So who am I, this maven of shopping and personal care products?

I am the four-year-old who wouldn’t let her Mom buy things without her approval. For me or for her.

I am the seven-year-old who spent her afternoons rearranging her room, baffling her mother who couldn’t figure out why a person would want their bed in the closet (to leave more room in the room for my precious things, of course).

I am the pre-adolescent who spent hours at the library choosing books to read at home in my own room. A book a day. Rain or shine.

I am the teenager who took journalism. Who got in trouble for that April Fools’ Day article about charging admission to the school bathrooms. Who spent an hour in front of the mirror with a curling iron before school, not just on special occasions. Who taught her mom how to apply makeup.

I am the college student who bore the wrath of both roommate and Dean of Housing for wallpapering her dorm room. It was ugly. Wood paneling. Trust me. The girl who worked through college in retail, first on the sales floor, then decorating store windows.

The college grad who managed other peoples’ stores.

The graduate student who got married. Bought a house. Decorated with wallpaper and paint. Got a dog. A great dog. Worked in public relations.

The entrepreneur who opened stores of her own. Sold them. Kept the design business. Had a baby.

The Mother who still loves her precious things, and decorating, and shopping, and writing, and shopping.

That’s who.


My Co-Conspirator

Patricia's Picks is my own inspiration and creative outlet, but if you are reading this and are not a close personal friend, it is probably due to the work of Susan, best friend and co-conspirator in many a fashion crime.

The two of us have been friends since the day she checked me into my freshman dorm room, but we really got to know each other sneaking out of aerobics. At some point it just became clear we should drop the class.

We were friends when we lived in that hideous apartment with the gold wall-to-wall. When Susan insisted on wearing those little white leather boots with the silver bangle to that Bon Jovi concert, complete with leggings, a tunic- top and matching hip-slung belt. When we went to New York to celebrate her graduation wearing our favorite shoulder-padded, rhinestone incrusted tee shirts.

We've been friends through boyfriends, fiancés, one husband, a cat and two dogs. Weight gain and loss. Job changes, career changes, life changes, skin changes, and geographical changes.

Because of our history, because she is hands-down my greatest fan and most ardent supporter in everything I undertake, and not because I threatened to put photos of the above mentioned ensembles on the web, Susan has encouraged me not just to take my musings to a greater audience, but to pursue the business opportunities and possibilities that could come from them.

So you see, we are the perfect combination for this site -- one part creative, risky, and a wee bit self-conscious, one part analytical and focused, with the confidence of a cheering section. Both extremely stylish and in the know.

If you'd like to talk business, contact Susan. Susan@PatriciasPicks.com