After molding your fondant into flowers, bugs, etc. what is the best way to dry the fondant. Should you seal and refrigerate it or seal in plastic containers. How long ahead of a project can you prepare and mold it. Do you paint it before it is dry or after? What do you use to paint on fondant? I want to put a beehive on top of a sheet cake. Can I frost the cake with buttercream frosting and place the hive on top using a separator board to the fondant doesn't soften in the frosting? I have molded bees out of fondant with alot of ideas some of you have given me and they are now in a sealed plastic bowl. I don't want them to soften up but I don't need them for a couple of weeks. Any and all comments will be appreciated.

dont seal them and dont refrigerate them... they will dry in the open air... if your beehive is heavy putting a board underneath it and dowels is the way to go.. they keep forever as long as they dont get wet..

i have heard of people freezing fondant molds but i've never dont that before..

also, i usually wait until they are dry to paint.. you can use regular colors or luster dusts..

I haven't done too much molding myself but just leaving them out in a safe place will dry them out pretty quickly. You don't have to refrigerate (in fact, you're not supposed to refrigerate fondant at all). I have painted after the fondant has dried with icing colors - if it's the powdery kind, mixed with lemon extract or clear alcohol (like vodka).

Re: the beehive, yes, I'd place it on a separator plate if the beehive is made from fondant...sealed plastic container is fine to store the fondant bees.

HTH

Wow!!! That was fast. Thank you so much for answering my questions so quickly. I want to go home tonite and practice more with the fondant, now that I know it will last awhile. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise.