Looking for a logo for my shop!

Happy 2016!
I'm hoping it's a wonderful year for you.

To kick off the New Year,  I'm going to try to do some of the things that I've "been meaning to do".
 Something I've put aside for a long time is to have a logo for my small business- Smiling Blue Dog gifts. As my business grows, it seems that I should be doing some kind of branding so that my customers can recognize me - anywhere, on-line and off. So this is a start.


What I'd like is something: simple, blue & white, easily recognizable & memorable. I want it to appear professional and friendly... am I asking a lot? Probably, but I'm also hoping it will be fun.
  I want to be able to print it (on stickers,) and intend to get a rubber stamp made using this logo, so I can stamp my envelopes and any correspondence (electronic or hand written).
 I'll be needing new business cards soon, so now's a good time to get on it!

I would love it if some designers would post their logo ideas, and if I find THE one I want to use- I will pay up to $25.00 for it. I know that's not a lot of $ but it's better than nothing AND it would get a lot of exposure! Of course I'll be telling everyone where I got it!

  I have made a hand-drawn design I like (see photo below). It would be nice to see some other ideas, so I'm posting this offer to see what happens...

Now after writing this, it seems a bit presumptuous on my part... sorry about that, but I'm still going to post this & cross my fingers...

This is a rough draft of the logo I've designed for my Smiling Blue Dog gifts shop.
Have you got a better idea?

Do you like to shop on-line?

Growing up in Toronto, and shopping at big Malls, like the Eaton Centre downtown has spoiled me for shopping.

As a teenager, I had more disposable income, time, and access to the best variety of shops. Shopping was an exciting event, and crowds just made it more interesting, a quick break for a pop & french fries were an added bonus.

That was in the 70's- before the Internet, e-Bay & on-line shopping.

Now (over 30 years later,) I'm living in the Kootenays, a rural area in South Western B.C. and shopping is very limited. We have a Mall in town. It is modest- however, so is my income, time and desire.

BUT…nowadays there's also a whole world of shopping available... on-line.

The 1st item I ever bought on-line was a video game for my boys (they talked me into it). We went to E-Bay, looked up "Lord of the Rings" for their Xbox, bought it, and were thrilled when it finally arrived in our mail! How cool is that?!

Instead of just bills, there was something to look forward to in our mailbox. I've never looked back.

In my little circle, I'm probably the only one that ever buys anything on-line. Some of my friends still don't have computers, let

alone the Internet!

Some of the jewelry I've made.

I often get my jewelry and craft supplies on-line through E-Bay and Etsy, or at my local bead shop- Abacus beads.

I also enjoy just "window shopping" on-line (That would be a pun, if I wasn't using a Mac,) but I'm just not sure about buying shoes and clothes on-line. There's nothing compared to actually trying something on.

Over the years I've bought plane tickets, eyeglasses, video games, jewelry, my iMac, beads, slippers, and even a clutch for our Toyota… all on-line.

Some of the things I like about shopping on the Internet, is that it's available any time, I don't have to dress up & drive anywhere, no pressure, no crowds, infinite variety, and the best part… is going to the mailbox.

Thinking of selling your crafts on-line? Try Zibbet 1st...

Are you wondering about selling your handmade items,

vintage or craft supplies, on-line...

but don't know where to begin?

That's where I was at in the summer of 2008.

(Note: I still consider myself a beginner,

but I'm a lot more knowledgeable than I was then.)

The reason I'm suggesting Zibbet 1st, is mainly because it's free!

You can learn as you go, start right away, and partly so I can get a referral.

(You can always upgrade later, if you like it of course.)

I know there's many other venues out there, that I have yet to try.

My main venue is Etsy, (Love it!), however it's not free.

Hopefully, you already have:

- a Paypal account, (or some reliable way to send & receive payments.)

If not...you may want to do it first, because it takes time

to get confirmed through your bank account.

Paypal has reasonable fees, and is the preferred method

of payment at many sites, Etsy, Zibbet, eBay and others.

- an e-mail that you will check AT LEAST ONCE A DAY.

- a digital camera, (or access to one) having decent photos of

your items are crucial, so is uploading the photos to your shop.

- a computer, with reliable internet connection... and know how to

use it.

- well made handmade items, craft supplies, or real vintage pieces.

- patience/willingness to learn. (This is on-going...re: shipping, marketing, etc.)

It's really not a big list at all.

I shopped around a bit and looked at a few seller venues.

There's many out there, and it's a good idea to do a little research,

what works for me may or may not work well for you.

The ones I've tried (so far), are:

eBay- I'd bought through eBay, so I knew how to to that. So I tried selling

there first. Ends up I found myself buying stuff rather than selling there.

I think it was all the little fees for extras, that added up, and made it seem

rather expensive just to list an item, but I'm going to try it again, since I haven't

tried to sell anything there for a long time.

Etsy-It's only .20 to list an item and a small 3.5 % is charged for each sale.

I've had my Etsy shop since Nov/08 and really like the site and am having

my 1st spring SALE. My monthly fees vary substantially month by month.

I like the fact that I can renew items (for .20 each), and it helps me to keep visible amongst this rainbow of talented artists, however, those little fees add up by the end of the month.

Zibbet, This is a great place to start ... Zibbet (Yes, this is my referral link,

if you decide to set up a Zibbet shop, please help me out, by using this link

to do so.)

It's very easy to set up, and a Basic account is completely FREE!

You can list up to 25 items and there's no fees...even when you sell an item!

I've had my Basic account for a couple of months now, and I like the easy set-up and listing

of items. I'm still in the early stages of my shop, but I'm already considering getting a

Premium account. For only $8.00 a month (right now), I can list an unlimited number of items, and there are no other charges- even when an item sells!

( I average more than that in monthly fees, on Etsy).

I'm very happy with Etsy, and Zibbet is another outlet, and a very reasonable one at that.

It's still quite new, and growing steadily.

Disclaimer: I'm not a pro, and don't claim to be.

This is just my experience and I hope

there's something here that will help you,

if you decide to sell on-line.

I'm always happy to get e-mail, so if you have any questions,

feel free to contact me: smilingbluedog@yahoo.ca