Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
My Favorite Dollar Bill Origami Tutorials
Original Article Published: 12/7/23
Updated: 3/14/24
Years ago, my niece came to spend the night at my house and that night she lost a tooth. I wanted to make it special for her so I created a dollar bill origami butterfly made out of two single dollar bills and a pipe cleaner. While she slept, I left it by her pillow with a note sprinkled in glittery “fairy dust” and the next morning, she was pleasantly surprised to see the cute creation made by the tooth fairy.
I created this butterfly origami for a sweet child
Over the years, I’ve continued gifting money to my niece and nephew in many creative ways and have loved it. Origami dollar bill creations are among my favorite ways to gift money. You can give your creations to strangers in need, graduates, newlyweds and more. I taught some origami, or the Japanese art of paper folding, to some of my art students and they loved it, so I want to pass along this fun art form to anyone else wanting to try it.
Place several origami money hearts in a circle and it forms a flower
You can create many, many origami creations using money and, in this article, I’ll show you some of my favorite dollar bill origami tutorials, some of which got very popular on my TikTok account! My Pinterest account is also gaining speed on my dollar bill heart origami video.
I glued the pom pom to the card, not the money
While there are many dollar bill origami tutorials online, I tried to use my former teacher talents to explain the folding process and show how to do them in an easy way. Origami can be tricky and I hope my short video tutorials are easy for you to follow, as seeing something done is usually a great visual way to learn!
My advice is to start using faux dollar bills, like I bought on Amazon. This is a great way to practice so you don’t ruin any money. Read on to learn how to create my favorite dollar bill origami creations.
I made multiple origami butterflies for an older child’s birthday
Dollar Bill Origami Butterfly
I’ve seen many variations of a dollar bill origami butterfly, and this is one of my favorite ways to do it. I’ve given these as “tooth fairy money” to several children over the years and they always love it. Many of them hold onto the butterflies instead of spending the money, which is a great way to help teach a kid to save money!
Make several money origami butterflies for a great gift
Make it extra special for the loss of the first tooth by using $2 bills! My grandfather gave me a few $2 bills when I was a kid and I still have them. They remind me of him and his wonderful generosity whenever I see them. Check out my one minute video tutorial below for detailed dollar bill butterfly origami instructions.
The heart origami dollar bill makes a great gift for anyone
Dollar Bill Origami Heart
This heart folded origami dollar bill is easily done with one heart. Many people on TikTok have tried it and told me they loved it. One person said they gave one to their wife. One person asked me to do a broken heart, which I have not done, but it’s a good idea for the future.
I added this to a graduation card
I could see this origami dollar bill heart looking great attached with some removable tape to a card and then gifted to a newlywed couple for their wedding day. Check out my one minute video tutorial below for detailed dollar bill heart origami instructions.
Dollar Bill Origami Arrow
A simple money origami arrow
The money origami arrow is very simple with only a handful of folds before you finish it. I like the idea of giving a money origami arrow as a gift on the cover of a card for Valentine’s Day or any day you need to brighten someone’s life.
Money Origami Arrow on a card
I gave the money origami arrow on the front of a card that says “You are priceless” and the inside of the card says “but deserve to treat yo’ self”. When giving money as a gift, sometime it’s nice to jazz it up and creating a money origami arrow does just this!
The arrow and heart money origami combo makes a great gift idea!
See how to make the money origami arrow in my one minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
You can use faux money for these origami projects
Dollar Bill Origami Swan
I created the dollar bill origami swan out of a $10 bill that my dear friend Clyde gifted me. Clyde gave me the money for Easter one year and asked me to spend it on some chocolates for my husband and I. I met Clyde from volunteering with the Louisville Ballet and despite him being almost exactly 40 years older than I (it was a running joke for us to tell often), we quickly bonded over a love of The Nutcracker and all the beautiful costumes the ballet performed in.
Clyde loved Swan Lake and I created a dollar bill origami swan in memory of him shortly after his passing in 2023. I know Clyde wanted me to spend the money, but in his honor of being a great saver, I kept it and I’m glad I did. I’ll hold onto it, like many of the kids do when I give them an origami dollar bill creation. The money is special, just like Clyde was to me. Check out my one minute video tutorial below for detailed dollar bill swan origami instructions.
I created a Santa hat card with money origami
Dollar Bill Origami Santa Hat
I wanted to create a holiday themed dollar bill origami tutorial to keep the origami momentum going as every day more and more people pin or save my tutorial on TikTok and Pinterest. I bought a book called Easy Dollar Bill Origami on Amazon for more inspiration and saw a “tall cap” tutorial and figured out how to turn it into a Santa hat.
Use removable tape for money origami
With a mini pom pom, removable tape, a blank card and some craft glue, it became a cute card to give to anyone during the holiday season as a sweet gift idea. Check out my one minute video tutorial below for detailed dollar bill Santa hat origami instructions.
You could leave off the pom pom if you just want it to be a plain hat
Hoppy Easter Card gift idea
Dollar Bill Origami Rabbit
As my money origami tutorials keep getting shared on my social media platforms, I figured I’d keep them going. With inspiration from the Easter holiday season in March of 2024, I created a rabbit money origami tutorial that could also be given on a card with the title “Hoppy Easter”. I use Avery printable blank cards that I get on Amazon. I added a pink pom pom (glued to the card, not the money) to complete the cute gift idea. I always use removable tape when taping money.
Watch the one minute video tutorial below to see how to create a money origami rabbit or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Dollar Bill Origami Rabbit
If you loved these origami dollar bill tutorials and want to see more, let me know in the comments below!
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.