this week #02

 This week I've been spending my spare time (although there's not been much of it) sorting out my wardrobe. I've needed to switch out my spring summer pieces for more autumn winter appropriate staples for a while now and blogger Jess Lively gave me the kick up the bum I needed in the form of a podcast with capsule wardrobe specialist Caroline Rector of Unfancy. Caroline talks on the podcast all about how she has built her seasonal 37 piece capsule wardrobe and gives tips for people interested in creating their own wardrobe framework. She also focuses on how to go about simplifying your current wardrobe as well as tackling difficult shopping issues and establishing your own personal style. It's an interesting listen if you're feeling like a switch up and if you're really brave you could even follow Caroline's advice and build your own 37 piece capsule wardrobe for winter. A rather nice highlight this week at work was the London Terrariums Workshop #upstairsatsmug. Tom and Emma do such a good job of explaining how the self-contained ecosystem of a terrarium flourishes over time. They select the perfect glass vessels, specifically slow growing plants, such as Fittonia and Sempervivum, so the terrarium isn't outgrown too quickly and they provide everything else you could possibly need in order to learn to build your very own terrarium. Tom and Emma will be back at SMUG in the new year for another workshop so click here for tickets if you'd like to take part or fancy buying a friend a ticket as a Christmas present. I have an apple-shaped empty glass terrarium at home just asking to be filled with beautiful leafy and mossy goodness so I'll be attending for sure.  S T R A W B E R R Y  K E F I R  R E C I P E :My new breakfast drink of choice is Kefir. It's a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains. It's full of nutrients, probiotics, calcium, protein and B vitamins and it's really good for digestion. I first heard about kefir a few months ago as a substitute for buttermilk in baking and came across it again more recently in a delicious looking Strawberry Kefir Recipe on the DryBy blog. DryBy is a central London based blow dry and nail art bar set up by two sisters - but more about that, plus a review of their treatments, coming soon. I adapted their recipe slightly by leaving out the apple juice and reducing the quantities to make it just the right amount for one glass. Here's what I do - Add around 8 strawberries, a cup of kefir (I got mine here from from Sainsbury's), a squeeze of runny honey and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds of a vanilla pod) to a Nutribullet or small blender. Blend for around 20 seconds, pour into a glass and enjoy.  There have been lots of new things arriving at SMUG for The SMUG Christmas SHOP so that's made up a pretty big part of my social media sharing this week. Here's the lowdown on my top picks I've been sharing on Instagram that are now in store - APPNTD Notebooks £8.75 - £18 // Marbled Enamelware, £4 - £22 // Darling Clementine Washbags, £16 (and Ceramics, £13 pictured below). We've also been getting some nice press recently including the above snap of our Lenneke Wispelwey ceramics in The Sunday Times Home section.  The last recently Instagrammed picture to mention relates to some special news - our friends at The Pattern Guild are working away on producing a SMUG exclusive colab which will arrive in store just before Christmas we hope. I'll keep you updated with pictures of the collection when I have them. Now for my weekly favourites:Most Loved Beauty Product This Week - Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in RendezvousFavourite YouTube Video This Week - 48 Hour Digital Detox Estee LalondeBest Meal This Week - Patty & Bun with Danny, Birdie and Power Nap. Oh the chicken wings!Have a lovely weekend peeps and see you another Friday for This Week #3