I am trying to make my first purse cake and had two fondant straps drying for the handles. However when I put them on, they fall over and crack. I have tried making them shorter, but it still happened. Anyone have and words of wisdom here?

I would have used 50/50 fondant/gumpaste to make the straps. I have found fondant alone to be very brittle after it dries when the pieces are thin.

What about putting the fondant/gumpaste on a wire...that might help.

If you have some CMC or Tylose, you can add some to the fondant to make it stronger for the handle. If not, use 50/50 gumpaste with fondant to make it stronger.

I always use wire to make handles, that way you are sure it will handle the weight of the fondant. Just be sure to remove the purse handles before the cake is cut.