And so goes another month… bring on those May flowers already! Plenty for you to win today, including a trip for two to Tahiti WITH spending money, a fantastic Beauty and a just-in-time fashion giveaway, plus a huge tip on how to be the first one to scoop up the discounted gift card of your choice.

Win $200 in Flowers from 1-800 Flowers – It may not be just in time for Mothers Day, but enter to win $200 in May flowers in celebration of Mother’s Day. Win two Enchanting Tulips Bouquets (vase included) from 1-800-Flowers.com – one for you & one for the recipient of your choice (each valued at $99.99). Click here to see the Enchanting Tulip Bouquet from 1-800 Flowers. To enter, join Coupon Mountain on Facebook, or browse the 1-800 -Flowers deals page & website and answer the following questions in the comments section of the blog post/entry page: In your opinion, what 1-800-Flowers bouquet is the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Everyone who comments will be placed into a random drawing. The contest will end on May 4, 2011; see contest rules on the entry page.

Check Plastic Jungle for discounted 1-800 Flowers Gift Cards now   >>>

Bloomingdale’s Back to Basics Sweepstakes – Have you checked into Bloomingdale’s lately? Here’s your last chance to enter their giveaway, which includes 10 perfectly chosen wardrobe basics from Diane von Furstenburg, James Perse, Citizens of Humanity and more, in your size (worth about $1,600) to get you outfitted. Or click on the Bloomingdale’s SALE banner also on the home page, to get the latest in Women’s, Men’s, Children’s, and more goods on sale (and with a discounted Bloomie’s Gift Card from Plastic Jungle, you’ll increase your savings). Sweepstakes ends May 1, 2011; check the Bloomingdale’s sweepstakes rules for details.

Get a discounted Bloomingdale’s Gift Card now   >>>

Chicken of the Sea Funniest Kids’ Quotes Contest – Win big for the family. Log into Facebook, and look up Chicken of the Sea (or use our link, above). Write up that funny quote from your kids that you repeat to friends making them howl with laughter, because  Chicken of the Sea is giving away a trip to a Disney park for the winning quote, plus runners-up will get $1,000 and $500 respectively. Even better, every Friday during the contest features a random drawing for a Chicken of the Sea prize pack. To enter, submit your short essay on the Facebook entry page of the funny comment or question by June 6 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Starting June 7 at 9 a.m. PDT, get ready to tell all your friends to vote for your funny story once a day because the entries with the most votes will win! Voting ends June 28, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. See Funniest Kids’ Quotes Contest official rules for details.

Get Chicken of the Sea with a discounted Target or discounted Walmart Gift Card now   >>>

Win $300 of Bobbi Brown Makeup – Just let Bobbi Brown in on your beauty secret and you could be chosen (randomly) as one of five winners of a $300+ Bobbi Brown prize pack: Bobbi’s Best Sellers Beauty Kit. Contest ends May 14, 2011; see contest rules for details.

WAIT There are more Bobbi Brown Giveaways — On Tuesday, May 3, 2011, between 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM EST, you could WIN Bobbi’s Secret Gift Bag in a Tweetstakes. Follow @AskBobbiBrown on Twitter and tweet a response to the prompt with the hashtag #BobbisSecret. Four winners will be chosen at random; check the contest rules for details.

Save on Bobbi Brown with a discounted Macy’s or discounted Nordstrom Gift Card now   >>>

Win a Trip to the Billabong Pro in Tahiti – You may not surf, but you may be looking for a free getaway or free honeymoon in Tahiti, or what the heck, both! Here’s your chance. There are FIVE of the grand prizes to be given away: a trip for TWO to Tahiti (to see the Billabong Pro surfing contest) plus $750 spending money. And just for good measure, the folks at Monster Energy drink are also sponsoring 100 of the 1^st Prizes: a cool Billabong backpack. Sweepstakes ends June 30, 2011; see the Monster Energy giveaway’s official rules on the entry page for details.

Get to Tahiti or plan your honeymoon without winning: Get a discounted American Airlines, discounted US Airways, discounted United Airlines, or discounted Southwest Airlines Gift Card now   >>>

DID YOU KNOW?

Set up a free account with Plastic Jungle (no financial account information required), and then you can set up email notifications for your favorite restaurants or merchants: you’ll be emailed when discounted gift cards or eCODEs from any one of our over 400 merchants come into stock on the site. So, even if there are no discounted United Airlines gift cards available right now, as soon as they come in, you’ll be the first to know!

Enjoy this last weekend of Spring showers and let’s welcome May in with a win! Good luck, and don’t forget to tell us what your favorite sweepstakes are. Perhaps I can respond with more giveaways in your interests.

“Like No Other Store in the World”

The Bloomingdale's Flagship Store, New York City

In today’s “get-it-yesterday-on-sale” shopping climate, what drives anyone into a traditional department store, such as Bloomingdale’s?

Well, Bloomie’s has got the goods. It’s easy to find your favorite designer, because Bloomingdale’s lays out the store so that you shop by collection. Online, shop by boutiques, designer collection, or categories. Bloomie’s sales associates are set up to help you not only once, but to keep in touch, to let you know when sales are coming on your favorite items or designers. Called “clienteling”, this sales approach keeps you abreast of what’s new at the store, store events, and store sales.

The Bloomingdale’s flagship department store, a staple of New York City since 1930, stands at the corner of Lexington and 59^th streets just at the northern edge of Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side. Its artful trademark window displays attract visitors on the sidewalk, but as you approach the store you can’t help but admire the distinctive Art Deco building. In the ‘60s, Bloomingdale’s trademark “brown bag” shopping bags debuted, and then in the ‘70s the “bloomies”-stamped undies drove tourists to the store in droves. Thanks to this popularity, Bloomingdale’s delivered its haute taste and unique sales strategy around the country and now sports about 100 stores nationally, in addition to managing a robust online presence where current chic rules. Use Bloomingdale’s store locator to find one near you.

