Where Bloggers Live: Closet Tour
Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Every month a group of seven bloggers share their workspaces, homes, towns, and more!
This month’s theme is the clothes closet!!! This is some high drama blogging right here, folks. Hold on to your hats!
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After
Em at Dust and Doghair
Julia at When the Girls Rule
SPOILER ALERT: I do not have a wonderful closet. It’s not large or organized or well-lit or entertaining or decorated or even particularly neat. It’s awkward because it’s long and narrow (like an in-line ranch house vs wide-line). So you walk in to see the clothes beside you rather than opening the door(s) and they’re all hanging across from left to right in front of you. It’s tight for working in and it’s really tight for photographing in. So please, leave any expectations at the door.
In addition to the closet, there is a short narrow hallway leading to the closet…and this acts as the overflow area. I have a garment rack there where I hang things I plan to sell, or when I run out of hangers, I hang things on the rod ends or throw them precariously over the top. I really need to get more hangers. Or…I should just have fewer clothes.
This is the only clothes closet so it holds clothes for all year round. There is a big plastic tub around here somewhere where I keep some off-season clothes, but they really need an additional reason to be ousted from prime closet space…like they don’t fit right or they need a repair or I don’t like them that much.
I do have a dresser in the bedroom that holds nicer sweaters (cashmere and merino wool) so they don’t get “hanger ears” (stay tuned and I’ll share a quick fix for those), junkier tee shirts that don’t deserve a hanger, and pants that aren’t the jeans I actually wear on a day-to-day basis (leggings, bike-shorts-I-have-never-worn, jeans that need altering, etc.). As I’m listing all these outlier items, I’m feeling like I might own as many (if not more) clothes that I don’t wear as clothes that I do. That seems worth exploring. Another time.
I have a bookcase in the closet that holds folded jeans, boots, and some miscellaneous things on the top shelf. I prefer the jeans folded on the shelf so I can see what I have. Stacked in the drawer (you’ll never see Marie Kondo Marie-Kondoing a pair of PLUS SIZE jeans), the ones underneath are hidden by the ones on top. On the shelf, I can see the stack (which is rarely more than three high) from the side I so know what’s there.
The closet is also a storage spot for things that have nowhere else to go. They’re on the upper shelf and on the floor. And as much as those areas are very un-nice-closet-like, I am very particular about my hanging clothes. I like all the same hangers. I like things to be hung in a certain order: a) sleeveless tops, b) short-sleeved tops, c) long-sleeved tops, d) button-down blouses, e) dresses, f) cardigans, g) kimonos, h) pants. And within each of those categories, I color coordinate from light to dark. So the closet viewed in length is not one long ombre, but many smaller ombres…although one long rainbow effect sounds lovely. I adjust the hangers a lot so they’re all hanging in orderly procession, nothing is askew.
There’s a small section of rod sort of back in the corner of the closet that holds vintage dresses that I want to use for photoshoots before I sell them. I’ve been saying that for over 10 years. Think that’s ever going to happen??
Oh, and my shoe rack. It’s the best shoe rack I’ve ever had. It takes up no floor space, you can see all the shoes, and unlike those vertical pocket over-the-door shoe bags, the pockets never tear off the backing, leaving shoes dangling precariously. Larger shoes: clogs, boots, and booties go on the bottom shelf of the “jeans” bookcase. And I feel like it’s a reminder for me: Don’t Have More Shoes Than Will Fit in the Shoe Rack. It holds 26 pairs of shoes. That’s a lot of shoes. Do I need more than 26 pairs of shoes??
So, that is pretty much all I can say about my clothes closet! I’ve had better…but it does hold a lot of stuff.
Oh! The hanger ear fix. You know what I mean, right? When impressionable fabrics hang on a hanger too long and you take them off and they have those little stretched out “ears” at the top of the shoulder where the hanger had been pressing? If you have time, lug out the ironing board (or put a folded towel on the kitchen counter/table/bed), spray the “ear” with just regular water, then “steam” the ear with the iron, steaming and pressing lightly. The moisture will cause the fibers to shrink back into shape. If you don’t have time then do what I do, take the shirt/sweater into the bathroom, squirt with the spray bottle…I sort of lightly press/rub the water into the ear, then either hit it with the blow dryer…or do like I usually really do and just put the sweater on and as it dries, it’ll shrink down mostly all the way. Presto, weird shoulder ears gone!
Over Door Shoe Storage – when I went back to Amazon for the link to the shoe organizer I saw that I bought it September 7, 2019, so I’ve been using it for a year…and it’s as good as new.
10 Pack Velvet Hangers – I will say if I was starting over I think I would go with the black. And as a matter of fact, the black (and grey) ones are priced especially low right now here.
And I promised a surprise reveal – maybe I just mentioned that in the video, but…here is all the stuff I took out of the closet to make it presentable for the video! This is a mix of linens, laundry (there are two laundry hampers under there), and items to be listed on ebay and Poshmark. But yeah. I keep walking in the closet and oohing and ahhing over how nice it looks…then I walk back out and am surprised to see all that mess on my bed! I’ve got a big project ahead of me tonight!
