I ususally make the choice by weighing the costs.  Sometimes by the time you pay for all the materials to complete a DIY project, it is cheaper to buy it.  If I can make something and I have confidence I can do it well, I will diy it so I can make it exactly the way I want it.  DIY gives you the custom option. I would have to say I am in the middle of the DIY scale.

Ya, I make the decision based a lot on cost. I am very cheap when it comes to buying expensive stuff. I also love nice things, and I have been able to get so many nice things for next to nothing that I cant imagine not just continuing to DIY.

I always think of ways that I can do it myself versus forking over the cash it just more gratifying and so much more fun.

Brandy - I am becoming more like you.  I am really enjoying learning all the DIY stuff myself!  Much more so now that I am actually blogging about it all!

I think sometimes it depends on the level of difficulty!  And the cost differential of paying for it vs doing it yourself. 

I think it depends on how well I can do it myself versus the cost of buying something new from a store. I think it is easiest and makes the most sense to buy something from a garage sale or thrift store that is an ugly, gross version of what you are going for, and then modify it with paint, fabric, or whatever to make it beautiful. That is usually easier than starting from scratch. For instance, making a lampshade from scratch may be more difficult and costly than buying one that is already made and changing it with fabric. Having said that, however, I still sometimes make things from scratch just for fun...even said lampshade. :)

I had some real disasters with DIY but the fun was priceless! I have mixed feelings about trying to fix my own car for example or the tiling in the bathroom. Some things are better left to the professionals.

I have however renovated furniture and made my own bookshelves with some success. One piece [a green bookshelf] was so ugly it made a great talking point and some people even went as far as assking me to make one for them too!

Go figure!