Gary,
I like the idea! If this is an excercise, the Klaus is correct! One needs to know how to do what one might want and not settle for what happens!
The extracted edges are a huge challenge and need to be softened and pick up a hint of the new b.g.
Shadows and lighting have to seem correct.
Let's have the work flow with method of masking, otherwise others joining the thread have no idea of how to repeat what you do.
I myself do a lot of assembly and make sure lighting is consistant!
So, if you like, put the orginal of your i mage up and then let people do it by their own methods? You'd post an 800 pixel wide image and then we'd repost it as 600 pixels wide.
Asher