Listen to Jennifer(princer7). She helped me tons.
Quick tips:
tripod
pumps off
clean glass
shoot straight through to your subject, angles distort
a macro lens wont hurt(except your wallet), You can get good shots from the kit lens, it just takes more effort.
look at the histogram on the back to help fine tune your exposure
play around with GIMP/Photoshop/whatever picture editing software you have to see how to make the pics better.
Here is a link I used, and still do, to learn more about post processing and digital imaging in general:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm
practice, practice, practice