If you want just a little flair to make your page distinctive then there are endless resources available to you. Some page designers just want to set some personalized colors for their page and the following source will give the corresponding code for all the colors in the palette. Colors can be specified for the background, the lettering, the links and the expired links so you can create a very personalized look with color alone. Have a look at this site to see the codes associated with each color. This particular site offers free background patterns for your personal use.
Background images can be a texture or an object, like a logo.
Using a feature called tiling, an image can be repeated across and down to fill the browser window. Be careful about your sources and be sure to get permission for anything you copy or download that could be construed as other than for personl use. Clip art is available from any store or mail-order vendor that sells software for your platform. For icons, buttons, animated gifs and other graphics this site is an example of what is available over the Internet. You may want your image to open as a separate document when the user activates a link on either a word or a smaller, inline version of the image.