Cape idea 2 – from a single piece of fabric and some hemp thread!

Cape 2 from a single piece of fabric and some hemp thread.

Hemp Thread – yes Hemp! It is .2mm and I think too big for my machines so hand stitching is in order.

Recently purchased wool plaid from the thrift store was begging to be a wrap. It measured 172cm long and 155 wide.

So, I started to fold at one corner 8 inches ( I use both metric and imperial in my sewing and cooking – it comes from starting my school years in imperial measurements and having to learn metric in middle school) from the raw edge and folded to the count of 10. Secured it with some pink hemp thread As this is only a test, I hand basted the raw edge of the plaid with more pink hemp.

Then I got another Idea and it was not to pleat the left side but to bring it up in a swanky way. To complete it I did a fast chain stitch on the left side to keep the folds in place for the drape of the hood.

So this is what I now have hanging out with Daisy (yes, I named the thing that pretends to be me for these photo shoot.)

The beginnings of a cape. It is asymmetrical but has a nice look. To finish this, I need to baste the bottom hem as it is the cut side of the fabric, craft an opening for the right hand and imagine a closure for the front.

But should I take the time to finish it or rip it apart and make a skirt? Or pants, or vest? you get the idea. Feedback is always appreciated.

I have already started a new one but it is only pinned. It is a dusty rose-pink from the 80’s, a woven silk with a very nice drape. It is my next part of the little sewing no cutting capes that bellow from my fabric stash.

What to keep–a look at what is needed to show compliance with the “Tax Man”

To date this year, I have prepared 190 tax returns – T1 Generals, T2 Corporate and 1040 US tax forms. It sure adds up. And quick.

The spring time for me is brutal. Thousands of receipts are queried by these hands and eyes. Coffee is good for this. Especially when you punctuate the day with chocolate covered espresso beans! I digress but in my defence it was a blog about coffee that brought me to this – tax season.

Tax-season will be upon us shortly. All too soon my phone will ring and the appointments will be set. My clients will arrive with bags, boxes and envelopes. Some will have tallied the mountainous receipts but mostly they are in order.

The receipts are in order because they have been here before and know the drill. It takes a few times with new clients to get that they need to keep the receipts. Of course some receipts are easy to reappear like the dentist and chiropractors. A quick phone call, the fax number passed on and the receipt appears here in my office. Others are elusive and take time to make it to my desk.

For some, all I can say is “Sorry, if you are audited then you will owe. If the receipt dose reappear, then we can adjust the tax return(s) for the year and claim the expense or credit.” Sometimes the client walks away never to return. Most take the lesson and begin the process of keeping the correct receipts.

So then during the year I get the call, is this receipt worth keeping, can I claim it. If yes, they then keep it and safely. It is important and will possibly reduce the tax liability if they do have taxes owing.

But what do you really need to keep for our compliance? And why compliance?

Compliance is the new buzz word with governments. It a state of being that we are following the rules as set by the elected ruling party.

Now the funny thing that I see is that the elected ruling party inherits a slew of civil servants to set up new rules with the new ideas of governance. As these new rules must be legal, the language is the language of lawyers and because it deals with finances, the language of the accountants are added to the mix. For most it is confusing. Some days it confuses me too, but I can get over it! Part of my hardwiring is figuring out intricacies like a puzzle.

My clients are teachers, counsellors, artists, retailers, retired, new immigrants, and corporations. Some are just simple folk, not educated nor are they well enough to maintain compliance with complex rules. Really, it is the people that I enjoy the most. The stories of travel, new jobs, new businesses, loves and losses. And I enjoy helping them though the rules of taxation.

Thanks for reading this. I will be adding more in the coming weeks as I begin to prepare for tax season.

Cash Flow!

As a bookkeeper and a business person I have to comment on this. This is what really matters in the end “Can we keep the cash flowing?”

And keeping the cash flowing is the art of business!

And art to me is important, not unlike the cherished kiss of books and fables’.

So how is a kiss, art and business all connected?

PASSION.

And from passion comes prosperity.

The cash flow is what binds it all together. These binds build communities and nations.

The art is in the selling of your passion. Music, home, family, nature, sustainability – these are expressions of our passions. This is your business and somewhere in these economic mess up times is our individual need to continue needing cash and each other.

So, how do we do it?

Cash flow works simply like this:

I get paid,

I pay my provider,

he pays his employee,

his employee pays you

and then it starts over again and again.

Sometimes, the line gets stretched from deferred payments but it can be dealt with a little planning and a lot of work! When we start breaking this line by not paying at all, it all goes sideways and then everyone is for the lessor of it.

There are many do’s for business as there is for life. I have 23 years of answers but most importantly –

I have seen very clearly what not to do!

1: Don’t whine or complain of your poor financial status – you will not ensure confidences in your endeavours by doing so.

2: Don’t settle for less- Have your fees for goods or services competitively marketed and don’t compromise on these fees. If you are hungry enough, you will settle for less, that is why the first don’t is so very important.

3: Don’t except others to bail you out – a safety net is nice to have but it is there to catch you before you fall too far. There is really no such thing as free cash, you will have to work for it.

4: Don’t expect others to reduce their fees for goods or services – fees paid to others fill a host of needs. And they usually require cash to attain them – see cash flow.

So suck it up and remember Shakespeare said it best: “All the world is a stage, and the people, its players.”