WIN LOOP: The Chicago Themed Elevated Card Game from Transit Tees ($20 Value)

Make This Holiday A ChiIL One With Chicago Themed Gifts From Transit Tees
Hundreds of unique Chicago-inspired holiday gifts 
under $10, $20 and $30

Original, locally produced winter hats, tees, socks, jewelry, mugs, 

puzzles, games, ‘L’ stop merch & more  

Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows, we love our home town, Chi, IL. We're also huge advocates of shopping locally and supporting small businesses and artist made goods. The holidays are a great time to help out the local economy and stock up on some sweet, unique gifts for family and friends. These are on our wish list:

ENTER BELOW for your chance to WIN 

LOOP: The Elevated Card Game ($20 Value)

Enter through midnight 1/1/19. Open nationwide.

Transit Tees of Wicker Park and Andersonville has hundreds of original, local gifts all designed and produced in-house for under $10, $20 and $30 just in time for the holidays.  

Looking for that perfect gift for the person that has everything? Transit Tees in Wicker Park and Andersonville has a huge selection of unique, Chicago-inspired gifts for under $10, $20 and $30 just in time for the holidays.  

Designed in-house and locally produced, Transit Tees offers a wide range of exclusive, iconic merchandise including: Chicago Flag and Neighborhood-themed Winter Hats ($28), Tees ($20) and Whisky Glasses ($10); Chicago Hot Dog or Deep Dish Pizza Socks ($16), Pins ($12) and Ornaments ($9); and Chicago Beer Can Candles ($28). 

As official manufacturer of Chicago Transit Authority products, Transit Tees also designs and produces Chicago ‘L’ Pint Glasses ($10), Mugs ($14) and ‘L’ stop Transit Magnets ($5) for each of the 145 stops in the entire train system. 

Transit Tees also recently launched Chicago’s first transit-themed card game, LOOP: The Elevated Card Game ($20) which takes players on a hilarious urban adventure as they encounter Buskers, Train Car Preachers and Manspreading commuters, as well as some challenging aspects of Chicago commutes such as Sat in Puddle, Fell Asleep on the Train and Went to Wrong Airport. 

This holiday season, Transit Tees’ Wicker Park location (1371 N. Milwaukee Avenue) celebrates its sixth anniversary. The new storefront in Andersonville (5226 N. Clark Street) is also ready for the holidays, stocked with all the latest merchandise. 

Visit www.transittees.com for additional holiday gift ideas available in-store or online. 

About Transit Tees 
Transit Tees, founded in 2001 by Tim Gillengerten, takes visuals from Chicago's metropolitan landscapes and transforms them into fashionable artwork, accessories, home goods and more. An official manufacturer of Chicago Transit Authority products, Transit Tees locally designs, fabricates and retails their signature brand online and at two storefronts in Wicker Park and Andersonville. Most store items are created in their design studio and produced on-site by local artists and craftsmen. For more information, visit www.transittees.com. 

ENTER HERE for your chance to WIN 

LOOP: The Elevated Card Game ($20 Value)

Enter through midnight 1/1/19. Open nationwide.

Start your new year off on the right track, so to speak. One of ChiIL Mama's readers will win a fun new Chi, IL card game, to fill your ChiIL winter nights with adventure. 

Gather your friends and sit down to play LOOP: The Elevated Card Game. Ride the rails of the elevated trains in Chicago's famous Loop! Match the line colors and stations to make your way around town, but beware the everyday perils of rush hour crowds, forgotten farecards, and mysterious puddles as you get where you're going! This fast-playing card game is perfect for 2-7 players aged 9+. Designed and produced by Transit Tees, LOOP is sure to take your next game night on a fun ride!


Designed by Transit Tees in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

LOOP: The Elevated Card Game ($20) takes players on a hilarious urban adventure as they encounter Buskers, Train Car Preachers and Manspreading commuters, as well as some challenging aspects of Chicago commutes such as Sat in Puddle, Fell Asleep on the Train and Went to Wrong Airport. 

ENTER HERE

Disclosure: Thanks to Transit Tees for sending us a complimentary game to review and one for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

Shop Locally and Show Your Chi, IL Love With Gifts From Transit Tees

Hundreds of unique holiday gifts under $30 at Transit Tees

Chicago-inspired, locally produced merch includes original winter hats, tees, jewelry, mugs, puzzles, ‘L’ stop magnets & more

Wicker Park store celebrating 5th anniversary this holiday season

The locally produced, Chicago-inspired merchandise at Transit Tees includes hundreds of gifts under $30 just in time for the holidays. The unique items designed in-house range from Chicago flag whiskey glasses and winter caps to Chicago ‘L’ and neighborhood-themed tees, new deep-dish pizza and Chicago hot dog pins and a 1,000-piece puzzle of a neon map of Chicago’s distinct 240 neighborhood areas.

