Garden of Francis - Order Updates

Greetings everyone!

I am very sorry for the website issues we are having right now. This is a Hostgator issue - not a Garden of Francis issue (please note that my other websites: Keys of the Universe and Keys of the World) are also affected. The main issue is that other e-mail servers will not allow responses to go through - a very serious problem for authentic and honest Hostgator users - Hostgator has been white-listed by MANY other servers/hosts so that e-mails from Hostgator servers never even reach your spam, let alone your real e-mail. This IS being worked on, but there is no pat answer.


If you have not yet received a tracking number for your order but you placed your order prior to October 1, 2013, your order is ready or almost ready and will ship out within the next 2 weeks. I am waiting on supplies for a few items before I can finish up some orders.

If your order was placed October 1 through December 10, your orders will be worked on during the second half of January (sooner if all goes well between now and then).


I appreciate the intent of those who will respond to me in comments with information how I should go about e-mails and web-hosting accounts. I have a very knowledgeable resource looking into the options for me that is aware of each and every detail of the 2 online businesses I operate by myself from home and my other internet-related needs. Again, I appreciate the intent, but I am just not comfortable posting all those nitty-gritty details online ;) I am sure you understand.


I will share this back-story: 

I started Garden of Francis not even on a shoe-string. We live extremely frugally anyway, and we were on state assistance at the time. I somehow scraped together enough to purchase the domain name and hosting space (getting started online they offer great deals, so it wasn't a whole lot that was needed); a friend and I bartered childcare for his web-designing skills and Garden of Francis was born.

My goal was to sew, make soaps - focus on home-based goods. One week, we had enough gas money to get to our original home-state and visit grandparents and cousins. I wanted to make some CGS materials for level 2 for my son at home (we were doing an atrium in our home at the time - cardboard materials which worked great at the time!) and my son's grandpa's basement is where I've always done my wood-working since starting CGS - I posted on ONE group that I would be willing to make CGS materials for other people for THAT week only. It was such a wave that when I took the options offline, I received messages begging me to continue. I came home, bought my own scroll saw and set up in a friend's basement. Leaving out the part where I ended up sick from being in a toxic basement (the wood wasn't down there long enough to absorb anything, besides I sanded everything before sending it out), CGS materials have continued to be a substantial part of my business.

I still intend to continuing offering the CGS items for the foreseeable future, but things will be streamlined with the new site I've not yet posted (few fine-tune details but the other issues have had to take precedence) so that you get just the pieces you want and in the style you like (with the new materials manuals online, things sure have changed/reverted!) - and my mission is to re-focus back on sewing, soap-making, re-usable bags and other home-making products.


Please pray for us - with a bit more school debt paid down, we can qualify to purchase our own home and I can have the scroll saw in my own basement and maybe even add a couple more tools. Much more efficiency, much more peace, less driving and gas and time - a yard for my son to play in and a small *outside* garden. Tiny apartment with indoor gardening and a 9 year old - do not mix ;) Although I am VERY grateful for a warm roof over my head.

Garden of Francis Orders and E-Mails

At Garden of Francis, we (my son and I) are in the middle of a very busy time getting summer orders finished up and sent out. It seems that we can never quite get caught up. And now, there are some serious website issues that require us to re-create the entire site. Changes are coming, but I also need to get your orders to you!!

I have been receiving and responding many e-mails lately - but it seems that not all the messages I have responded to are being received on the other end. This seems to be an issue with my web-host, NOT with spam folders - although spam folders are causing it, but that's a whole other can of worms :)

Orders placed before September 1: ALL orders are being worked on and are headed your direction very soon, if not already.

Orders placed since September 1: Have not yet been started on, except to order any needed supplies. Anticipate these orders around the end of October.

I appreciate everyone's patience! And I hope that this message gets out to everyone it needs to!

God bless!

Used Montessori Materials for sale

The following items are available for sale - NOT directly through Garden of Francis. And prices do not include shipping.

Almost all materials are Nienhuis if there is a maker indicated.

Paypal is preferred; checks are accepted.

I have set comments on this post to private; please respond here with what you would like, your e-mail address and your zip code. All payments received by 8 am May 23rd will go out before Thursday or Friday; all other items will go out when we return after June 1.

Fraction stands (could be used for metal insets as well)
Used, but very good condition
$15

Fraction Circles - two sets available
Partial set: has some pieces missing and a few knobs (some loose knobs included) - $20
Complete Set - $40
Both sets are used, scratched up, but are perfectly functional as-is or could be touched up

Can anyone identify this material?
it is not a "key" material; is not in my AMI albums or any others that I can tell.
However, I thought I'd found album pages for it and had decided to keep it.
Now I can't find those album pages.
It has several small boxes that go with it.
Something algebraic.....
(no price until I identify it ;) )

Binomial Cube - very used
can be touched up or still used as is.
I will repair the door on the right - it is missing its screws
$15

Box of 273 1cm cubes (mostly for elementary Montessori)
BRAND NEW - nothing missing. Pristine condition.
$10
(PENDING)

brown stair extension - volume work - 19 pieces (supposed to be 19)
$10

Volume work for elementary - PRISTINE condition.
5 Yellow Prisms with ruled lines
$40

Second image of the above box - I only have ONE available.
Just showing how the side slides up and out. 

Altar Cloth and Linens

I offer miniature altar cloths and linens at Garden of Francis.

When I make these, I usually need to pack them up and ship them right away, so I have never, over the course of THREE years taken any photos of the ones made for any specific customer - I have only had photos of my originals for my first atrium.

At long last, I received some photos! Woohoo! A very happy customer sent these photos to me.

The altar cloth is a separate purchase
all else is part of the "linens set"
(you will need to insert a stiff cardstock
or other stiff material into the pall and burse)

 The purificator and corporal are the same size. The veil is larger.

Want a customized set? Perhaps your parish doesn't use the burse (how sad!)? You'll want the items that reflects YOUR parish. Either contact me beforehand or mention your specifications in the comments box and I'll refund any portions you don't need.

the additional 3 colors of burses and veils can be
purchased separately or in addition to the sets above
(again, any customizations, let me know!)