APARTMENT DECORATING

I really need to get down to decorating my apartment. I’ve been there for a month, and although I do have some stuff on the walls, it is a little spare right now and I’d love to really to pizzazz it up!
Unfortunately, I am not particularly visually inclined at all. I have a really tough time conceptualizing what aesthetically pleasing things LOOK like, even though I can easily write things that sounds good (does that make sense?). I think interior decorating is a gift that some people have–my friends Tara and Lauren both have really fantastic taste and a good creative eye–that I personally don’t.
So, this weekend I’m going to do a Bed Bath and Beyond run to get some basics and I’m going to make a Pearl Paint run to buy some canvas and paints (I am a terrible painter but I LOVE painting, so I’ll hang some “abstracts” around the apartment). But from there, I’m a little lost. Does anyone have suggestions on pretty stuff to buy to decorate an apartment? Ideally, I’d love to get some stuff that can brighten up my space and make the apartment look inviting and open…
Also, I am really big on inspirational quotes–I have quotes from my favorite books, my favorite thinkers, and my own ideas on life–scrawled onto pieces of white paper and hung on my walls, that technically do the job, but I would love to have these phrases displayed in a way that’s a little more artful. Short of needlepoint, what else can I do to achieve this?
But then again, I think a needlepoint that said, “WRITE YOUR FUCKING NOVEL!” (one of the many inspirational quotes on my wall) could have redeeming entertainment value.