Bloomingdale’s discounts and Bloomingdale’s sales on all that cool designerwear can be happened upon, but Bloomie’s would prefer to call or email you with the news or the offer. You’ll have to register with Bloomingdale’s to get in on the deals. Or you could purchase a discounted Bloomingdale’s Gift Card or Bloomingdale’s eCODE here on Plastic Jungle.

As one of the hottest gift cards on Plastic Jungle, you’ll need to make sure to set a Bloomingdale’s email alert to be notified when new, discounted Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards and Bloomingdale’s E-Gift Cards become available. Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards and E-Gift Cards are valid for use at any Bloomingdale’s store, or online for goods at Bloomingdale’s.com. When Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards are purchased or traded at Plastic Jungle, you’ll never pay shipping or handling fees. For details on Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards, check the Bloomingdale’s Gift Card FAQ page.

Check the Balance on Your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card

Not sure how much is left on your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card?

• Check your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card or E-Gift Card balance online
• Call customer service at (800) 511-2752
• Ask at any Bloomingdale’s register

Once you know your balance, you can safely sell or trade your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card on Plastic Jungle.

The Benefits of Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards and E-Gift Cards

• Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards and E-Gift Cards both may be redeemed at Bloomingdale’s department stores, or at Bloomingdale’s.com
• Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards have no expiration date and no fees.
• For the latest terms and conditions, see the Bloomingdale’s Gift Card FAQ page.

Sell or Exchange Your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card on Plastic Jungle

Once you’ve acquired your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card balance, you can sell or exchange your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card to Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can also trade your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card for an Amazon.com Gift Card, Facebook credits (on Facebook.com), and even fund your PayPal account.

To know how much your Bloomingdale’s Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up “Bloomindale’s”, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

If you’ve recently taken advantage of our sweet discounts off apparel retailers’ gift cards (at time of writing, save up to 14% on American Apparel Gift Cards, 14% on Kohl’s Gift Cards, 11% on The Limited Gift Cards, 10% on bebe Gift Cards, 18% on Lucky Brand Denim Gift Cards, plus a very limited supply of Bloomingdale’s Gift Cards and Macy’s Gift Cards ) you likely have your eye on something to purchase.

Have you considered what’s showing for Spring/Summer ‘11? We’ve got a shopping guide ready for you. Spring 2011 lines popped a few trends to the forefront:

Color Blocking: Check out W magazine’s bold accessories showing. Color is strong, contrasting, and makes a statement. Consider these choices from JCrew Collection: vivid pencil skirt, textured and rich leather pocket shirt, royal blue silk shirt and the duchesse short.

White?: Or is it Chalk? Pastel? Whatever you call it, it’s pale, chic, and just barely on the white spectrum. Take a look at Anthropologie’s riff on the trend with their Cloud Art Dress and Draped Denim Dress. Check the palette on JCrew’s washed crepe Nanene dress – nuances of color as well as one or two deep, rich tones.

Hemlines: Harper’s Bazaar shows long and billowy for the fresh weather.

Harper's Bazaar Billowing Skirts

Glam Disco-Era Looks: Palazzo Pants (tips on wearing the blousy style at WhatEmmaDid.com) and Pajama Dressing. Editors at Elle magazine give tips on coordinating the baggy style with slim pieces.

Minimal White: StyleCaster and Christina Gregoire, among other blogging fashionistas, think Minimal White is the new “little black”.

Bohemian Chic: Consider this trend an extension on its long-running favor, with lace on your backpocket or pocketbook. Check out Lucky Brand Denim’s clever paisley block prints. Editors at W magazine don’t want you to travel style-less and put together a few trendy travel pieces for you.

–>>Get a Lucky Brand Gift Card at 18% off!

Quick Reference: As a whole, we’re happy to refer to the TallGirlTale’s Take on Nordstrom’s list of top 10 Spring Fashions. And the Shopping Girl’s fave must-read, Lucky Magazine, is favoring all of us with a list of Lucky Magazine’s list of Spring Trends on Sale.

Follow WWD on Facebook or Twitter for the latest on NY Fashion Week

Don’t Forget Fall! It’s doubtful the media will let you forget this is Fashion Week for Fall 2011. Here’s a little peek on Tom Ford and the new minimal shows trending right now from the New York Times Fashion pages. And don’t forget to take a peek at notes from the deep-in-the-trenches trend followers at WWD (formerly Women’s Wear Daily) – go straight to WWD.com/Eyescoop to find out what the retail buyers are seeing (and looking to put on the racks).

Need cash for your new picks? Don’t forget that if you have an unused or partially used gift card you’d like to swap, Plastic Jungle is the web’s largest secure gift card exchange site. There are tons of Gift Card Exchange Options on Plastic Jungle for those looking to cash in on unused gift cards.

I have a feeling the best-selling (and favorite) retail fashion pieces for Spring and Summer 2011 will fall in the chambray Palazzo Pants category, along with lacey white blouses and printed structured dresses. What’s your next piece to buy? And what are your favorite collections? Let us know with your comments, below.

Need some extra cash for your summer vacations? Sell gift cards you’ve had tucked away in your sock drawer for even more!

See our full updated list below. Note, we will give you additional value if you exchange your gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card.  And, as always, we provide you with a prepaid shipping label (it’s on us!).

Full list of recent updates

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