Wedding season is creeping up quick, and that means a few things: Yes, endless “research” for what to wear to a spring wedding, dreaming up the perfect bridal shower theme and, you guessed it, bachelorette parties (AKA the the fun part!). If you’re hosting a bachelorette party this season, amp it up by taking your glassware to a super festive level. Whether you’re upcycling glasses that you already own or jazzing up a new set, a little paint, glitter and gold foil are sure to kick ’em up a notch. Get ready, ’cause your wine/shot/pint/cocktail glasses are about to be as pretty as the bride.
DIY Floating Glitter Tumbler
Tumblers are a necessity for any day of the week, but they’re especially needed for the bachelorette party you’re throwing. Snag a basic photo tumbler or travel mug and fill the clear compartment with glitter and water. Screw the two pieces together and you’ll be ready to pour in your favorite cocktail in no time. (via Studio DIY)
DIY Glittered Champagne Flute
It’s a par-tay, which makes glitter a must. Pick up a set of plastic champagne glasses at the party store and use Mod Podge to create glitter stems. After you let them dry, they’ll be ready for the night. Cheers to glitter! (via Pretty My Party)
DIY Etched Glasses
Looking for a classy option? These etched glasses are super fun to make and add a simple-yet-unique touch to your glassware. Etch the bride’s initials on a whiskey tumbler or add a geometric design on stemless champagne flutes. Either way, your guests are about to be seriously impressed by your creativity. (via Brit + Co)
DIY Polka Dot Highball Glasses
When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with polka dots. All you need to do to create this look is punch holes in a sheet of vinyl. Then, stick it on the glass and swipe on a coat of glass paint. Carefully remove the vinyl and let your DIY shine. (via Front + Main)
DIY Color Block Frosted Tumblers
Tape off sections of your glass and use a foam brush to press on the paint. This blotting method gives it a frosted look that’s super chic. They only take a few minutes to DIY, and it doesn’t get any better than that. (via Vicky Barone)
DIY Straw + Message Bottle
Whether you’re bottling your favorite creation or picking up your favorite spritzer, custom labels and patterned straws can make a serious statement. Just download your favorite printable or hand-lettered print, DIY a cute label and cut some ribbon to tie everything on. (via Style Me Pretty)
DIY Mid-Century Mod Cocktail Glasses
Buying mid-century modern glasses can be a little on the pricey side. Instead, make this starburst glassware for a budget-friendly option that’s ideal for a millennial’s bachelorette party. Use an X-ACTO knife to cut stars on painter’s tape and use it as a stencil to paint on the liquid gold leaf. (via Palm Springs Style)
DIY Tassel Wine Charms
One reason to amp up your glasses for the bachelorette party is so that you don’t pick up the wrong drink. See? It’s totally necessary. If you’re running low on time or don’t want to buy a new set of wine glasses to DIY, make these wine charms as an alternative. Plus, they’ll definitely come in handy for this party and the rest of your bashes this season. (via Sugar and Charm)
DIY Marbled Glassware
Your huge (like, actually giant) collection of nail polish is about to seriously come in handy. Use the same technique that you would to marble your nails on the bottom of plain cups. For this DIY, snag a set of glass cups so you can clean up the edges with acetone. Pro tip: Plastic cups don’t mix well with nail polish remover. (via Makeup.com)
DIY Gold Leaf Cocktail Glasses
Gold foil is having a moment, and there isn’t a single person out there who’s mad about it. Put yours to good use by gilding clear glasses to create a brushed effect. The more imperfect, the better, so there’s no need to worry about making them precise. (via Kelli Hall)
DIY Pastel-Dipped Wine Glasses
Found: The DIY that you can do when you’re running super behind. If you’ve found yourself preparing for the party the night before, but still want to add a unique touch to your glasses, dip your wine glass stems in paint, let them dry and call it day. (via Boulevard Pink)
DIY Sprinkle-Dipped Glasses
Instead of buying a new set, dip your existing champagne glasses in sprinkles to give them a festive vibe. Yep, your hunt for the DIY that’s practically free is o-v-e-r. Bonus points are awarded to anyone who adds the adorable gumball drink stirrer. (via Bloom Designs)
DIY Gilded Stripe Glasses
You can never have too many tumblers. Buy a set of simple clear ones and paint on your favorite design. Painter’s tape is going to be your BFF because it makes doing these stripes *super* easy. You can reuse these glasses at every party you host this summer. Score! (We See Rainbows)
DIY Photo Wine Glasses
Instead of hanging a wall of photos at the bachelorette party, add them to the bottom of simple wine glasses. After the party, you can either send them home as favors for the bridesmaids or gift them to the bride so she’ll never forget the night. (via Brit + Co)
DIY Gold Confetti Tumblers
Confetti is totally necessary at any party, but if you’re not in the mood to clean up *that* mess, go for these DIY confetti tumblers instead. Stick adhesive dots to a glass cup and spray paint them your favorite color. Once it’s dry, peel ’em off, add your favorite cocktail and finish it off with a paper straw. (via Ernest Home Co.)
DIY Pineapple Paper Cup
Believe it or not, summer is *right* around the corner, and you know what that means? Cue the pineapple-themed everything. Purchase a pack of yellow paper cups and use a black permanent marker to create the pineapple design. If you want to really go over the top, glue on green paper to act as the leaves. (via Simple as That)
DIY Mason Jar Tumbler
If there are two things that we love more than anything, it’s mason jars and gold-dipped everything. Spice up your basic mason jars with a little gilded spray paint and letter decals to make it oh-so fancy. The best part? Your guests can take them home after the night is over, which means you’ve already got the party favors planned too. (via Pretty Providence)
DIY Painted Stemless Glasses
Add a set of stemless wine glasses to your cart to create these unique glasses. Instead of adding Mr. and Mrs., opt for things like MOH or BFF. Also, plastic glasses totally work for this. Hello, budget-friendly DIY! (via Something Turquoise)
DIY Wine + Shot Glass
Why choose between a wine glass and shot glass when you can have both? Pick up a set of plastic shooters and short tumblers and use epoxy to glue them together. Pro tip: Use glasses in the bride’s wedding colors. (via Brit + Co)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures