, high-quality photocopy and use a regular frame.
• Consider stopgap measures. You can carefully remove special items from their frames and temporarily store them in acid-free boxes. Various companies sell acid and lignin-free boxes. Take a look at www.lightimpressionsdirect.com.