Paper Crafts Paper Craft Projects

How to Make a Money Rose

Make a Money Rose

Rose from dollar bills
Rita Shehan

Money is always a welcome gift for newlyweds and graduates, but it can be hard to find a graceful way to hand over cash. These clever money roses are both pretty and useful, and will long be remembered as one of the most creative and unusual gifts received.

You can use any denomination of money, although the money flower tutorial example uses one dollar bills. Who wouldn't love a flower constructed from fifty dollar bills? It all depends on how generous you plan to be.

Supplies Needed

  • Floral wire
  • Wire cutters
  • Floral tape
  • Pencil or pen
  • Silk flower rose
  • Ribbon (optional)
  • Vase (optional)
  • Plastic floral sleeve (optional)
  • Paper money

Disassemble the Silk Rose

Silk rose stem and leaves
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Remove the silk rose and sepal from the stem; save the sepal; it will be used in a later step. If you're planning a wedding, the silk rose petals can be used on your reception tables, or you can have your flower girl toss petals onto the runner in your service.

Arrange Dollar Bills in a Row

Five one dollar bills
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Lay your dollar bills in a row, with four bills facing down and one facing up. Lay four of the bills face down, and one of the bills face side up. The bill that is placed face up will be the center of the money rose. The bills that are face down will be the petals of the money rose.

Curl the Corners

Dollar bills with curled corners
The Spruce / Rita Shehan
  • Curl the corners of the bill by wrapping each corner tightly around a pencil and then releasing it. All corners should be curled upward except the bill that's facing upward and is designated as the center of the rose. 
  • Curl two of the corners of the bill that will be the center of the rose upward.  Turn the bill over and curl the remaining corners upward.

If you become confused when curling the bill edges, just use the above photo as guidance.

Pinch the Bills Together

Dollar bill pinched in the center
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Pinch the middle of the first face down bill together using your fingers. The curled edges should be pointing downward.

Attach Floral Wire

Dollar bill attached to floral wire
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Take a piece of floral wire and fold it in half. Place the folded wire over the top of the center pinch, and twist together underneath.

Make the Center

Center bud of money rose
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Take the bill that was designated to be the flower center (the bill that was face up) and pinch together. Pinch it in the center and wrap with floral wire. Arrange the bill with fingers to form a tight flower bud center.

Form All of the Money Petals

Five dollar bill petals
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Continue pinching and wrapping all of the bills. You should now have four petals and one flower bud center.

Wrap the Petals Around the Center Bud

A finished money rose
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Hold the flower bud in your hand. Place the petals around the center floral bud. Wrap the wires of one petal section at a time around the wire of the central rosebud forming a stem.

Attach the Sepal and Finish

Sepal on bottom of money rose
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

Make the center hole in the saved sepal a bit larger and slip it over the floral wire until it is on the bottom of the money rose head. Wrap the floral wires with floral tape forming a one-inch wrapped stem under the rose head. Leave the remainder of the floral wire unwrapped.

Trim the floral wire, so the about one-half inch of unwrapped floral wire is visible under the wrapped portion of the stem. Wrap the floral wire around the top portion of the silk rose floral stem. Cover the entire floral stem from top to bottom with wrapped floral tape.

Presentation Tips

Money roses wrapped with red ribbon
The Spruce / Rita Shehan

There are several options for presenting the money roses. Any of these suggestions will make a lovely floral display.

  • Wrap the flowers with a simple ribbon and tie into a bow.
  • Place the flowers in a bud vase and wrap the vase with a ribbon.
  • Place the flowers into a plastic floral sleeve and tie a ribbon around the sleeve into a bow.