One of my favorite projects for the past several years has been sprucing up boring brown "wood" (particle board) clipboards. They make the best gifts for teachers or anyone that works with paperwork on the move. They also cost next to nothing to make (you can get a three pack of these things at the office supply store for less than $5). I just finished one, and I'm quite pleased with how it looks. Check it out. :)
Here's another one I painted for my mom for Mother's Day a couple of years ago.
I absolutely LOVE painting these! Can you tell where I pull a lot of my inspiration from? :)