hold your lighters in the air. the radiant Kara is our spotlight star!

courtesy of Aisha Harley Photography



Kara Markovich hails from Portland, Oregon and just like her city, Kara is fun, creative, full of talent and weird (in a really great way).  She has an amazing family with three equally amazing sisters, making her the quintessential girl's girl.  She is a little bit modern but driven by a strong retro-centric whimsy.  Kara has the most awesome husband, Greg and together they made a sweet boy, Oscar Joe, who in my opinion is the spitting image and personality of the two and at age 3, already possesses the mojo of a rock star.  Kara's occupation is primarily a great mama, but she also helps make weddings go off without a hitch at Ella Events.  Oh, and the woman has mad chops. Kara is yet another "Croatian" cousin of mine, but I really am proud to introduce you to a wonderful friend.  Go Kara!

What or who inspires you? Anyone and everything! I am constantly in awe of the people I meet and the stories they have to tell.  Not to mention all my super talented family and friends, who make me feel a bit like a slacker (but in the best kind of way).  There’s nothing like looking through an amazing blog that makes me want to do something drastic with that certain blank wall I keep staring at.





courtesy of Aisha Harley Photography

 

Where is your nook?  a little mid-century home in Portland, Oregon

What's your favorite way to burrow?  I love the mornings, after an early run, with coffee in hand and breakfast on the stove. Or dinner time, wine in hand and dinner on the stove.  Either way, it involves food and good conversation and isn’t that all that really matters?





Grandma Annabelle



Grandma Helen & Grandpa Jim

Please Kara, you must describe your (fantastic) style.  My style is a bit Grandma Annabelle circa 1930s, Grandma Helen circa 1950s and my lovely mama circa 1960s.  All with a modern twist.

List one weird thing about you.  I sing to Oscar in the car, very loudly, while making up songs about how much I love him.  I imagine “someone” will try to  encourage me to stop doing that within the next few years.

What's on your play list?  I listen to a huge range of music, but lately have been leaving the  local jazz station playing in the background. What I tend to listen to most is what Oscar loves (i.e  Diddy Dirty Money’s Coming Home, Queen, Blind Pilot, White Stripes, Kriss Kross, Puff the Magic Dragon and the Backyardigans).  Some songs may drive me a bit crazy after awhile, but there is something so insanely awesome about watching your kid try to sing them.  I won’t lie though, the Diddy Dirty Money was my idea.

What's one of your favorite recipes?  My grandma’s strudel and sarma.  I love that it requires a small team to assemble and makes for the perfect blend of Croatian family arguments and laughter.

 What is your favorite place to vacation?  As worldly as I may want to sound, I have to be completely honest and say Longboat Key, Florida.  Since I was a child, it has been our little, family vacation spot.  Since I live so far from my family, every moment I get to spend with them is incredibly valuable.  Of course, beach, sun, ocean, sleeping, conversation and dare I mention, food and wine, is nice too.  

Kara with Mama Judy & Sister Megan in Florida (1980's)

What is your favorite object in your home?  The “what is your favorite object in your home” is a really hard question for me.  I love everything that we have.  If Greg and I love it, then it has passed the one requirement for it to be in our home. I strongly believe a person should surround themselves with things that they adore and that inspires them.  Thanks to passed down dishes, thrifted lamps and beautiful pieces from local artists, I love to sit in our living room and just take it all in.  BUT, if I really had to narrow it down, it would be the record player console that we purchased this past fall.  Growing up, my grandma Annabelle would play her Croatian records on a similar one in her living room.  The music would flood her home and my sisters, cousins and I would learn and dance kolos (Croatian dances) and polkas from her.  When we moved into our home, I knew I had to find a piece just like that.  What made the purchase even better was that my parents were with me when I discovered it.  I even think my dad may have been more excited that I was.

Just a side note, I am also particularly proud of the lamps that are on the console.  $1 each at a garage sale in Michigan (by the way, I LOVE Michigan garage sales).  I did have to purchase new shades, but totally worth it.  The driftwood piece to the left of the picture was collected and made by my dad and I.  Joe A. Markovich is quite the artist in the family.  I love my dad (and mom too)! 



Kara's parents, Joe & Judy Markovich

Where do you see yourself in five years?  Oh, the five year question that keeps crossing paths with me.  I could say I wish to be a wedding planner to the stars, but that doesn’t quite feel right.  I love my job and hope, in five years, that  I will be planning beautiful events and still crying at the weddings. What I think is most important is that Greg and I have an ideal work/life balance for our family. I hope we will be  doing what we love and setting an example for Oscar, and any future children, to follow their passion.  As for any other plans, I am just throwing it out there, but in five years I hope my parents, all my sisters and their families decide they can’t be away from us any longer and move out to Portland. That, and I want to live part of the year in Rome and the other, in Oregon. Take THAT five year plan!

Thanks for sharing with us, Kara!

holding stuff and sweet, sweet memories. a repurposed bench story

Five glorious years ago, Arnaud and I were married under our maple tree in our very own back yard with all of our closest friends and family members.  It was a hot, hot day in July and quite possibly the most fun I've had in all my life.  We've since moved away from our home and garden where we were married, but with us, we took some very tangible wedding mementos.  This shelf in my daughter, Mila's room was built into a tier with three of the very benches some our guests sat on on that special day.  We did paint them white-ish and when we tiered them, we made sure we used brackets to stack them and bolted them to the wall (remember, we have busy toddlers). 

Like with many little girls and their rooms, this shelf is revolving, evolving and in constant state of re-arrangement.  Today, on the very top, is one of my favorite pictures in the whole wide world of one of my favorite women in the whole wide world, my late grandma, Colleen.  She loved to ride horses when she was young girl and it has been said that her father was a real cowboy on a ranch in South Dakota.  I should find those pictures too.  They are awesome.  Grandma was a woman's woman and loved spending time with the girls in our family.  She never was able to meet Mila, but I love that Mila has a picture of her very own riding a horse (above right) and on her little bed, is a beautiful quilt that Grandma made. 

Whether it's photos, books, handmade dolls, cardboard fish tanks (rainy day project) Babushka dolls from Czech Republic, or eventually "teenie bopper stuff", I love that Mila's room is super fun for her and sweetly sentimental for me.

The fruit crate (pictured at top of post) was found in the garage of our new home.  I cleaned it up and put pads underneath and voila, a toy box for Mila.  We were lucky enough to acquire eight different crates, all varying sizes and styles and some having an awesome "American Explosives" logo on them.  Those are in Remi's room holding his dinosaurs.  I'm totally inspired to make one of those cool rolling crate shelves from them like Alex & Carla did on Hammers and High Heels.  Now if only I had their skillsaw saw skills!  Tounge twister!