Personalized Wedding Gifts, custom chefs block or vintage breadboards

Last year I had the good fortune to buy a large flame birch plank about 10 inches wide and 3 inches thick. I purchased it for rolling pins but it had this wonderful live edge and I did not have the heart to chop it up. A girl had contacted me with a request for her best friends wedding gift, a large custom chef’s block or cutting board and she wanted the initials and wedding date carved somewhere on the block to personalize it for her friend.

The large planks with live edge, ready to be cut into blocks.

My plank would be perfect for this… so I made the block and put some walnut strips across the bottom to give it some lift off the counter. The live edge was so wonderful I decided to put a cupids heart and arrow  with the couples initials inside, looked like it was carved into the trunk of the tree. Well living in PEI it is just so ” Anne of Green Gables”.

hand carving the cupids heart and initials with my knife.

All ready for an afternoon carving at the bench

Finished and ready to be packed

I love this wood, it is as smooth as satin.

These have been so popular with people looking for a lifetime gift, hand made and beautiful. Personalized Wedding Gifts  become an instant heirlooms, especially hand crafted. These blocks are one solid piece of wood meant to last a lifetime.

I think the hand carving adds so much to the piece, so rustic for a kitchen adding the warmth of natural wood to even a modern or minimalist space. My carving knife and chisels have had to stay sharp. Nice quiet work at the bench.

Many snowy cold afternoons were spent this winter, carving blocks and talking to Jack and Hazel who napped on their dog beds enjoying the warmth of the infloor heat.

They are large and heavy, many purchased for professional chefs either as an anniversary or wedding gift as well as for newly weds who love to spend time in the kitchen together.. You can chop on them and they stay put, little rubber feet are imbedded into the walnut strips, it keeps the board in place on the counter and quiet when setting it down. I found a large curly maple plank that I just finished a few boards..stunning wood.

The surface of the curly maple, all ready to pack

The personalization has morphed into my vintage style breadboards and even small cheese boards..for shower gifts or housewarming gifts.

I have been doing many of these breadboards with the heart and arrow along with the couples initials. perfect for a wedding shower.

I love the live edge on thios one, sadly it is all gone.

Made for a friend, lettering on the smooth edge.

Such a beautiful gift for a wedding couple

Love these boards

Thank you to Heather Ogg Photography for the beautiful photos of the large maple board..love the greens, just perfect. Heather is a stylist and photographer here on PEI, her work suits mine to a tee, so happy to have found her.

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