This would look magnificent on a wall in GIANT SIZE.... Great in a bank!!!

Author you've made an error when you typed the URL for the belt source in your description.
You wrote: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/bozubana-crown-flower-lei-1310387\n
Always keep the URL in the clear away from other characters. The "\n "is not part of the URL and results in a 404 message.
The correct link is: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/bozubana-crown-flower-lei-1310387
Please fix that to avoid confusion

The reason you perceive a "blurry" look is because of the eye of the cricket/grasshopper. Look at steps 5 and 6 in your SBS. The eye is no longer crisp and sharp in step 6 and the highlight is too dark and soft, this affects how the observer perceives the sharpness of the image.

When you create shadows you are correct to place them on a new layer but you should set that layer on "multiply" (that makes it transparent) and use the Gaussian blur feature to adjust the sharpness. Then adjust the opacity to suit. In lightening the girl you lost all shadows making her a bit flat. She should have stronger shadows to better match the cricket/grasshopper. There's no shadow of the rope on the girl or where her skirt is over her leg.

use the sharpen tool.

That first launch will be a killer LOL ... nice work

Lovely usage of your own imagery... and my friend from college would be screaming for the hills (she was terrified of bats) hehehe