The Pretty Pear

Enter to win the Faith 21 model search

First, a little background. Faith 21 is Forever 21’s new plus size line with junior sizes up to 2X  (size 3X coming soon!). Forever 21 is known for carrying super trendy, super affordable pieces in a wide range of styles. Faith 21 brings the same chic vibe to the plus size customer.

I know there are a lot of stylish plus size ladies out there and maybe some of you are aspiring models? Check it out:

Faith 21 is conducting a model search and the grand prize is a trip to LA for a photoshoot and a $500 shopping spree. They’ll pick up the tab for your flights and hotel accomdations for two. There’s also a second prize of a $400 Faith 21 e-certificate and third prize wins a $300 e-certificate.

All you have to do is send them a pic of your most stylish look with an item from the Faith 21 line. To read the full contest details and enter to win, visit forever21.com/faith21contest. Entry period ends on November 18th so get crackin’!

Bonus for online shoppers: Get 10% off Faith 21 items with the code FAITH21CONTEST. The minimum order is $40 and the code expires December 7th.

Update on the TypePad giveaway

First, I want to thank everyone who entered the TypePad giveaway, which ended on Friday. Thank you for sharing your stories! I’m in the process of reviewing the entries, so if you haven’t heard from me, please be patient. It doesn’t mean you haen’t won, I just haven’t picked a winner yet. My goal is to narrow the entries down this week and notify the winner by Monday. The entries were so good that picking a winner will be tough!

Birthday celebration wrap-up

First of all, I just want to say thank you to all of the retailers who provided prizes for the giveaways. I was not expecting such a great response and I’m honestly really touched that everyone wanted to contribute. So, big thank you smooches and an extra slice of birthday cake goes to:

• b&lu
• SWAKDesigns
• Hips & Curves
• OneStopPlus
• Lila+
• Lane Bryant
• Six Apart and TypePad
• Figuresque
• Kiyonna
• IGIGI

I also want to say thank you to everyone who entered the giveaways and an extra thank you to those who linked to my blog, left special comments, re-tweeted, etc. The support I’ve received over the years has kept me going and it’s what will keep me going for another six (or more!) years.

Thank you!

PS: Some of the giveaways are still open if you want to enter!

Win the Valerie dress from IGIGI!

Today’s Birthday Celebration giveaway is the dress you see pictured left, which the kind folks at IGIGI were nice enough to let me pick out. Yup, I picked that dress just for this giveaway! Here’s why this dress caught my eye:

1. The jade color is one of my very favorites and I’m just always drawn to it in a big way. Plus, it’s flattering on literally everyone.

2. The deep V neckline, the fluttery sleeve, and the bubble hem collaborate to create a shapely silhouette. You can wear a cami underneath for modesty but I’m all for flaunting the cleavage.

3. I’m usually ambivalent about pockets on a dress but these pockets are an actual design element and not just, y'know, there.

4. I can see this dress being versatile as heck - wear it with heels and big, chunky jewelry or dressed down with flats and a casual bag.

It's just a really cute dress. I think we can all agree on that. Here are the details:

• Fully lined
• Material: Viscose/Elastane
• Care: Dry Clean Only
• Designed and made in San Francisco, USA
• Available in sizes 12, 14/16 – 30/32
• Retail value is $98

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Win a $150 gift card from Kiyonna!

I’m really excited about today’s Birthday Celebration prize! What can I say about Kiyonna? If I could get my hands on every item that Kiyonna makes from now until forever, I would be incredibly happy. Their style is right in line with my own – fantastic colors and cuts, feminine but not frilly or frou frou, easy, comfortable and always beautifully crafted and styled. They make clothes that become the pieces you reach for time and again because they just always look and feel good.

If you’ve never tried Kiyonna, now is your chance to see why I rave about the brand. If you’re already a fan, this could be your opportunity to pick up that item you’ve been coveting. A big thank you to the folks at Kiyonna who have been generous enough to provide a $150 gift card to one lucky reader.

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Win a $50 gift card from Figuresque!

I sure hope no one's getting bored with the Birthday Celebration giveaways! We still have more to go! Today's giveaway is a $50 gift card, provided by the fantastic folks at Figuresque. If you're looking for sexy, trendy clothes that scream confidence and fun, Figuresque should be the first stop on your list.

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

Special giveaway: Start your own blog!

Today's giveaway is not exactly clothing or fashion related but it is directly related to this blog. To understand why I chose today's giveaway, we'll travel back in time six years to the summer of 2003. I'll try to make this as short as possible.

I had just graduated from college and was living back at home with my parents. I was very much unemployed and had nothing going on. At the same time, Six Apart opened up beta testing for their new hosted blogging service called TypePad. Being a big fan of Movable Type and of a lover of blogging in general, I dived in head first. I became hooked on how easy TypePad was to use and customize and loved the small but growing community of users who rallied around the product.

I maintained a (very dorky but not ridiculously so) personal blog, created custom TypePad templates for other users for a small fee (way smaller than it should have been, in hindsight!) and started the very blog you're reading right now. TypePad gave me something to do and a way to help other people during a time when I felt useless. I applied for job after job, only to be rejected for one reason or another. Blogging gave me a sense of purpose and a feeling that people needed me, at least in a small way.

I was lucky enough to be offered a spot on the TypePad Support team in March of 2005 and jumped at the chance. I had been searching for a job for nearly two years and finally, someone took a chance on me! I'm still with TypePad today, as a lead on the Support team. Tech support isn't always fun or easy but having the opportunity to work with a product that I've loved for six years is a blessing and so are my smart, patient and hilarious colleagues.