And I did make a corresponding 10-minute video if want me to talk you through it (using my poor video and editing skills) (skills HA HA HA HA HA).
And that is all, my friends! Stay tuned for next month’s edition of Where Bloggers Live: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things.
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Penny
This is such a great post – always interesting to see other people’s interiors and their way of designing and using their space. Left me with closet-envy! Seriously Bettye I have a much smaller wardrobe in my downsized flat – boo hoo – as I love clothes and need more space. Have just sorted out this area for Fall/Autumn and as these clothes take up more room than thin summer dresses, my closet is rammed!
Have a great weekend 🙂
bettyewp
I’ve mostly been pretty closet-lucky in my homes over the years. I’ve had AWKWARD closets but never one that was truly SMALL. I have LOOKED at apartments with ridiculously small amounts of closet space and that put me off them. This current apartment is good on closets…this is just the only one devoted to clothes. But I can imagine how frustrating it must be to try to function in a very small space.
Enjoy the weekend, Penny!
Kimberly F Malkiewicz
I enjoy seeing real closets vs. glam closets, as most of us *don’t* have them. Haha, I would have done the same thing–put clothes on the bed to get a better closet shot–the organizing never ends! I’m in dire need of decent shoe organization. We are moving soon, so I’ll to see how that closet config works. Your shoe hanger looks really functional. Thanks for sharing!
bettyewp
Oh, mine is certainly not GLAM! I do think a nice coat of warm white paint would do wonders for it, but…my landlords are real “natural wood” people and I don’t think they would let me paint it. Or anything. Ugh.
Ooh, moving, FUN! HA HA HA HA HA 🙂
Iris
Enjoyed your tour. Love the shoe rack because you can actually “see” all the shoes. Mine are hidden, and occasionally I forget a pair or two, especially ones I haven’t worn in awhile.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
Yeah, once I can’t see something, it’s dead to me. Fringe bottom Loft jeans? No, I don’t have fringe bottom Loft jeans. Opens drawer. Takes everything out. Oh. Yes. I DO have fringe bottom Loft jeans! I’ve just never WORN them for the three years I’ve owned cuz I forgot they exist! Well, that and they need shortening. But I keep forgetting they need shortening cuz I never see them!
I DO like when I find money. But I get annoyed when I find clothes/cameras/chocolate I forgot about 🙁
Iris
You find chocolate in your closet? I’ve never found chocolate in mine, I want to come raid yours.
Iris
bettyewp
This reminds me of the time that Caleb got a BOX of Hershey bars from the TOP SHELF of Katie’s sister’s (at Russell’s house) closet and ate them all! He had diarrhea the next day and was clearly under the weather, but…was back to normal in less than 24 hours. He has a concrete stomach like his mother (me).
Donna
LOVE your closet tour! It’s so great to see a “normal” closet, not one of those “is that a closet or your freaking bedroom??” closets! Mine is small and my clothes are crammed in there, along with clothes in a dresser AND a chest of drawers. All full. Oh and did I mention I have bins of off-season clothes in my storage unit?? Wow. Just writing those words make me thing I have a problem… Nah! I love clothes!! When I was a kid and money was tight in our family, it wasn’t easy finding fashionable clothes for a chubby girl, and I didn’t have many. Thank God that’s not the norm now and I suppose a therapist would say I’m now over-compensating. Yeah well… I found a shoe rack that you do over-the-door with little shelves on it- perfection!! And like you, I love my velvet hangers!
Thank you for your tour, Bettye!
Hugs, Donna
bettyewp
Thanks, Donna – and welcome! When I still had my house I had SO many clothes. But clothes I wasn’t wearing because they were all different sizes. I had garbage bags full of clothes labeled by what weight I could wear those clothes at 100-125, 125-150, 150-200, etc. I had saved SO MANY CLOTHES since my TWENTIES!!! When I was downsizing and moving, while I loved some of those THIRTY YEAR OLD CLOTHES, ha ha, I realized that REALLY if I was ever magically a size ZERO again, I WOULD WANT NEW CLOTHES!!! Ha. So I certainly understand wanting to have onto EVERYTHING 🙂
julia
Your tour is a lot better than mine. You even have your shoes up off the floor and not in a pile. What? Well, either way, have a wonderful weekend my friend!
bettyewp
Oh believe me, they’ll be back in a pile soon enough! I did manage to get my bed cleared off just in time to go to sleep. Laundry’s in the car ready to go to laundromat after work, there’s a pile on a chair of things that are MINE but currently have no hanger or need an alteration…and there’s a BIG pile on another hamper on the floor of things to sell. And two big poofy vintage cocktail dresses thrown over the top of the garment rack in the hallway. It never stays nice for long 🙂
Linda Root
The shoe organizer is large enough to accommodate wintery gloves/scarves at the top & fill the rest with shoes. Or all 26 pairs! 😂
bettyewp
Yes! I had that thought also, but I keep my cold weather accessories in a bin by the front door, along with all other things that go in/out frequently. Maybe I should do a “landing strip” Where Bloggers Live edition sometime…
Linda Root
“Landing strip” 😊
bettyewp
I love a good landing strip! My last two apartments didn’t really have an area like that right inside the door BUT THIS ONE DOES! And it’s a cluttered mess like everything else! But I have plans for it 🙂
jodie filogomo
Ahhhh…the matching hangers. Although they don’t continue out to the overflow area!! I’m shocked!! 🙂
Now I LOVE that you have 3 pairs of leopard shoes!! That’s a true fashionista!!!
XOOX
Jodie
bettyewp
Yeah, I’m trying to NOT buy more hangers. I need to count and see how many I have, I would like a good solid number and then the goal would be to just not have more clothes than that! I don’t want to buy hangers for “clothes for sale,” cuz eventually they’ll be gone (hopefully. No, EVENTUALLY). Ha, the 3 pairs of leopard shoes 🙂 One pair is on the “to be sold” list. Actually I think 4-5 pairs of shoes in the shoe bag will be for sale, I just have nowhere else to store them neatly. So once THEY’RE gone, just think of all the new shoes I can buy! Ha ha!
Linda Root
Ya, even those of us without real landing strips can fake ’em 😉
Jeanne
My closets tend to be the “catch-all” for everything I don’t currently have space for. I need to get more organized and your post has given me some great ideas! I can’t wait to get started.
bettyewp
yeah, closets make great catchalls when you can shove the door closed and hide everything away! good luck to you!
Sheryle
I loved this!! My closet is a mess! I’ve been gradually trying to weed out things I can no longer wear or never wore anyway but it turned unto my putting away my cold weather clothes in those vacuum bags? But now— I’m not any further on cleaning out items to sell or give away ———and I’ve run out of time and it’s time to get out all the cold weather stuff so I’m right back where I started! So frustrating!! Love your writing, thinking, and pictures. You mentioned you may go silent in near future——- hope not! I Look everyday for your blog!
bettyewp
I feel like I’m NEVER caught up on wardrobe seasonal changes/outgoing/incoming/alterations…there’s always piles and tubs of things in flux. SOMEDAY.
I think the “going silent in the future” might have been me saying I was going to take a little time off from the blog in the end of August? And I think I missed one post the last Friday. The thing is, I LOVE the blog! Planning it, writing it, photographing, etc. When I miss a post it’s cuz the real world has gotten me in a death grip. But otherwise, it’s Really Hard to get me to skip a post. Right now I’m figuring out how to add a FIFTH post each week, what is WRONG with me?!? AND another project that I’ll share in Monday’s Week in Review post…
Sheryle
That’s great!!! A fifth would be so welcome. I just love how you can make everything so interesting! You mentioned thinking about a newsletter type of vlog you might do- for me, it doesn’t have to be all about fashion – I love your travel blogs, your underwear blogs, your reading blogs- just great tips and great reading overall!
bettyewp
Ha ha, my underwear blogs! I’m cracking up over here 🙂 Thanks for the enthusiastic praise, Sheryle!
Leslie Susan Clingan
Oh, the velvet space saving hangers are so nice. I am slowly switching our closet over to them but it is a rather expensive project. Thank you for being real and sharing your closet and the things you removed from the closet!! Was mixed up on the day for this post so realized yesterday afternoon that I didn’t have another week to get my closet prepared. I should have shared the overflowing basket of ironing that is usually on the floor in the middle but I had it out of the closet trying to tackle it when I remembered this post. I appreciate the way you hang your clothes. I do something similar. Your photos are very pretty and you have found a way to make your closet work for you. Bravo!!
bettyewp
Yeah, it took me a long time to switch over to the velvet hangers. I would let myself buy one pack of 10 whenever I went to Target. It’s been years 🙂
Daenel T.
I’m so happy to see I’m not the only person who organizes by color and sleeve length. My family thinks I’m weird. I mean, I may be, but doesn’t this just make sense? That shoe rack looks like a giant yes!! So organized.
bettyewp
I mean, how do other people organize their closets? Oh gosh…maybe they just DON’T!!! Gasp. That can’t really be a thing, can it??
em
Okay, that’s impressive organization. I’m glad I finished my post before reading everyone else’s, because all the matching hangar and organization envy might have made me just “forget” to participate. Also, your response to Danenel’s comment doesn’t mention me by name, but I’m feeling the familiar sting of shame, haha.
I am however, feeling inspired thanks to y’all. I may even part with my useless single sock stash and make room for the bagged shoes, because as you’ve rightly pointed out, if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist!
bettyewp
Me? Impressive Organization? Are you talking to me?? HA HA HA HA HA
Please. Get rid of the single socks. Today. Just do it. You’ll feel so much better.
🙂