Experienced noob needs help

[Spinball]

Hi Folks,
I am proficient in html and Paintshop pro but a noob when it comes to implementing a really fancy design into vBulletin.
My forums are at
www.avforums.com and are very popular.
I want to implement a design inspired by the attached image. I've kind of half started it with some design elements at the top.
I know there is a ton of work to do because I want to make the thing look unique and super slick.
I don't have a clue how to, for example, wrap the category titles and other similar headings with boxes as per the date box top-right of my forum.
Can someone please point me to a tutorial on how to do this?
Many thanks.