I know it’s March and the flowers are beginning to bloom, the weather is warming up, and we are all gearing up for a fun filled summer, but I have been meaning to share with everyone the Christmas gift I made for my teenage cousin boys last year. I figured, hey, this gift could actually be given year round so why not go ahead and share in March?! 🙂

So I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to get my cousins for Christmas this year. They’re beyond the age of toys and games since they’re 16 and 12. But they are at the age where money is always an awesome and much appreciated gift. I didn’t want to simply send money in a card though because I felt it just wasn’t personal enough or would even fun for them to open. Being the naturally crafty person that I am I started looking up D.I.Y. money gift ideas and came across a few cute ideas, but my favorite was the umbrella money idea I found here. I loved the idea but wanted to spruce it up a bit and make it more festive. Here is my own version with list of supplies I used and step-by-step guide on how to make this cute (and easy!) gifting idea.

Supplies
?An Umbrella
I got mine at Wal-Mart for $5. The other website suggests getting one at the Dollar Store but mine didn’t carry them so Wal-Mart was the next best thing.

?Money
I used all $1’s and one $5 bill so there was more money that would fall out when the umbrella was opened.

?Decorative Ribbon
I got silk ribbon on sale at Michael’s for $.50 a roll.

?Safety Pins
I mostly used small ones with a couple larger ones.

?Decorative Note Card

Putting it all together is really simple. Each umbrella only took me about 10 or 15 minutes and it doesn’t get much better than that for a D.I.Y. project!

Here’s the simple step-by-step instructions:
1) First you need to cut the ribbons from your spool since you will be using them to dangle the bills. Cut each one to your desired length for the money to hang down from the umbrella. I cut two different lengths so the money wouldn’t be exactly even.

2) Tie one end of each ribbon randomly around the umbrella ribs before you attach the money.

3) Time to put the money on! Place a safety pin through the edge or corner of one money bill and then through a ribbon and then close the pin. Do this for all bills. I doubled up on a couple bills and made sure to put the $5 in the middle of the umbrella.

4) Once you’re done pinning all the money, you can add a cute tag to the handle like I did. The ones I put read “Open Me” but you could also write “Happy Birthday”, “Merry Christmas”, or whatever else the occasion calls for!

5) To get the money to stay inside the umbrella flip the umbrella upside down and then close it. You will have to help shift the money around so it doesn’t all bunch to one side.

6) Wrap the closed umbrella and gift it to your loved one!

That’s all you have to do to make a money umbrella :). It’s fun to make and receive and it got rave reviews from my cousins over Christmas! And the best part is you don’t always have to use money, but can also use note cards, gift cards, photos, or whatever else you want to surprise someone with!