I molded a nice plateful of chocolate shells tonight for a cake I'm doing next week...brushed them with lustre dust (I tried to paint it on with vodka, saw the video posted here in the forum, but that didn't turn out too well for me...next time, perhaps, with more practice)...right now, they're on a plate in my fridge. Should I keep them there? I have a cat whom I don't trust if I left them out and with the weather getting warmer, I wouldn't want them to melt. I was so careful when handling them (go gloves!) so that they wouldn't get soft in my hands - I'd hate to see hours of work down the drain because of a mishap.
Should I put them in a tupperware or just wrap them with saran? Help! 
I've never done chocolates like this so far in advance but with everything going on next week, I'd rather get as much of this cake done and out of the way! I don't know how much to charge for the chocolates either...I think I can figure out the cake price, it will just be the additions to it that I need to work out.
I'm new to this charging business - most of my cakes have been made for family or close friends, this is a co-worker! I think I need to devise up a contract also...
(sorry to ramble on!)
Thank you very much! It's the lustre dust, I assure you! I did brush it on pretty heavily!
Perhaps I'll make other colors - she told me she only wants beige and brownish shells but I couldn't resist the pink and seafoamy ones! (The cake will have a seafoam fondant ribbon running along the base...) If she is willing to accept those, perhaps she'll want some blues and purples too! 
What if you laid them flat in a box or plastic container and stored it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. UUUHHH you naturally have a spare shelf you don't know what to do with right??? LOL 
Good luck and by the way, those are STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Bless, Donna
Those are just great! WOW! Questions: What kind of chocolate did you use, did you brush the luster dust on straight and where did you get the molds? I haven't done that...as you can tell! Thanks!
Your shells are beautiful! Good job. Try mixing very lightly the brown chocolate with the white and you'll get a very realistic effect on them. Check out one of the cakes in my photos and you should be able to see what I mean. You won't have much luck "wet painting" on chocolate with luster dust. Believe me, I tried and ended up with a big mess!!! Just brush it on dry for the best effect. The chocolate is too oily and it doesn't matter if you make the paint out of the spirits. Understand? Dry brushing them is such an easy process and looks wonderful.
As to storing them, just put them in a plastic container with wax paper to separate the layers. They will store beautifully. I had some shells in the refrigerator in my garage about a year and when I put them on a cake I did last week for the folks at work, just to use them up, no one could tell the difference. As long as they are sealed up and don't pick up any funky odors from your fridge you will have no problem.
I meant to add this to my post: Sorry, if this is a bit disjointed!
As to what to charge for them. At least $50 extra isn't too much to ask depending on how big the cake is. It would be along the same lines as chocolate dipped strawberries and the like. If you want you could make it a per serving addition or just charge a flat fee for them. These details take time and talent and you should benefit from the fact that you create beautiful, edible works of art and your customers either can't or just don't have the time to do it. Just my 2 cents!! I think most of us waaaaaay underprice ourselves. I know I do. I always practically apologize for charging a fair price. Okay. I'll stop. Sorry for the rant...
Have fun with your shells! They are really beautiful!!
Valerie
Your shells are Beautiful! What lovely work!
"Check out one of the cakes in my photos and you should be able to see what I mean."
Valerie, I did check out your photo and Yours are just as lovely. Some day when I make shells, I will use your advice. Thanks!
wow, just wanted to compliment you on such gorgeous shells! They're stunning!
Those are just great! WOW! Questions: What kind of chocolate did you use, did you brush the luster dust on straight and where did you get the molds? I haven't done that...as you can tell! Thanks!
I used plain old candy melts (I think they're Wilton - I bought them at Wal-mart)...white and light cocoa (why I bought the bag of dark cocoa is beyond me) and since I don't conform well, I used my regular icing color to tint the pink and green. They recommend using oil-based colors because if you introduce water into melted chocolate it can seize up (ie - get all clumpy and trashy). However, I haven't had a problem since I use mostly paste color anyway. If your chocolate does seize, you can add either paramount crystals or plain Crisco to it though and that should rescue it. I brushed the lustre dust straight on. And the molds I bought at a craft store years ago. I even have lobster molds (both small and large pops) that I tossed on a cake! I really should get around to watermarking my photos so you can see! It's really not hard to make molded chocolates - just heat your candy up (I use the microwave) and check it every 30 sec so you don't burn it. There really is no cure for scorched chocolate. Blech. I usually pop my filled molds in the freezer to set (very quickly) but I don't have the room right now so I used the fridge. When they pop right out, they're done. I'll get right on that watermark - I did my own wedding cake last October, topped with handmade chocolate covered cherries!
Anyway...I'll shut up now. Oh, and when you go to wash your molds, don't use soap. I just run mine under hot water. Soap will cause your molds to get brittle.
Valerie,
I did mix the white and chocolate. Unfortunately, from that angle, you can't really tell that they're kinda marbled! The lustre dust gets in the way! The darker ones were my first batch (hadn't made shells in a while) but I figured if she wants them, great, if not, I'll just send them to work with hubby! (They're my guinea pigs! One actually complained that they don't get cake every day! LOL)
Thanks on the tip to seal them up. Funny, I didn't think of the odor thing. (Definitely don't want them to end up smelling like fish...although it would be realistic!) Wow. $50? See, I am really new and wet-behind-the-ears on this charging business! I undercharge people.....I know that. 
I know my prices will be going up though.....
Jenn
Yes, as advised in above post, put the shells in any type of box or container. They don't have to be refrigerated.
Lovely shells! Your instinct was right to hide these from the cat. I've never had problems with my cat messing with things, until I left some molded chocolates out. She apparently developed one whale of a sweet tooth. They were just white ones...don't know if regular chocolate would be the same way. But, yes...kitties do like candy melts!
Dry brush! To make it a paintable texture, mix with either vodka or a colorless extract (because it evaporates quicker than water) until it's a paintable consistency, like nail polish. Then paint on!
When I tried to paint the lustre dust onto the chocolates, it came out splotchy. So I just took the brush and dusted it on. Came out just fine - it didn't need to stick really, it's on there.
looking at your shells makes me want to get a mold, chocolate and dust and then stay up all night trying to make shells as great as yours....please post a pic of the finished cake!
Your shells look fabulous! I made my shells for my recent wedding cake (the one and only in my photos) and I have 4 busy kids and 3 busy stepchildren, so making the shells ahead was imperative to me. I made them about 3 weeks earlier- and I also dusted them with lustre dry & they turned out fine. As long as you have them in an airtight container, seperate the layers with parchment paper, and keep in a cool, dry place, they will keep for a very long time (months)! Good luck and post your pics when you have the cake done!
Thanks! They really don't take all THAT long. But I do recommend wearing gloves when you make them. I hate gloves but it really kept them from melting in my hands!
I also wear them for tinting MMF. Any other time they get in my way.
Oh yeah...I wear them when chopping chiles too.
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