Odor Removal From Old Furniture

My thrifted dish cabinet smelled of a musty old house and worst of all cigarettes. 

It was stained with nicotine inside and out.

Dawn soap, white vinegar, and coffee grounds

ODOR REMOVAL FROM OLD FURNITURE

1. Clean entire surface of wood with warm water and Dawn soap. Dawn is an excellent degreaser.
2. Go over entire surface of wood with warm water and vinegar. This may need to be done multiple times.
3. Place used coffee grounds in containers inside furniture in multiple places. Change coffee grounds frequently. The grounds absorb odors.

Charcoal briquets could be used in place of coffee grounds.

A reader of this blog also suggested crumpled up newspaper inside the cabinets.

 The back wall of the piece is particle board. 

and therefore almost impossible to wipe down.

Because of this I only removed about 75% of the odor but that is still a vast improvement.

 I could replace that board and remove a lot of odor.

 On a fine solid wood antique this process would be more effective.

It is almost impossible to remove mold and mildew odors from furniture. 

I do not buy furniture that smells like mildew or that has water stains.

The English roses I am allowing to dry inside the cabinet are leaving a lovely natural rose scent.

 So dry some scented flowers inside your malodorous furniture too.

joy and peace

Olive

Dish Cabinet

When I saw this tall painted cabinet in a junk shop I was immediately interested. 

Could it work in our dining room?

My friend Beth gave me those pretty Staffordshire knives.

It was not made to hold dishes. 

 Originally it was a gun cabinet. 

Someone built shelves in it.

It's narrow profile works in this walkway perfectly.

The whites, red transferware, and David Austin roses seem at home.

One huge negative to this cabinet was it smelled terrible. 

I have worked on this issue relentlessly. 

I might do a post on removing odors from cabinets if y'all are interested.

What do you think?

 Is it a keeper?

To see our kitchen island filled with transferware go here.

linking@Wow Us Wednesday's

joy and peace

Olive

Deck and Patio

It has been a quest of sorts to find a table top for 

the curvy metal table base you see here.

 I was about to give up when I found a piece of sealed granite in a

 junk shop for a ridiculously low price.

 It weighs almost 80 pounds.

 Joe told me never to find a larger piece.

If an item is big and heavy I want it.

We routinely eat on the deck and bird watch. 

The hummingbirds arrived early this year. 

The hummers ignore us while flying from feeder to feeder.

The patio area will have flowers blooming around it shortly. 

The roses and amaryllis are budding.

I basically rely on perennials but do use a good many petunias in planters. 

They are not terribly thirsty and take this awful Deep South heat.

I have sweet mint (above), chocolate mint, rosemary, thyme, and basil 

growing on or near the deck. 

The rosemary and thyme are winter hardy here.

My first foxglove is blooming but I will share that beauty later.

linking@Wow Us Wednesday

joy and peace

Olive

Teapot, Teacups, Pitchers

Good morning my friends.

This crazed, creamy, and blue teapot is the cutest. 

I found it in a junk shop.

 It is on my dining table where I have a vintage bedspread with intricate embroidery.

If you see cat hair-this is where Gremmie hangs out. 

We eat elsewhere.

Thank you all for your comments in my last ice storm post. 

Y'all are awfully sweet. 

I have the best friends here too.

Look at that old embroidery.

 Do use vintage spreads and quilts as tablecloths. 

They work quite well.

Two Meakin {made in England}small pitchers from the same junk shop. 

Forgive my blurry pics. 

I am in bad form. 

We picked up more truck loads of limbs yesterday. 

We are making progress. 

We can now walk to our mailbox unscathed.

A leaning tower of Meakin teacups in a cloche.

 I like that caddy wampus look.

Caddy wampus is where it's at for us these days:}

linking@Wow Us Wednesday's

joy and peace

Olive

Junkin Finds

It is never a bad idea to pick up a scale or a Delft blue cow creamer. 

I doubt the creamer weighs over seven pounds though. 

This corner of our dining room is full of recent flea market, junk, and antique store finds.

 I am enamored of old beat up buckets.

 They are elevated from their humble status when planted with flowers.

That is not a garden watering can but rather a gas station radiator water can. 

If you are old enough to recall full service gas stations you may remember these. 

I would plant Blue Daze flowers in it.

I own three stick tables. 

This one has beautiful folk art painting on it. 

