Tova - the coolest of all of Stardock's free software is
ObjectDock. It's basically a launcher program, where you can put the programs you use on a regular basis rather than using your start menu.
I used the free version for almost two years before BlueDev bought me OD+ for Christmas, and it's great. Not too tough to get a handle on, and just kewl to look at. It's functional, it's awesome, and best of all - it's free.
If you want to give it a try, download it. It's not very big and there's
plenty of documentation to give you a heads up. Plus, with your Stardock ID (your JU ID) you can download new icons for programs, new backgrounds, tons of fun stuff.
If you do give it a try and have any questions, you can always hit me up with a PM or email me at san DOT chonino AT gmail DOT com.
Oh, and after you play with it for a while (if you're still cheap) you can also play around with
Bootskin!,
LogonStudio, and
CursorFX, which are all either completely free or have a free-or-plus version.
And then, after a while, you'll become an addict and start wanting to skin everything . . . and that's when you'll pony up to the Object Desktop world and geek out with the best of us.