I make a lot of simple single executable applications for various things at home and at work. Icons always seem to be a problem for me I am not a designer. Like most I can do a little here and there with photoshop, gimp and paint.net. However I should not be trusted if things need to look "good".

The question is how do you deal with icons for small (often one day) projects that just need something unique. Nothing flashy just enough that the user can associate it with its use and find it quickly on a desktop. Even something like the [**Gravatar**](http://en.gravatar.com/) fractal based icons would be a good starting point.

I'm aware that when asked about free icons the [**big box of knowledge**](http://www.google.com/) comes back with many results but I want to know what my peer (and superior) developers do in these kinds of situations.

If it's icon-making software you use and you're enough of a designer that it doesn't look awful that's great, but may not be doable for me.

Do you ever buy icons? What is a reputable site for commercial products and where would you steer clear of?

Lastly what types of licenses do you look out for when using free icons found around the net?