Remember how we stopped at this place in Maryland on our way to our Labor Day beach weekend?
And remember how we spotted these cool sign letters there that were made even cooler when we learned that they were meant for a Dollar Tree store and were selling for $20 each? I was obsessed with them and almost took home an E, R, or A, just because (sadly there’s no P, J, S, C or B in Dollar Tree).
Well, I finally got me one. Let’s give a lukewarm welcome to letter L.
Why L? Well… give that L a little 180 degree spin and whaddya get? Our favorite number AND a happy John (our first kiss: 7/7/05, our wedding date: 7/7/07 – even Clara was born on the 14th, which we affectionately call 7+7).
Maybe it makes me a little too happy, actually. Avert your eyes Sherry.
What? Nothing weird going on here. Just a man snuggling a giant number 7. It’s completely platonic, I swear.
So here’s the deal. Since I kept talking about how much I regretted not getting that L, Sherry had been brainstorming a way to surprise me with it (we didn’t realize its 7-like appearance ’til we were back home looking at road trip pictures). Her maniacal planning came to an abrupt conclusion when Lesley read the initial post about it where Sherry mentioned that we regretted not getting one and contacted Sherry to act as a secret courier to help with the surprise. Apparently she lives right near the Ole Sale Barn in Denton, Maryland and her mom lives in Richmond so she frequently makes trips between the two spots. Perfect!
Sherry had planned to surprise me for my birthday next week, but Lesley made a trip earlier than expected so after a quick meet-up-in-a-parking-lot and a cash-for-giant-letter swap, the 7 was mine ours. I was actually really surprised. And more than a little in love (both with the wife for her sweet surprise and with my giant number seven itself). It’s already keeping me us company in the office (still need to figure out what to hang next to it, get a real side table and lamp for that corner, etc).
We thought about hanging it on the other wall behind the chair but we both decided we liked walking into the room and seeing it “smiling” back at us, face first (instead of seeing the side of it most of the time, which would be the view if it was hung on the other wall behind the chair).
Oh, if you’re wondering how it’s hung – it was pretty easy. The letter was still wired with lighting, but we’re not planning to get all Novogratz up in here by actually using it as a light (at least not anytime soon due to the cost of wiring the wall). So I carefully disconnected the two giant nubs on the back that would’ve required it sit out from the wall about an inch and stuffed the wires into the 7 for possible future use (we can fish them out with a coat hanger if need be).
Once those big metal things were removed, I was left with two holes – plus some others at the top – that were perfect for hanging it. I just put a couple of anchors and screws into the wall where I wanted ’em, and hung the 7 in place.
A big thanks again to Lesley and taking the time to deliver it us (and for temporarily forking over the $25 to pay for it). Yup, the guy raised the price by $5 since Labor Day. Oh well, still totally worth it.
Psst-We’re over on BabyCenter sharing one of the most creative kids’ birthday parties we’ve ever seen. Seriously, it’s so imaginative and fun.
Psssst- We’ll be back with a kitchen update this afternoon. No dust flying yet, but very very soon…
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
What a sweet gift! I love the look of it in the office. I can’t wait to see what else you do. :)
Lindsey @ arkadian belle woods says
AHH! I love it! My love for typography/lettering is equal to Sherry’s obsession with ceremic animals!
I can’t even tell you how perfect that is! The office has really come a long way! Great job S&J!
Amber says
hee hee!
Susie says
Very cool to have a number that symbolizes so much! Glad you finally have your 7.
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
Too bad you didn’t have a seven up t-shirt! Love the seven – it looks right at home in the office!
YoungHouseLove says
I need to get on that.
-John
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
You guys are likely to blame for the raise in price. Once you posted about them, everyone wanted one! :) I’m glad you got your hands on one!
LauraC says
Totally agree, haha!
Brandi @ His Shabby Her Chic says
John kissing the 7 is too funny!
Melanie says
So happy you got your 7 on! *hugs*
Jen says
Love it! It looks like it was made as a 7 and not an L. Wonder if the guy raised his price because he was selling more since you guys posted about it? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- could be! Although I wonder if he quoted John $20 because he’s a dude (sometimes I think shopkeepers raise prices for ladies- no proof of that, just a theory).
xo
s
Jillian says
So cool! Color me jealous…
Sherry, do you die a little inside when you guys nail or screw something into the wall? I think I’d cringe thinking about all the work that went into the stenciling…don’t get me wrong, I totally think it’s worth it!
