If I Only Had a Brain

Yesterday I spent hours fiddling around with a WordPress template because I keep hearing how it's way cooler than Blogger. That may be, I don't know, but I found it to be the most un-user-friendly thing I've ever encountered! Pooks wanted to know what was wrong, and I emailed back that it would be easier to tell her what was right, and I'm still trying to think of something.

This is the WordPress site I was trying to set up.

I really, really wanted a cool-looking blog where I could have something like that pen graphic at the top, and I wanted to have a theme that would go with the name, Chapterhouse. I envisioned a sidebar with titles in a book theme, things like "About the Author," a dedication page, acknowledgements, and then I'd have posts grouped into categories, only I'd call them "Chapters." I'd also have a Library to replace the "Currently Reading" section. Different skins would be Book Covers. I was even thinking of a tawdry-looking skin for the Paperback version.

Oh, I had dreams, people!

Bottom line: I just can't figure this out. I have books on html and all (of course I have books on this stuff), but I still can't do this.

Can anyone recommend an affordable blog designer?