I was thrilled to uncover it in a junk shop buried under a large box.

The wood on this stool was incredibly dry. 

I practically gave it a bath in furniture paste wax.

 I like it's legs.

All of this is tagged for the booths and packed in the Jeep except the cow creamer. 

With my transferware  addiction-she's all mine.

I am scheduled for ear surgery this Thursday. 

I am ready for it as I have migraines and a persistent earache.

I will let you, my peeps, know what happens. 

Invariably I always create some sort of drama. 

Or Joe thinks so anyways.

linking@Wow Us Wednesdays

happy hunting

Olive

French Sign

  With plaster over metal and at about five feet in length this French sign is almost more than I could handle. I wrangled it into my Mini Cooper anyway. It just fit.

My intention was to sell it until we hung it on the fireplace. 

Game Over. Keeping it I am.

Amour Fait Beaucoup translates to love is much.

I did not aim for all that gilt in our living room. 

I  thrifted my way there. 

With our country braided rug and slip covered beach furniture it is an eclectic look. 

The whole room is not pictured because the fireplace is lit.  

All the hearth items are scattered about. 

It is still cold here and the snow has not melted.

The plaster has some damage but I don't mind.

 I have no idea of the age of this variation on the French coat of arms.  

Where did I find it?

At one of my favorite antique/junk stores.

 It was laying on a twin bed.

 Buried a bit and challenging to see. 

That gilt winked at me.

Linking@Be Inspired

happy hunting

Olive

Thrifty Cafe Curtains

Cafe curtains hang from little clips usually and cover half the window. 

I made the last set for this kitchen window from a twin sheet with hemming tape.

 I do not sew. 

This pair is a simple pair of king sized pillowcases on clips. 

The eyelet ruffle adds a cottage touch.

 The previous look.

The kitchen island is busy and full of transferware as ya'll know. 

The white eyelet is calming in the background.

I found the eyelet pillowcases at a thrift store for one dollar. 

Saves me money for my transferware collection.

Even if you bought new pillowcases it would still be a thrifty window covering.

All you need are tension rods, a set of curtain clips, and a pair of king pillowcases.

linking@Wow Us Wednesday's

joy and peace

Olive

Bottlebrush Trees Take Two

Bottlebrush trees have been placed on the three drawer antique chest. 

The gallery wall has had some additions since you last saw it.

This bottlebrush tree is likely from the early 1950's.

 I picked it up at a garage sale. It was a fabulous find.

Gremmie is sitting in front of the "nekkid" tree with not enough lights. 

She is more important to us than a decorated tree.

This bottlebrush tree is new and I am not crazy about the base. 

I have placed it in a tarnished monogramed bowl.

I recently purchased this tree at an antique store in Madison, Georgia. 

It was not expensive. I placed it in an old piece of pottery.

You can see more of my bottlebrush trees lashed to vintage trucks here. 

Don't miss my post "Thirty Minutes In The Day Of A Registered Nurse" about meningitis here.

Thank you for your sweet sweet comments about South Korea Girl in my last post.

Happy Christmas

Olive

Friendly Village China In A Toolbox

Two of my favorite collectibles are paired here on the bar. 

Transferware and an old toolbox. 

The transferware is Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers.

It has lovely winter scenes on its plates.

The snow on the plates is about as close as I am getting to snow.

Don't laugh at the bow. 

I made it and I am horrible at bow making.

Okay, laugh.

 There is a back story to the long roofers toolbox.

 It was purchased at the Gordon Farmer estate sale.

 Mr. Farmer was on American Pickers in 2010. 

He had warehouses full of antiques at his local business near our yellow house.

The lady I bought it from was happy with my vision for it.

I did not go to the sale because I thought it was likely out of my price range. 

I bought this toolbox, still full of roofing nails, from an antiques dealer about two weeks ago.

Nails out-transferware in!

{That Buddha under glass makes me think of South Korea Girl. 

She loves Asian art pieces.}

The toolbox is a big long piece but I knew immediately when I saw it it was perfect for our bar.

Wishing you a peaceful day.

 I was out in traffic and am beyond thrilled to be home with my fur kids.

Please check out my post: Thirty Minutes In The Day Of A Registered Nurse.

Thanks bunches to all who have already stopped by.

Linking@Wow Us Wednesday's

Be Inspired

Happy Christmas

Olive