My name is Anna-Carin Betzen, and I live in Sweden (or, more precisely: in Jakobsberg, a suburb of Stockholm). I have a M.Sc. degree in Computer Science and work with software support. In my
spare time, I enjoy building miniatures, as you can see on this site. All items are in 1:48 (also known as 1/4") scale unless otherwise stated.
I'd like to tell you a little about my miniature prehistory. As I live in a mini-deprived country, I'd like to make my story digestible to anyone in a similar situation. So if you're an experienced miniaturist, please bear with me when I'm going into unnecessary detail.
Like many other Swedish girls, I got a Lundby dollhouse and lots of furniture for it. I didn't make any things for my dollhouse, except for trying to sew a small doily. As the Lundby furniture was very detailed and well made, my attempts looked clumsy and I was discouraged. Still, I had lots of fun arranging the furniture. Also, I spent lots of time setting the dining table over and over again, only because cups and glasses wouldn't stay put. I wish I had known about holding wax then! This dollhouse and all the furnishings were stowed away when I grew to old to play with it, and I hope to unpack it eventually.
In 1994, I got an issue of the American magazine Miniature Collector for Christmas. I was completely fascinated by it, and read it over and over again. I got a subscription, and continued dreaming. I was studying and lived with my parents, and I didn't have the space, money, nor time needed for making miniatures. In 1996 I joined the online group Tiny Talk (this group is no longer active), and got to read about minis at a daily basis. Through Tiny Talk, I even got a mini friend living at a comfortable distance from me. :-) I made a few attempts at 1:12 scale food from polymer clay, but finishing my degree was of course my top priority at that time. I married, got my degree, and got a job. Now I finally had the chance to make minis!
I had read a lot at Tiny Talk about a very popular dollhouse magazine named Nutshell News (it's now called Dollhouse Miniatures ), and I went to a store that carried foreign magazines to check it out. When I leafed through the current issue, I saw building instructions for the cutest little furniture I'd ever seen - Arts and Crafts furniture in 1:48 scale! It was designed by a (obviously very talanted) lady named Madelyn Cook. I had no idea that it was possible to make such tiny little furniture and still get that level of realism, but I knew at once that this was something I wanted to do! I especially liked the fact that this furniture didn't require a saw or other messy equipment, only a hobby knife. Naturally, I asked my parents for a subscription for Nutshell News for my soon-to-come birthday.
The first issue of my Nutshell News subscription held instructions for a 1:48 scale Arts and Crafts sideboard. I was eager to get started and used the supplies I could find locally - balsa sheetwood and strips from a model building shop. When my sideboard was finished, I thought it was more or less a disaster. The balsa grain was out of scale, and as soon as I handled the tiny pieces my nails left marks in the surface! Fortunately, I realized that veneer would be a better choice, and I also heard that the model railroad shop carried scale lumber that I could use. Thus equipped, I made another attempt which turned out much better. During this first time (early 1997), I also reduced a couple of 1" scale designs, including the small garden with arbor shown on this site.
My local mini friend had long been a subscriber of Nutshell News , and kindly lent me all her back issues. When I wanted to build more of the Arts and Crafts furniture, I realized that I needed plastic model parts that I couldn't buy here. So, I took the plunge and ordered some from the US. I also ordered sheetwood and woodstrips made from basswood. Using basswood was a substantial improvement, as it was harder than balsa, yet slightly softer than veneer, and came in suitable widths. Next step was buying a "chopper" - a wonderful device for cutting thin wood strips to the desired length at a right angle. In the process, I learned a bit about the fees involved when ordering things from abroad. There's 25 % VAT on the value of the order and shipping combined, plus customs fees of at least $6 per package... but packages sent with Priority Mail usually slip through without these fees. And they're even delivered on Saturdays. :-)
At Tiny Talk, I had also heard that there was now (since December 1996) a newsletter on 1:48 scale, Little Enough News . Of course I wanted to subcribe to that too. I sent the money to the editor, Pam Scott, and was surprised to get a very nice email in return, where she told me how happy she was to get a Swedish subscriber, as she herself was of Swedish ancestry. We soon became close friends, and I've repeatedly contributed to LEN, as it's affectionately known, over the last few years. Here's a page with some of my LEN-related photos.
In the year 2000, my minis were featured in a couple of articles in the Swedish miniatures magazine Miniatyrvärlden (The Miniature World). Since then, single photos of my minis have been included in the magazine on a couple occasions.
I got the opportunity of exhibiting my English Cottage on a Swedish mini show, and as some people showed great interest I decided to have a table at the next show. Unfortunately, though many had been intrigued by the display, very few were interested in actually buying 1:48 minis, kits, or building instructions. I had put a lot of work into the preparations for the show, and I hardly made enough money to cover the cost for the table. I'll definitely think twice before exhibiting at another show. Instead, I've turned to the Internet as a very convenient way of displaying my minis. I launched this website in October 2001. My ambition is to not just show off the things I'm making, but also to provide some hints and explanations to those who are new to 1:48 scale (or to miniatures in general) and may not be familiar with some of the supplies that are available.
The Swedish Miniaturists' Society (Miniatyrsällskapet) has asked me to give a talk on 1:48 scale (planned for March 2004), and I very much look forward to this event. When local miniaturists are repeatedly exposed to this scale, I'm sure some will eventually develop an interest in it.
