I started it for you.  There's no need to slice the images or put them together.  So don't mess with the table and images in "raym.html", otherwise I won't be able to help you if something goes wrong.  @_@ Tables are ebbbbilll.  Do look at how they were sliced.  raym_09.gif is a part of the table, but you will use that as the background, since it continues the grid for your entries and the sidebar with all your info. :D

You should read the css file before continuing on...I don't want you to read this and go "HUH?". ^^()

All your information should go in the body after the table.  There you can start positioning where you want your info to go and test to see how wide you need to make the div layers.  Do the same for the entries, and once you position it to your liking and have typed some crap to test it (to make sure it's not too wide, etc), delete what you typed and put %%ENTRIES_HERE% where you want all your blog entries to go on the page. If you're still unsure, look in "my layout.txt" to see how I did it. 

I also have the .psd file of the raym layout so you can look and see how I did it.  I named each layer so you know what is what.  That way you can start to experiment in Photoshop.  Layers are really what makes these layouts work.  Saving them as a .psd leaves them in layers instead of just one picture.  You can lose quality and details if you flatten the image.  Image Ready is great because you can open a .psd file, slice it how you want, then "save it optimized as.." and have everything look EXACTLY as you had in the file...with no image flattening required!  I've made the mistake of flattening an image before slicing it, and things would look really crappy.  Make sure you click "window" and then "layers" so you can see all the layers. 

Tips to help you:

1)  When you make a new image, never work on the background provided for you.  It will always be locked (if you have the "layers" window up, the layer will be called "background" and there will be a little lock on the right side of it), and you won't be able to do much to that layer.  Create a new layer on top of the background layer, delete the background layer, and fill the new layer with whatever background color you want.  Then make a new layer to add your image, if you want. ^_^
2)  USE A NEW LAYER FOR EVERYTHING.  EVEN TRIVAL THINGS.  I stress this because you never know what will come out.  If you're on a new layer and you do something that you really don't like, you can just delete that layer and make another.  If you do it on one layer you really like, and can't undo what you did, then you'd have to trash it. You have no idea how many times I've done that. @_@
3)  Experiment.  Test things out.  You'll never know what you'll come up with. :D
4) Save frequently.  I've had Photoshop freeze or crash on me and I've lost a lot of nice stuff. ~_~ 
5) Don't save it as a .jpg or a .gif.  Save it as a .psd.  Once you're finished with the layout, you can delete the .psd later.  Yes, .psd files are huge, but it's worth it.  Trust me.
6) Have fun! :D


Uhh...I can't think of anything else. ^^()  So go and finish the raym layout!  And I save Photoshop and Image Ready because that's all I have. ~_~  I'm not sure if Painter supports .psd files. o.O  You'll have to find that out. :D  I hope you have a lot of fun with this~~
   