Polymer Clay Storage Strategies

After those first few blocks of Fimo clay, about when you realize you’ll need a few of every colour and one of each tool you find, you start to think about storage. Since polymer clay stays usable for a long, long time under ideal conditions… you aim for the ideal conditions. Something that will keep it out of dust and heat but that the clay itself is compatible with. In my case that’s always been some combination of plastic zip bags, plastic tubs and shelves.

My unopened clay is on a rack in my studio shop, housed in a commercial building in my small town, for both me to pick from and students to buy off of. I found a few of these old book displays at the thrift store.

Once the clay gets opened it tends to live on my studio tables for a while but most of it gets put away regularly. The tub on the bottom catches scraps, loosely sorted into colour ways. There’s usually a few tubs going around here. Opened but not mixed blocks go in one of the blue lidded shallow boxes. Blends in one of the tackle boxes, canes to sell in other tackle boxes. Canes and blends and such that I’m using into the other blue lidded boxes.

Storage is a moving target for me – when I used far less clay, I got away with a few boxes on a bookshelf and that worked for a long time. These days, between studio work, classes and the physical shop I have more to store but also dramatically more space. As long as I remember to label and put things away, it even stays relatively neat.

What do you guys use?

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There are some craft projects that feel like they belong on a rainy afternoon kitchen table, and this Milk Mache Molding Compound is exactly one of them. It is part craft, part science experiment, and part “wait… did we just turn milk into something solid?”

This clever little project from CraftBits shows you how to make a simple homemade molding compound using just milk and vinegar. The idea is wonderfully old-school: when the vinegar reacts with the milk, it separates into curds and liquid, leaving you with a soft mixture that can be pressed, shaped, and dried into a hard, stone-like material.

It’s a lovely one to try with kids, especially if you enjoy hands-on STEM-style crafts that do not require a trolley full of supplies. You can use the finished compound to make small charms, beads, ornaments, rustic tags, or simple molded shapes. Just keep the pieces small and thin, as this is not really the sort of compound you would use for large sculptures or anything that needs to be perfectly smooth.

What I like most about this project is how accessible it is. Most of us already have milk, vinegar, a bowl, and paper towel in the kitchen, which makes it a brilliant last-minute craft activity. It also has that slightly magical quality children love — one minute it is liquid, the next it is turning into a moldable material.

A couple of tips before you try it: use whole milk if you can, as it tends to give a better result than skim or semi-skimmed milk. White vinegar is also the best choice, as darker vinegars may affect the colour and texture. And don’t rush the draining stage. If the mixture is too wet, it will be soggy and hard to shape; if it is too dry, it may crumble.

This would be a fun companion activity for our other kids craft ideas, especially if you are looking for something simple, inexpensive, and a little bit educational. It also fits nicely with home crafts and handmade gift embellishments if you want to turn your dried shapes into tags or decorations.

Would I call this a polished, professional clay substitute? No. Would I call it a wonderfully curious, messy, memorable craft experiment? Absolutely.

If you enjoy homemade craft supplies, kitchen-table experiments, or easy projects that make children ask “how did that happen?”, this Milk Mache Molding Compound is well worth a try.

You can find the full project instructions here: Milk Mache Molding Compound

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