Deals & Coupon Codes

Black Friday Deals & Coupon Codes:

FabKids Black Friday Deals: Dresses Starting at $11.95, Boys tees starting at $7.95

Just Fab: 30% off all Jewelry, 2 for $49.95 Handbags and Fuzzie Boots

Madewell: 25% off entire purchase using code "GIFTON" through Sunday 

American Eagle Outfitters: 40% off plus Free Shipping using code "GOBBLEUP"

ShopBop: 15% off orders of $250+, 20% off orders of $500+, 25% off orders $1000+ using code "GOBIG14"

Nordstrom: Black Friday Sales online a day early! Fun Fact: SJP shoes on sale! Some up to 50% off

Macy's: Black Friday Deals Thursday-Saturday. Up to 60% off select items and MUCH more! 

T+J Designs: 30% off site-side sale using code " THANKYOU30" + a flash sale with items as low as $7!

Express: 50% off every until noon on Friday
Sole Society: 30% off 5 day sale
Shop Lately: Up to 50% off select items! 

Shop Local

Because I Shop Too Much and Because They Grow Too Fast: 30% off my personal closet & Kaitlyn's closet Friday-Tuesday, PLUS all graphic tees $5 off! Email us onsite for discounted prices and bundle orders.

Erin Gallagher Jewelry: Black Friday-Cyber Monday 40% off (excludes fine jewelry, custom pieces, & sale pieces.) 1013 West Webster Ave. Chicago, IL 60614   

FASHION OUTLETS OF CHICAGO TO HOST “FASHIONABLY LATE”

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING EVENT
“Fashionably Late” to include DJ Lani Love, doorbusters and deep discounts

CHICAGO – In celebration of Black Friday, Fashion Outlets of Chicago is bringing back Fashionably Late, a one-of-a-kind, around-the-clock shopping occasion complete with exclusive entertainment, doorbusters and major discounts from Fashion Outlet of Chicago’s more than 130 retailers.

Beginning at 10 p.m. on Thursday, November 27, this year’s event is more than great savings of up to 75% off; it’s a social experience and shopping party for fashionistas everywhere. For the second year in a row, Chicago cult-favorite DJ Lani Love will be pumping out the latest chart toppers, fueling guests throughout the night. Between stores, guests are also encouraged to participate in more Fashionably Late fun by visiting one of several “selfie stations” throughout the mall, tagging @FashionChicago and #FashionablyLate for the chance to win one of five $100 VISA® mall gift cards.

Fashion Outlets of Chicago encourages shoppers to take advantage of the many on premise amenities, including Deliv, a same-day local delivery service that transports your bags straight to your home, office or hotel. Additionally, arriving for Fashionably Late via public transit is encouraged – Fashion Outlets is conveniently located near the Rosemont CTA Blue Line “L” stop with a free Pace Suburban Bus Service shuttle that will bring visitors directly to Fashion Outlets of Chicago. The mall is also a five minute walk from the North Central Metra Rail line’s Rosemont stop on Balmoral Ave.
 

WHAT:          Fashion Outlets of Chicago presents Fashionably Late: An interactive Black Friday shopping event featuring DJ Lani Love

WHEN:          Thursday, November 27, 10 p.m.
 

WHO:             130+ outlet stores ranging from high-end labels to department stores to mainstream brands at up to 75% off

WHERE:        5220 Fashion Outlets Way, Rosemont

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow (if you celebrate that is) and happy shopping! I will be back up and blogging daily on Monday. xo 

Kids Fashion: Cargo Snowboarder Outfit

November brought some great new styles & outfits to Fabkids for my kids to pick from.
My son wanted this cargo snowboarder outfit for two logical reasons. "I don't have any blue pants and I should have some, right mom?" & "This stripe shirt is cool with the hood. I want this one mom." He's absolutely correct! We don't have any blue cargo pants and they are so interchangeable with holiday and everyday wear, so we needed them. He also has no tops like this. In fact, we've never owned a button up with a hood, so I knew he had made the right choice.

He always goes a bit preppy with his styling and wanted to tuck the shirt in and roll up the sleeves. Far be it from me to tell him to add a belt or untuck it. As kids they only get so many choices in a day, why not let them wear what they want the way they want?!

Top & Pants: c/o FabKids // Shoes: c/o Rack Room Shoes (Sketchers) 

Do you let your kids dress themselves? What do you think of this look?

*Check back at 4:00pm (central time) today for LOTS of black Friday info and coupon codes! 

Layers & Pattern Mixing

 Ever have one of those days where you have no idea what you are going to wear and then you pull off an outfit you've never thought to pair before? That is what happened to me this day. 

