A Sunny Sign of Karma

Kiehl's Vital Sun Protection SPF 30 Sunscreen/Nordstroms

Paying it forward is my favorite type of sharing. It also happened to be the way I fell in love with Kiehl’s Vital Sun Protection Lotion! I was sitting at an outdoor concert and after realizing my sunblock from earlier was long gone, I went into my purse to find my fix for a reapplication. After I exclaimed (rather loudly) that extra sunblock did not make it into my purse, the kind-faced woman sitting next to me gently tapped on my tender-red shoulder and handed me this. This gracious gift not only prevented my exposed shoulder from being burnt to a crisp, it left my skin looking and feeling replenished for the rest of the night. Safe to say, I went out and bought two the next day: one for daily use and an extra to spread the love!

The Fluff - You're #1!

Watching the Olympic coverage (and those great P&G commercials) has made us recognize that we couldn't do it all without the help from our supporters (and families!). Today, Pyar & Co. is wondering:

Who is your #1 supporter?

Paula Queen with her husband, Sumit, her father, Duane, and her son, Ojas after winning for her age group in the Naperville Triathalon.

The S Collection: Threads of Thought

Each piece within the S Collection includes at least one detail, whether subtle or great, inspired directly by the rich culture and traditions of a woman who dances with the grace of the butterfly in flight, who exemplifies pure elegance adorned in a hushed lavender sari. This woman always carries a confidence about her, a confidence founded by the strength of the women that came before her, those who remain just as glamorous, strong, and wise for her as now as they did in years past. She is the woman who inspired the S Collection, my newly-gained sister - Shalini. 

The natural beauty of each woman exudes from the depths of her being, extending well beyond the dashing and swaying of her sari’s pallu. She is glamorous and represents the native Indian women who have come before her. With pen in hand, each design’s moment of creation looks to me like music notes on a sheet, waiting to come to life. It is in this moment where I first realized that each part of the process emerges as a symphony, the finale ringing out, a last touch like an ornamental bindi.

Shalini and I would talk and share as sisters do, and one day I spoke of my dream: Pyar & Co. pillows, and all the finely styled home accessories to grace homes and shops throughout the country. Someday, the word Pyar would be spoken and understood as strongly as it is felt. As we sat together one evening and contemplated the name Pyar & Co., Shalini offered “Pure Love. Pure Luxury,” and I knew that no translation was needed.

 

Team Pyar & Co.

We are you. We are us. We are a product of ambition, of perseverance, and of the pursuit to create something greater than ourselves. We are not the Olympians of the London Olympics 2012.  We are the women of Pyar & Co. on the brink of our own moment.  

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
- Oprah Winfrey

For us that moment is our grand entrance at NYIGF. Our presence will scream, "I am here! I represent each of you and the dreams I have had, the dreams you have had! I will make you proud!" In our own Opening Ceremony, we will take on the duty, the opportunity to represent all teams we belong to: Team USA, Team India, Team Woman, Team Mom, Team Daughter, Team Independence. 

We have trained hard, sacrificed many moments to achieve our dream, to make those we represent proud. To show those who have invested in us that we are worth it. We are filled with glory, not just the glory of our own achievements. Our glory is crowned with those who have helped us achieve and keep reaching for the potential to do greater and greater. Just as the Olympians pass the torch to light up the Opening Ceremony, our teams have passed the torch with our greatest supporters providing the fire that makes the spectacle something people cannot help but watch, admire. 

Dieter Braun/myMzone

For those who we are meeting, competing with, for the first time, this is also a time to put it all out there. They have not seen our hard work, our training. All that matters to them is how we perform on the floor.

In New York, in London, cultures will mesh on the floor. Everyone enjoying the gifts, the stories, the hard work they've done. We will appreciate how far we have gotten in the race, and how far we will go.

Olympic Vintage T - Gap
Heather Grey (left)
Blue Heather (right)

We are Team Pyar & Co., and we hungrily anticipate not the thunderous applause of millions, but rather the heartfelt, humbled claps we will give to one another when we achieve our goal as one. 

The Fluff - Summer Excursions

Sharing our magical excursion to the carnival last week has left us itching with wanderlust. Whether it's a weekend spent at your family's cabin in the Adirondacks, swimming on a private beach in Saint-Tropez, or reading a book in your backyard hammock, this week Pyar & Co. asks you:

"What's your favorite summer excursion?"

