
Whether it’s gallery walls, spray paint or posters, we’re always on the lookout for fun and innovative ways to decorate our space. If you haven’t tried string art, you’re missing out. It’s cost-effective, offers endless options and is pretty simple to accomplish… even though the results are so impressive everyone will think you’re a crafting genius. Read on for tons of fun DIY string art projects that will brighten your home and let you unleash your inner DIY maven.
1. String Art Basics: Not sure where to start? We’ve got the basics of string art covered, plus some simple ideas for you to begin with. (via Brit + Co)
2. Live Creatively: This project makes a great addition to a craft room, office or any place where you need a little inspiration! (via Brit + Co)
3. Letter String Art: Hang a string art initial in a child’s bedroom, or make two as a cute wedding gift. (via The Blush Chronicles)
4. State String Art: Represent your hometown pride with these cute state string art projects. Bonus points if you use an official state color as the background! (via Semi-DIY)
5. Heart Monitor Wall Art: If you don’t have nails or wood handy, this minimalist string art project is extremely simple but an incredibly interesting addition to an empty wall. (via Young Bird)
6. String Art Cake Topper: Perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas or just because, use a cute cake toppers to add some flair to your baked goods. (via Between Designs)
7. Air Plant String Art: Combine string art with air plants for a look that’s borderline botanical garden as well as chic. (via Brit + Co)
8. Ombre Wall Art: You don’t need a ton of money to create a statement piece of art, just multi-color thread and some patience. (via The Red Thread)
9. Valentine Air Plant String Art: V-Day or not, everyone is going to heart these. (via Brit + Co)
10. Zodiac String Art: Craft a few of these for your friends who just can’t stop reading their daily horoscope. (via Brit + Co)
11. “Joy” String Art: This project combines distressed wood and ombre shading for a sign we’re pretty sure you’re going to want to have at your wedding and then on your wall for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. (via Dear McKenzie)
12. “Eat” String Art: Want to spruce up your dining room without resorting to big paintings of spoons or wine bottles? This simple sign is your answer. (via Dress This Nest)
13. “Hello” String Art: Welcome everyone who enters your home with a big red HELLO. (via Poppy Haus)
14. Skull: Who said skulls have to be scary? This fun project is officially on your long Halloween-DIY list. (via A Beautiful Mess)
15. Deer String Art: The horizontal lines offer a twist on the traditional string art look. (via Butler Life)
16. String Art Backdrop: This backdrop makes a great showpiece for an outdoor wedding reception and can double as a giant photo booth backdrop of sorts. (via Wedding Obsession)
17. Monogram String Art: A string art headboard? Yup, Camille Styles went there. (via Camille Styles)
18. Nail and String Wall Art: Let everyone know how you feel about your home with this wall art. You can tie the colors into your decor or use bright shades for contrast. (via Jen Loves Kev)
19. Nail and String Wall Art: Got a favorite song of all time? Those lyrics are going right up on your wall. (via Jen Loves Kev)
What project would you like to have on your walls? Tell us in the comments 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