Three Fashion Sweepstakes!

Here are some great sweepstakes with fashion prizes, sure to satisfy any fashionista's craving!

Runway Winter Giveaway

100 prizes. Loony Bum belts, Axiis Sunglasses and RUNWAY shirts. APR $50 to $300 each. Open to U.S. residents 13 years or older. Ends January 21, 2014 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Keep it. Win it.

The current prize is an AllSaints biker jacket,always in style! Valued at $700. This is a weekly sweepstakes, starting each Tuesday, with a new prize each week. Open to U.S. Residents 18 or older.

E! & Skinny Girl's VIP Red Carpet Getaway Sweepstakes

Five weekly prizes of one $250 American Express gift card each. Grand prize winner wins a trip to the red carpet in Los Angeles with a friend, including tickets to the taping of E! After Party: 2014 Academy Awards AND tickets to the taping of Fashion Police: 2014 Academy Awards Special! (Plus, there's more!)

Open to U.S. residents of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, 21 years or older at the start of the sweepstakes (January 13, 2014). Ends February 14, 2014 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

Fashion Trends to Look for in Sweepstakes for 2014

If you enjoy entering sweepstakes with prizes from the world of fashion, here is a sneak peek of what to look forward to.

Fashion Trends 2014

Fashion trends in 2014 are bringing back a hint of the past, with a twist of freshness. Though many aspects remain familiar, 2014's trends are more futuristically inclined, far from being a blast from the past. Expect to see a bit less form-hugging with a bit more functionality, yet these styles are as beautiful as ever.

Skin is in, with crop tops, bermuda shorts, and sheer fabrics, as is a retro spin on 90's style. Leggings may now take a back seat to baggy pants or wide-leg trousers, and athletic styles are taking on a whole new level of chic. If you bought into the metallic, sheer, and irridescent fabrics of 2013, you're in luck. They're sticking around, as are the bold florals and the distressed fabrics. The ever-present ruffles of 2013 are now relics of the past year, as is the asymmetrical look.

Denim with metal (like chains) is taking off this year (will denim be the new leather?). Distressed denim jeans are certainly here to stay. As denim shirts come back in a whole new way, you can kiss your daddy's blue-jean shirts goodbye.

Colors are taking on a new curve in 2014. Spring colors embrace vibrant pastels, while burgundies and grays provide for staples throughout the year. Pantone's color of the year, Radiant Orchid, is sure to be popular in most anything fashion-related, and beyond. Fashion is leaving the bright corals and greens of 2013 behind, for now.

Prints are standing out, with a fun and playful, yet sophisticated style. Logos are taking on new life in this realm, with numerous athletic and other styles presenting logos as the print.

Pleats are being redesigned to fit the modern look, and are tastefully spattered about. This could seem to pair with the resurgence of the button-up shirt, however, you likely won't find these styles in your grandma's closet. Button-up shirts can still show a lot of skin, and pleats can certainly diverge from the traditional sense. You won't need to wear the traditional pleated skirt and button-up shirt together. Think outside the box, more in the realm of a diagonal pleat on a skirt paired with a crop top, or a button down shirt showing some skin atop wide-leg pants.

A boxy silhouette in jackets and blouses is trendy for the new year, bringing a relaxed feel with ease of movement, along with its stylish appeal. Tea-length is the spring look for flowy skirts and dresses.

Trendy street style is taking on a virtual overhaul, with designers like Ashish putting his spin on it. Ashish explains his version of street style with a strikingly easy-to-relate-to scenario. He says, "IT was inspired by popping down the off license, you know when you just put your slippers on and have the jewellery from last night on still." This pretty much says it all.

Overall, the year looks good for updating your wardrobe. With a few strategic, winning pieces, you won't need to revamp, yet you will still be in style.

Sources:

The Huffington Post Canada, Spring 2014 Fashion Trends: Outfits We'll Be Wearing Next Year, Anne T. Donahue

Pantone, Color of the Year 2014

Glamour Fashion, The Ten Most Wearable Spring 2014 Fashion Trends, Straight Off the Runway, Fawnia Soo Hoo

Vogue UK, Spring/Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear Ashish

Sweepstakes - SouthernLiving.com

Great Sweepstakes from Southern Living. Enter daily!


Sweepstakes - SouthernLiving.com

Good Luck!

Mutiply Your Sweepstakes Winnings

Some who enjoy sweepstaking like to splurge with their winnings and treat themselves. This can be a lot of fun. Still, over the years, my preference has come to be investing it.

For example, one of my recent winnings was a $25 gift card from Redgage.com. This is a social networking site that pays for content with performance pay and bonuses. It also offers one lucky winner each day the chance to win the daily raffle for the above-mentioned $25 gift card. Once you have the card (which you can also earn from paid content) future earnings will also be deposited on it.

Anyways... with my gift card I bought a "Magic Worm Ranch" to farm some nightcrawlers with, and some fishing tackle. I have since been organically harvesting nightcrawlers, and have gathered enough to pay for the ranch, and then some.

