New Logo, New Look, Moving Forward!

If you have ever been to my blog before you are probably noticing a difference!  I hope you like it...here is the story....
I began my blog in 2011 as The Apple Basket Teacher.  I found an artist who used apples in one of her sets of graphics and I purchased that set.  I designed my own blog and this is what my header has looked until just recently...

Part of this artist's Terms of Use are that you can't use her work on products & items...not a problem when I began, it was just for my blog...then I started my TpT store...in August of 2014 I uploaded some freebies to my store & used my blog button as my logo for my TpT Store...

 Since I couldn't use this image on my products, as I started to creating items for sell last year, I placed a variety of clipart apples or apple baskets on my products.  I also decided to 2 summers ago to purchase my own Mini Me done by The Library Fox... 

BEST $15 dollars EVER!~ I HIGHLY recommend her!  I have not been super comfortable with pictures of me {I'm getting over it, look at my last post! LOL} & so I have used this image on LOTS of things including my Facebook & Twitter images...

 When the 4 lovely ladies created the TpT Seller's challenge this summer & I was working on my 'Makeover Madness' my sister pointed out the importance of consistency & so I decided upon one particular clipart basket to place on my products...okay, on my PAID products...Terms of Use for that clipart...only on PAID products, so  I chose a different one for freebies...while at the TpT Conference I searched my store on my phone {it comes up differently on the full web version} & up popped another store with a VERY similar title & her logo....USED THE VERY APPLE BASKET I WAS PLACING ON ALL OF MY PAID PRODUCTS!!!...

Now, hear me correctly, there is nothing WRONG with her choosing that for her logo...I have NO negative feelings towards her...AT ALL...I just realized I needed something that was UNIQUELY MINE...I kept hearing at the conference 'Branding, Branding, Branding' & I really do like the feel of this blog...it is mine & none out there are quite like it...so I didn't want to hire someone for a complete makeover, just for a unique logo for me that I could use with this blog~just making a few changes to the blog {header & blog button}...

 I remembered hearing about an online company that performs various goods & services for $5 & up...I checked out what they had to offer...I hired someone & explained what I wanted ...THIS was what I was first sent...

Ummmmm...NO.....did NOT like the Green basket or the fact that looking at it THE is what caught my eye...when I gave my feedback this is what I got...

Better, but I still had some major issues with it...looks like clipart was used for the basket & apples...don't want to run into copyright issues or others with the same thing...and it just didn't feel right....

I did a little more homework looking at lots of work samples & reading reviews...I decided on Danny from Design_line36... his first design was close, but it just wasn't a fit yet...he went back & redesigned it & this is my new logo...

I am very pleased & I have played with it a bit so that I can use the basket in TpT~it uses a round logo & I needed a square for my favicon~that cute little picture up on the tab that says The Apple Basket Teacher...hopefully he won't be crushed with the additional buttons, icons, labels I have made with it...

In addition I added it to the back of my Mini Me's Laptop!!

I hope you like it too!  What do you think???

My only issue right now is redoing my blog button...I watched on tutorial...tried to follow it step by step, but it didn't show up on my sidebar...soon I hope!!