icon question!
i have no idea if i can even ask this here, but since i've been wondering for a while and i figure some fine people here might know, i might as well give it a shot!

what i'd like to know, is how to make icons like these lovely ones. from what i can tell, if it's photoshop they're using, it's a little more complicated than just gaussian blur > darken, etc. but even playing around, i haven't been able to figure it out!

i'd really appreciate any tips. i'm usually a diehard picnik user since my laptop is slow enough as it is, but i'm always looking for new ways to make icons. and while we're at it, what about these?

thank you a ton in advance!