
Okay, so you’re throwing your bestie’s baby shower next week (yay!) but have been totally swamped at work with 101 tasks to check off that to-do list, and haven’t had a chance to focus on the details for her shower. Nobody ever said being a #girlboss and a good friend was easy, and as confident as you are that you’ll pull it off, the pressure’s on! Instead of going basic, you just need a few last-minute DIYs that are V easy to make. The DIYs below will brighten up your space and make it super festive in no time. Scroll on for 20 ways to take your BFF’s baby shower to the next level in just a few simple steps.
1. Paper Flower Sacks: Flowers are a must at any shower, but if you’re hoping for a more creative look that your BFF will totally appreciate, DIY a few paper flowers. Pop them into paper lunch bag “vases” and use chalk to decorate them with a pattern or saying. In under five minutes, your super cute centerpieces will be complete. (via Paper + Stitch)
2. DIY Diaper Snails: Looking for a fun new take on diaper cakes? Use this stencil to cut out snails from card stock and wrap a large rubber band around the diapers. Pull the ends of the rubber bands through the snail’s face, then tie them off to create eyes and keep everything secure. Scatter them around your space to act as an adorable decoration. (via Handmade Charlotte)
3. DIY Balloon Animal Cake Topper: Balloon animal cake toppers are so simple, they’re practically genius. Twist one or two in whatever colors fit the party theme to add a minimal but festive splash of color to the cake. Make a few more for table decor, favors or however you can think to use them in your space. Once you master this DIY, you’ll be the go-to party person for this kid’s bday parties. Way to win ’em over early ;) (via Studio DIY)
4. Alphabet Donuts: A dessert table is a must at any gathering, so whip up these alphabet donuts and use your favorite baby shower words or phrases. This one chose to celebrate a gender reveal, but you can keep it neutral with any phrase that fits your mom-to-be and her little one. Running super low on time? Instead of making donuts, you can totally use this as inspo for cookies instead. (via Oh Joy!)
5. Pastel Muddy Buddies: Snack time at a baby shower is no joke, so snag a bag of Muddy Buddies at the store and mix in M&Ms. Go with pink and/or blue M&Ms for a gender reveal, or stick with the original colors so it looks like confetti. (via Brit + Co)
6. Onesies Baby Shower Station: Creating a onesie station only takes a few simple steps, but are a MUST for a new mom. Pick up a few packs of white onesies and fabric paint markers and tell your friends to get the creative juices flowing. For a little inspo, leave your guests with cute baby cartoons or sayings, so they don’t feel too much pressure to come up with something on the spot. (via iLoveToCreate)
7. Dreamsicle Party: These DIY creamsicles are totally nom-worthy for a warm-weather baby shower. Follow the recipe and make your favorite flavor, or opt for specific colors to go with the theme. Either way, your guests will be asking you to send them the recipe STAT. (via Studio DIY)
8. DIY Name Garland: Most DIYers have a stack of paint chips on hand in the craft room. Use them to create this name garland, if the parents have one picked out. It’ll be a super cute addition to the nursery for when that little bundle o’ joy arrives. (via Small for Big)
9. DIY Stacking Blocks: Stacking blocks are a must-have for kiddos. Make these color block blocks (hehe) and use them as decoration at the party. After everyone’s gone, you can give them to the mom-to-be for her new little one. (via Mom’s Best)
10. Confetti Garland: Is it a party without a DIY garland these days? Instead of spending hours creating a super intricate one, cut circles from card stock and glue or tape them onto a strand of yarn. Once it’s complete, hang it over the dessert table to give it a little extra color. (via Style Me Pretty)
11. Baby Shower Cake Toppers: Y’all, this is about as easy and last-minute as it gets, but that definitely doesn’t detract from the cute factor. After you bake your cake, DL and print topper, then cut it out and glue onto wooden skewers to stick into your cake. (via Lia Griffith)
12. DIY Picture Balloons: This DIY makes for a perfect decoration at any party you’re throwing this summer, but it’s particularly fun to imagine how this new baby will inherit momma’s looks. Grab a few balloons from the party store and attach pictures of the mom-to-be. Scatter them around the room for a fun activity, or keep them in a corner to define a space, like a photo booth. (via Studio DIY)
13. Pastel-Painted Animals: If you’re looking for something that’s just as cute as it is budget-friendly, pick up plastic animals at the craft store and your favorite color spray paint. After the animals are painted, you can either glue them to the top of glass jars for sweet treats or add them around your tablescape. (via Andrea Patricia)
14. DIY About to Pop Dessert Bar: Give your bar a mini makeover with colorful mylar balloons and little dishes of snacks. It’s quick and easy, but the color packs a serious punch. (via Studio DIY)
15. Paper Floral Cones: You can’t go wrong with flowers during the springtime. Make these cones using colorful card stock and attach them to your wall for a vertical display. Finish them off with a few clippings from your garden to liven up your space. This would make a great photo booth backdrop, so get that hashtag ready! (via A Subtle Revelry)
16. Marshmallow Pops: If cake pops aren’t in the cards under your time crunch, make these marshmallow pops by sliding them on a paper straw and decorating with colored icing. Add toppings like coconut shavings or classic sprinkles and stand them up in a display for all to see. (via Honey + Lime)
17. Jelly Bean Party Favor: These fun party favors have a cute circus-like vibe and will *literally* take you less than five minutes to DIY. Once you’ve printed out the template, all you need to do is fill a cellophane bag with candy, fold over the printable and staple in place. (via Oh Happy Day!)
18. Button Cookies: Sugar cookies are basically foolproof, which is the idea when you’re really running out of time. Bake your favorite recipe (or use a pre-made dough) and poke holes to create the buttons. (via One Charming Party)
19. Watercolor Quotes Station: Looking for a fun and easy activity to have at the shower? Snag a few watercolor sets so your guests can paint on their favorite quotes. Once they’re dry, the new mommy can hang them in the baby’s nursery to create a unique gallery wall. An alternative to the guests’ messages, use white crayon to write a set of your own on otherwise blank paper. When paint is added, the secret message will be revealed. (via Baby Shower Ideas 4 U)
20. Wishes for Baby: This pastel garland is the answer to all of your baby shower problems. It acts as a decoration for the nursery and a game or activity for the guests. Plus, the new parents will love to re-read them as the kid grows up. Sometimes less really is more. (via Art Bar)
Are you throwing a baby shower this spring? Follow us on Pinterest for more baby shower ideas.
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