'Meeting the Makers' with Corrine from To Be Loved Treasures by Corrine

Welcome to the latest episode of ‘Meeting the Makers’ series and today I am thrilled to introduce you to the amazing lady behind ‘To Be Loved Treasures by Corrinne’.

With a passion for creating beautiful junk journals and intricate hand stitching, Corinne’s talent shines through every piece she creates,.

Join us as we dive into her world of artistic wonders and get inspired by her extraordinary creations.

Tell us a little bit about yourself…………..

My name is Corrine McEwan and I have lived in Brisbane, Queensland for 32 years.

Prior to that, I grew up in a small rural community on a Dairy Farm and Small crops farm.

It really was the best kind of childhood a kid could wish for.

What or Who inspired you to start creating Junk Journals?

I was inspired by many YouTube creators.

About 3 years ago, I stumbled into the community and now I’m finding myself revisiting my first love of fabric, lace and embroidery. All of these mediums fit will with Junk Journals.

I am a big fan of Rachel from Roxy Creations and I find her relaxed style, fits well with me.

What is your first memory of being creative?

My first memory would have to be time spent with my Mum and Grandmother, stitching doilies and sewing clothes.

My Grandmother was a dressmaker and for most of her career, made wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.

A visit to Grandma’s house was sensory overload for a kid. I can remember skipping from room to room to view all of her ‘works in progress’.

I was also very lucky to have many school teachers that fostered and developed my basic creative skills with many projects.

This was one of the benefits of attending a country school.

In what way does being creative affect your daily life?

This creative passion has helped me build my daily business, The Christmas Shack.

I have a number of Christmas retail stores in Brisbane and as the owner, part of my job is working with factories overseas, developing and creating products for the stores.

In my free time, I share what I am creating on my YouTube channel.

My YouTube channel is called To be loved Treasures by Corrine.

What is your process when creating a new journal? Are there any specific factors you consider?

For me, the most important thing is to have a theme. Having a theme keeps me focused.

Do you have any unique features that you add in to nearly every journal you create?

As I mentioned, I’m working more and more with needle and thread so fabric journals are the way I store those pieces that I create. So themes are often used to create a story within a particular journal.

If it is a paper journal, I must include fabric, lace and stitch around as much as I can with my sewing machine.

I just love the texture the sewing adds to all the elements of a journal such as the tags, pockets and pages.

Would you say you have a certain style?

What is my style……………………… I honestly don’t like to restrict myself to one style in particular. I love them all!

Once again though, it all comes back to a theme.

Do you have any tips or tricks for fellow creatives that might help them on their creative journey?

I have TWO tips……………………

1. Try EVERYTHING and don’t hold back. Life is too short so try it all.

2. Don’t hoard your supplies for a rainy day. Use it as it will just end up in someone else’s craft room one day and most likely via the op shops.

How do you strike a balance between functionality and aesthetics in your creations or do you create just because you love it and it makes you happy?

I create just because I like it or I want to try a style or technique.

It’s all about the journey for me and I am not worried if it sits in a cupboard after I am done. It’s about the journey.

How do you engage with your community of creatives and how has this influenced your body of work, if at all?

I engage with fellow creatives through my YouTube channel and various Facebook groups.

I have made so many new creative friends.

Contact with other creators and subbies to my YouTube channel are a great way to keep in touch.

By sharing our creative adventures, we learn so much from one another.

Could you tell us of a memorable experience or story shared by one of your customers or subscribers, regarding their journaling or creative journey?

The most touching are the viewers that are housebound and have very little connection with the outside world, for whatever reason.

I like to invite people in to my world with stories and chit chat in my hour long video’s. I upload videos daily.

Uploading videos on such a constant basis is such a big task but I am creating anyway so I just turn on the camera each morning and go for it.

Luckily I am a good talker and love a bit of a chat.

Where do you find inspiration for your creations and how do you stay motivated to create new and unique products?

Inspiration just comes to me. I have started writing things down. Things like projects and all sorts of ideas and this has really helped me sleep at night. It helps me turn off.

If I lose my MOJO, I embrace it as I feel that that is my brain and my body telling me to take a break. Enjoy the rest. Your MOJO will return when it is ready.

Where do you create? Do you have a dedicated space?

I am a lucky girl as I have a rumpus room that I have turned into my studio.

Do you have a favourite tool or technique?

My favourite tool is my brain! I love to unleash the creative ideas and charge forward.

Have you faced any challenges with regards to your creative journey?

Oh gosh……………. The biggest challenge would have to be not having enough hours in the day. I wish I had a 28hour day as there is just never enough time to play!

What are your future goals?

My future goals are to just keep playing in my studio with whatever takes my fancy.

If you could offer one piece of advise to your fellow creatives, what would that be?

Enjoy the journey!!!

Do you have a favourite quote or affirmation that you would like to share with us?

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt”- Sylvia Plath

You can find Corrine on -

YouTube - To be loved treasures by Corrine.

Instagram - To be loved treasures

Etsy - ToBeLovedTreasures

Thank you so much Corinne for sharing your creative insights and experiences.

It’s through the exchange of ideas and stories that we continue to grow as a community of creators. Thank you for opening up your creative process and allowing us a glimpse into the magic that fuels your journey.

If you would like to meet more creatives like Corrine, you can also find some catch ups over on my YouTube Channel, PaperInspirationsAU.

Until next time, I hope you all get a little bit of creative time in.

Sue xx