Some of us could sit at a sewing machine all day. But many of us stare and poke at it like it’s an object from outer space not knowing how to make it come to life. For those of you in the latter category, fear not! Scotch® Brand has you covered. And for our seamstresses out there, you won’t want to miss this post because we’ve got great hacks that will make your lives easier, especially if you don’t have your sewing machine on hand (like most of the time). Here are seven no-sew wardrobe hacks using the new Scotch™ Essentials line (which we ADORE!).
Here’s what you need to get started.
Materials:
– Scotch™ Essentials Adjustable Hem Tape
– Scotch™ Essentials Hold Tight Strap Clips
– Scotch™ Essentials Permanent Hem Bonding Tape
– Scotch™ Essentials Wardrobe Tape Strips
– Scotch™ Essentials Easy Fix Button
– felt
– fabric
– leather
Tools:
– Scotch™ Precision Ultra Edge Titanium Non-Stick Scissors
– pins
– pen
You still love that maxi dress, but it needs a revamp. Why not turn it into a cocktail dress? All you need is Scotchâ„¢ Essentials Adjustable Hem Tape and a pair of fabric scissors.
Put on the dress and mark the length you want to cut it. Then add an inch for the hem. Cut the dress, turn it inside out and then add the tape.
Turn Your Maxi Into A Cocktail Dress
Cover the length of the hem with tape. Press the fabric firmly together to seal the tape and then flip it right side out.
Finish the look with chic jewelry and a pair of heels.
Stripes will never go out of style. And neither will pockets. Put them together and we get an adorable shirt with a pop of color.
Cut out a pocket and fold over the edges. Add three Scotch™ Essentials Wardrobe Tape Strips and adhere the pocket to your shirt.
Add a Pocket to Your Tee
Pair these with some jungle shorts and you’re ready for summer.
Pro tip: If you want your pocket and hem to stay put forever, you can make the tank and the cocktail dress with Scotch™ Essentials Permanent Hem Bonding Tape. The Scotch™ Essentials Wardrobe Tape Strips are removable, so they are perfect if you want to make your hem adjustable or wear your tank without the pocket sometimes.
The pan collar adds a little bit of whimsy to your sophisticated outfit. Get a patterned blouse and then add a leather collar with Scotch™ Essentials Wardrobe Tape Strips.
Place your collar fabric on top of your blouse. Draw your pan collar making sure that it will fit the shirt.
Put a Pan Collar on Your Blouse
Cut it out and then adhere it to the blouse with Scotch™ Essentials Wardrobe Tape Strips.
Make a No-Sew Clutch
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