YoungHouseLove says
Nah- I freaked out for a moment before hanging all the art above the desk but then I realized that puttying a hole and touching up the stencil over it with a small brush would actually be pretty easy (it’s a really forgiving pattern)!
xo,
s
Katy says
What a great surprise! Now all you need is a S J and an and!
Andrea says
GREAT addition! I love that the number represents such sweetness in your lives and you incorporate it into your decor! And, what an awesome surprise! =)
Karen L. says
Awesome fun gift and so cool that one of your readers could hook you up with it—great memories for y’all! Guess it’s “seven up” time. :)
liz @ bon temps beignet says
I am totally and completely in love with your 7. And a bit jealous, because in Southern California, all the good stuff like that disappears from the trift/second hand/ antique stores in a nanosecond.
my honest answer says
He probably raised the price because you were inadvertantly advertising it for him! It looks great there.
Also, when I read the title I thought you’d bought a new soda themed t-shirt. Is it wrong that I was slightly disappointed?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sorry about that. I’m definitely overdue for a new one.
-John
toni from says
I am so glad you got your 7. Ironically, that is the hubsters and our favorite number too and we were married on the 7th. lol. I love where you hung it, looks great!
Beverley says
Yay – you got your giant L, er, 7! :) It looks great in the office & adds to the relaxed atmosphere you’ve started with the fun stencil, colors, and artwork.
bridget b. says
pretty cool to see a guy that doesn’t mind being sentimental. i love that you still remember the date of you and Sherry’s first kiss! :)
Brianna says
Awesome! I’m in love too and have been pining after the “D” since you posted about it.
Maureen @This (Kinda) Old House says
I love it, and it’s great that the outside color matches the yellow on the walls! What a nice little surprise. :)
Janie says
I’m in love with the L slash 7! I scored this letter E off craigslist when our local West Elm closed. I absolutely love it :)
http://janieeisenhart.blogspot.com/2011/09/random-summer-moments.html#more
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
CherylM. says
Sweet of Sherry to surprise you! But please don’t compare yourselves to the Novogratz’…. can’t stand them or their idea of decorating. You two are soooooo much better. I would watch your show
Beth says
My family’s sign company here in Virginia Beach made all the Dollar Tree signs up until a couple years ago. It may very well be theirs! Although I’m not sure why they wouldn’t have made it to their destination!
YoungHouseLove says
That was our question too! How did they ever end up with all the letters to a Dollar Tree store? Unless they’re old ones that were replaced with a new font or something…
xo,
s
Allyn says
I have a letter A that’s like that, only bigger, and we wired it with light bulbs! Now it hangs on our wall in our office and glows happily.
She should have brought you Beyonce.
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahah. Not sure she would fit in the car. Bird Beyonce that is! This isn’t a prego Beyonce joke.
xo,
s
Jenn says
exactly what I thought… What about Beyonce? HA.
Margaret says
Hah, love the Novogratz reference….I love their house, but then I really don’t think I could live there? But it would be so cool if I did? Maybe I’ll just try to assimilate with their 7 children, they might not even notice another one, and I’m bitty like you, Sherry.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I vote you just sneak in and play the drums and act right at home.
xo,
s
Margaret says
Excellent, I’d just have to change my name to Mayfair or Sixteen or something equally wacky and I’d be set.
Kasey March says
I just spent what I thought would be 5 minutes hunting down this Novogratz reference only to get sucked into HGTV.com. Now I’ve got a reminder in my phone to check for episodes on hulu.com and to set the DVR to record new episodes.
I already feel like this is going to be a problem!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah- you’ve officially been sucked in.
xo,
s
Cosmos says
Um — am I the only one that thinks it looks like an upside down “L”?
bruns says
Yep.
Criss says
I think the L looks more like an upside down 7.
Ang says
Haha! The pix were too funny!
Jenn says
Well that’s just perfect that the holes were already there for ya! =) and kudos on the fabulous find that holds mondo sentimental warm fuzzies for you guys! =)
I actually need an L!!!!
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons
Kelly says
1. I totally thought you guys were crazy when you said the L would look like a 7 back in that old post, but I was totally wrong. That is one awesome 7! And I’m very jealous, I would have loved an A for my boyfriend, Alex.
2. On a completely unrelated note, in the “we’re digging” sidebar there’s a typo. It says stiped dishtowels instead of striped. I normally wouldn’t point something silly like that out, but since it stays on your homepage for so long, I thought you might want to know!
p.s. I’m so excited to see the progress in your kitchen!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip! Off to fix it.
xo,
s
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says
annnnd I’m totally in your spam folder. if you have one? haha my comment just vanished off the face of the earth!
