I have trouble calling anything handmade and homemade ugly. Beauty is all in the effort and personal touch put into creation, I'll take 'ugly' handmade over a preform any day if they function the same. Give me something with character.
You are right, of course. And I have to say that I make homemade soap- and call it Ugly Soap, so I'm disparaging of things that I make or that my family makes.
But let me put the Ugly Lamp into perspective (and so sorry to steal the grasshopper's thread- let me know if this bothers you!): my mom made that ceramic lamp in the mid 70s. She knew she had terminal cancer, but I was about 10, and my brother was 2. Her outlet was ceramics and sewing. She made TONS of hideous stuff. She couldn't paint to save her life, and she couldn't sew a bit. My brother wore polyester mixmatched clothes, which he loved at that time. We have TONS of family pictures of this stuff.
The Ugly Lamp was during the orange/brown era of the 70s and it was ugly when she made it. But it had the place of honor in front of the window. So it faded on one side. Badly. About 10 years after she died in 1979, my dad moved it to the attic, horrendous shade and all.
We ALWAYS called it the Ugly Lamp, even to her face. When my dad died suddenly in January, I flew to his home. I took very little of the belongings, but my brother agreed that I should have the Ugly Lamp.
That Ugly Lamp is the only thing in my life that I would die for. Besides my kids and grandkids.
Anyway, I took this thread SO far off topic that I should ban myself- but I thank you two for allowing me to share my story of the Ugly Lamp. I hope my grandson has it in his house someday, in its orange, brown and turquoise glory.