Spellbinders Day 10: Advent Calendar 2025
Today’s surprise from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar was another irresistibly cute die set. At first glance, the star of the set looks like a simple slice of bread, complete with hands, feet, and several internal pieces meant for adding toppings.
Most crafters will immediately see peanut butter and jelly possibilities — but my mind went somewhere else entirely. I saw waffles.
If you’re curious how a piece of toast turned into a waffle birthday card, keep reading. I’ll walk you through each step of the process and share a few creative techniques along the way.
Creating the Waffle Base with Ink Blending
Once I committed to the waffle idea, the first step was choosing the right color. I reached for Distress Oxide Tea Dye, which turned out to be the perfect warm, golden shade for a waffle.
I ink blended Tea Dye onto a piece of white cardstock, making sure the blended area was large enough to cut from. Using the larger “toast” outline die, I cut my waffle shape from the inked cardstock.
Adding Realistic Waffle Texture with an Embossing Folder
To create the iconic waffle ridges, I searched through my embossing folders until I found the Tile Mosaic Embossing Folder by Spellbinders. The geometric pattern was just right for mimicking the deep pockets of a waffle.
Before embossing, I paused to think about the syrup — because realistically, syrup sinks into the nooks and crannies of a waffle. That meant the syrup needed to be in place before embossing.
Creating Translucent Syrup with Vellum and Alcohol Markers
I wanted the syrup to look shiny and translucent, not flat or opaque. Colored cardstock with a gloss finish wouldn’t work, so I turned to vellum.
The challenge with vellum is adhesive — tape often shows through. My solution was to burnish double-sided tape over the entire vellum area, which helps disguise the adhesive. But before adding the adhesive to the vellum I needed the vellum to be syrup colored…
To color the syrup while keeping it translucent, I remembered a technique I had seen before: coloring vellum with alcohol markers. I used OLO OR 3.7, coloring the back of the vellum so the front stayed smooth and glossy. Then I added the double-sided tape, and burnished it down, sealing in the color.
Using the internal piece from the toast die (likely intended for spreads or toppings), I cut the syrup shape and adhered it to the waffle base.
Embossing and Enhancing the Waffle Details
With the syrup adhered, I ran both the waffle and syrup through using the Tile Mosaic Embossing Folder.
After Embossing, to emphasize the raised ridges, I lightly ran Gina K Warm Cocoa Ink over the surface. This subtle step added depth and made the waffle texture stand out beautifully.
Adding Arms and Legs
To bring the waffle to life, I cut the arms and legs from scrap brown cardstock and adhered them to the waffle. These small details add personality and a playful feel to the design.
Making a Plate with Masking Techniques
The waffle needed something to ground it visually, so I decided to create a plate using a circle die.
After cutting a white circle, it looked a bit flat on its own. To fix that, I cut a smaller circle from masking paper and placed it in the center of the plate. I then lightly ink blended Distress Oxide Lost Shadow around the mask to create the illusion of a rim.
Once I removed the mask, the plate had instant dimension and looked much more realistic.
Stamping and Trimming the Sentiment
For the sentiment, I chose “Love, Kisses and Birthday Wishes” from the Birthday Unboxing Stamp Set, which is part of the Birthday Celebrations Bundle.
I stamped the sentiment in black ink and trimmed it down to stretch across the width of the card, measuring approximately 4 inches long.
Assembling the Card Base
For the base panel, I pulled patterned paper from my stash that featured tiny sunshine designs. I trimmed it to 4” x 5.25” and adhered it to a white A2 card base.
To add realism and dimension, I used 1 mm foam tape behind the plate and the waffle, giving both a subtle lift off the background.
I placed the plate and waffle in the top half of the card and the sentiment along the bottom. Once everything was adhered, my waffle-inspired birthday card was complete.
Final Thoughts
This die set was such a fun surprise, and I love how versatile it turned out to be. Seeing everyday shapes in unexpected ways is one of my favorite parts of cardmaking.
How did you use today’s die? Did you see a waffle like I did, or did you take it in a completely different direction? I’d love to hear about it — tell me in the comments below.
Missed a 2025 Advent Project? Links Below
Spellbinders 2025 Advent
- Spellbinders Advent Day 1
- Spellbinders Advent Day 2
- Spellbinders Advent Day 3
- Spellbinders Advent Day 4
- Spellbinders Advent Day 5
- Spellbinders Advent Day 6
- Spellbinders Advent Day 7
- Spellbinders Advent Day 8
- Spellbinders Advent Day 9
Pink and Main 2025 Advent
- Pink and Main Day 1
- Pink and Main Day 2
- Pink and Main Day 4
- Pink and Main Day 5
- Pink and Main Day 6
- Pink and Main Day 7
- Pink and Main Day 8
- Pink and Main Day 9
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Supplies Used
- Spellbinders Day 10 Die Set
- Distress Oxide Ink – Tea Dye
- Distress Oxide Ink – Lost Shadow
- Gina K Designs Ink – Warm Cocoa
- Tile Mosaic Embossing Folder (Sold Out)
- Birthday Unboxing Stamp Set in the Birthday Celebrations Bundle
- OLO Alcohol Marker – OR 3.7
- White Cardstock
- Vellum
- Patterned Paper (stash)
- Masking Paper
- Double-Sided Tape
- 1 mm Foam Tape
- Black Ink
- Die Cutting Machine
- Stamping Platform
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