OK, thanks! Actually I did the soap, water, and vinegar cleaning early this morning while the weather was cooler. My mom came over later and did the mineral spirits for me while I worked on another project. The chest and drawers are still outdoors airing out right now. I think we managed to keep dabbing away at the ink for it to stop getting any color on the cloth. I'm going to forego the shellacing for now and just cover it with a drawer liner.

stephf-- while I appreciate your suggestion, I really don't want to paint the antique chest of drawers. I purchased my nightstands from Ethan Allen several months ago in order to tie in with the chest, so I don't want to paint them either. I am just going to work around them. I have purchased some accessories and two pictures for over the nightstands and am having a wreath made for over the bed. I have found an oval cotton braided rug to go at the foot of my bed and plan to put rugs on either side of the bed. I have found that a couple of antique doilies soften the nightstands. It is a work in process, and I am appreciative of all of the suggestions made.

The least you can do the better. As long as your home is clean and not cluttered, having bare walls is not a bad thing. Prospective buyers can envision their own belongings in the space. Just stage your bathrooms with nice towels and simple vanity sets. Take items off the tops of your chests and and tables and place a colorful houseplant or candles there. In this case...less is more. :-)

Well, it might have been me, if you're the guy who does the custom touch-up work for Branch Cabinetry (and if it IS you, I'll be calling you very soon for different work for us here). I'm not aiming for my the antique pieces to match or even look like mahogany. . . just much darker would be a good start. I'd already thought about using Minwax's Gel Stain, but was then told it would chip off too easily on a dining room table and chairs that are used every day. Same with black paint. If you can tell me a way to avoid the chips, I'm ready and willing to go that route instead. No one is going to want to buy this set from me in it's present condition, even though it's wonderfully carved and made well. And, it looks too odd for us to keep it as is with the new antique pieces. I'd love to go with an antiqued black look. Any ideas now???