I wish I knew who made this cake to give them credit, but I don't.  I have seen many cakes like this and would like to attempt one.  How are the appliques done?  Sorry for the file attachment - I couldn't figure out how to attach the photo.

AI believe that is Royal icing stenciled over fondant. You use a medium-thick consistency RI and spread it over the stencil with a spatula.

I was hoping it was something easier - lol!  I thought maybe it was done with a Cricut and just stuck on.

AYep, it's an intricate damask stencil.