Seriously, THANK YOU. Let's make more magic!
xoxo Liz
]]>
I want to know something good that happened to you in 2020. Feel free to leave a comment below!
But I gotta give y'all a shoutout. Because of you, I was able to leave my job and make Miss Alphabet bigger and better. September brought the launch of my website, missalphabet.com and whole new merch line with the help of Miss Jediflip!
Oh, and you know, a Santa Ana retail location! Who'd have thought we could make THIS possible?!
Also, thank you for letting me protect your cute lil' faces. You really loved my face masks this year!
There is nothing I love more than working on Miss Alphabet full time. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Let's continue to beat this pandemic and have much better years to come.
Stay cute. Love, Liz
]]>These 20 x 12 inch throw pillows are made of polyester but have a nice linen-y texture. Also a separate insert which you can remove when it's time to wash the cover (via invisible zipper). If your friend's always searching Pinterest for room inspo or just likes to collect plushies and bedding. They come in pink, blue, lavender and white!
Or ya know, anyone who lives in a place with plastic bag bans. This bag can handle a lot, with its 20 x 14 inches and tough organic cotton twill. I can tote around my laptop, no problem! Get it here!
I fall under this category, not gonna lie. But I'm in love with this unisex fit t-shirt. The cut and soft fabric makes it so someone like me can wear several different sizes (seriously, as an XL I can comfortably wear a M thru 2X)!
"Huh? The mermaid?" Maybe not everyone saw the meme circulate on Facebook stating how touching thighs are one step closer to a merm.. ahh never mind. But these biking shorts are fantastic against chub rub! They come in pink, lavender, blue, and white!
Or just someone who likes athleisure and lounging around, whatever. These leggings are the most COMFY things I've put on my legs. Polyester spandex knit, and the most crisp images. They come in plus sizes too!
Sigh.. guilty again. I love working from home. All my clothes, pillows, blankets.. wait a minute, you can get Miss Alphabet blankets now???
Printed on minky fabric and measure 50 x 60 inches! Sorry, dolls and pillows not included!
Ahh, those rugged outdoorsmen. Anyways, my favorite tracks are the aforementioned "In A Big Country," "Harvest Home," and "The Storm" (listen to the whole thing, it marvelously jumps between Scottish folk and 80's rock).
SING IT, Stuart Adamson (RIP). You were absolutely darling.
On the more soul side of things, we have Rick James' protegee girl group, The Mary Jane Girls. And yes, this is a compilation. It's MY list, dangit!
They've officially disbanded in 1987, though I've seen that some of the group members performed small shows under "from The Mary Jane Girls" in recent years.
Highlights: "In My House," "All Night Long," "Wild and Crazy Love."
This is kind of a "duh" for me, and I am happy to see more people "discover" these talented Scottish ladies (Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson). I've long been an admirer of their style aesthetic and their perkier goth side.
Another tragic story of how record companies expect (especially female) artists to conform to what sells, in the case it was synthpop over their melancholy acoustic sound. My preference for synthpop being the double edge sword, of course.
Fun fact: their cover of "Jolene" was the first version I ever heard. Other highlights are "10 James Orr Street" and "Deep Water."
Honorable mention: Rose McDowall's cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper."
Oh look, the third Scottish band on this list (and yes, I didn't even know where they were from until a few years ago). I picked up this album from a tiny mountain town thrift shop for a dollar and it will forever remind me of driving in the mountains. And "Alive and Kicking" gives me friggin' GOOSEBUMPS.
I am not a religious person, but there's something to be said for successfully including Christian undertones that aren't OUR LORD AND SAVIOR AND REDEEMER. (I also love U2's War for that reason.)
Highlights: "All The Things She Said," "Once Upon a Time," and "Sanctify Yourself."
This is definitely one of the albums where you'd instantly recognize a couple of their hits (namely the widely covered Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "Always Something There to Remind Me."
Also a random thrift store cassette find. Every track is a bop.
Highlights: "I Could Show You How," Voices In My Head," and "Low Life."
Another "duh" album from me, because The Cure is only the best band ever. It's been said that this album was almost totally conceived on magic mushrooms and I believe it.
This album also holds a special place in my heart, I still have my cassette copy that was gifted to me when I was 11. This is also drummer Andy Anderson's only album (save for a few other Cure/related songs), and I had the pleasure of connecting with him on Facebook until his death from cancer in March 2019.
Did I mention the single from this album was the reason I became a fan? (Official video is not available in the US, unfortunately.)
Highlights: "Birdmad Girl," Shake Dog Shake," and "Dressing Up."
Recognize the name? Probably not. Recognize her from a certain 80's teen movie? Hmmm..
Admittedly, Teen Witch is how I discovered her. She did indeed cowrite "Never Gonna Be The Same Again" and "Finest Hour" from the soundtrack.
Anyway, back to the album (yes, it's also a compilation). Jumping between synthpop and freestyle (you just can't go wrong), highlights are "In Your Midnight Hour," "Just a Little Bit Of Love," and "Easy Come Easy Go."
MINISTRY IS BETTER AS SYNTHPOP AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND.
