[redhead]

The <img src='what ever buttons.gif'> is where your link buttons should be placed, just make a table row above, where that is your topbar.
Something like this:

<table border='0' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' width='100%' align='center'>
  <tr>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_befor_topbar.gif' align='top' valign='top'><img width='1' height='1' src='transparent.gif'></td>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_under_topbar.gif' align='center' valign='center'><img src='topbar.gif'></td>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_after_topbar.gif' align='top' valign='top'><img width='1' height='1' src='transparent.gif'></td>
  </tr>
<tr>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_befor_topbar.gif' align='top' valign='top'><img width='1' height='1' src='transparent.gif'></td>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_under_topbar.gif' align='center' valign='center'><img src='what_ever_buttons.gif'></td>
    <td background='graphics_to_display_after_topbar.gif' align='top' valign='top'><img width='1' height='1' src='transparent.gif'></td>
  </tr>
</table>

Play around with the settings of align/valign in the table data settings till you get a feeling of, when it's located where it should be.