The Blue Bottle Tree
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I'm Ginger Davis Allman, and I help you make polymer clay work that you're proud to put your name onto! But I love all art.
Polymer clay is my chosen medium and it's the one that has captured my imagination and my energy. On this page I share interesting art links, give support and information, and help promote artists in the polymer clay world. I write www.TheBlueBottleTree.com, a polymer clay information website where you can learn about baking, sealers, clay brands, and so much more. I also write comprehensive and professionally formatted tutorials and eBooks that help you learn to make the most of your polymer clay crafting time.
Stop blaming the brand of polymer clay when things go wrong.
All of the premium brands (ie. not children's clay) work just fine if you know what you're doing.
And if you don't (yet) have a certain skill, that's easily fixed. There are plenty of people who can help you.
But please consider the source. If a forum isn't curated and moderated, and if you're hearing wildly contradictory advice from random strangers, look elsewhere. You get what you pay for folks.
Come hang out with me in Blue Bottle Insiders.
Bottom line, you can't be creative when you have anxiety about doing things "properly".
You gotta let it go.
Try wild s**t.
There's no such thing as a gold star, either.
When baked properly, Du-kit polymer clay from New Zealand is strong and durable.
I spent several weeks exploring this brand of clay and my EPIC review is now up on my website!
My review of Du-kit is up! Head to the website to read all about it.
If you're in Australia or New Zealand, you NEED to read this. You're just about to discover your new favorite clay.
And if you're in the US, this is one to try if you're tired of dealing with crumbs and stickiness from other brands.
The review is EPIC in length. I definitely Gingerized this one. Enjoy!
09/04/2026
My little fingers are sore from all the mixing, mixing. But the "labwork" is done now. I finished all the photo editing last night. Next is the videos and finally writing the review itself. Oh, and all the graphics and promos and socials, iykyk.
Look for the published article on my website next week. Yes, it will be intense. I can't help myself.
09/04/2026
Because we usually condition polymer clay with a roller or a pasta machine, it's easy to assume that folding and mixing are necessary to make polymer clay ready to use.
It's not.
The purpose of conditioning is to DISTURB the clay so that it will move, bend, model, and handle without cracking and shattering into crumbs. You can also do this by massaging, pressing, squeezing, and twisting the clay.
When I make my flow glass bowls and vases, I start with a solid lump of clay from the block. I never run it through the pasta machine. I soften the clay by slowly and diligently pressing it into a ball, then start forming the vase. This way, I never trap air.
In most cases, the pasta machine is fine. But if you've ever wondered how much mixing you need to do, the answer is none. The goal is to make the clay workable. That's it. No mixing required.
Of course, there's a whole lot more to conditioning than this. And yes, I have articles about it on my website. And it's one of the many things we talk about in Blue Bottle Insiders.
09/02/2026
You know you do it.
Would this work? Should I try it? What if I waste the clay? Maybe someone else knows. Has anyone tried this?
Or worse, you ask AI. (As if it knows anything about this stuff.)
Stop overthinking it.
Start investigating.
What would happen if I did this? Let's try it. I might as well see what happens. What do I have to lose?
And the result is nearly always.... OOOOHHH!!! That's INTERESTING!!
Maybe not perfect, but interesting. And it gives you a direction to explore further.
But you gotta stop overthinking it. Go.
Yes, you. Go!!
Oh, btw, the background of this post was just scrap polymer clay that came out overlapping like this, so I saved it. You would, too, right?
Be childlike and lean into curiosity with your creative process.
What would happen if....
That's how we learn!
08/27/2026
Ooh, this stuff is niiiice!
What would you like me to explore with this clay brand? Tell me in the comments.
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