TRYING TO CHANGE MY BLOG LAYOUT

Please bear with me for a while as I try and do something about the look of my blog.
One of the things I have been desperately trying to achieve for ages, is to upload photos inbetween verse. I just can't do it. I also want to have my own fancy sides instead of brown, or as now, green. It seems that green comes with the new template layout I have chosen but as yet, I have not found out how to change it. Everything else is there and changeable but not the green! Perhaps my 'Dave' will take pitty on me once again and perform his magic - pretty please.
Today has been taken up with, what now appears to be a ritual, of driving round every store in the North West trying to find ink cartridges. This time my photoprinter has run out of ink. I have been trying to print a photo of Toby to use on a new scrapbook page . This one is for the Craft Garden challenge 'flowers'. However, no-one, and I mean, no-one, has the relevant cartridge. I've managed to order one online which will be here tomorrow, but in the meantime I have printed a photo off using my printer copier and the top quality photo settings. Just waiting for his 'dadi' to cut it out using my Fiskars circle cutter. Another bit of machinery that gets the better of me!
As soon as I finish the page, plus if it's any good, I will put a picture on my blog. I also have to link it to the Craft Garden blog using Mr Linky. Now there's another challenge!