[Shelley_c]

I would keep to the bold look just for consistencies sake though that is my personal preference though i would experiemnt with some other colours... possibly orange? Not to bold with white text whilst in hover mode urning to a dark blue?

For your bg.jpg (and I'm not sure whether this will work for this style) try this colour #4e4e4e. Like I said, It may/maynot work but pending it does I personally think this will bring out your style out alot.

Thinking along the orange idea... Try and intergrate orange not on the style itself but rather the images/icons that will complement the style like the button set, forum icons etc.

Though try the bg.jpg suggestion i wouldn't mind seeeing how that will look you have my curiosity buds on the go though this depends on how active/lazy you are when it comes to styling.