Where do people get those festive candy-and-cash lei for graduation ceremonies? You could scour your local stores and Facebook groups for someone who sells them – but you could also make a custom one for your graduate. The materials for a candy-and-cash lei are relatively inexpensive, and you can customize the different elements especially for your loved one.
Materials needed:
- Cash – the newer the bills, the better.
- Candy – any fun-sized candy works, but you can also use smaller, compact hard candies.
- Curling ribbon – you can use your graduate’s favorite colors, or match with their school colors.
- Clear plastic that can be wrapped around the candy – this guide uses 2-inch clear poly plastic tubing purchased from eBay, but clear cellophane or cling wrap can also be used if necessary.
- Scissors
- Tape
- An iron, if available
Step one: Sort out the bills. Break out an iron for any that are slightly less than crisp, then set them aside by tucking them into a heavy book.
Step two: Cut the preferred length of poly plastic tubing. The right length will vary, but loop it around your own neck so that the middle falls to about mid-chest.
Step three: Break out the candy. Use a paper or binder clip to close one end of tubing and start dropping candy into it. The candy placement can be alternated by brand or color. Separate each candy by tying each section of tubing off with some curling ribbon.
Step four: There are many ways to fold cash in fun shapes to add to a lei, but this method uses an accordion fold. Fold at least 12 bills to a relatively consistent width.
Step five: Take two of the accordion-folded bills and tie them together securely with curling ribbon on each side so you’ll be able to fold each accordion in half, away from each other.
Step six: Spread out the accordion of each bill so the two bills make an accordion circle. A little bit of tape on the edges helps the bills look like a flower. Then take each $2 “flower” and tie it onto the tubing between the candy. Repeat for each break between candies.
Step seven: Once each accordion dollar bill flower is tied onto the lei, use the scissors to curl the dull side of the curling ribbon tails. Secure the openings of the tubing, where it would go behind your graduate’s neck, with tape, and tie on some curling ribbon to hide it.
Congratulations to your graduate!