TypePad quite literally changed my life and continues to every single day. You never know where life will lead you! I didn't think I'd still be writing this blog six years later or that helping other users would become an actual career. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've learned that if you do what you love and what makes you feel good, it can open up opportunities that you'd never imagine.

Today's giveaway is for someone who has thought about starting a blog but didn't know where to start. It's for someone who has a great idea and wants to share it with the world. It's for someone who has had doors slammed in her face and just needs an open window.

If you need a little push, below are 5 reasons to start your own blog (and information about how to enter the giveaway).

Win a $50 gift card from Lane Bryant!

Happy Monday! The next giveaway in the Birthday Celebration series is a $50 gift card from our friends at Lane Bryant. Whether you’re looking to stock up on essentials like bras, jeans or knit tops or you’re looking to add variety with a pretty dress or saucy lingerie, Lane Bryant has something for everyone. I’d head straight for the new Right Fit trouser jeans myself!

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

An important note about the giveaways

In order to be entered into a giveaway, you must fill out the form at the end of the post. Leaving a comment does not enter you into a giveaway. You can see an example of one of the forms here. I'm going to go back and edit each post so that's more implicit. If you left a comment on any of the giveaways, please go back and make sure you filled out the entry form. If you haven't filled out the form, you're not entered to win. 

Thanks to all who have entered so far. I'll be picking a winner for the b&lu gift card on Monday and have more giveaways lined up to start next week. Happy weekend!

Win a $75 gift card from Lila+!

The next prize in the Birthday Celebration giveaway party is a $75 gift card from Lila+ If you’re in need of activewear for just about any activity imaginable (including my favorite, relaxing) in sizes up to 4X, then I’d encourage you to check out Lila+ and see what’s available.

The really fabulous part about Lila+ is the spirit of the company and its founder, Peggy Archambault. Check out what she has to say on the company’s about page:

I hike. I kayak. I cycle. I walk. I run. I play tennis and I am going to practice yoga someday. I am not the only plus size woman who loves the outdoors. I know that there are thousands more women just like me who enjoy, or would like to enjoy, being active. If you are among those women, LILA+ is for you.

You know how we’re always saying that we should support small companies that really understand and treat plus size women with respect and dignity, not just as purses and wallets? Lila+ is one of those great companies.

A big thank you to Peggy and Lila+ for providing today’s prize!

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

Win a $50 gift card from OneStopPlus.com!

The next giveaway in the big deal Birthday Celebration is a $50 gift card, provided by the fine folks at OneStopPlus. Their website is quite literally a one stop online shopping mall for all things plus size with brands like Jessica London, Avenue, Roamon’s, Woman Within and more. The selection is massive and includes apparel, swimwear, shoes, and lingerie Basically, anything you need, OneStopPlus has it in a range of sizes and price points.

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

Win a $75 gift card from Hips & Curves!

This next prize in the Birthday Celebration giveaway extravaganza is not for the faint hearted. I present to you the chance to win a $75 gift card provided by the sexy mothereffers at Hips & Curves. Whatever type of underpinning (our outerpinning, if you’re as sexy as you wanna be) you’re looking for, Hips & Curves has it.

There are all types of corsets, bras, and costumes as well as panties, apparel, and an impressive lingerie selection. There are even leather and vinyl items! What more could you ask for? Thanks to the wonderful folks at Hips & Curves for providing the prize!

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

Win a $30 gift card from SWAKDesigns!

It’s time for the second giveaway in the Birthday Celebration series! I have a $30 gift card provided by the fantastic folks at SWAKDesigns. If you’re not familiar with SWAKDesigns, they carry really cute and really affordable clothing in juniors sizes up to 7X. I love that they have individual size charts and customer reviews for each item on their site. I’d pick this smocked floral dress but you're free to choose whatever you'd like.

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

First giveaway! Win a $50 gift card from b&lu!

I feel like I should have cheerleaders come out and dance to that "Are you ready for this?" song. WOO! LET'S GO! The first Birthday Celebration giveaway is a $50 gift card for b&lu. I quite like the Femme dress in red myself but buy whatever you want, I'm not the boss of you. Many thanks to our friends at b&lu for being awesome and providing the prize!

Update: This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered! Please see the giveaways page for more chances to win great prizes!

Celebrating 6 years of the Pretty Pear!

I started this blog six years ago this week, on July 17, 2003. Since then, I’ve connected with many amazing people and have had some really cool opportunities and experiences. Maintaining this blog has been so satisfying for me and I hope I’ve helped some people along the way.

To celebrate 6 big years of plus size fabulousness, I’ve called on some of my favorite retailers and they’ve been kind enough to provide prizes that I’ll be giving away all this week and probably into next. Stay tuned, your first chance to win is coming soon!

Before that, though, I want to lay out some ground rules. It’s pretty simple – each giveaway will be for one prize. You can enter each giveaway only once. If you win a giveaway, you’ll be ineligible to win any other prize as part of this series of giveaways (unless specifically noted by me). Most of the giveaways will involve filling out a simple form and providing an email address.

I may do a giveaway or two on Twitter for my followers there so you might want to go ahead and follow me now because I won’t announce those giveaways here at all. I will announce blog giveaways on Twitter, though, so you can stay in the loop that way.

You can subscribe to my feed here or sign up to get new posts via email here. Each giveaway will run for several days so you’ll have plenty of time to enter.

Also, and I’m really reaching here, if you’re a retailer and you’d like to provide a prize for an upcoming giveaway, my contact form is right here. I’d love to hear from you!