Carmen's Unique Designs

09/03/2026

I'm in the process of moving inventory and data over to a new website. I've decided to do this myself and hold off on hiring a professional until it becomes technically necessary. It's very important that I have artistic and creative control over the presentation of my online boutique. The process is extremely challenging and engaging, and it has given me a whole a new appreciation for website designers! The link for the website will be posted here once it goes 'live.'

Since the fall of 2024, I've been knitting 3 new scarf collections. The first new collection consists of 10 different color scheme yarns, with two scarves per color scheme (20 scarves total). The next collection is more time consuming in terms of knitting styles, and consists of 11 different color scheme yarns, with two scarves per color scheme (22 scarves total), and knitting is still in progress. The third collection consists of 8 color schemes, once again with two scarves per color scheme (16 scarves total, with knitting almost complete) and these scarves will have fringe. This last collection may have matching knit caps to go with each scarf. The other scarves will be accented with stone, metal, crystal or glass beads. That's about 60 new scarves to be added to the online boutique!

They all have to photographed and images uploaded. This is a lot of work and will take some time. The beads are all hand sewn, one at a time. When will it all be finished? I cannot tell you. I work as time and energy permit.

Once this series of scarves is complete, I'll complete the knitted headbands I made, and then I'll switch gears and get back into sewing! I've wanted to make some skirts for myself for years, but always got distracted by so many other things. I miss sewing very much. I took my first sewing class in high school and fell in love with it immediately. I still remember my sewing teacher: Mrs. Brown. And it was in her class that a FIDM representative came to discuss career options within the fashion industry, and I KNEW where I was going immediately after high school: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

I am fortunate to be able to say that I honestly use my trade school/ college education regularly in my line of work. The time, money and effort were well spent. FIDM at the time was still affordable - and I had a couple of scholarships.

08/11/2026

Quality is much more than a logo or a brand. Something can be well made without an official logo or branding. And sometimes, items with official branding and logos are completely lacking in quality standards. Don't let major manufacturers and brands take you for granted:

You saved for three years. You skipped vacations, you ate at home, ...

08/10/2026

Do you love those cheap, fashionable, clothes you can find at place...

08/09/2026

The fashion industry I grew up with had four seasons and a special fifth 'season' called Resort. That was the industry I studied at FIDM and for which I received my AA degree in Fashion Design. Fast Fashion or 'Throw Away Fashion' did not exist in the 1970s and 1980s. I don't think we had it in the 1990s - it's more recent, and its impact on the environment is global and devastating. I wear my clothing until I can't repair it, or the fabric is worn thin and breaking down. I try to think of creative ways to use fabric scraps and in the case of old t-shirts and knit tops, I cut them up and use them as cleaning rags.

When I create something for my online boutique, I think in terms of quality, not quantity. I don't want the items I've made to end up in landfills after being worn or used only a few times. The quality of fabrics and garment construction today are not what they were twenty five years ago. We need to start thinking in terms of lasting, real VALUE and not just immediate gratification and following trends. Your wallet and the environment are BOTH important.

Millions of tonnes of clothes end up in landfill every year—it’s on...

06/21/2026

Status Update: Continuing to investigate alternative hosting platforms. We do have a couple of blog posts that you may enjoy reading. Thank you for your patience. Feel free to join the e-mail list if you would like to stay in touch during this period of transition. Also, please note that we will be transitioning away from Instagram as of July 1, 2026.

05/24/2026

Just love the music and the positive energy coming from this video. There was a time, between 1999 and 2000, that I contemplated a career change to working in the airline industry as a flight attendant. While that career path was not meant to be, I have always loved flying - window seats are my favorite and I love the raw power of the airplane engines during take-off.

Jerusalema Worldwide Airlines Dance Challenge - See airlines from around the world take part and show off their dance skills doing the Jerusalema Dance.

05/10/2026

This is extremely valuable information for all of us, whether buying or selling. As a consumer, we must be careful about online shopping, especially in an age of artificial intelligence. As a business owner, it's imperative to establish, cultivate and maintain a high level of trust with your customer base. As the owner of Carmen's Unique Designs, I am responsible for the creation of the items my small online boutique offers, as well as the photography and website maintenance. Genuine photographs are used to depict my hand crafted items and professionally printed items. I personally write the descriptions of each item I design, create, and have professionally printed for presentation on my website. I do not use A.I. for my small business. Artificial Intelligence may be more efficient, but it's also much 'colder' and less 'human' than a real person. Please be careful:

ABC News’ reports on the growing trend of online companies using AI-generated backstories to play on customers’ emotions and charge premium prices.