Tuna Rollups

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Tuna-Filled Blintzes

Here is a delicious summer recipe to fill up those Basic Blintzes we just made. The best part is, this filling couldn’t be easier to throw together! Experiment with your own seasonings...even replace the cream cheese with mayo or sour cream.

To begin, mix all ingredients in a bowl:

1 12-oz can light tongol tuna, drained and flaked                    1/2 c. chopped celery 

8 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature                         1/2 c. chopped pickles    

2 T. mustard          1 t. basil          2 T. green pepper salsa (we like tomatillo sauce)

Spread a sort of log (inch-thick or so) on one end of each blintz. Gently roll the blintzes up and stick a toothpick through each one to hold them together. These rollups are best if served still slightly warm. The real test of perfection is whether you can pick them up and eat them with your fingers! Just kidding….either way, they’re going to be delicious!

Tuna Rollup Ingredients

Basic Blintzes

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Frying the Blintz

Blintzes are basically a cross between pancakes and tortillas. And they are more versatile than either one—the fillings you could roll up in a blintz are endless! Another plus, for the low-carb menus, is the small amount of flour in each one—very low in grain starch.

To start, combine in a medium-size bowl:

1/2 c. sifted oat/rice flour               1/2 t. salt               1 egg                1/2 c. water

Beat well with a fork. The batter should be very runny.

Next, heat 3 T. of canola oil a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour about 2 T. of batter into the hot oil. Quickly swirl the batter to form a thin, even pancake—it will cook instantly when it hits the pan.

Fry the blintz for 1-2 minutes, till it’s dry underneath but just a bit moist on top. Remove, add more oil as needed, and repeat. Whisk more water into the batter as you go to keep it water-thin. This recipe will make about 6 small blintzes.

For best wrapping results, fill the blintzes while still warm. Use your favorite spread, or wait for my Tuna Rollups recipe coming up next!

More Views

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Side Wall of Living Room

I couldn’t resist showing off a few more views of our new living room! Here you can see how the sofa colors coordinate perfectly with the red chairs on either side, the blue curtains behind, and the paintings and photographs above, which echo the same flower motif.

End Wall

It’s hard to believe that this end of the room balances at the same time as the other one. The black-framed pictures on each side of the window look like they were made to match, and the dark chair on the left is countered by the tall lamp and chair on the right. In the middle is the flower bouquet I arranged a while back, echoed again by the sunflowers on the coffee table. What more could you ask for? Well, at least until it starts looking lived-in and not so magazine-perfect! 

Finished Living Room

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Picture Perfect

And may I present...our completed, totally redecorated living room! Once we found a perfect arrangement for the furniture, and a larger neutral rug, our room was complete! It all came together beautifully, and could not even be compared to the room and furniture we started with—see the original stuff here. It was certainly a long journey; it took me a little over a year of somewhat sporadic work. The cost was very minimal, I’m guessing under a hundred dollars, and most of that was for fabric. The best part was, we enjoyed (almost) the whole thing! It goes to show that anyone can redecorate a room, and have fun too!

Living Room

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Living Room with New Curtains

Here you can see the new curtains on the windows in our living room. I guess I got a bit ahead of myself with the furniture, since the couch was somehow still here at that point! The blue is simply the perfect color for this room, creating an attractive, colorful spot on the large walls and windows, yet calming the bright reds and yellows in the furniture. Well, all we have left to do is find a perfect arrangement for the furniture and end tables. Any suggestions? I’m telling you, this is not an easy room to arrange! Also, I think a replacement for that little blue rug is in order.

Table Cover

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

New End Table

Next we decided to make this very decorative table cover to compliment our new curtains. My sister actually did it all by herself. I think she cut out a square piece for the top, then gathered and sewed the skirt fabric all around it. Believe it or not, there’s actually wooden chest of drawers inside, and the back has an opening to reach in to the drawers! The print on this fabric is very busy, but you can see it has almost all our living room colors against that navy background. It just seemed the print was made for our décor! It created a nice focal point, also balancing the dark green chair. Which we needed now that the curtains are so much lighter!

Sofa & Curtains

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Sofa with the New Curtains

How do you like the curtains with the sofa? Match pretty well, don’t they? This blue fabric is not actually used in the sofa, but it closely matches the blue pillows; also, the flower motif resonates with the sofa cover. You can see we found several sunflower wall hangings to match the flowers on the coffee table. Do you recognize the picture in the top right-hand corner? Yes, it’s my Darby Creek painting I sold at the art guild auction (to my sister)! I’m not sure why the sofa is right up against the window like that; we didn’t like it it all. Still more rearranging to do!

Café Curtains

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Finished Curtains

Sewing the lower panels for each window wasn’t hard for my sister and I; just measure, cut, pin, and stitch. After turning them right side out, we sewed in channels for the curtain rods, and a little ruffle above. The top valance was a bit more challenging—it was so long and skinny. But the angles at the sides were hardest, trying to get a curve that would look nice ruffled up. We sewed each valance from three panels: two curved ends and a straight middle. I think this style is called a café curtain. They’re nice since they block off the road outside but still let in plenty of light. And the lower panels are easily opened for a full-screen view!

