A Fifty Wedding Anniversary  gift was carved out of a butternut wood strip measuring six inches long, two and a half  inches tall and a half inch thick.  The letters ”L – O – V –E”  were drawn on the wood freehand with each letter slightly behind the preceding letter in a stair step fashion. Knife cuts were used to shape the letters with the help of a gouge.   A shallow gouge was used to texture the front of the letters while the number five was recessed in the back to join with the opening of the letter “O”  to form the number “50”. A Danish Oil finish was applied followed with a soft paste wax that was buffed to a rich sheen.  The Love plaque is intended to stand on its own as a table top decoration with the beauty of love backed up with fifty years of marriage.  All of which is a metaphor for a love that lasts.