Making site resemble showcase site

[Sanaa]

Hi Rebecca,

I just spent three hours trolling the support looking for help to make my blog look like the Christa Parrish showcase frame.

Namely I want to do the featured content gallery in the same size but when I resize it, the gallery changes but the background behind the gallery does not. As a result, I don't know how to move that middle column up.

also when I tried to resize the header (not quite as big as the CP showcase but a little bigger) I got the header to change but the white (or cream/beige) navigation/menu bar doesn't move, I tried changing the size of the Nav bar but nothing changed. How can I do that?

also I want to change the background colors, I want to keep the same style but just change the colors...I am confused by what I have been reading in the support. People keep talking about having to change an image??? I don't want to ad a custom background --just change the colors. With other themes (I have the developers package) I have changed the color by just changing the background color but when I do this, I lose the navigation bar in terms of color, it just changes too.

please, help, I'm pretty frustrated.
Sanaa