Used Sculpture Generator, by Carlo H. Séquin, UC Berkeley, to create the wreath ring and then used GIMP to create the seamless texture and Mathmap to create the Sphere. Man, I do like Sculpture Generator; just wish it could do other things too like knots. The program is so fast at both rendering and manipulating (believe it uses the graphic acceration capabilities of the system; just has too) it's rendition too.

Magicians should be admired - and not think about how to do that?
However, beginners can also ask Master - a step by step effect: birds_nest.png

Or how you do spheres, in general, would be sweet. I fake them with mathmap, but never seem to get the same effect as you, oh GREAT SPHERE MASTER (yes Lyle, that's you).

I use Mathmap>Distort>Sphere Mahvin. I put a smaller texture background behind the front texture then run the Distort>Sphere preset and it automagically creates the sphere. I drop the size to 4.2 on the slider to make it more circular. Now you are a master too.

Thanks Lyle.

That's pretty dope!