mis-matched outdoor dining sets that were falling apart. Sad, right? You spend $500 or more on glass and metal for it to fall apart after a few years. I found plans via the Design Confidential and made a few edits. (http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/04/free-diy-furniture-plans-to-build-a-restoration-hardware-inspired-provence-beam-dining-with-4x4s) Mainly I used 4x4's for the legs so it looks more like the RH original. We chose cedar for it's lasting outdoor and bug resistant properties. My mom is thrilled with her new table and gets compliments on it all the time! Materials were only $230, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the 4K plus she would have spent in stores. More details on the build are on my blog.

She wrote: "You can imagine that crime scene investigators like me get interesting questions. However, tonight's, though forensically sound, is more appropriate for my Atta Girls. Neighbor: "How do you get the smell of 'dead' out of furniture?" Seems a 78-year-old, sentimental chest of drawers in her garage became home to a decaying critter without her immediate knowledge. She's tried Fabreeze and bleach, which not only didn't work, but also warped a thin, wood packing crate her father used to craft the piece. Any suggestions?"

I gave my pal some suggestions for getting the stench out of old furniture and thrift store finds, which you can read on my blog, Atta Girl Says. But I also wanted to post the query here at Hometalk.

What are your solutions for removing gross from furniture? #Bestof2012 #springcleaning

waxed the entire piece. I painted the hardware with Graphite and waxed.

You can find my full DIY instructions here....http://www.janis-allthingsbeautiful.com/2012/07/armoire-painted-furniture-makeover.html