From the Front Porch: English Cottage Edition

Welcome to the English Cottage Edition of our weekly series, From the Front Porch, sweet friends.

I hope your week has been everything you’ve needed it to be.

We kicked off the week in the best possible way watching Lewis Hamilton win the British Grand Prix.

Lewis is one of my all-time favorite racing drivers, but he’s been in a bit of a slump lately.

You see, up until this past Sunday, he had not won a race in 945 days.

Just let that sink in for a second…

945 days of waking up, working out, learning new techniques, troubleshooting, analyzing, strategizing and showing up to chase your dreams without seeing the visible results of a win.

In the days leading up to the race, it seemed almost natural for people to speculate if Lewis’s best racing days were behind him.

After all, 945 days is an extraordinarily long time.

But Silverstone was his home track, he has an amazing record of driving well in wet conditions and Sunday’s race was set to be Lewis’s last time driving for Mercedes, his current race team, at Silverstone.

Going into the weekend, Lewis fans everywhere were extremely hopeful he would bring the kind of magic we haven’t seen in over 2 and a half years.

And in true Lewis fashion he did not disappoint.

I genuinely can’t tell you what it looked like when he crossed the finish line because I was crying happy tears of joy and high fiving everyone around me.

It was such an inspiration to watch in real time what it looks like when someone doesn’t give up on themselves, their team, or their dreams even after 945 days in the valley.

I’ve since rewatched the finish and have learned from fellow race fans and through media reports that Lewis Hamilton broke 6 records that day.

One of them being, at almost 40, he is the oldest racing driver of the new millennium to ever step foot on the podium.

There are so many things that can stand in the way of our dreams.

Fear, doubt, lack of motivation, age, timing, money, family, health issues, circumstances that are out of our control…I could go on.

But through it all, there will always be one constant.

And that one constant is you.  

So, use your valley experiences wisely.

Use them to mold you, to change you and to grow you into becoming the highest version of yourself.

Valley experiences are rarely easy, but they have so much to teach us and the people around us, if we let them.

While your dreams may have nothing to do with breaking records or winning races, make no mistake, we all have the capacity to develop the heart of a champion.

Cheering you on at the peak, in the valley, and on the podium – today and always.

A Few of our Favorite English Cottage Inspired Posts From Around the Web This Week…

Beautiful Home and Garden Tours:

• This Victorian Terraced House in Bath by designer Sean Symington is filled with inspiration!
• There are too many beautiful spaces in the portfolio of Establish Design to pick a favorite!
• The Evolution of Sarah Raven’s Gardens in East Sussex via House & Garden UK is gorgeous!

Seasonal Inspiration:

• Have you been following along on Kim’s kitchen remodel via Tidbits & Twine? The reveal was totally worth the wait.
• I love breadboards so it was fun to see Andrea’s post from Pine & Prospect Home on how to create a budget friendly rack for them.
• This Jane Austen Style Living Room Makeover from Sarah of She Holds Dearly is so elegant.
• Bookmarking these festive party favors from Elizabeth of Pinecones & Acorns for Bastille Day and the Summer Olympics. They’re super cute and really creative too!

Health and Wellness Inspiration:

• How a Reset Day Can Make a Total Difference for Your Mind and Your Home (via Apartment Therapy-this helps us so much)
• The 10 Healthiest Teas to Drink on a Regular Basis (via Real Simple)
• Natural First Aid Kit Ideas (via Tidbits & Company) 

Style and Travel Inspiration:

• 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Style & Feel Better (via Alexx Coll on YouTube)
• This looks like so much fun if you’re in NYC or a gorgeous Bridgerton Afternoon Tea at The Lanesborough.
• 30 Bridgerton Filming Locations to Visit in England (via Town & Country)
• I have no idea how I missed this, but did you know there was a castle in Kentucky? Adding to my hotel bucket list right now!

Simple Pleasures and Little Luxuries:

• This Shopbop nightgown is so pretty, I’d wear it as a dress. It’s selling out fast!
• Wait until you see these clutch inserts from Penny Linn Designs. They’re amazing!
• Speaking of amazing, can we talk about this bracelet?
• Have you seen these bookends from Pottery Barn yet? I love this dog set too.

Summer Cottage Ideas and Inspiration On the Blog…

17 Home Décor and DIY Projects to Complete This Summer

Budget Friendly Decorating Tips for Summer

Coastal Inspired Tablescape for Summer

How to Make a Summer Grapevine Wreath

You can find last week’s From the Front Porch: Summer Reset Edition here if you missed it…

English Cottage Inspiration We Spotted Online at Amazon This Week…

(Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon and Impact Media Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

• PJ Set (This lightweight set comes in pink and blue)
• Earrings (Garden party ready)
• Pillow Covers (These covers come in lots of fabulous prints)
• Chandlier (Have this in my closet and I’m hoping to hang another one in the bathroom)
• Food Mesh Covers (A stylish way to keep food covered)
• Vest Set (Vests are everywhere this season)
• Bow Sandals (Comes in other neutral colors too)
• Scalloped Napkins (Such a pretty way to dress up an ordinary picnic or outdoor tablescape)
• Cityscape (I can’t decide if I want to use the cityscape or this scene in the laundry room)
• Bistro Set (We need a big table on the patio but I wanted to share this set in case you have a smaller area)
• Lounge Set (No fuss outfits like these make getting ready so easy)
• Bracelet (A budget friendly way to add pearls to any outfit)
• Chair Cover (I need to do a full post on these. They’re a little big for our chairs so make sure to double check your measurements. I kept them though because they’re helpful to have with Piper)
• Quilt Set (This quilt set comes in so many different colorways)
• Citronella Candles (Citronella but make it pretty)
• Ivory Dress (This dress comes in lots of fabulous colors too)

As always, we appreciate you more than you could ever know, and we hope your weekend is peace-filled and relaxing.  We can’t wait to share even more with you soon!

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo