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Way Outside Studios is home to tiny foods with big personalities. Every magnet is hand-sculpted from polymer clay and finished with expressive cartoon faces — because everyday spaces deserve a little more joy, character, and play.

What started as a simple craft experiment has grown into a whimsical, collectible world of Fridge Friends designed to make people smile the moment they see them.

How It All Started

I was first gifted polymer clay around 2017 because it “seemed like a Beth kind of craft.” The wooden tools from that gift are actually still on my work table today.

At the time, I was working in a chocolate shop, so naturally my first mini sculptures were tiny chocolate truffles. Not long after, I began working at a farmer’s market and fell in love with the individuality of produce — the colors, the shapes, the quirks. I’d be unpacking vegetables and thinking, that eggplant has personality — I need to sculpt that tonight.

Around the same time, my mom and I were refurbishing furniture and selling at a local artisan market. I put my little clay magnets in a bin at our booth — and I was amazed how quickly people scooped them up. That early excitement never left.

I eventually named the business Way Outside Studios because I’ve always been someone who thinks way outside the box and builds my own path instead of following a traditional one.

Why the Faces?

My very first vegetable magnets had faces. I’ve always been drawn to whimsical, cartoon-style art. As a kid, my favorite part of drawing was adding expression through the eyes and shading — and today, the shading on my clay pieces is one of the details people say wows them most.

Even when I make the same design multiple times, no two are ever identical. A slight shift in pupil placement, a smirk instead of a dopey grin — those tiny differences give each piece its own personality. Customers have told me adding the face feels like I’m adding my signature, and I love that.

These aren’t just magnets — they’re characters.

How They’re Made

Nearly every step of the process is done by hand in my studio. I mix custom clay colors, portion each piece, sculpt every detail, add shading before baking, and cure them in a dedicated clay oven.

During busy seasons I sometimes have helping hands conditioning clay, but the sculpting and design always come through me. Once batches are ready, my husband AJ steps in — flipping our mini muffin tins into magnet platforms and carefully gluing and glazing each piece after work. He’s also by my side at every market. I’ve never done one without him.

It’s truly a small-team, handmade operation from start to finish.

Why This Work Matters to Me

My goal is simple: childlike joy. A small moment of glee. A pocket of delight in an ordinary day.

People don’t buy these magnets because they need something to hold a grocery list. They buy them because they feel a connection — to the design, the expression, the personality. They’re choosing something that makes them feel lighter.

This business has grown alongside me through my entire twenties. Life has changed in countless ways, but creating has been my constant. I’ve sculpted on my happiest days and my hardest ones — sometimes after tears, sometimes full of laughter — and that emotional depth lives quietly inside each handmade piece.

Even though the magnets are all smiles, they come from a very human place.

The People Who Collect Them

My customers span all ages, but they share one thing: a love of whimsy. Many are collectors, gift-givers, and repeat buyers who come back for new characters and seasonal designs. Some have built entire themed magnet boards and growing collections.

Watching people connect with these tiny creations — and hearing how much joy they bring — never stops feeling surreal and meaningful.

Join the Fridge Friend Club

If you believe everyday spaces deserve more personality, you’re in the right place.

Browse the collection, start your own cast of Fridge Friends, and join the Fridge Friend Club — where tiny foods have big feelings and your fridge gets a lot more fun.