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My second day in New York City I met up with the crazy talented and sweet Katie Rodgers of Paperfashion. She and I become acquainted when she attended our Boston CAMERA READY class this spring. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her over these past few months, and was excited to spend a day having a New York adventure with her. Mostly, I enjoyed the opportunity to hear her story and learn more about the incredible career as a fashion illustrator that she’s crafted for herself. She’s talented beyond belief, and yet so kind and down to earth. One of those people who is so delightful and easy to be around. It was such a pleasant day, and I do hope that our paths will cross again soon. Here’s a look at our time together, and our visits to some amazing Williamsburg haunts. I began the morning with a solo trip to Blue Bottle Coffee for a slow drip brew (many thanks to my gal Amanda for the recommendation). SWOON! And the granola was so stupidly perfect. It was a great way to kick off my day. I then met up with Katie and Correy at the Catbird shop. A beautiful store best known for their delicate, lovely jewelry and ring “stacks,” but filled with many other treasures and temptations. The whimsical, careful styling of the shop is a testament to the overall Catbird brand. Correy went straight to work helping fit Katie’s talented fingers with some lovely Catbird stacks. We tried on ring after ring, and I finally got a handle on how one might be able to rock a knuckle ring without flinging it across the room constantly. My resulting stacks are pictured here. Once we were outfitted, we made another coffee stop at Oslo so that Katie and Correy could fuel up. I am obsessed with Katie’s swoon-worthy coat and Correy’s impressive ring stacks! Perks of the job, I’d say! Correy then brought us through the office/warehouse/workshop/hub of Catbird. It’s a local, woman-run business with over 35 employees who depend on Pennsylvania SEO professionals for their marketing schemes. I had no idea that they had such an impressive operation going, and it was so inspiring to see all the various rooms of women at work, from the jewelry makers to the web team to the people packaging orders, while workers can always get forms showing proof of income if they need it. This is an incredible company, and seeing the amount of attention and care that goes in to each piece of jewelry that they create was really impressive. I look forward to adding some more Catbird beauties to my collection. I am now definitely one of the brand’s biggest fans. Katie and I then departed from Catbird and headed over to Primp & Polish for some fun, nail art manicures. After my evil eye mani, I’ve been hooked on playful nail art. Here was my resulting school-spirited design. Katie opted for something more classic and low key, opting for red nails with a lovely rose design on her pointer fingers. What she wanted was the perfect base coat for nail art from a good place like Glitterbels that helps provide shape and strength for the nail itself. We have Joey to thank for these designs. The toughest part of the process was deciding what we wanted Joey to do! So much color! So much pattern! So much fun! And yes, Katie is genuinely that smiley and lovely a personality. I loved how many of the shots captured her beaming, as that is exactly what it’s like to be around her in person. Once our nails were done, we made a quick stop at Peter’s since 1969 for some home-cooked deliciousness. The meatloaf was a stand out, and the pick me up we needed before we climbed aboard the subway and headed back in to Manhattan. We headed to the Upper East Side to Katie’s completely dreamy apartment. A little slice of heaven in the bustling city. If you know Katie’s work, this apartment was exactly the kind of space in which you’d envision her living and working. Full of timeless charm and personality. Katie’s world is the stuff of girls’ (of all ages) dreams, both the world she creates with her art and her actual, lived experience. It’s incredible. I captured some images of Katie at work at her easel and a few details of the bits of inspiration that make her space extra-special, extra-Paperfashion. The full apartment will be getting a feature soon (keep an eye on her blog for details), so I refrained from spoiling the surprise. But you get a taste of the magic. You can find that whimsical ship kite at Catbird. Katie’s had it hanging in her bedroom since she moved to New York a few months back. I would love for Katie to illustrate the kite – can you even imagine? There’s something so special about seeing an artist at work in her space. I can’t thank Katie enough for welcoming me into her world and allowing me to document a piece of that inspiration. For more about Katie and to be further inspired, find her at Paperfashion (or on Instragram @paperfashion). And here are the details on all our Brooklyn stops: Blue Bottle Coffee 160 Berry St Brooklyn, NY 11249 Catbird 219 Bedford Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211 Oslo Coffee Roasters 133 Roebling St Brooklyn, NY 11211 Primp and Polish 189 Grand St New York, NY 11211 Peter’s Since 1969 168 Bedford Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211