Movin' on Up

I am not sure I've ever mentioned my BIL, Mr. Bean's little brother. I call him my Billy. He's 7 years younger than Mr. Bean and just about the sweetest guy I've ever known. He's the kind of kid you want for a little brother and the kind of kid you'd want for a son. And, of course, he's the kind of guy you definitely want for a BIL.

When I first met Billy Bean, he was still in high school, had a curfew, wore glasses, and was about as big around as my pinky finger. Now, he's got contacts (so now you can see his beautiful eyes!), an awesome job with an awesome company (after graduating from college with high honors), all sorts of muscles I didn't know Indian men had, and lives on his own about 2500 miles from all of us. And just to rub in to to all the girls that wouldn't date him in high school, Billy Bean just bought a beautiful condo with an awesome view of the city. Go Billy Bean!!

Although he moved in late last week, he's been preparing for the move for a few weeks now. He's drawn up plans for his new pad using Google SketchUp so he could maximize it's potential. I have to say I'm impressed, despite the fact that it doesn't surprise me he'd take so much care to ensure he makes his new space the best it can be.

So, how did I respond to the move? I made a card, of course.


I started the card with no idea of what I was going to do. I couldn't help thinking of a pair of spare keys, so I sketched out some keys on metallic paper and cut them using an exacto knife. The tag is just something I stole from work that we buy from Office Depot, since we are forever labeling keys. I wrote his actual unit number on the tag. I added some paint to make the background of the card to make it interesting. The faux measuring tape is from Urban Outfitters - sort of a nod to Billy Bean's SketchUp drawings - and the other tape is Japanese masking tape.

Billy Bean, Mr. B and I are so proud of you. Watching you grow up into a such a caring, responsible, talented young man has been an honor. We can't wait to visit! I believe I will start calling this my new vacation home. :)