My sister has been asking me for weeks to send her proofs of her invitations for a “first look.” It’s a custom invitation, and typically I have no problems with this, except that I’ve been suffering a major case of writer’s block (or whatever similar term would apply for invitation design.)  The problem stems from the Engagement Party. The invitations were so awesome for a “mere” engagement party, people have literally been asking what I will do to top them! The answer up until this point has been, “I have absolutely no idea.” It’s not that I didn’t have tons of ideas, it was just that they were all somewhat unformed, and just bumping around in the back of my mind, while I focused on “real clients” who have impending deadlines. My sister and Ryan had a few requests: not too feminine, not too colorful, and lastly, they had to somewhat intertwine the concept “rustic, vineyard venue meets j.crew meets Ryan’s Texan roots” Not a small feat!It took about an hour’s worth of brainstorming with Beth Helmstetter to come up with something that was actually a clear cut interpretation of what I was envisioning. Afterward, I was able to convey in writing to one of my graphic assistants how to piece this major puzzle together. Last Friday, I was happy to receive several mockups in my inbox which I promptly forwarded on to my sis. While it needs some tweaks, it overall captures the feeling they want for their invitations, and she was really pleased. Even Ryan liked the initial proofs (always good to have the groom concur with the bride) and we should be getting the invitations well on the way to print this coming month!