Marginal Love
by alyssa ashleigh
books · home · internet girlhood

A cozy corner of the internet
for women who live life in the margins.

I’m Alyssa — writer, mom, homebody and content girl. Marginal Love is where my worlds meet: book club notes, homemaker life, soft routines, food and family, quiet ambition, and the little things that make a life feel like yours.

Join Marginalia Read the journal
Marginalia A slow, book-ish club for women who love underlining and talking about it.
Home & family Food, homemaking, motherhood, and building a soft but structured life.
For brands Partnerships, UGC, and cozy-but-clever storytelling that feels like a friend’s recommendation.
Inside Marginal Love

What you’ll find here.

This isn’t a niche — it’s a life. These are the main pillars everything here orbits around.

Books

Marginalia Book Club

Monthly picks, underlined lines, questions you actually want to answer, and gentle accountability to read again.

  • Monthly reads & themes
  • Discussion prompts & reflections
  • Notes from my own margins
Home & Family

Homemaker / Mom Life

The overlap of motherhood, partnership, schedules, and still wanting your home (and you) to feel beautiful.

  • Routines & realistic rhythms
  • Kid life, systems & softness
  • Domestic romanticizing, but honest
Food & Ritual

Kitchen, Table, Everyday

Meals, little traditions, and the small things that make Tuesday-night pasta feel like something to look forward to.

  • Recipes & loose “non-recipes”
  • Hosting, cozy nights in
  • Seasonal rituals & routines
Journal & Shop

Personal & Things to Keep

Essays, life updates, and Marginal Love merch you can wear, use, or gift to your favorite girls.

  • Journal entries & letters
  • Marginal Love + Marginalia merch
  • Curated “shop my life” links
About

Hi, I’m Alyssa.

I’m a writer, mom, and recovering executive assistant with a soft spot for book stacks, well-fed tables, and quiet, intentional mornings.

I built Marginal Love because I wanted a corner of the internet that felt like group chat + library + kitchen table — a place where we can talk about books, motherhood, work, softness, ambition, and the tiny, mostly-unseen choices that make a life.

I care about honesty, warmth, and not pretending it’s all aesthetic and effortless. There will be pretty things. There will also be real things. Both belong here.

Background
Psychology, ops & storytelling
Degrees in Psychology and years inside law, consulting & exec support mean I think about people, systems, and feelings — all at once.
Life right now
Mom, partner, homemaker, writer
School drop-offs, grocery lists, content, client work, Marginalia, and making sure there’s always good coffee.
On the internet
Soft girl main character energy
Think: cozy outfits, book stacks, kitchen scenes, notes on work and womanhood — with a little edge and a lot of heart.
For you
A place to feel less alone
Whether you’re here to read, reset your home, or stalk my grocery hauls, I hope you leave feeling seen and softened.
Marginalia

The book club for girls who underline.

Marginalia is my book club living inside Marginal Love — part reading list, part conversation, part permission to take your time.

How it works

Monthly picks
One book, one theme, zero pressure.
I’ll share what we’re reading, why it made the list, and where to grab it. You can read right on time or three months behind — it all counts.
Margin notes
Prompts, questions & favorite lines.
Think of this as the notes app version of a book club: highlights, questions, “I felt this in my chest” moments, and gentle commentary.
Community
We’re all reading in different seasons.
Whether you’re sprinting through or nibbling pages between bedtimes, there’s room for you and your pace.

Journal

Essays
Life in the margins
Personal essays on motherhood, work, softness, marriage, friendship, money, and whatever else is living rent-free in my mind.
Home & days
Slices of real life
Day-in-the-life notes, routines, seasonal resets, and the small things I’m loving or rethinking.
Letters
From me to you
Slower, more tender pieces that feel like the long text you send your closest friend at 11 p.m.
Shop

Marginal Love, but make it wearable.

Coming to life: pieces and small things that feel like a hug from this corner of the internet — cozy, thoughtful, and a little bookish.

Sweatshirts & Tees
Soft, oversized, and quietly clever — for school drop-offs, coffee runs, and reading on the couch.
Marginal Love & Marginalia graphics
Home & Desk
Mugs, notepads, bookmarks and tiny things for your corner of the kitchen table or desk.
For your morning margins
Lifestyle Kits
Curated bundles that pull together my favorite routines: slow mornings, reading nights, reset days.
Coming soon
For brands

Let’s make something soft, smart & scroll-stopping.

I partner with brands that feel aligned with how I actually live: home, books, food, motherhood, wellness, beauty, and lifestyle.

If you’re looking for creator content that feels like a trusted friend (not an infomercial), you’re in the right place.

  • UGC-style video and photo content
  • Sponsored posts, stories & reels
  • Book launches & literary campaigns
  • Home, kitchen, family & lifestyle integrations
Partnership vibe: cozy, honest, and quietly aspirational — the kind of content that makes people save, send, and think “I actually want to use this.”

For collaborations and brand work, email: byalyssaashleigh@gmail.com or use the contact page and select “Collab / brand partnership.”
Contact

Projects, collabs, questions — my inbox is open.

Whether you’re a brand, a reader, or just internet friends in your head, you can reach me here.

For projects, collaborations, and social inquiries, you can use the form or email me directly at:
byalyssaashleigh@gmail.com

You can also find me here:
Personal IG: @byalyssaashleigh
Book club IG: @checkthemargins
Substack: Marginalia

Not sure what to say? A few sentences about who you are, what you’re building, and why you reached out is more than enough.