Welcome everyone, to Land of Oz Dolls and Connie Zink's new blog!! This January, Land of Oz Dolls is celebrating it's 33rd year in business. Little did Connie know, when she started this doll-making business in January of 1979, that it would grow to be an enterprise with customers from all over the world! Now with all the internet possibilities, the doll world has no boundries. Land of Oz Dolls, owned and operated by Connie and Dennis Zink includes a 2800 sq. ft. retail shop, 2 websites with shopping carts, an ebay store, a Facebook page and now this blog!
Let's get started here with a tour of the shop! Right after Christmas, I decided the shop needed a facelift and some organizing! I can't tell you how much fun I have been having tearing this place apart. No major remodeling or anything, however my sewing room and supply room did get new windows back in October. What a mess that was! The windows in the sewing room were just replacement windows so that wasn't a problem. The supply room did not previously have any windows, so installing the two new windows there, meant cutting a big hole in the wall. I had forgotten how big of a mess that was. I spent 10 days afterwards dusting and cleaning every shelf in the room. I also had to wipe down everything in there which included hundreds and hundreds of bagged wigs, shoes, and other supplies and shelves of soft-fired greenware. At least that is all behind me know!!
So after Christmas I decided to work on the doll room and the class room. I had 33 years worth of doll magazines and books on shelves back in a cubby hole in the classroom, the only problem was the shelves kept falling from all the weight. It was like an earthquake every time a shelf would fall besides being a threat to llife and limb! So I started back in that corner looking for a new home for all of them. Heaven forebid, I would throw any of them out! This is the history of the modern doll world, I couldn't let any of them go to the dump! I have traveled thousands and thousands of miles all over the country for the last 30 years, selling at shows and teaching seminars, so much of my doll life history is in those magazines, along with so many people and businesses that are no longer with us. The information, techniques, and articles are priceless! Never fear, I found a place for them all! I spent three days cleaning out all of my base cabinets in the doll classroom, there I threw out everything I hadn't used in years! Now my entire library is on the floor of the cupboards and will only fall again when the second floor gives way from all my stuff.
After cleaning out the cubbyhole, then I decided to move onto the doll display room. Oh, how I had been wanting my pink Christmas tree back out on display. I had this big pink Christmas tree on display for years, then when I took it down about 5 or 6 years ago it went up to the attic. So after Christmas, I kept bugging my husband to please get it down for me. Now this is not a walk in attic, You have to climb a ladder and crawl along some plywood layed down for a floor. I guarantee it went in the attic much easier than it came out!! Dennis has informed me if I take it down again it goes to the dump not back in the attic. My beautiful pink tree is back up and on display, I even got the ornaments dusted off. So after the tree was up and decorated, then the fun began trying to decide which dolls got to stand in front of the tree.
Then I decided to separate all the modern dolls from the antique reproduction dolls. Most of my modern dolls were all in the classroom so I decided to move them all together. Monday's project was moving, dusting , and vacuuming around all of them and gathering them all together on one wall in the classroom. So tomorrow I move on to cleaning my classroom tables (for class Thursday) and back to the doll room for my next step in there. My doll room has little room vignettes built in the walls. There are 5 of them, so next I need to start arranging each vignette. Those will be so much fun deciding what to put where. Now on to some pictures of what has been done so far!!!
Let's get started here with a tour of the shop! Right after Christmas, I decided the shop needed a facelift and some organizing! I can't tell you how much fun I have been having tearing this place apart. No major remodeling or anything, however my sewing room and supply room did get new windows back in October. What a mess that was! The windows in the sewing room were just replacement windows so that wasn't a problem. The supply room did not previously have any windows, so installing the two new windows there, meant cutting a big hole in the wall. I had forgotten how big of a mess that was. I spent 10 days afterwards dusting and cleaning every shelf in the room. I also had to wipe down everything in there which included hundreds and hundreds of bagged wigs, shoes, and other supplies and shelves of soft-fired greenware. At least that is all behind me know!!
So after Christmas I decided to work on the doll room and the class room. I had 33 years worth of doll magazines and books on shelves back in a cubby hole in the classroom, the only problem was the shelves kept falling from all the weight. It was like an earthquake every time a shelf would fall besides being a threat to llife and limb! So I started back in that corner looking for a new home for all of them. Heaven forebid, I would throw any of them out! This is the history of the modern doll world, I couldn't let any of them go to the dump! I have traveled thousands and thousands of miles all over the country for the last 30 years, selling at shows and teaching seminars, so much of my doll life history is in those magazines, along with so many people and businesses that are no longer with us. The information, techniques, and articles are priceless! Never fear, I found a place for them all! I spent three days cleaning out all of my base cabinets in the doll classroom, there I threw out everything I hadn't used in years! Now my entire library is on the floor of the cupboards and will only fall again when the second floor gives way from all my stuff.
After cleaning out the cubbyhole, then I decided to move onto the doll display room. Oh, how I had been wanting my pink Christmas tree back out on display. I had this big pink Christmas tree on display for years, then when I took it down about 5 or 6 years ago it went up to the attic. So after Christmas, I kept bugging my husband to please get it down for me. Now this is not a walk in attic, You have to climb a ladder and crawl along some plywood layed down for a floor. I guarantee it went in the attic much easier than it came out!! Dennis has informed me if I take it down again it goes to the dump not back in the attic. My beautiful pink tree is back up and on display, I even got the ornaments dusted off. So after the tree was up and decorated, then the fun began trying to decide which dolls got to stand in front of the tree.
Then I decided to separate all the modern dolls from the antique reproduction dolls. Most of my modern dolls were all in the classroom so I decided to move them all together. Monday's project was moving, dusting , and vacuuming around all of them and gathering them all together on one wall in the classroom. So tomorrow I move on to cleaning my classroom tables (for class Thursday) and back to the doll room for my next step in there. My doll room has little room vignettes built in the walls. There are 5 of them, so next I need to start arranging each vignette. Those will be so much fun deciding what to put where. Now on to some pictures of what has been done so far!!!
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One Corner In The Doll Room Done!          |
8 comments:
Your blog looks wonderful, Connie! your Daisy's on the header are just gorgeous, I am already looking forward to your next post!
Linda P
What a wonderful place to go. I could spend hours there looking at the dolls, their clothes and all the little goodies on that tree! A treasure of a room!
Now I know I MUST own one of your 27" or plus dolls!
Connie!!! Love your new Blog. What a wonderful way to get to see everything you are accomplishing.
I am so thrilled to be able to feel like I can be a
part of it all. You are a dear. Take care, Blessings. Cheryl Ann.
Wow...what a great start to a new year. Really enjoy seeing the pictures...a beautiful room
Very nice site, I love the pictures. You do beautiful work.
Absolutely gorgeous! And I expected nothing less.
Ao beautiful all the photos. I wish I lived closer and could see them in person And now I got to see you too with your blog picture. My two fashions dolls send their love to their original mama!
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