Hubby caught me "laundering" money one morning a couple of years ago! Yes, you read that right. I was laundering dollar bills and when they were dry, giving them a squirt of spray starch and ironing them smooth. He laughed so hard when he saw me doing this, I thought he would burst an artery. Upon reflection, I guess to an outsider it looked pretty funny alright.
But it was for an "arty" cause. Traveling around the internet, I had come across the "art" of money origami. It's pretty cool what you can create out of an American dollar bill or a Canadian five dollar bill... shirts, bow ties, valentines, gift boxes, dresses, rings, even eyeglasses... just a few of many. I had to try it!!
Now, one of the first things the instructions say is to have clean, crisp dollar bills! Well hello, I live in Canada and getting a crisp, clean American dollar bill without going over the border to the nearest bank is about next to impossible. I had the dollar bills but they weren't crisp nor were they particularly clean. So what's a gal to do in the name of art... wash them and iron them of course!
Following the instructions, I made a little shirt out of one of the bills. It was cute. I made another one. Now I had a matching pair. So what do you do with two matching dollar bill shirts? You make earrings to wear on your next shop 'till you drop trip. Cause, you see, that way if you are short a few bucks, you can just whip your earrings off, unfold the bills and pay the lady!
One of my "shop till you drop" friends got a pair of my innovative earrings in her Christmas card that year and laughed herself silly. The first time she wore them she kept looking over her shoulder hoping she didn't get mugged! She didn't. She's worn them many times since and according to her it still amazes her that people don't clue into the fact that they are made from "real" dollar bills until she tells them. Most times they either don't recognize them as dollar bills or if they do, they think they are fake!
So...here's the link for the shirt and here's the link for other wonderful creations.
Now you could make your own shirt out of real dollars or if you can get an image of the back of an American dollar (cause it's the "greenback" that creates the pattern) or the back of an older Canadian five dollar bill (laugh my fellow Canucks... you'll get a "hockey" shirt) you can make some that look "real" but aren't! The "fake" shirts made from paper could also be "painted" with Modge Podge to strengthen them. Bet you've got a friend who'd get a big bang out of finding a pair in her Christmas stocking! OR....
Attach a key ring (like I did with the $5.00 Canadian bill hockey shirt) and voila... instant money chain!
ENTER TO WIN... my "Shop 'till you drop" shirt earrings to wear to all the Christmas sales!! I have two pairs of American greenbacks to give away. They aren't real, but boy won't they be fun to wear on your next trip through the mall?
So just leave a comment on this post before 9 PM tonight in your time zone telling me what you want most for Christmas this year! I'll pick two names from all of the comments left. Check in to see if you have won and if you see your name, send me an email before Monday evening at 9 PM with your snail mail address so I can get your earrings into the mail in time for your next shopping trip. What a deal huh??? Good luck!
Sharon