
It’s time to take your party throwin’ skills over the top! With these larger-than-life decorations, your party will go from big to huge in no time — and we’re not just talking about the guest list. From human-sized flowers to the biggest fringe you’ve ever seen, these 14 party props give new meaning to the phrase “go big or go home.”
1. Golden Horseshoe: Every party needs a little luck! Hang a giant metallic horseshoe over the bar to bring some to yours — and to add a little extra party lighting. (via Style Me Pretty)
2. Fringe Garland: It’s a garland like you’ve never seen before! Hang this seven and a half foot baby, made with four folds of crepe paper, across your ceiling for some major wow factor. (via Oh Happy Day)
3. Jumbo Glittered Letters or Numbers ($13): All that glitters is gold, right? Make your party’s guest of honor feel golden by spelling out his or her name in these super-sized block letters.
4. Holiday Bow: You can hang this bow above the fireplace over the holidays like this blogger did, or make one in neon or pastel colors to hang over the buffet at a just-the-gals brunch. (via The Alison Show)
5. Pastel 36-inch Balloon and Mini Tassel Garland Tail ($39): In our shop, we believe bigger is better. That’s why we’ve got this balloon that’s more than triple the size of your average party balloon. And you gotta love a tail with a little flair!
6. Giant Birthday Candles: Try blowing these candles out in one breath! Make these using mailing tubes and a little bit of paint. (via Sugar and Cloth)
7. Party Fans: Let’s just say we’re fans of how easy it is to make this party decoration. All it takes is large sheets of your favorite craft paper and some basic folding skills. (via Sugar and Charm)
8. Button Runner: Have a friend with an adorable little bundle on the way? Throw her a big time shower that includes these great buttons crafted from wood circles. You can also get the same look using paper plates, paint and scissors. (via Project Nursery)
9. Heart Piñata: Wondering how this piñata got its fringe? Post-Its! Deck this DIY heart piñata out in colorful sticky notes and hang it up for a lovely party piece. (via Brooklyn Bride)
10. Giant Custom Pinwheel Set of 2 ($50): Try this whimsical prop for your next photo booth. Your guests will have a blast posing with this grown-up pinwheel.
11. Fresh Flower Ampersand: Get your wall decor and bouquet all-in-one with this craft project. To make yours, cut an ampersand out of floral foam, then customize it by covering it in your favorite blooms. (via Paper + Stitch)
12. Party Bows: Leave these by the photo wall, or wear yours around all night and be the star of the party. You can make these ’80s inspired bows with tissue paper and headbands, and your guests will surely have a blast trying them on. (via Smitten Studio)
13. Giant Flower Bouquet: Celebrate your big day in a big way with these paper bouquets. When you skip the florist and go for paper, you can make your bouquet however large you want it. (via Green Wedding Shoes)
14. Tall Paper Flowers: Towering flowers will make your party magical. Guests will love roaming through this floral forest. (via Design Sponge)
Throwing a big bash? Tell us what larger-than-life decorations you’re hanging on the walls below or on Facebook!
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:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
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.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
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