Check out more details on their website at www.transittees.com.

This holiday season, Transit Tees’ Wicker Park location (1371 N. Milwaukee Avenue) celebrates its fifth anniversary. The new storefront in Andersonville (5226 N. Clark Street) is also ready for the holidays, stocked with all the latest merchandise.

About Transit Tees
Transit Tees, founded in 2001 by Tim Gillengerten, takes visuals from Chicago's metropolitan landscapes and transforms them into fashionable artwork, accessories, home goods and more. An official manufacturer for the Chicago Transit Authority, Transit Tees locally designs, fabricates and retails their signature brand online and at two storefronts in Wicker Park and Andersonville. Most store items are created in their design studio and produced on-site by local artists and craftsmen. The Wicker Park store celebrates its fifth anniversary this holiday season. For more information, visit www.transittees.com.

PHOTO FEATURE: ChiIL Mama's Adventures at The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op Grand Opening Celebration

What's green and new and next to the blue? 

The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op's excellent expanded home! 

Yes, there's a newcomer next to the Logan Square Blue Line "L" stop that's bike friendly, neighborhoody, and full of loads of fresh local finds, organic goodies, bulk buys, and more. It's locally owned by your neighbors, but anyone can shop there, not just co-op members. Have you stopped in yet? You can see the cheerful, bright green roof from blocks away, and the inside is just as colorful and welcoming.

October was an exciting month for The Dill Pickle Co-Op. They've been around since 2009, in a much smaller space on Fullerton, but their new Milwaukee Avenue home will allow them to grow and really come into their own. Here's our photo recap of the first hours of their grand opening party in the new space earlier this month. 



They had a day long celebration packed with live music, dance, martial arts, bounce house fun and crafts for the littles, and loads of vendor samples/coupons/demos. We were lucky to catch a fantastic Capoeira demo.

Check out our full photo feature in the slideshow here and more favorites below:

Back in the day, when I heard the word food co-op, it conjured up dusty images of wholesome hippies stocking barrels of grains and aisles of bulk bins, with 20 types of granola. 





The Dill Pickle Co-Op is so much more. Sure, they have great bulk bin deals, but also a host of fabulous vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore finds, and eco-friendly non food items too. They have plenty of frozen items that are quick to fix. They also have loads of love for the locals, stocking a plethora of fresh produce, dairy and meat from farms in the region. And their homemade hummus is to die for.



This spot is sure to be an "L" commuter hit, on the way to or from work. They have a liquor license, a gorgeous salad bar, coffee bar, ready made sandwiches and lots of great grab n go items. They even have kombucha machines, in case keeping a kombucha scoby alive to DIY seems like a daunting task.







Family Friendly:
My kids are teens now, but it wasn't long ago that both were in tow, just about every time I went shopping. The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op loves littles, and has kid sized carts, goodies and a club, to make shopping with your offspring less stress.










The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op also has coupons and rockin' specials. They've joined with a collective of other co-ops for bulk purchasing power and better discounts. And they pass on the savings locally. The profits stay in our neighborhood, too.







Come on by and check it out! All are welcome. We bought a $250 share as owners, at a very reasonable $10 a month. This gives my family extra coupons, discounts and the chance for even deeper discounts with a work/barter program of a couple hours a week as a HOO (Hands On Owner). Here's their website, so you can keep up with happenings, sales, and more. Also follow them on social media on Facebook and Twitter.






Welcome to the neighborhood, Dill Pickle Co-Op! We'll be in to shop like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often!

 Click image to check out current specials, join, or see more info 

More Photo Favorites:

WIN: 2 Innovative NEKZ:)™ Warmers in Adult & Youth Sizes ($32-$51 value depending on style)

ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of Giveaways

Continues

Necessity is the mother of invention and this Chicago mother just invented something you'll wonder how you weathered winter without! Have you heard of NEKZ:)™ yet? Be one of the first to wear one. Get your NEKZ today. Your NECK will love you for it!! 

Rumor has it, the dreaded Polar Vortex is coming back again this winter, to put the whammy on us. This time we'll be ready and so will one of our lucky readers. We're giving away an adult and youth sized NEKZ the original scarf alternative. Stay hot, look cool.

Disclosure: It's our pleasure to partner up another local, woman run, small business. Thanks to NEKZ for providing us with 2 NEKZ for our giveaway and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

ENTER HERE

for your chance to win 

2 Innovative NEKZ:)™ Scarf Alternative in Adult & Youth Sizes 

($32-$51 value depending on style). Enter through midnight 12/20. Open nationwide.

NEKZ is the brainchild of Raquel Graham Crayton - working mother and entrepreneur. It is manufactured in Chicago, IL U.S.A. The city that knows COLD! 

Raquel’s friends call her the ‘Mom-Solver,’ because she understands the everyday balance of work and family. Raquel realizes that as a family grows and changes, there is a need for new and innovative products. 

“Moms are everyday magicians. We develop, solve and invent solutions daily to meet the needs of our families. I enjoy providing solutions to making anyone’s life a bit easier. We all need that.”

INTRODUCING NEKZ™, THE WARM AND FASHIONABLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE SCARF

Compact and Stylish, NEKZ Keep Wearers Necks Warm Without the Bulk

This winter, NEKZ, an innovative new alternative to traditional scarves, combines fashion and function in a cozy, adjustable, unisex design. Designed and manufactured in Chicago, a city synonymous with frigid temperatures, 

NEKZ provides the comfort and warmth of a scarf without excess bulky fabric. 

Designed for comfort in plush fleece or faux fur, NEKZ is compact enough to easily slip into a coat pocket or purse and large enough to encircle the neck in a ring of warmth.  Its patent-pending closure, located in the back, adjusts easily so that it can fit snugly around a wearer’s neck, or can be slightly loosened on blustery days to cover the mouth.  

NEKZ feature an array of designs, from fashion-forward animal prints and stylish colors, to more neutral, traditional patterns.

Working mother Raquel Graham Crayton, a native New Yorker now residing in Chicago, came up with the brainchild of NEKZ as a solution for her children chronic complaints during frigid months finding non-bulky neckwear that was easy to carry and stow.

“Living in Chicago, I wanted to create something that kept my kids warm during last year’s brutal ‘polar vortex’ winter: something kids would wear, light, and warm, but also something that could easily be stored in a pocket,” she recalls.“After creating a simple fleece neck-warmer, soon every mother in the school wanted one –not only for their kids, but for themselves! So I designed an adult version that maintained the practicality of the original design, but in fashionable colors and designs for women and men.”

Already, NEKZ are becoming a trendy new item for college students.  Nekz is available on 45 college campuses in school/spirit colors and for some schools, Graham Crayton created designs to incorporate the schools logos.  She is creating a line of NEKZ for The National Hockey League thru a partnership with Sportin' Styles. Graham meticulously designs the pattern for each NEKZ

design, and scrupulously tests the fabric utilized.  Plush, chic and versatile, 

Shop Locally:

NEKZ

are fabricated in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, where Graham can regularly visit the manufacturer to inspect products before they are distributed. 

NEKZ 

are durable enough for every-day wearing and machine washable. They are

priced from $15 - $35, depending on design. 

Raquel Graham is the founder, president and CEO of ROQ Innovation.  A graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Wesleyan University, she was previously the Vice President and Director of Marketing for Johnson Publishing. She resides in Chicago with her husband and two children, and is active in her community, serving on the Board of Directors of the XS Tennis and Education Foundation.

NEKZ:)™ made in Chicago, IL USA

Click here to order yours. Orders placed by 12/18 will be delivered before Christmas.


NEKZ:)™ was recently featured on WBBM talk show. Introducing the new hot fashion alternative for a scarf made in Chicago, USA.



Here at ChiIL Mama, we're still eagerly waiting for our NEKZ to arrive, and we'll have a photo filled review up once we get to try them out. In the mean time. Order yours for the holidays and enter to win.

Check back with us and enter like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. It's rewarding! ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of Giveaways is on through December 17th for items 1-6 and December 20th for 7-12, with loads of great daily giveaways, flash giveaways on Facebook/Twitter, gift guide ideas, and holiday happenings in Chi, IL and beyond. All giveaways are open nationwide. Here's the master link where ALL our 12 Days of Giveaways Are Added.

Disclosure: It's our pleasure to partner up another local, woman run, small business. Thanks to NEKZ for providing us with 2 NEKZ for our giveaway and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.