[A-Pek]

blending can be done a million ways. depends on what type of blending you want to have done.

as for your sigs. DO NOT OVERUSE LAYER STYLES! they are unimaginative to say the least. layer styles (bevel & emboss, outer glow, etc) are ok because you are just starting out. my advice to you is to do some hard research into tutorials and such. here are a few sites to help you out.

http://www.teamphotoshop.com
http://www.tutorialforums.com
http://www.thewebmachine.com
http://www.phong.com
http://www.planetphotoshop.com
http://www.photoshopcafe.com
http://www.eyeball-design.com

that's about all i can think of right now.

here is a good tutorial on cutting out complex objects (such as hair) from their background and readying them for transplant to a new background.
http://www.myjanee.com/tuts/hair/hair.htm

if you are just cutting out a simple object like that soldier, don't use the lasso at all. use the pen tool. it's frustrating when you first start using it but once you get it it's a great skill to have.

the best thing about tutorials is that you learn how to do new things with old tools. it also shows options you would otherwise disregard.

as for the tools that i use? every single one.

good luck with photoshop. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do. and if you have any questions go to http://www.teamphotoshop.com/forums there are a lot of people there willing to help.