I need some advice on which decorations to make for graduation cakes. My clients all want butter cream cakes (no fondant). Do I use fondant or gum paste? I have used gum paste in the past and it seemed to fall apart.

I have used just fondant and they hold up OK.....but lately I have been mixing 1/2 and 1/2 fondant and gumpaste and my finished product comes out smoother and it's easier to work with....the fondant gets too dry to quickly....the 1/2- 1/2 mixture drys in a few days and seems stronger and less breakage than plain fondant......

I make almost all of my decorations out of gumpaste. They are much sturdier once dry. The other advantage is the people can save them for years if they want, just brush any frosting off before storing.

Depends on the kind of decorations you are talking about. If it's a 3D figure, then gumpaste will probably be best, or like terrylee suggested a half and half mix (which I do a lot). If it's something that will be served with the cake (when sliced) I suggest fondant because it will taste better than gumpaste.