A lot of us can relate to "Every Day is Halloween" (not on this album) which of course is what introduced me to this (formerly) synth act. I'm a big lover of synthpop, as you can tell, so you can imagine my surprise when I looked up the rest of the catalog to find they've switched to metal/industrial. Sorry guys, I know Al Jourgensen hates it, but I prefer the older stuff.
Highlights: "Work for Love," "I Wanted to Tell Her," and "Effigy (I'm Not An)."
I will never understand the amount of hate this album got. This is witnessing New Order rising from the ashes of Joy Division after Ian Curtis' suicide, and it's beautiful.
Being a transitional album, there of course was a lot going on at the time of recording, especially without Curtis' input. The addition of Gillian Gilbert on synth also helped with their transition to more dance/synthpop.
Highlights include "ICB," "Chosen Time," and "The Him."
Honorable mentions are a few of this album's B-sides (later released on a compilation), as they're some of my favorite New Order tracks: "Everything's Gone Green," "Procession," and "Mesh."
Not familiar with the mod revivalist movement? Didn't last too long, unfortunately. These guys married 60's mod and 70's punk and the result is an absolute fun fest. Yes, I know this album came out in 1977. Nyah.
Highlights: "Batman Theme," "Art School," and a cover of Larry Williams' "Slow Down."
Quirky and fun as hell.
Ignore "Love Shack." Yes, I said it. The rest is fantastic.
You're taking meeeeee to the point of no return! Lots of fun freestyle beats.
Need an immediate mood boost? Might I suggest these guys?
What are YOUR favorite underrated 80's albums? Songs? Artists? Comment below!
xoxo Liz
]]>
(I remember clearly the day she was born!)
I haven't been able to witness any of these birthday parades until now and they are quite fun! Seeing how many people showed up for her, bumping dance versions of "Happy Birthday to You" and showering her with gifts was absolutely special.
Seeing my parents was quite special as well. I got to see my dad's latest car tinkering projects and squeeze in a thrifting trip with my mom.
Y'all can imagine how I felt when I found that unicorn trunk AND FOUR PASTEL HEART CURTAIN PANELS!
Another thing I look forward to with road trips is the pit stops. I love truck stops and rest areas, they're like an oasis from long stretches of time driving through a whole lot of nothing.
El Grullense in the tiny mountain town of Gorman, CA has some preeeetty bomb burritos.
You all know about the historic Route 66, but I personally am fascinated by the historic US 99, and I finally took some time on my way home to drive a tiny little bit of the old road.
Anyone who's traveled from LA to the Central Valley (or even San Francisco) knows the steep and curvy mountain portion of the Interstate 5 colloquially known as The Grapevine. And the older version of the freeway was much worse! Road geeks can read more about it at ridgeroute.com.
Loving abandoned places and wanting to make more time to explore them, I'm so glad I stepped away from my usual route and took in the absolute silence and mountain ridges.
Yes, I'm still on team Stay Home but getting out is very important, even for me. Take all the precautions! I love you all!
xoxo Liz
]]>Yeah, I finally own it!
I did a bit of research on this ubiquitous late 90's toy (for the longest time I thought it came out in 1995) and yep, I was probably a freshman in high school and shunning all things Barbie around the time it was released! (I've repented, I swear!)
When trying to find the year it came out, I've gotten anywhere from 1998 to 2000, which is interesting because the mid to late 2000's is probably my least favorite Barbie era!
The Barbie Dance With Me Talking Boombox came with 3 fake CD's and 3 fake cassettes that played delightfully generic music from different genres such a country, rock n' roll, and hip hop.
Mine, which I recently scored on eBay for less than $20 shipped, may or may not work (haven't bought batteries yet) and was missing all but one of the cassettes. Luckily I only bought it for aesthetics and well, it kiiiinda sorta coordinates with the leggings!
Make no mistake.. these aren't exactly super rare, so one can easily snatch one on eBay for $40-70. Need to Spank! Kei up your bedroom or workspace? I'd say it's a worthwhile purchase!
xoxo Liz
]]>As you probably know, all these items come from a new supplier and are made to order. Some of your orders (or part of your orders) have already gone out, yay! As for the rest of you, your patience is SO appreciated! COVID-19 is still raging and holdups do happen. If you're doing some holiday shopping, def get those orders in soon!
You are still very welcome to contact me at info@missalphabet.com if you have ANY questions! And if you have requests on what types of prints and products you'd like to see in the future!
xoxo Liz
]]>
Hoo boy, it's been a decade since I've done any semblance of blogging (LiveJournal, anyone??)
Anyway, I'm happy to finally open missalphabet.com after 8 years of holding the domain, haha! I'm extending my offerings beyond what I can produce by hand in a given amount of time and I hope you love the hell out of it!
Of course I couldn't do it without the help of Miss Jediflip beautifully creating the artwork (real talk--my drawing skills have suffered over the years), my Instagram friends for accepting free clothing as compensation for telling the world, my family and close friends for lighting the fire under my ass and being my cheerleading squad, my boyfriend for supporting me quitting my job, all those future funk Youtube mixes (and Postmates) for getting me through an average workday, and Jen Sincero's "You Are a Badass at Making Money" (seriously, READ IT).
All 16 years so far of Miss Alphabet was me insisting I could "do it myself" until now. Cuz I really have the best support system. Thank you all. xoxo Liz
]]>