How to Make an Origami Heart Using Paper Money
Origami has been popular in one society or another since 900 A.D. It is simply the art of paper folding. There are thousands of things one can make through origami, but an origami heart should be, as cliche as it may sound, the one closest to our hearts. There are several ways to make an origami heart, but for those who are not skilled in the task, making a simple origami heart can take less than five minutes.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 Crisp, new U.S. dollar bill (any denomination can be used, but these directions involve a one dollar denomination)
Instructions
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1
Lay the dollar bill on a flat surface. This will make it easier to fold. Fold the dollar in half vertically. Press down very hard on this fold so that it will hold its shape even when you unfold it.
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2
Unfold the dollar and fold it back in half horizontally. Once again, press down on this fold hard to ensure it keeps its shape when unfolded. Unfold the dollar again, so that you now have two creases in the dollar bill.
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3
Hold the bottom of the dollar bill and fold it upwards. You only want to fold the bottom edge of the dollar up to the horizontal line you created with the first folds. Press down hard on this crease, as you will not be unfolding this fold, and will need it to stay in place. The dollar bill should still be in a rectangular shape at this point, just not as tall as it was before.
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4
Take the bottom right edge of the dollar bill (ensure you left the previous fold folded) and fold it diagonally upwards so that the bottom edge of the dollar meets and is lined up with the vertical fold you made in the bill earlier. Press on this fold. Repeat with the bottom left edge of the dollar bill. Do not unfold these. You should now have the two halves of the bottom of the dollar meeting each other at the vertical fold.
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5
Flip the folded dollar over. At the top, the two halves from the bottom of the dollar bill will be visible, with one fold already in them. The fold that is already in them should allow you to see the number "1" with "ONE" written across it. Take the right edge of the dollar and fold it in half vertically so that the right edge meets the edge of the fold that is already in the right side. You should now be able to see two number "1"s with "ONE" written across them. Repeat this step with the left edge of the bill as well. Once complete, you should only be able to see parts of the back of the original dollar bill. Do not unfold these folds.
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6
Fold the top half of the protruding "arms" (the ends of the original dollar) downwards to meet what was the original top of the back of the dollar bill. Do this with both "arms". Leave these folds in place. You will now have what looks like the bottom of a heart, and what looks like two squared off parts of the top of a heart. Your dollar bill should still be turned over as you did in Step 4.
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7
Take the very top right edge of the right "arm" of the bill and fold it diagonally so that it lines up with the original top of the back of the dollar bill. Do this with the left edge of that right "arm" as well. At this point, if you were to turn the dollar over, you should have what looks like a half completed heart, but do not turn it over just yet. Repeat this step with both edges at the top of the left "arm" as well.
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Tips & Warnings
If you place the finished product in the middle of a heavy book, it should set the folds in better.
Include this in any holiday or greeting card if you are giving money as a gift, but make sure they know it's okay for them to unfold it.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
