We are on a mission to add more play into everyone's day and to share this form of art therapy with the world. Let's face it, we all need a break from our digital devices and to rediscover making things with our hands.We also wanted you to start your pottery journey learning with air-dry clay as it's easy to use, doesn't require firing (for decorative pieces) and is super fun. After this we encourage you to keep exploring by ordering more of our clay or booking in for a course with your local studio so that you can learn from the masters.

Being an eco-friendly and sustainable brand was non-negotiable for us.

Our clay is natural, non-toxic and made right here in New Zealand.

Our packaging is home compostable, recyclable and reusable.

- stickers are made with PVC free products

- clay is packaged in recyclable soft plastic pouches

- paints come in reusable glass jars

- paint brush handles + sculpting tools are wooden

- mailer boxes are craft cardboard and can be reused

- compostable mailer bags

Think of our clay as a little bit magical—it hardens all by itself! Pieces will initially dry in 48 hours*, but thicker creations may need up to a week.

🔥 No shortcuts: Ovens, heaters, or hairdryers might sound tempting, but they’ll usually cause cracks—so best to let patience do the work.

⏸️ Need a break? Wrap your clay in a reusable or eco-friendly bag and come back to it later. Just don’t leave it too long or it will start to set.

🍵 A quick note on use: Air dry clay is not food- or water-safe. If you’d love to make something functional (like a mug or bowl), you’ll need to have it fired in a kiln with glaze instead of paint or sealer. – see our section on glazing & firing

We searched all over for the perfect clay and it had to be made locally of course! We tested and modelled for months until we found the BEST air-dry clay.

We use a light clay which is supple and workable making it super easy to model and smooth - It dries a light clay colour making it easy and fun to paint! 

And it can be fired in a professional kiln if you want to make something waterproof and foodsafe. its a special hybrid between stoneware caly and air-dry clay.

Think of sealing as giving your clay a little raincoat. 🌦️ If your piece is decorative, two coats of sealer will help keep it safe and slightly water-resistant.

But if you’re dreaming of making something food- or water-safe (like a mug for your morning coffee or a bowl for snacks), skip the sealer! Instead, your piece will need to be glazed and fired in a kiln once it’s fully dry.

We've been modelling clay with our hands for thousands of years - it's a primal skill.You don't need a wheel, just model and hand-build your pieces at home- it's easy and super fun.We also provide you with 5 x sculpting tools and a sponge to play around with. You can use a rolling pin (or wine bottle) for rolling slabs.

You can make so many things with our air-dry pottery kits - model your shape at you place and let it air-dry for 24-48 hours.

No kilns are needed, but the option is there if you’d like to fire your piece - take the stress out of that mission and make something that doesn’t require firing

Ideas for things that don't need firing:

Vases for dried flowers (option to put a glass bottle in to hold water for real flowers), jewellery dishes, fruit bowls, wall hangings, candle holders, art sculptures. games.

Anything that needs to be foodsafe and waterproof i.e. Mugs, food serving dishes and vases for fresh flowers etc.

✨ No kiln needed for decorative pieces! That’s the beauty of our clay—you can shape, air-dry, paint, and seal your creations all at home. Just finish with 2 coats of sealer to protect and enjoy them as display pieces.

🍵 Kiln required for functional pieces. If you’d like to make something food-safe or fully waterproof (like mugs, bowls, serving dishes, or vases for fresh flowers), then your piece will need to be glazed and fired in a kiln. Make sure it has dried for at least 2 weeks and is free of paint or sealer before firing.

🔥 Important note:
You can’t use your oven at home to fire clay—it must be done in a proper kiln.

Your kit will come with enough clay to make a few things.Yes we sell single packs of clay if you'd like to make a bigger piece or if you've already got our kit and tools and want to make something else.

We recommend that you use your clay within a few months (who would want to wait to play anyway). If you only use half and want to store the other for another time, make sure you wrap it tightly in the eco wrap and seal the bag up again and use within a few weeks.

If your clay has hardened in the pack or you want to reuse leftover bits, don’t worry—it can easily be brought back to life!

Spray some water in to your pouch or a plastic container and leave to soak. edge the clay for a while and it will spring back to life. Head or video tips to learn how to recycle and wedge clay.

Make sure you seal your pack completely so that no air can get in if you're only using half your clay and saving some for later.

