Monday, 22 November 2010 by Irene Hoofs

I’m Lucie Beck from the Netherlands and I live in Utrecht, together with my husband Robert. I just gave birth to my son Joep! Joep is 13 weeks old. My company is called Gallerie Lucy and I organize creative courses for bachelor-parties and companies. I’m always looking for humorists new workshops. For example you can paint garden gnomes! Beside that I'm participating in the organisation of the Utrechtse Fabriek. It’s a cooperation of five business woman and we organize crafty markets in Utrecht. People sell their handmade and unique stuff, workshops, food, drinks and music are available.

What kind of house do you live in, are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you all terribly miss …?
We live in a beautiful f house in Utrecht dating back to 1910. The house has a big garden (in Utrecht is this uncommon) where Joep can freely crawl in the future. The house has old charateristic details like the green white shutters. We are very happy in this house. The center is nearby, day-nursery and shops are near. The day-nursery of Joep is near a mill (Holland!) with goats and animals, very cute.

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
Yes a lot! I’m always changening things in the house. Most of the things I do by myself and I try to combine old and new stuff. I renovate old things or apply my style to it. For example I’ve decorate the commode of Joep with nice porcelain buttons.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
The second-hand shop is near by (Emmahaus); I’m always getting inspired there. Also they’re selling old hobby books where I get my ideas from.
I like the Dutch magazines, 101, vtwonen and ariadneathome. Different blogs and sites I’m visiting are design*sponge, madamezsazsa, bybjor, marieclaireidees, flickr. When I visit blogs I look at their links and click trough.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?
At this moment Joep is 8 weeks old, he likes the mobile above his box very much.. I’ve changed the puppets on his mobile, I bought the ducks at a webshop and change them for the old ones.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?
At Utrecht: Rachmanihof, Casablanca, the Emmahause, Hema and several flea markets. At Liberation Day, the fifth of May, I always go to a very big flea market in the district Lombok in Utrecht. Everyone who lives there is selling their stuff, very nice and a good atmosphere.
At Queensday (the celebration of the Queen) there are flea markets everywhere and I shop many clothes for Joep at this day.

What's it like to raise a child in your town?
Very nice. There’s a lot to do for children in the neighborhood. Everyone takes their children on the bicycle and you can take them everywhere. Near Utrecht you will have different places to go, not so much traveling but a lot of nature and green.

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?
No one in particular, I think Joep can learn from everybody (family, friends, teachers) in his environment on condition they’re approaching him with love, tenderness and consistency.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?
A walk to the center of Utrecht or go to friends with Robert and Joep, have lunch and enjoy time off with each other.

Are their any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
“Baby” from Desmond Harris, a up to date book with an interesting vision on a babies growth.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?
A lot of humor, love and singing but also consistency and explaining the things you’re doing and why.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
Always have a plastic cloth in the house or when it’s nice weather go outside for crafting.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
I’m always design things that people can make in my workshops. These ideas are with different materials like fabrics, paint, felt, old buttons or nice wallpaper. Actually I have a lot of materials which I use. Otherwise I’m decorating the wall with pictures from old books in my working room or think of nice things for the house. I create “etageres” (stacking) from old and new tableware and use plastic animals to decorate them.

Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?
MadebyJoel and different books from the library. The magazine “Ariadne at Home Kids”, “Ouders van Nu”. And there are nice books in the second-hand shop.

What do you do with all the projects your children made at home or in school? Any nice decoration ideas how to hang them, keep them or use them as presents?
I think when Joep starts making projects we will get a frame which we will hang on the wall. When there are new paintings I will put the old paintings in a map and the new in the frame. Then you often have a new big painting from Joep.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?
A big party with a lot of friends and family, with nice food and drinks, not very complicate but very socially cosy (in Dutch you will say “gezellig”!)

What are favorite games in your home?
The Catan of Colinist and the WII sport.

Are there musical instruments in your house?
One trombone, only Robert play’s only on it when were’ having a party.

What are nice activities you can do with children in your place and what could you recommend when people are visiting?
“Spoorwegmuseum”, railway museum for kids in Utrecht.Nemo museum in Amsterdam, technical and scientific to-do things for kids. Of course “De Utrechtse Fabriek” at the Griftpark with a big playground and an animal farm. Of course there are severate workshops to do for the kids.

What movies do your children like to watch, is there one from your childhood you would love to show them too?
A movie that I want to show to Joep in the future are severate Disney films like The Lion King. My father translated them to the dutch so I grow up with Disney movies!

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food’ lover or both?
A food lover! Robert cooks most of the time, I’d like to eat what he’s made;-)

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and or without the children?
We are a big fan of the island Terschelling in particular the festival Oerol. It’s a ten days long festival on the whole island with music, theater and different things to do. We are staying at a `, this year it will be the first time for Joep. We’ll rent bicycles and bicycle all over the island to the beach or some music entertainment. We’d like to go to France, to Bormes les Mimosas. A friend of us has an apartment there, very lovely! We also like diving holidays or go to Italy.

Do you keep some sort of travel journal with the children?
Not that I know yet. We always make a lot of pictures.

How do you prepare for a trip, any useful tips?
Make a big list!

..Gallerie Lucy..
..Gallery Lucy shop..
..Gallery Lucy workshops..