Since I live on the river, now-when my son comes home for the summer, we will have an abundant supply of nightcrawlers to go fishing with. We both enjoy fishing, so it will give us some fun times, plus it will put the equivalent of hundreds of dollars worth of fish in the freezer.

Thus, the $25 winnings is multiplied into several hundred dollars worth of fish by investing it this way, plus my son and I get to have a lot of fun. This is why I like to invest my winnings. It, too, is fun.

A Day at the Kentucky Derby... In My Living Room

Saturday brought the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, the first race of what is now commonly referred to as the Triple Crown. Sloppy track conditions continued to be an issue throughout the day, with rain bringing a steady onslaught of aggravating conditions. This made the front row seat in my living room, in front of my 48 inch HDTV, one of the best seats in the house for watching the race. Conditions were right, despite the fact that my three Labradors and I had no bartender to serve mint juleps.

I was rooting for Backtalk. Although his last few races were not his best, he had made a great start early in his career, and my hope was that this race could easily be his comeback, and bring him out as the great horse he is marked as. A quick trip to the store for some nachos and cheese and some celebratory dog treats for my compadres, and I was all set. ESPN started the day, rolling into NBC at three in the afternoon. My anticipation rose as the race neared. I had a contest entry riding on it that could win me a thousand dollars towards the purchase of a horse with West Point Thoroughbreds.

Just minutes before the race, the sun came out, wreaking more havoc for the jockeys on an already difficult track, with glare now paired with mud. As the horses came out for the jockeys to mount, I noticed that Backtalk looked disinterested, so my concern was heightened.

A few brief minutes later my hopes for getting the downpayment for that horse were dashed. Super Saver was the bet of the day, with wet track form, even according to his jockey (the same man who rode "Mine That Bird" to an amazing victory in last year's derby). He won the race. Ice Box came in second, with Paddy O'prado finishing third.

Super Saver's Jockey, Calvin Borel, states that his goal is to go all the way and win the Triple Crown.

Oh, woe is me, the horse that I was rooting for didn't win. Backtalk didn't do well on the muddy track, and seems to have lost interest, finishing last. I wondered if he may be bored with the race. However, Super Saver did win, which gave me an entry into another contest at NBC to win VIP seats at next year's derby!

Sweepstakes for City Chicks (or for Chicken Lovers Everywhere)

Mother Earth News has a comprehensive section on its website which covers the topic of "Community Chickens". "What's this?!", you might say. Well, in a nutshell, it has to do with the rising popularity of raising chickens in a city or other backyard setting.

Being a chicken lover myself, and having raised chickens in a farm setting in the past, I have found this to be quite an intriguing subject. Of course, being the sweepstaker that I am... lo and behold, what did I stumble across at Mother Earth News today but a sweepstakes to win the perfect setup for raising chickens in a backyard or patio garden scenario!

One lucky Grand Prize Winner will walk away with "The Pull It Coop", a combined coop and run valued at $2,195, that will house up to six chickens with style. This comes complete with indoor nest boxes and roost bar, and a wire mesh enclosed outdoor section for chickens to enjoy some fresh air and frolicking!

Unfortunately, there is some discrepancy in the rules, so the actual end date of this sweepstakes is unclear. The rules state that it is a long running sweepstakes that will end on December 31, 2010. However, it also states that a winner will be chosen on September 1, 2010 or within a reasonable time thereafter, so my suggestion is to enter early. This is a highly reputable Magazine, so I don't find it to be too much of a concern as I'm sure they will fix the error.

One entry is allowed per email address, so the chances of winning are fair enough to make it worthwhile. Once you've entered, there are currently two more opportunities to win with the Ultimate Garden Giveaway and the Organic Bedroom Giveaway.

Enter the Chicken Coop Giveaway at Mother Earth News

Find out more about Community Chickens at Communitychickens.com

Good Luck!

Contest for Bloggers Who Cook!

The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission is having another great contest with a $2,000 Grand Prize for one lucky winner. Three runners up will walk away with $400 each!

Judges are looking for original quick recipes of any kind (breakfast, lunch, etc.), with sweet potatoes as the main ingredient. Judging is based on the following three criteria:

1. Ease of preparation
2. Taste
3. Use of sweet potato

Once the creation is mastered, entrants must post the recipe and a picture of it on their blog, and send and email to sassysweets@lewis-neale.com with the following information:

Entrant's name and blog name
Entrant's email and mailing address
Entrant's phone number
A link to the recipe
Where the entrant (you!) heard about the contest (Here at Sweepstaking Dreams, of course!)

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on March 29, 2010, so start cooking!

When entering recipe contests, always remember to use precise measurements, make instructions clear and easy to follow, and use a photo that is well lit and looks appetizing. It is also preferable to use a limited number of ingredients (not to go overboard with too much stuff, in other words) and to keep it simple enough for most people to make.

Find out more about this contest at ncsweetpotatoes.com

Good Luck!