QUOTE(manny-the-dino @ Jul 16 2009, 12:53 PM)
I'm not really feeling the gray and red, tbh.
This. If you're in need of some colour schemes,
this site will generate several schemes based on one colour you choose.
Atomic Affliction also has some amazing colour palettes you can choose from.
As for design, like the others said, your patterns clash. Instead of two "busy-looking" patterns, like you have now, try using one busy pattern and one simple, minimal pattern. It would be a little easier on the eyes (;
Font choice could be better. I'd choose fonts that are more simple in design and cleaner-looking. This would also improve the overall feel of the layout, not just the titles.
Best thing you could do is to keep practicing, and keep asking other people for their advice. Sometimes I'd make a layout that I thought was perfect and it ended up that nobody else liked it. If you're planning to submit to Createblog or have other people use your layouts, it's important that your design is appealing not just to yourself, but to other Internet users. Just keep trying (: