When you’re all out of gift-giving ideas, cash is a decent fail-safe. It’s a quick and easy choice and the recipient can buy whatever their hearts desire. While money is a stress-free gift idea it can be a bit impersonal. Fortunately, you can get innovative with your cash gift by using the bills to create elaborate money origami crafts. Your recipient, especially young loved ones, will be impressed.
4 Money Origami Projects
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A money tree.
Money may not grow on trees, but with the right ingenuity, you can create your own money tree gift! Sunburst Gifts offers a fun tutorial for making your own money tree topiary. The base of the tree is made with a gardening pot filled with foam and the tree is made with a wooden dowel rod wedged in the foam and a foam sphere attached to the top. You can then use floral pins to attach dollar bills to the sphere in a decorative pattern. You can find the Sunburst Gifts tutorial here.
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Cash crown.
This year forgo the custom birthday hats and give the birthday boy or gal a crown made of money. With this tutorial from Big Ideas 3, you’ll create a crown with a woven pattern. By folding the dollar bills you’ll create a headband-like crown with a zigzag shape. All you need is cash, no additional tape or wire required.
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Money cake.
If your gift recipient is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or graduation then consider making them a cash cake. This gift requires more work than other money origami projects but the final product will definitely be worth it. You can find tons of cash cake tutorials online. This example comes from Jodi McKinney at Life In Between. She used cash, Styrofoam discs, ribbons, candles and pins to create a three-tiered cake. You can find further instructions here.
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Money lei.
This money garland project from Once Upon a Pink Moon would be best for young kids as it combines dollar bills with a kids favorite: candy bars. This quick tutorial uses folded dollar bills, bright colored beads, and wire to create beautiful butterflies. These butterflies are then attached to cellophane a candy lei made from candy bars and colored cellophane wrap. For further instructions, check out the Once Upon a Pink Moon guide.
Bonus: Gift cards. If you prefer giving gift cards instead of cash, check out this article. You’ll get helpful tips as well as a few ideas on how to personalize the gift cards.