Making New Curtains

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Ready to Sew More Living Room Curtains

Okay, it is entirely true I spent weeks on a set of ornate curtains for our living room window. And yes, you are totally right in asking why I’m making more. I’ll tell you: 1) There are two windows, only one set of curtains...and Wal-Mart doesn’t have more fabric. 2) The curtains hang over more than half the window and you can hardly see out. 3) The print doesn’t quite look the same on the window as it did in the store—too busy and heavy for our little living room. But that doesn’t mean these drapes are out—there are actually three windows in our living room, only one is in the background by the stairs. A perfect place for a strong print and color statement!

So, let’s get started on those other two windows. I’ve gathered all the supplies we need: fabric, curtain backing, window measurement diagrams, and cutting mat—oh, I forgot the sewing machine!

Rose Card 2

Artist's Gallery

An Awesome Rose

Well, what do you think? Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with it. I’m still in shock it came out so pretty and realistic! I toned down that front purple with milky pink and bluish-red. That red at the base of the inside petals really added a lot, along with some touches of peach that I could see in the original photo.

I worried a lot about the leaves before I painted them. This was a REAL watercolor paper card, textured surface and all, and I didn’t want to cover it all up. So I decided only to put in a few, very light leaves. Watering down the paint produced a subtle effect that didn’t take away from the rose, and also let the paper texture show through. Also, I used a very blue green so it wouldn’t clash with the pinks. It made a very sweet, feminine card, perfect for someone like my mother!

Pink Rose Source Picture

Now that I’ve shown off my painting, here is the original photo to compare. I took it at Inniswood Metropark in Columbus several years ago. The shape is remarkably similar, though the colors are a bit different—mine are richer and pinker than the photograph. This was really a fun project...especially when it came out so well!!

Rose Card 1

Artist's Gallery

Pink Rose Card

And one last flower card, in two posts this time. This is a rose I did just last month for my mother. I’d usually never try something like it, but I came across the photo and felt I had to paint it, so I jumped in. I sketched the petals with pencil first (did you know a rose had so many petals?) and then mixed up 5 or 6 shades of pink paint. I thought it wasn’t coming out very well, but my art teacher picked it up and started showing it to everyone—he loved it! I think the secret was having very distinct darks and lights; that contrast is very important in flowers. See how the petals are defined by dark and light pinks?

Fountain Card

Artist's Gallery

Sympathy Note Card

Okay, I’m willing to exhibit my bungles with painting water falling over the edge of a fountain! The interesting thing about this card is I painted it simultaneously with the Spring Garden card. You may notice identical colors on the leaves and blossoms, and repeated tulips and “starburst” flowers. I used nicer card stationery for this one, with a mottled gray print (shows through in the background), but it still wasn’t meant to be painted on. All that said, it turned out to be a very nice card, especially with the calligraphy text I printed last of all.

Coneflower Card

Artist's Gallery

Another Card with That Same Barn?

It’s hard for even me to believe the number of cards I’ve done the last five years. In fact, my art instructor used to tease me about always painting such small pictures! Above is one I did last year for a penpal’s birthday. I actually painted a second identical one at the same time for my grandma. It was faster, to slap the same colors of paint on both at once. We really did get a photo of that monarch on our coneflowers—I didn’t insert it! A picture like this I probably wouldn’t try on a larger canvas; the card size is really easier to handle…for me, anyway. I also have prints of this card available for sale here at my Countrygirl Art Etsy store.

Cards For Sale!

Artist's Gallery

Cover Photograph for an Etsy Post

I started by posting four sets containing four cards each for sale at my shop, Countrygirl Art. First I took pictures of each card individually and in sets; I tried to pose them in eye-catching ways. Above is a sample, the Amish Country set. In fact, I’ve already posted the paintings on this blog from which all these cards and several others were taken. So you already know the (somewhat boring?) story behind them! Here are links to those paintings featured on my cards; from there, you can click to see them at my Etsy store.

The Way Home

Walk In Mud Valley
Forest Fire
Darby Creek Bridge
Fireworks

Greeting Card Prints

Artist's Gallery

Spring Garden Card Print

I’ve always wanted to be able to share my cards with others beyond just sending them to friends. I realized, though, that prints would be more affordable for people to purchase (and more time-efficient for me to produce) than originals. By now, I had a major collection of photographs of my original cards and artwork. It seemed I was one step away from card prints! I checked out local places to get cards printed, and found a very economical setup at our local office supply store. Above is one of my first prints—a photo of the very same painting as my last post.

The card prints came out beautifully, and after purchasing envelopes, packaging materials, and labels, I was ready to sell! Just last month I opened my greeting card shop on Etsy.com, called Countrygirl Art. The spring garden card was in one of the first sets I posted—you can see it here.

Print with Decorative Border

I should mention, Wal-Mart Photo Department was another place I looked for printing options. They offer a whole line of customizable prints, and you can even design greeting cards with your own photos. However, most of them have decorative borders (like the one I did above), which I didn’t really want. The price was also significantly higher than the office store. You can still make nice cards to send to your friends—their Christmas cards are especially good!

Spring Garden

Artist's Gallery

Watering Can & Lattice Card

Does this picture remind you of a day in the garden, picking bouquets and planting bulbs? This is one of the more detailed cards I did. I painted the scene entirely from my imagination, except for copying the flowers from a bulb catalog. I forget now who the recipient was, but I often wish I’d have kept the card since I put so much work into it. That’s the only downside of painting cards, but then you can share them with someone else! I was beginning to understand why most cards are prints, and not original works, because of the extensive time factor involved.