April 2026: MelbNova & Homebrew ADL

Hello ♡

A newsletter from April 2026. I look back on this month both fondly but also stressfully... because so many things happened.

March 30th - April 12th: Placements

I started the month completing my two-week placement in a Mental Health setting as part of my EN studies. While many of my family and friends were away travelling over the Easter holidays, I was working in a private mental health hospital — an experience I am incredibly grateful for. I felt honoured to be part of someone's healing journey. And more than ever, I view nursing as a holistic and patient-centred profession — one that cares not only for physical health, but also for a person’s mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.

This placement truly humanised mental health for me. It gave me a deeper understanding of the inner workings and complexities behind how and why someone may become overwhelmed, and challenged many of the stereotypes often associated with mental illness.

One of the biggest lessons I learnt was how multifaceted mental health really is every individual’s experience is unique, with presentations ranging across addiction, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and many other conditions. It reinforced for me that mental health cannot be viewed through a single lens.

More importantly, this placement reminded me that everyone is carrying their own struggles in life. Sometimes what people need most is greater kindness, empathy, understanding, and someone willing to truly listen.

Supanova Melbourne: Artist Alley (April 18-19th)

The weekend after placements ended was Supanova Melbourne — which realistically meant I only had one full week to prepare stock.

For those who may not know, I’m a crochet artist (@ebonykatt.ami), and every piece I bring to markets is individually crocheted and sewn entirely by hand (with lots of love!). Depending on the design, each plushie can take anywhere between one to two and a half hours to make, so understandably… I was stressed.

Although I prepare stock throughout the year in between markets, placements exhausted me more than I had anticipated. Between the long hours, back-to-back shifts, and the emotional weight of what I was exposed to, I found myself learning not only clinical skills, but also how to process stress without internalising it, while still striving to provide the best possible care for patients.

Somehow, I pulled through — and I was honestly so proud of how my final table came together! Yippee!!

My Supanova table ♡

I also filmed a mini vlog sharing the final week of placements and everything leading up to Supanova, which you can watch here :D

While Artist Alley was a little quieter compared to my usual traffic and customer turnout, the weekend was still incredibly meaningful. I got to make many new friends and catch up with my dear friend and table buddy Liv (@lunabrush on Instagram), who creates the cutest cat-themed merch ever — definitely go check her out!! ♡

As always, I was blown away by the support and love from other artists and customers - it always warms my heart when someone adopts one of my plushies

Homebrew Adelaide: roadtrip, market prep & vlogging (April 24-28th)

So… you’d think I would’ve learnt from my past mistake of not leaving enough time between markets, but — unsurprisingly — I did not. I ended up accepting an invitation from my friend Ace to drive down to Adelaide to table at their very first art market: Homebrew!

I met Ace back in November 2025 at Supanova Adelaide, where we became fast friends. When I heard they were creating their own cosy, coffee-and-autumn-themed market, I honestly couldn’t say no. It felt really special to support someone taking such a big creative leap.

So naturally…

I hired a car and convinced my partner to join me on a Melbourne-to-Adelaide road trip.

And genuinely, it may have become one of my favourite memories of 2026.

The entire trip was sweet, chaotic, spontaneous, and so full of little moments that made everything feel memorable. (A mini vlog of the trip can be found here hehe.)

It started with ANZAC Day morning, where we were woken by the sounds of the dawn parade. We stood watching the servicemen and women march through the streets, and I remember feeling genuinely awestruck. It was my first time witnessing that level of discipline, uniformity, and respect in person. There was something incredibly moving and grounding about the atmosphere — a quiet reminder of service, sacrifice, and community.

The same day, we visited Monarto Safari Park, where we accidentally missed the last bus back and ended up trekking 4.4km to the exit. We cut it incredibly close, arriving only five minutes before closing. Despite the mild panic, the landscape was absolutely breathtaking — lush bushlands fading into open desert terrain, surrounded by incredible African wildlife. Somehow, I even got to see a Przewalski’s horse, which made me ridiculously happy.

The next day was Homebrew art market. This market blew me away, the turnout was beyond what I had predicted :3 Everyone was so friendly, the food was so cute (and yummy), workshops were so fun and everything was just perfect. Am VERY excited for v2 of Homebrew!!

My table setup: I was experimenting with a new layout (idk if you can tell but I love pink and bunnies).

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The following day we visited Adelaide Zoo and saw the pandas — and they were actually active! Considering they’re the only pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, it felt especially surreal. The last time I saw pandas was during my trip to Taiwan in February 2025, so it felt strangely full-circle.

There's a panda behind us!

Panda having a nom :3

Being the chaotic pair we are, we visited Hahndorf, the charming German-style town in the Adelaide Hill for a quick stop over before our 8-hour drive back to Melbourne!

Between the warm pretzels, handmade candles, autumn scenery, and little boutique stores, it genuinely felt like stepping into another world for an afternoon.

I think, looking back on this trip, the most memorable moment was helping rescue tiny tree martins that nest around the trees near Rundle Mall. Every year, in spring, they flock to the trees right outside the shopping mall... but at night, the lights confuse them and they fly into windows or get stuck in the mall. Some get stunned but manage to recover, but a handful had head injuries from the force of impact... fortunately there were 24-hour vets open nearby who are very aware and have implemented strategies and raised awareness on the plight of these birds so that everyone can help to protect this endangered species. (honestly, they were so small and fragile, and it became one of those oddly wholesome experiences that stays with you long after the trip ends).

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Thank you so much for reading my little newsletter. Wishing you a lovely, productive week!

~ Daisy x