Tossa de Mar/VRoig

A Pop of Plum

Yves Saints Laurent/Net-A-Porter

Pyar & Co. loves a pop of color wherever we can find it! Begin your fall shopping with these dreamy plum Yves Saint Laurent booties, they are sure to perfect every outfit.

Get Your Glitter On!

Malene Birger/Net-A-Porter

These Malene Birger gold and nude metallic jacquard pants are fierce and perfect for a dinner date with girlfriends. Pyar & Co. loves them paired with a crème silk tank and a pair of nude heeled sandals.

The Carnival's in Town!

As many are enjoying all the great aspects of summer- countless visits to the beach, gatherings with friends and family, get-aways for a some much deserved R&R; at Pyar & Co, our summer is filled with preparing for exhibiting at our first market- the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) beginning August 19th, 2012.

By Brent Moore from Smyrna, TN (Carnival Ride)

A recent visit to a carnival took us back to childhood memories stemming from days of county fairs, reminding us why, as children, we spent so much time (and allowance money!) at these events. Whether it's neighborhood festivals or city markets these places near and far that remind us of the many wonders of growing up and how quickly those summer days pass…

It’s quite interesting to think the carnival community served not only as entertainment but also  an introduction to a different, distinct culture: a child’s version of a new “world.”  With multitudes of different scents floating through the air including spiced, fried, grilled, even pickled options, from booth- to-booth the tastes offered were beyond imagination.  Each ride danced with radiant lights and music that seemed to create a dream-like allure for at least a country mile, from each “winnable” neon-colored prize adding temptation to take on the challenge. The experience was a mini-vacation to an exotic land in itself.

Photo from Brian Gurrola/Flicker

Before the cotton candy machine stops spinning its soft, lustrous, finely spun particles of sweetness, we would like to share with you some of Pyar & Co.’s favorite ways to feel that childlike excitement and awe while keeping the warmth of the summer-spirit year round in your own home:

Technicolor Daydream Cube - Posh Living
The Carnival Concoction - Albert Almondia - Fine Art America
Kissing Booth Handprinted Letterpress Poster -  Roll and Tumble Press
Azalea Leopard Rug - Posh Living
Ber Pillow - Pyar & Co.
Nouvel Studios Small Osaka Bowl - Barneys New York
Kartell Cindy Table Lamp -  Barneys New York

Ipanema Dreaming

We just can't stop. When we start, we'll go on for hours and hours. Of course, we're talking about the wonderful crooner Astrud Gilberto. 

Amazon

Known as the voice behind "The Girl from Ipanema," her silky voice has us dreaming of bronzing on an azure colored deck while the sounds of the Ocean crash below us. Although we're too busy to take a glamorous South American vacation right now, we'll settle to listening to "Non-Stop To Brazil." Maybe we'll have the man in our life make us a swanky cocktail too...

 

 Jeff Belmonte/Cuiabá, Brazil (Mirante do Leblon)

A 'Blue Print' You Can Follow

The Blue Print Blog

If something makes us laugh and is colorful, our team usually likes it! That's why The Blue Print Blog from The Blue Print store of Collin's Interiors is something we're gushing about this week. With colorful blog posts like "Shut the Front Door!" and the fabulously vintage-like pictures from their Mad Men party, it's hard to not want to be these wonderful, stylish designers!

Bonus: We also have adopted their "Words for the Weekend" post from this week (Live Your Life on Purpose) as our motto for this stressful weekend!

Origins - Pyar & Co.

We entered the quick, chaotic pace of Kanpur, India’s daily traffic heading towards my first market. I was thrilled to immerse myself in the shopping experience of open markets, where there would surely be artisan crafted goods. My mind and eyes were charged and ready to work at a rapid speed, to take in as many details as humanly possible in the hopes that I would find anything unknown—you know what I’m referring to, those items that you have never seen before, that no one in your life has seen before. Details that implore you not only to stop in your tracks, but to reach out and touch everything. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to allow my senses to gather all those initial feelings and record every detail. I felt that finding that one thing was so important, whatever it would end up being. When I spotted it, the object had very clearly been designed for a little girl. Maybe that’s what drew me in, as this girl had big dreams that were yet to be discovered. I was beginning to draw the path to how my dreams would come true, from the market of Kanpur.

What motivates YOU today?

“The minute a little girl is born, she is already the woman she will be. So to empower a little girl is to empower the woman she will become.”

We can’t get enough of this quote from our always glamorous fashion icon, Diane von Furstenberg. Diane never fails to inspire us...