Graduation Gift Ideas – Money Leis
Looking for a fun way to give money for your graduate this year? Something more exciting than a little cash stuffed in a boring old card? These money leis are not only crazy easy to make but they’ll make your cash gift stand out from the crowd.
It’s a proven fact that kids like receiving cash gifts, so why not make your gift fun?
Below is an easy tutorial of the leis we made for our kids and neighbors.
It’s super simple, I promise!
Supplies You’ll Need
60 Crisp $1 bills {wrinkled, worn bills don’t work as well}
Clear tape
Thin ribbon or string
Directions
Fold a dollar bill accordion style. Then, fold the bill in half. Pull the sides out to create a full circle with the dollar bill. Attach the edges to each other with a TINY piece of clear tape.
Slide the ribbon through the center of the circled dollar bill {feed it through the middle where your edges meet}. Repeat the process until you have added all of the dollar bills.
Tie the string/ribbon in a knot, and voila, a money lei.
~Mavis
Looking for more graduation gift ideas? Check out my blog post; 15 Gift Ideas for Grads.
Robin in SoCal says
I love these so much
Mavis says
Aren’t they such a fun idea!
Angie says
Thanks! Perfect for a graduation we’ll be going to next weekend!
I was thinking of giving $$, but this is so much cooler, and I love origami dollar bills. This is going to be the gift for next year’s graduations also.
Mavis says
I know. Once I realized how easy these were to make, I’m making them for every graduation gift!
Teresa says
Don’t you need 2 bills to make an a accordioned circle?
Dee says
No. You make a V and then fan it out.
Fold a dollar bill accordion style. Pinch it flat and then fold the bill in half like a V. Pull the sides out to create a full circle with the dollar bill. Attach the edges to each other with a TINY piece of clear tape.
Mona says
or you can use those funky lil glue dots (if you can find them) I got mine at JoAnn’s Fabric…
Raven says
Thank you for posting this! I used your tutorial and made this for my son’s high school graduation lei today. It was so great! We got so many comments, too – which was fun. This helped me do something special for him – thank you so much for the help!!
nancy says
do you string only thru one side of the dollar or both?
Betty says
I made this for my granddaughter’s graduation and it was so cute. She loved it and now my other grandchildren are asking me to make one for them when they graduate. Not hard to make but did take a little more time to make than I anticipated. But it was worth it!
Annoyed says
i wish u guys were clearer with instructions and provided more pictures. it would help.
Dee says
I’m going to try to breakdown the steps for you. Hope it helps!
Fold a dollar bill accordion style. (Pic #2 on this page)
Then the accordion flat and fold the bill in half like a V.
Pull the sides out to fan it out and create a full circle with the dollar bill like this O.
After making the V into an O, you need to attach the open edges with a TINY piece of clear tape.
Slide the ribbon through the center of the circled dollar bill {feed it through the middle where your edges meet – bottom center of the V.
Repeat the process until you have added all of the dollar bills.
Tie the string/ribbon in a knot, and voila, a money lei.
Linda says
Dee…your instructions are very clear! I surprised myself when my graduate Lei was completed! It went together so easy and looks beautiful. I didn’t take the bills up and around the neck because they might irritate the back of the neck…my fill color was red…it turned out adorable! Thank you fir sharing the technique
VICKY DAVIS says
Love the idea of a fill color. What type of paper did you use for that?
Tom Biehn says
It’s the best way to appreciate the success of recent graduates. They will surely love Money Leis as their graduation gifts.
Cassie says
About how many dollars with this take?
Marcy says
I have 3 grandchildren graduating this year. And I love this idea for their gifts!