Hey guys! I need to know how to preserve cupcakes/fondant decorations for displays in a cake decorating shop. These do not need to be food safe, edible etc etc etc as nobody will put them near their mouths. They will be in a window display. I took a shot in the dark and tried spray lacquer but that did not work at all.

This is what exactly I need to know:
-Fondant decorations fade. What can I do to prevent this from happening?

-Color on frosting also fades. What can be done about this?

-Should I use royal icing instead of buttercream? If so, do you think that royal icing could do a nice 1m swirl? Not sure as I have only ever used buttercream.

Thank-you so much!

I read a reply from dsilvest (who is in the business of renting dummy cakes) saying that if you add 1tsp bicarbonate soda to 1 pound of fondant/gumpaste, this stops the fading.
I don't know how you stop the fading of frosting. Keeping it out of direct sunlight will help but flourescent lights will also contribute to fading over time.
You could use RI instead of buttercream - play around with the quantity of icing sugar/water to get the right consistency, and you should be able to get a nice swirl. Though I'm not sure what the advantage would be.
I have some cupcakes in my shop that I did in February. Some are covered in frosting, some in fondant, all have fondant decos and they still look fine. They are hard as rocks though. They are also pain to keep dust free!