Warm, fresh out of the oven pi

Nice work with the pie and the 'smell lines'

However, I think you should 'advance' in your emoticon making; your shading is okay, and at least you're using gradients instead of flat colour. But a good time to create your own shading style (like the 'look' of the emote, not the face) is probably now.

Look around DA for tutorials, ideas and techniques to either use or make your own from. All of us artists who make emoticons had to go through this.
For me, making shading was extremely difficult, but i finally came out with one that looked great. My shading however is very time consuming, as I do it pixel by pixel, with one tool (the photoshop pencil) so I suggest you don't move onto that kind of stuff yet.

Once you get your shading style done and finished, you don't have to do again for another emote; just change the hue/colour and saturation on PS.

So I hope this tutorial comment helps you Or you can go on with the way you make emotes. Fine by me.

Before I click send, word of advice:
Unless following a tutorial, don't copy someone's shading completely. It sounds silly I know, but people have been banned from this. :\ Stupid.