We are transiting into the winter season but had a few days in the upper 40's/lower 50's. I figured layers would be best so I tossed on a blouse and my favorite skinny jeans (are you guys getting sick of these jeans yet?!).

Recipe: Peanut Butter 'n' Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

It's that time of year again, and with all the parties we will be attending this week, I wanted to share a recipe that you can easily make. I also wanted to discuss Friendsgiving. This is a relatively new tradition that many people are taking too.

Being thankful for kids, aunts, uncles, and cousins is a given around the holidays, but don't forget to appreciate the family you adopted along the way! Take a few minutes before the holiday craziness begins to celebrate Friendsgiving. All it takes is a hug and a homemade treat to make the occasion a success!
Hormel has tons of recipe ideas and so does Skippy.  As soon as I saw this Skippy recipe, I knew I needed to try it asap!
My daughter was having a Friendsgiving of sort at her school so we prepared these for her class to enjoy. 

Here is what you'll need:

-1/2 cup SKIPPY^® Natural Peanut Butter Spread

-3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (you can also use the Enjoy Life brand for dairy free)

-Strawberries, fruit of your choice or salty snacks (we went with organic strawberries)

Directions: 

1. In microwave-safe bowl, microwave peanut butter spread and chocolate chips on HIGH (100%) 40 seconds or until almost melted. Stir until smooth.
2. Use dip for strawberries, multi-grain pretzels, graham cracker sticks and bananas; arrange on wax-paper-lined jelly-roll pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Since we do not use a microwave in our home, I used a pan and warmed the chocolate and peanut butter that way. Make it whatever way works best for you! 


The finished product was AMAZING! My daughter's friends were so excited to all share the food they brought in and they had a wonderful time. Do you celebrate Friendsgiving? Is this a recipe you would try?

*You can check out my previous Hormel posts and recipes here, here, here,  here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, & here. 

*I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement in the Group. While Hormel Foods provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiment in Stilettos and Diaper Bags are my own.

Time to Get Holiday Ready!

I was among seven Chicago bloggers who got together to showcase some of our favorite looks for this holiday season. We teamed up with Shop Lately and the outcome was seven different styles, all great for any of the upcoming parties we will all be attending. 

Shop Lately is a marketplace, giving designers and brands the opportunities to showcase their products.  
 It was so fun to snoop around and see all of the beautiful products we could choose from. You can find clothing, accessories, shoes, and even beauty products, which made picking what I wanted to wear in a holiday themed photos shoot so hard. Good problem to have, right? 

Here are the seven of us in our holiday wear. The items I ended up getting to style with my look were jewelry and an amazing sequin bag. You can click through to the other girl's blogs today and see what they found and how they chose to style their items! (links to their blogs are below)  


Back Row: Love Zahra, Sisters Marie, Myself

Front Row: Defining Tabitha, Hallways are my Runways, The Naked Canvas, 101 Things I Love

Polka Dots & Plaid, A Pair I Can't Stop Repeating!

I find myself obsessing over pairing plaid and polka dots lately. I wore this outfit and ever since I just can't stop pairing the two. I mean, it's pattern mixing perfection, no?

This day I was running errands and at the school for meetings and well, I didn't feel like washing my hair. Braids are a god send on days like this! lol

I tossed on my favorite polka dot blouse and a pair of crop black skinny jeans. I immediately went for my plaid shoes and finished the look off with a classic wool trench coat, great sunnies, and some earrings. 

Jacket: Victoria's Secret // Top: c/o Oasap // Jeans: Old Navy // Shoes: c/o Sole Society // Bag: Rachel Zoe // Sunnies: c/o Shop Lately // Earrings: House of Gemmes // Necklace: XO Veronika 

What do you think of this pairing? Are you mad for plaid this season and looking for something to pair it with? I say try polka dots! 

Toddler Fashion: Sparkle Outfit

 FabKids is stocked with amazing outfits for the upcoming holiday season. When my bean saw this sparkle outfit she knew this was the dress she wanted to wear for one of our holiday parties! The color is so beautiful and the quality of this dress is truly great.

I love that they paired it with silver tights, very interchangeable with everything else in her current wardrobe. We added these stunning flats we found on Gilt and the outfit was complete. 

After we took these photos she would not take off the dress. I had to bribe her to get it off so it stays clean until our party! lol What can I say, she has great taste! 

Dress & Tights: c/o FabKids // Shoes: Sturart Weitzman via Gilt 

Have you started shopping for what you will be wearing this holiday season? Have you checked out FabKids lately?

