DIY wood stain for a DIY wall shelf

while shopping around savannah, georgia, a super fantastic town, i picked up three ADORABLE elephant wall hooks. i have been wanting THIS shelf from anthropologie - but the price tag was too much for me to pay when i have the means to make nearly the exact same thing myself.

the idea of making my own stain was also very appealing to me... so i did just that with a few simple and cheap ingredients - vinegar and steel wool.

i took a glass mason jar and put one piece of steel wool in the bottom, then poured vinegar over it until it was covered. i sealed the jar up and let it sit for 2 days.
we had a scrap piece of lumber and cut it to the size we needed. here is what untreated lumber looks like... brand spankin' new wood. not pretty.

we laid the board out on our workbench and with a sponge paintbrush we applied a coat of the steel wool/vinegar stain. it went on clear. i read that it needs drying time to allow the stain to soak, and as it dries the wood darkens. welllllll... IT DID JUST THAT!  before it was completely dry i added a second coat of stain.
after 24 hours, here is what our brand new piece of lumber looked like...

i couldn't believe my eyes. it was the aaaaaagggggeeeeed barnwood look that i dream about decorating my entire household with. and the more coats you apply, the darker the wood becomes. perfect.
we finished the wood with minwax finishing paste (use that stuff on everything!)and then pre-drilled holes for our elephant hooks and screwed them in.

and there you have it... a wall shelf that cost less than a fraction of the anthro shelf, and its made with your own hands... much more special! we have our new shelf hanging next to the door that keeps our coats and the pups leashes. it is super convenient, super adorable, and i absolutely adore it!!!