Warning: may contain nuts

[Picture of my beloved Rosie painted by the very gifted Sam.]

I feel so disheartened. I spent 3 evenings painting the side table and chair thinking I'll put them on at affordable reasonable prices that I would want to pay and think it'd got myself a bargain, but no. I sold the lovely Cath Kidston chair for £6 (not even break even) and the table that I also spent time distressing and covering in what's left of my wallpaper for 99p (minus a lot after the amount of paint I used!). It always seems that when I want something on ebay every man and his dog also wants it, yet when I sell anything no one gives a hoot! It's not so much the money even, for me, the most precious thing is time. I have so little of it that every hour of my weekend or evening (not that I get much as I very often get home at about 9 or 10pm) I spend (waste) is eating into my already busy life. Also, now people are going to be coming to my house to collect these things so I have to take more time waiting for them. I've decided from now on I am going to make things for myself - that's it! I just don't think it's worth the effort. I've had enough!

I know it's not just me, people seem to want something for nothing now without truly appreciating how much time goes into handmade things. I did a craft fair last year and I had one horrible woman (typical snobby mum; kid called Jonty and a Chelsea tractor) moaning about paying £3.50 for a lavender bag (that was when I filled them to the brim with French lavender too). I'm not the quickest at sewing so I'd say they were taking me 30-45 mins to make in total (hand sewing up, adding a button etc), the fabric cost was minimal but lavender is expensive. People have so little care for things like this - all they see is the bottom line...'how cheap can I get this for' without even considering the quality of a handmade item, the love, attention to detail and dedication that goes into them.

I love looking at Etsy and Folksy, and promoting and supporting fellow bloggers who craft. Not only do you get something truly unique and not mass produced, you know that someone has dedicated their time and energy making that item beautiful and desirable. I also like to think that a little bit of their personality has gone into the item. I recently bought this stunning round crochet cushion from fellow blogger Debbie. I spotted one of her lovely cushions whilst trawling the blog shops. Doesn't it look so at home in Tim's office? You couldn't buy that on the high street now could you?! :-) She also send me a delightful brooch that I will show you tomorrow when I have calmed down!

I just wanted to show you some of the wonderful homemade things I have bought or received from fellow bloggers over the years:

Gorgeous croquet blanket made by Sam over at Silkie Sue and equally stunning Union Flag cushion made by the lovely Sairer over at Vintage, Pretty and Shabby.

Truly unique Mr Pigeon lovingly made by Charlotte over at The Pigeon Loft.

Look at the skill involved here in making this bookmark? This was made by Debbie over at Debbie's English Treasures.

There are lots and lots of other very talented people out there, including Mary at Vintage Daisy, Hen over at HenHouse Emporium, Gem over at Roses and Gingham and Kelly at Vintage Lifestyle to name just a few.

So next time you think something is too expensive, take 5 minutes to have a think about just how much effort has gone into that item and ask yourself again.