Outfit: A Night Away (part 2)

Yesterday I showed you what I wore to the city on my first day, and over on Sisters Marie you saw what I wore for my dinner out that night. Today I'm showing you my next day look.
Even though we stayed up a bit late the night before, we were up before 7am. Isn't that the way it always goes? You have an opportunity to sleep in and your body says "the kids are up, you should be too!". ;)

My sister had to leave around ten to catch a train but since the hotel check-out was at noon I was staying the last 2 hours! I headed down to the pool floor and took a nice swim. I then when back to the room and enjoyed some coffee and people watched out my window.

This look is so easy and how fun is this plaid mixing? Yes, I wore my sunnies inside. It was bright, I had no make-up on as I had just got back from the pool, and that's how I was rolling this day.
 Jacket: c/o Sheinside // Peplum: Express // Jeans: Old Navy // Shoes: c/o Just Fab // Scarf: Loft // Sunnies: Express 

A peplum top and skinny jeans is just such an easy look to toss on. Add your favorite jacket and scarf and the look transforms today great cool weather everyday wear.

My beautiful view from the 19th floor of the Renaissance Hotel: 

My night off was so much fun, and to be honest, very much needed. Hey, everyone should get a day off once and awhile!

What do you think of this look? Do you ever mix your plaids?

Outfit: A Night Away (Part 1)

Last weekend I headed to Chicago and stayed at the Renaissance Hotel for an overnight off. Let's be honest, mom's don't get days off. Ever. It's a 365 day a year job (24 hours a day) and unless you make time for yourself, you will not get it. I am lucky that my hubby not only stepped up and said he'd clear the weekend so he could be with the kids, but I also got my sister to join me. I don't think she's taken a day to herself in like ten years so we were both for sure due! ;)

I got to the hotel at 1:30pm and knew I needed to wear an outfit I could stay in until dinner out with my sister. We were on a "no plan" plan so I had no idea what I'd be doing from the time I got to the hotel to the time my sister got there (3:30pm). I also had no idea what we'd be doing from the time she got there until we went out for dinner around 7.

I decided to keep my look simple in head to toe black. I used two of my favorite weekend bags (yes, it was just one night but you never know what you'll need) and was set for my night away.

Within 10 minutes of being at the hotel my cousin called me and told me to meet her at Haymarket for a beer (or 2) and some appetizers while I wait for my sister. I tossed on my wool coat and super cozy scarf and headed out.

Drape Front Vest: Nordstrom // Top: H&M // Jeans: Express // Shoes & Necklace: c/o Just Fab // Bicycle Bag & Oxblood Bag: c/o Sole Society // Jacket: Piperlime // Scarf: Loft // Bag: Rachel Zoe // Love Necklace: XO Veronika // Earrings: House of Gemmes // Watch: Fossil 

We had so much fun. My sister walked over and met us at Haymarket and had a beer too! We hung out with my cousin Julie for a bit then headed back to the hotel for some sister time and then our dinner out in the hotel bar.

Have you ever taken a stay-cation of sort close to home for fun a day off? What do you wear on days you need to go with the flow?

*Head over to the Sisters Marie Blog today to see what I wore for my dinner out!

Recipe: Mini Meatball Subs

My family is forever on the hunt for yummy meals we can alter to fit our diet and mix it up a bit over at the Fergus household. My husband came across this recipe for mini meatball subs over on Allrecipes so we decided to swap a few ingredients and make it gluten free so our son could enjoy it too! Here are the ingredients as listed on Allrecipes. 

Ingredients:

Original recipe makes 8 mini subs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (26.5 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 dinner rolls, split

We mixed it up by subbing for grass fed beef, organic cheese and eggs, gluten free crackers, organic veggies, and gluten free bread too.

Directions: 

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, crackers, and egg in a large bowl. Season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper; mix well. Form mixture into 8 meatballs. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Pour the spaghetti sauce into a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir baked meatballs into the simmering sauce. Do not turn oven off. Simmer sauce until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. Place one meatball, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a bit of sauce between each roll. Place sandwiches in hot oven; bake until cheeses melt, about 7 minutes.

 

Here is the finished product: 

I would HIGHLY recommend this recipe to anyone. It was plate licking good! 

Are you a meatball sub fan? Would you try this recipe for your family?

Outtakes: Here we go Again!

I previously showed you some of my outtakes because there are so many photos of me that you guys never get to see. For whatever reason I find it too much fun to pull outtakes from each shoot now. I mean if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? 

Here are some of my outtakes from the past month and a half. This time around the photos fall into one of four categories: awkward, walking, just didn't make the cut, and down right windy! 

Awkward:

Walking:

Just didn't make the cut: 

Windy outside: 

I have so many favorites I can't even begin to take about how funny these are to me! 

 Can we just talk about how my shirt is literally almost over my head in the second to last shot! Very appropriate for a mother-daughter shoot, no?! lol

What do you think of this round of outtakes? Do you like this segment?