HOME CHECKLIST

Is your closet jam-packed with clothes? Maybe you don't need more space but a new approach to your wardrobe.

"At some point or another, I think that almost all women deal with the 'closet full of clothes but nothing to wear' problem," said image consultant Marla Tomazin. "If digging through all of that mess in order to put together a matching outfit makes you crazy, there are some specific things you can do to make your wardrobe less unwieldy and more wearable."

Tomazin offered these tips for the closet weary:

• First, sort what you have. Take everything off the rack and individually consider each piece on its merits. "You'll be forced to consider how much you actually like it," she said.

• Try each item on. If it doesn't fit either you or your lifestyle, donate it to charity. Don't hold on to something just because you spent a lot of money on it, Tomazin added. If it is no longer an asset to your wardrobe, it has lost its value for you.

• Next, organize what's left. Hang everything you've kept, grouping pieces in order of color or prints. Tomazin calls this "closet clarity." You'll have a better grasp on your wardrobe and feel more relaxed when you open the closet door.

• Buy some new pieces — with help — and start small. Reward yourself by filling any gaps in your rediscovered wardrobe. Start small with a new belt or shoes that could update a look using existing pieces. But when you shop for more, take a trusted friend or consult a personal shopper who can help you pick out something flattering without going overboard.

• Change your shopping strategy. How did your closet become so jammed in the first place? If you've never passed up a sale, it may be time to break the "clearance" addiction of buying bargain pieces that don't fit a coordinated wardrobe. Tomazin recommends looking at the garment first, price tag second.

"Ultimately, when you streamline your closet, you'll quite literally be changing your life," Tomazin said. "You'll feel less tense as you prepare for your day, and maybe for the first time in a while, you'll also be excited about what you're wearing."

For more tips and advice, click on www.marlatomazin.com.

GARDEN CHECKLIST

• Prune hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses now for April bloom. For more flowers this spring, prune less severely for a taller bush. Prune canes to 24 to 30 inches tall instead of 12 to 18 inches.

• Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.

• Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.

• For color in the gray weeks ahead, transplant pansies, calendulas, violas, snapdragons, English daisies and fairy primroses.

• In the vegetable garden, plant peas, radishes, lettuce and spinach. Transplant bare-root rhubarb, grapes, kiwifruit, strawberries and cane berries.

• Indoors, start flowers for spring and summer blooms, including aster, echinacea, forget-me-not, hollyhock, nicotiana, stock and verbena. Choose a sunny windowsill with eight hours of bright light a day. Seedlings also can be grown under artificial light, but generally need 12 to 15 hours a day.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

• Read more articles by Debbie Arrington