YoungHouseLove says
I found you! You’re back!
xo,
s
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
Poor Jenn is always lurking in spam, I once found about a month’s worth of her comments in my folder… what on earth did you do to be permanently spammed! ;)
Rachel Tatem says
What a unique wall hanging!
Lindsay says
I LOVE IT!
{plum} says
I adore this room and look forward to every little addition and tweak you post. The ‘7’ looks perfect there.
Have you ever used any “vintage” grate covers? Once of these might look really nice in your office.
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?categoryId=cat900002#cat1537159
best – d.
post script: don’t forget, today’s the day.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those would be gorgeous!
xo,
s
Karen F says
aww, love it!
Elizabeth says
Wow the L must have been tilted or something because that looks like it was made to be a ‘7’
Random question but whatever happened to those mirrors you had with your “to do” lists?
YoungHouseLove says
We moved our to-do list onto our computers (having to spin around to look at the boards all day was more annoying than we imagined) and just have the one mirror hanging over the file cabinet now (since two mirrors not being used as white-boards seemed a bit much).
xo,
s
Emily Drake says
Adorable! Love it! What a cute addition to the space!
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
That is awesome. It honestly looks more 7 than L! And the gold around the edges goes so well with the stenciled walls!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s what I think too! When John’s holding it as an L it just looks like an upside down 7 to me. It was meant to be! Haha.
xo,
s
Sarah says
It looks awesome. This room is really shaping up! Can’t wait for demo details you guys keep my day moving haha.
Ashley L says
Lucky number 7! Looks really good in that space and I love how that number has such a personal meaning to you guys. Great find!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love it! You know what might look very cool around the “7”, a large white frame. Or even a frame that is one of the colors from your room. Frames are so the “two of you”. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
That would be really fun!
xo,
s
Natalie Muurisepp says
On a family renunion vacation. My husband was welcomed by a bobble head barbara bush that i slipped under his covers. He’s a fan of the strong old ladies :)
What a contrast to his young and useful wife:)
You will have to light up the 7 for clara’s 7th bday heheh
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds like a fun plan!
xo
s
Sandra T says
Funniest pics ever = John loving on some 7. Nice surprise, $herdog!
Andrea says
i love this post. i love how excited you are about a big #7, and i love how it looks. a good reminder to look for beauty in the unexpected. i looks great in your office!
Gina says
Love this post! but I need a kitchen update!! Hubby left this am and I am wandering around with a hammer and a glazed look in my eye (might have to read my post on the kitchen one to get that)
PS 7is very special to me as well I was born 7-7 at 7 o’clock, weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces, on a Sunday (7th day of the week) and was the 7th member of my family.
Lucky number???
you guessed it…
4!! ;-) lol
Gina says
I meant my post on the wall knocking out one…see how crazed I am?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- no worries! I’m that crazy too. Rest assured we’ll stop in with details whenever we can. And we should have wall-down pics to share within the next day or two!
xo,
s
Erin C. says
Sweet! I love how the little details are really making the office come together.
Pam the Goatherd says
Lovin’ the 7! I don’t think you should add anything else to that wall except for maybe the frame idea. Anything more would just take away from the awesomeness of the 7.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, not to that wall, the one next to it (also above the chair) needs something for balance we think. That’s what we meant!
xo,
s
Cindy says
Today’s post is brought to us by the number “7.”
I recently purchased a huge “C” from ACE hardware signage at a flea market/large yardsalish event. I had to carry it around for about an hour. One man yelled out “Today’s yardsale is brought to us by the letter “C”. Great Sesame Street reference.
http://sothecooksaid.blogspot.com/2011/08/treasuring-hunting.html
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- so much fun! Love that C.
xo,
s
Cindy says
It finally got hung…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhe70Z_NaOM/Tq_xAirMHMI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/qWMNfQk63xI/s1600/100_1192.JPG
YoungHouseLove says
Looks awesome!
xo,
s
Trude says
It looks so awesome! What a sweet thing to do. You could always shove a string of white Christmas lights in there for holiday decorating and extra light…. :)
YoungHouseLove says
That could be cute!
xo,
s
Ryan says
LOL the John / seven make-out session! How perfect is the seven’s side color to the yellow in your room stenciling? Awesome.
Angel Y. says
That’s awesome. The 7 would look awesome in my office, I should be on the lookout for sevens.