Experience Tip:  READ ALL THE DIRECTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING. Before you get started, make sure you have everything you need to complete the project.    This will save you time and frustration.

What you’ll need:

• Drill
• A drill bit large enough to drill a hole for the size rope you’ve purchased
• 8 Screws to secure mending plate – make sure the screws are not longer than your board is thick.
• 2 Mending Plates (this is what the plates that connect the wood pieces together is really called)
• 2 Eye Hooks
• Level
• Three 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 boards cut to your desired length (Home Depot will cut your board to length when you buy them)
• White Wax for this driftwood/whitewashed finish or paint if you prefer.
• Rope or cord to hang the shelves
• Safety glasses or goggles

• Experience Tip:  Read all instructions before beginning. Make sure you have all your tools and materials assembled BEFORE you begin the project.
• Decide how wide you want your shelves.
• Have boards cut to length when you purchase the boards
• Determine how tall you want your shelving unit and where would you like the eye hook to be on the wall – there is no exact science to this it’s based on personal preference and how you plan to use the shelves.
• Once you decide where you’d like the eye hook, put a small mark on the wall and figure out where you’d like the first shelf to start and make a small mark on the wall.
• Decide how much space you’d like to have between the 2 shelves and mark the wall for the bottom shelf.
• Now measure from the mark for the eye hook to the mark for the bottom shelf.  Write that measurement down for the next step.
• How to figure out how much rope you need – Once you have the measurements from the previous step multiply that number by 2 and add 36″ to allow for knots to determine the correct amount of rope to cut for each side.
• So if you want the self to hang 18 inches from the eye hook to the first shelf and you want an additional  18 inches between the shelves, you multiply 36 x 2 and add about 36 inches for knots and other allowances.  In this example, you’ll need 2 pieces of rope 9 feet in length.

• Connect 2 of the boards together to make a double wide shelf for the bottom.  (This is optional, the shelf will look just as beautiful if you have the same depth for each shelf.  It all depends on your personal preference and/or storage needs.
• Optional:  Chisel out the area where the mending bracket will connect the two pieces of wood so that it will be flush with the wood.  This looks really nice but it will still look nice if you skip this step.  If you decided to paint your shelves skip this step and just paint the brackets to match the shelf

• Finish your boards by either painting, staining or using white wax to create your driftwood finish, by lightly brushing the white wax over the board until you’ve created the desired look.

• Let boards dry to the touch.
• Mark your shelves for your holes.  You should be 1 Inch in from each side on the 4 corners of each shelf.
• Drill the holes.  The size of the drill bit will depend on the thicknes of the rope or cord you’ve chosen.

• Touch-up any finish or paint that may have been chipped while drilling and chiseling.
• Mark the wall for the eye hooks. The distance between your eye hooks should be 2 inches less than the width of your shelf.  Make sure the eye hooks are hung level. Screw eye hooks into the wall.  IMPORTANT – Use wall anchors or other type of anchor to make sure your shelf will be securely fastened to the wall.

• Wrap eye hooks with rope to create a finished look

• Thread the rope through the eye hook.

• Thread the rope through the top board through both front and back holes.
• Tie a knot at all 4 corners at the desired height.

• Put a level on the board and adjust knots until the board is level.

  

• Repeat with the lower board.
• You may want to double knot the bottom board, based on your personal preference.
• Stand back and make sure you are happy with the final result.
• If you like what you see, cut the rope, leaving about 1/1/2 inches hanging.
• Sit back and admire your handy work.

• Your shelf looks awesome!  Now go ahead and post your first Instagram pick letting everyone know just how awesome you are at this DIY stuff.
• Gather all the treasure of items that need storing and style as desired.  Post your next instagram photo.
• Finally grab a Mojito – You deserve it.  Your shelf now looks amazing!  Sit back and admire your new shelf, snap a few selfies with you a mojito and your shelf, post to Instagram and Facebook.  You rock.  I’m so proud of you.