Money Christmas Tree

In today’s post: Learn how to turn dollar bills into a cute Christmas tree for a gift anyone would love to receive! This is an easy DIY Christmas gift you can make in under an hour.

Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to make a dollar bill Christmas tree:

• Dollar Bills: You can use all one dollar bills or mix and match different denominations to gift however much money you’d like. You’ll need 36 bills total. The tree looks best if you use bills that aren’t ripped or too wrinkled. You can also iron the bills flat first using a warm (not too hot) iron.
• 9 inch Styrofoam Cone: Find these at most big box or craft stores
• Small Terra Cotta Flower Pot: The pot should be a bit smaller than the bottom of the styrofoam cone. The one I used was from Hobby Lobby and is about 2.5 inches tall. Make sure to use a clay or terra cotta pot so it’s heavy enough to stabilize the tree.
• Clear Tape (single sided): You’ll use single sided clear tape to tape the bills into the correct shape to make branches.
• Double Sided Tape: You’ll use double sided tape to adhere the branches to the tree. I used extra-strength double sided tape from Hobby Lobby and it worked great. I also tried the Scotch brand double sided tape and it was not sticky enough so I don’t recommend it.
• Decorations for your tree: I used a mini star tree topper (Hobby Lobby) and some small faux berries to decorate the tree. You could use ribbon, tiny bells, etc.

How to Make a Money Christmas Tree

Create “Pointed branches”

Your first step is to roll and tape each dollar bill into a “branch”. For the top row, you’ll make 6 “pointed branches”. To create the pointed branches, begin by folding a dollar bill in half and creasing it. Open it up and fold the left side down, matching the top edge to the crease line, but don’t crease this fold. Fold the right side in at the center crease line and wrap it around the left side, creating a point at the top of the bill. The top right corner is going to end up near the crease line on the back of the bill. Use a small piece of clear tape to secure it (shown by a blue rectangle on the last photo below).

This is what the “pointed branch” will look like from the front. Make six of these to use for the top row of branches on the Christmas tree.

Make “open branches”

The rest of the branches will have an opening at the top instead of a point. You’ll be making 30 of this type. Begin with the dollar bill laid out flat in front of you. Roll in the right side and then the left, matching up the bottom corners. Tighten the roll at the top of the bill, while keeping the bottom corners matched up. You’ll see in the last photo below that the top corner touches the bottom of the “O” in “one”. Use a small piece of clear tape there to secure it.

This is what the “open branch” will look like from the front. Make 30 of these to use for the three lower rows of branches.

Create the Base

The styrofoam cone will be the base of your tree. To help it stand up securely, first hot glue the small flower pot to the bottom of the cone.

Add the branches

Now it’s time to add the branches to the tree! Begin by wrapping the top few inches of the cone with double sided tape and removing the backing on the tape.

Grab the first “pointed branch” and press it into the tape, with about an inch and a half of the pointed side extending above the top of the foam cone. Make sure the two corners of the bill are out facing you and the side where you taped the bill together is facing the cone. Add another “branch” next to the first.

Continue around the cone, using all six of the pointed branches. Try to keep the tops of the branches level with each other. This is row 1.

Now it’s time to add the next row of branches (row 2). Wrap more double sided tape around the cone and remove the backing. Start adding the “open branches”, tucking them right below the top row. I used seven bills for the second row of branches; you could probably fit eight.

Repeat with two more rows of branches, using 10 branches for row 3 and 12 branches for row 4. Your cone should now be completed covered with the dollar bill branches.

Decorate

Now you can decorate your tree however you like! I used a mini star tree topper I found at Hobby Lobby. I hot glued a toothpick to the topper and stuck the toothpick into the top of the foam cone. If you don’t have a mini tree topper, you could tie ribbon in a bow and use that to top your tree.

I also snipped little pieces from strand of faux berry garland and tucked them between the dollar bills – they stayed without needing any adhesive. Once you’ve decorated your tree it is ready to give away!