My grandmother liked to give unusual bills and coins for presents. For my nephew's upcoming 10th birthday, I want to send him a memorable present. At the bank, I picked up 10 2 dollar bills. I enjoyed designing a Holiday Ribbon Secret Money Container for my daughter's Christmas money and decided to do something similar for him.

This card has bills hidden inside straw candles. This card is great for any milestone birthday. It gets a big impact with little cash, so it is a good choice for college students on a limited budget. Black straws like I used are perfect candles for over the hill cards.

Step 1: Materials

Card stock
Red tissue paper
Orange tissue paper
Yellow tissue paper
Black tissue paper or tissue paper to match straw color
Straws, preferably 1/4" in diameter and opaque

The straws I had in my pantry were too narrow to fit bills inside. Thanks to Donna and Mallory at our local Bahama Breeze restaurant for the straws I used for this project. The black 1/4" diameter straws were perfect. The dark color hid the money, and the straws were wide enough for the money to fit. I cut two 3" candles from each straw.

Brightly colored bubble tea straws would be fun for this project.

Step 2: Supplies

Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Tacky Glue
Toothpicks
Poster board
Computer and printer, optional

Step 3: Print Birthday Message

The card is made by folding a piece of card stock in half. The lower half of the card stock is the front of the card. Using a computer and printer, print birthday message so that the message appears at the top position when the page is folded. I used Avenir Black font size 50 for my message. Alternatively, write the message by hand.

Step 4: Cut Straws for Candles

Cut straws into 3" candles.

Step 5: Prepare Tissue for Flames

Cut 1", 1 1/2", and 2" square poster board templates. Use these templates to cut yellow (1"), orange (1 1/2"), and red (2") tissue squares for flames.

Step 6: Prepare Tissue for Straw Ends

Make a 3/4" square poster board template. Use this template to cut tissue squares matching straw color. These squares are used to hide the bottom of bills so the money cannot be seen from the bottom of the card.

I did not have black tissue paper, so I colored some orange tissue black with a sharpie.

Step 7: Insert Money in Straws

Tightly roll bill, cover end with a tissue square matching straw color, and push into straw. If needed, use a pencil eraser to push in bill.

Step 8: Add Tissue Flames

Fold tissue squares in half diagonally. Place a yellow tissue triangle on top of an orange tissue triangle on top of a red triangle. Starting from the center pleat together. Using a toothpick, apply glue to the inside top edge of straw candle and attach tissue flame.