Is this done with a cutter?

Yes.  There are a couple of ways to approach it.  One just use a round cutter.  You cut the circle and then use the cutter to make another cut and you have the little pointy football shape.  Or you could get a cutter to cut out the concave diamon shape from the center.  A linzer cookie set would have somthing like that or you could bend a small square cutter to achieve that. 

yes linzer and here's one a little bigger in this set--it's a common set carried prolly by lots of cake deco places

if you cut the diamondy shape out of the circle

http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Run-Micro-Cookie-Cutter/dp/B0000VLP6W/ref=sr_1_99?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1357575200&sr=1-99&keywords=cookie+cutter+sets

and it's three and a half circles tall--up the side of the cake

optical illusion for sure!!!

There is a lace cutter set that has at least 3 of those little concave square cutters in it.  It's $70.00 though.  I would find a mini square cutter and just bend in the sides.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilmissbakesalot 

There is a lace cutter set that has at least 3 of those little concave square cutters in it.  It's $70.00 though.  I would find a mini square cutter and just bend in the sides.

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geez you could easily make them to scale for a fraction of that with the make your own cookie cutter kit too

Here is a cutter to do that with.  I'm in Canada but they ship to the USA from a US Warehouse.

http://www.creativecutters.com/index.php?option=com_simpleshop&Itemid=42&task=viewprod&id=2189

Good Luck

Quote:

Originally Posted by -K8memphis 

 

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geez you could easily make them to scale for a fraction of that with the make your own cookie cutter kit too

Well it does have many other elaborate cutters as well http://www.globalsugarart.com/product.php?id=21266&name=Brandenburg%20Lace%20Cutter%20Set&gdftrk=gdfV25706_a_7c2149_a_7c8856_a_7c21266&gclid=CLGanpzX1rQCFdKd4AodTXwAMw.  It would be worth it if you needed all of the shapes, but for this... a soda can would work.  Just some tin snips and some tape to cover the top edge so you don't cut yourself.  But the linzer sets are cheap enough too and you get the added benefit of all of the other super cute mini cutters.  :)

The Geraldine cutter would make for a lot of little pieces to place.  That would be better used as a side marker I think. 

oh i'm all for buying that set of cutters!!!

beautiful!!

No... it looks like they cut out the shape from a circle.