Yes! Our clay is non-toxic, so it’s safe for little hands to play with (just supervise and remind them not to taste it 😉).

However, our air-dry clay is not food- or water-safe straight out of the pack. If you’d like to make something functional—like a bowl to eat from or a mug to drink from—your piece will need to be kiln-fired after drying for at least 2 weeks. Make sure it’s free of our paints or sealer before firing.

🍵 Making it food safe:
Use food-safe glazes, then bisque + glaze fire your piece. Once fired (up to 1,000 °C for bisque, 1,220 °C for glaze) and crack-free, your creation will be ready for everyday use!

No – paint & sealer are for airdried pieces and must not be applied with glazes.

Glazes are used on there own and then must be fired in a professional kiln.

Yes you can. 

If you'd like to make your piece ceramic so that it is food and water safe follow the instructions below. Make sure that you DON'T apply any acrylic paint or our sealer to your piece.

Please note that when you are hand-building that you need to mould your clay really well so there are no air bubbles in the clay as your pieces could explode or crack in the kiln - this can happen with any type of clay used. There are many factors that come in to play should your pottery not turn out how you'd hoped - that's the tough thing with getting pieces fired and why it's a good idea to start practising with air-dry clay.

1. Leave your piece to dry for 2 days with a bag (like a bin liner) over it to slow the drying time down. Then take it off and dry for additional 2 weeks out of direct sunlight so that it becomes bone dry.

2. Reach out to your local potters or pottery clubs to ask if they will fire it for you - if you are using our glaze then make sure you ask them if they are ok with having some mayco stroke and coat glaze on the pots before bisque firing (some potters don't like this). You can find some of our partners in the next questions.

3. There is a fee for their service (this will vary between kilns) and it is a two step process: bisque & gloss firing. Firing temps for the kiln: bisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then gloss fire 1220 ℃.

These instructions are for our glaze only.

1. Shake the glaze jar well before use.

2. Apply 1–2 thin coats with your brush to your greenware (dry clay): - 1 coat = translucent - 2 coats = opaque.

- Do not apply more than 2 coats and do not apply glaze to the bottom of your letters.

3. Let each coat dry fully before applying the next.

4. Make sure you apply glaze to all areas that food or liquid will touch when its a functional piece.

5. Wipe the base clean with a damp sponge before firing.

Bisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then gloss fire to 1220 ℃.

Find a list of our local kiln partners on our kiln partners page. If you can't find one on there in your area, a google search might find you one near you!

We have so many ideas for you!Have a look at our 'Pottery Portal' and get inspired with our video tutorials on how to make different shapes like greek vases, donut vases, animals + so much more.

Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok or Facebook where we share videos, pieces our community has made and offer live workshops.

$8 or FREE over $100 for tracked shipping.

Orders will be sent within two business days of purchase. 

NZ customers: after you receive a shipping confirmation email please allow 1-2 days for your kit to arrive to you depending on where you live.

For some rural addresses, please allow up to 4 days. You will receive a tracking number when your order has been shipped so you can watch out for it via the link.

For international shipping times please refer to the next FAQ.

For international orders please allow 10-21 business days for your order to arrive.

Australian orders: $35 (per kit) tracked service and should arrive in 5-16 business days. If you'd like to purchase more than one kit please email us to get a shipping quote.

For all other international shipping please contact us and we can look into shipping for you.

Please contact us if your location is not available and we can look into shipping.

We pack our kits in small boxes to reduce material use and to insure that your items are tightly packed limiting extra packaging around the items inside. Sometimes your box has a bit of a journey and can be tossed around -if your box arrives and you are not happy with the state of it, please email us pictures as soon as it arrives.

It's best not to wash lumps of clay down the sink, as it may clog your drain -it's fine to wash your hands with lots of water though. Dispose of any unwanted bits of clay in your garden or in the general waste. Or you can order some more clay to add to it and make something else.

Yes, absolutely they are non-toxic.

Don't stress if your little ones get paint on their clothes, our New Zealand made paints are fully washable. Use eco-friendly spray and wipe to remove paint off surfaces.

Dust or wipe down your sealed pieces every now then. Don't leave them outside or anywhere that they would get moist. Do not wash them in the sink or dishwasher/

Fired pottery care:
We would suggest only hand washing your fired pieces.

Yes we certainly do offer wholesale for our kits! Just email us directly at; hello@modelettostore.com and we will forward you our catalogue.