hI, Oh what a morning.. every thing going great then time to make the black fondant strip border... and the fondant wants to fall apart.. Too wet?? Too Dry?? I cant tell.. It dosent seem elastic.. MMF.. I put in Microwave just a few secs and needed more. but no difference. Added Tylose.... and shortning.. Oh I dont know.. but I have to get this cake done.. Any suggestions??? I have never had this happen... Is this what you call elephant skin??

Did you start with white fondant and color it black? Since the gel colors have water in them it messes up the consistency of the fondant because you need a lot of color to get black. If you have time I suggest making a batch of fondant and adding about a 1/4 cup cocoa to make it brown and then add black color to the soupy marshmallow mixture (before adding powdered sugar). Don't add as much powdered sugar as usual since the cocoa powder will dry it out a little.
But if things are as hectic for you as they are for me today you won't have time so you may want to try an alternative design. Maybe use black ribbon instead? Good luck!