STAINED GLASS ART

St Francis Figure from our logo. Copper foil "leading"
construction with copper patina. About 8" tall.

I’ve always admired the art of Stained Glass.  But until recently taking a class and risking cut fingers, I never realized the intricacies and techniques required to make the glass come to life.  Nancy and I were attending the AVA Gallery Hop in 2015 and visited Visions Gallery on Main St.  While there we found out that owner, Carolyn Insler, was going to start teaching classes for beginning aspirants.  So, I signed up.

Chattanooga FREE Eventful Summer Weekends!

Chattanooga from Point Park  (Photo: Wallace Braud)

Is your budget keeping you from taking that getaway weekend you desperately need during the summer months?  Then consider Chattanooga, Tennessee as your wallet-friendly destination! 

Read on for some suggestions on how to enjoy our incredible city without putting a strain on your finances.

Joint Craft Venture! - LEAF CASTINGS

Finished Concrete Leaf Castings.

We enjoy making leaf castings from elephant ears, hosta leaves and other leaves with a distinct vein pattern.  Nancy makes the castings using a high strength mortar mix reinforced with a central layer of fiber mesh joint reinforcement tape (used for sheetrock joints).  

Testing the Bed and Breakfast Menu - Round 2

A Look back at Round 1  

Many, many THANKS to our faithful food testers Jennifer and Ingo Jung, Colleen Fieser and daughter Liz Fieser!  These folks have been exceptionally brave critics and supporters as we attempt to add our own touches to some well-received recipes.

Savory Green Bean Benedict

L to R - Ingo and Jennifer Jung, Liz Fieser and Colleen Fieser

At our first gathering last March, we tried out a Green Bean Casserole recipe from The Old Coffeepot Restaurant in New Orleans that we saw on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  We decided to convert this savory dinner treat into a breakfast entree by serving the creamy casserole over English Muffins, ham and poached eggs, with a side of home-fried potatoes. 

Home Grown Recipes!

Egg & Veggie Tostada and Michael's Egg Stack

Fresh Ingredients make this Egg and Veggie Tostada the taste treat that it is!

Egg & Veggie Tostada

Egg and Veggie Tostadas are a staple of the Braud household diet.  After a long day’s work on our mini-farm, we’ll often throw a couple of flour tortillas on the cast iron grille, grate some cheese, stir fry whatever veggies we have on hand in organic olive oil with some fresh garlic and herbs, and scramble a couple of farm-fresh eggs.  Voila!  A healthy meal that uber-satisfies without making us feel stuffed.   We can’t wait to share our favorite go-to, anytime meal with you!  (Read More for Michael's Egg Stack)

St Francis Cottage - Getting "Dried In"

Rear view of house with roof for wrap around porch on right.  Roofers working on first courses of shingles.  They finished the 2-story portion of the roof, yesterday.

After only a week of working on the roof sections of the house, we are one step closer to opening and one step closer to not having to worry about the weather for the main parts of construction. Framers and roofers have been working long hours to get us to this point.

Completed main roof and front porch structures.

The framers also took down the interior cross bracing yesterday and it's starting to look more like a house on the inside with a definite feel for the size and layout of each room.  I found myself walking around just grinning about the progress and what we will have to offer.  We think it's starting to shape up nicely.  We look forward to having this ready for you to enjoy, too.

Part of the Great Room.

St Francis Cottage's New Blog!  

Welcome to A View from St Francis Cottage!  When completed we invite you to our place to Rest, Relax, & Restore while traveling or during an opportunity to just get away.  We were blessed with this wonderful piece of property almost 24 years ago, and we want to share its beauty, tranquility, and convenience with those who visit the Chattanooga area.

Over the next few months we plan to introduce ourselves and give you glimpses into the ideas behind the construction of our new Bed & Breakfast, here in Chattanooga.  We will share recipes; gardening tips; craft project suggestions; photos of various aspects of the new facility; and links to some of our favorite places, events and web sites.

It will be eclectic, informative, casual, and hopefully a bit of fun!  We might even throw in a few video clips.  Chattanooga offers many outstanding things to do and see, from outdoor-based activities to excellent arts and entertainment venues, a bountiful number of good restaurants and plenty of shopping opportunities ranging from "high end" to "never pay retail."  The area is surrounded by natural beauty and man-made attractions for just about every niche interest accommodating the whole family.

Meet the Brauds

We would like to introduce you to our family.  Our children grew up in our home on five acres, which now includes the St. Francis Cottage property.  We spent many years as a family enjoying our children, pets and the pasture that is now the B&B.  (Our miniature donkeys Meli and Margeaux now live with a nice family on 17 acres in North Georgia.)