Connie and Dennis Zink started Land of Oz Dolls in Savanna, Illinois in January of 1979. After signing up for a porcelain doll class advertised in the local newspaper in 1978, Connie was just going to make that one doll.
Now, 25 years and several thousand dolls later, Connie is still making dolls, teaching classes and seminars, and exhibiting at many doll and ceramic shows across the country. Even after all these years the excitement of finishing a new sample doll made from a new mold purchase is just as exhilarating as ever. Connie has found that the joys of doll making know no boundaries.
Dennis pours the greenware for the 1,500 modern and antique reproduction dolls that Land of Oz Dolls offers to its customers. The studio in Savanna also offers a complete array of porcelain slip, china paints, brushes, wigs, eyes, shoes, socks, doll stands and finished dolls as it has been a distributor for Seeleys, Bell, Global, Monique, Kemper for many years. A vast array of supplies like this makes Land of Oz Dolls a one-stop doll making shop.
In 1988, Connie's daughter, Stacie, then age fourteen, started working for the studio after school and on Saturdays. Stacie is still there, answering the phone and organizing the mail order portion of the business. Stacie has recently even started making dolls herself.
Connie's weekly classes run Wednesday mornings, afternoons, and Thursday evenings at the shop in Savanna. She also teaches many two and three day seminars throughout the year, some are in Savanna and others are scheduled at various shops across the country. She recently became a Dianna Effner Painted Eye Instructor and offers seminar's in her shop and at various shops across the country.
The highlight of the year is Land of Oz Dolls annual two-week Open House Extravaganza and Dolly Garage Sale. There are endless seminars, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations taught by Connie and other instructors from across the country. Thanks to the support of many major companies and wonderful people, there is more than $2,000 in attendance prizes given away each year. You can vote for your favorite doll, brought in by Connie's students, for the People's Choice Doll award or enjoy a leisurely meal at one of the banquet dinners. Because there is so much to do, many attendees stay for an entire week.
Connie finds teaching the most fulfilling aspect of her doll-making career. She relates: "Seeing the joy on that new student's face after completing her first baby doll to the more advanced student when the concept of painting those dreaded French eyebrows finally clicks, excites me to this day. The rewards from this profession are multi-fold. Friendships made through this industry can last a lifetime. My life would not be the same without all of the wonderful people I have met during the course of the last 25 years."
Picture of Connie's A21 Steiner she painted.
)
)
)
)
)