Thank you to Tuttle Publishing for providing my kit to facilitate this review.

Gifts at the Last Minute

Sometimes you need a gift at the last minute.  There are a couple basic ways to go about handling these last-minute gift-giving opportunities.

1) You can give something that can be easily purchased at the last minute.

2) You can keep something “generic” on hand, and have some simple methods up your sleeve for presenting them nicely when the occasion arises.

One fun way to be prepared for #2 is to learn some basic Money Origami.  Cash is easy to locate (or possibly even have on hand) for a last-minute gift, but it’s a little boring.  Unless you can gussy it up by turning it into something interesting!  This kit is a good way to get started.

Money Origami

I like this particular kit for a few reasons.  The most fundamental is that it’s fairly basic.  If you’ve never done origami before, you can manage these.  (There are some other kits/books that have beautiful folds in them, but they look rather advanced.  You’ll probably want to start with something like this one.)

This kit also has a couple of helpful “perks.” First, it includes a DVD, so if you have trouble following the pictures, you can watch the folds being made.  Second, it includes practice bills.  These are really nice to have!

The diagrams are very well done.  There are designated colors, line types, and other indicators  for things like the fronts and backs of the bills, “valley” folds vs. “mountain” folds, etc.  I found the diagrams, in most instances, to be very easy to read and follow.

Here you can see where I have grabbed the book and a practice bill and just in a few minutes produced this “wallet” option.

(And the other side)

This one is not very exciting/decorative, but it’s pretty cool for putting something else (even more cash, if you like) inside.

I didn’t have as much success with the butterfly.  I followed most of the directions just fine, but then I got a little lost near the end.  I have since pulled out the DVD to watch, and it went much better!  The DVD offers a close-up view of the author’s hands as he explains his way through folding the figure.  (He offers little tips here and there, too.)  It’s very much like sitting with a friend who is showing you how to do a particular piece.