On the Next Episode: Made By London

If you walk the streets of New York City, especially Brooklyn, you've probably seen the work of this cool crochet expert.  Some call her craft "yarn bombing" or "yarn graffitti," but whatever you want to call it, we love the fact that creatives are making the city a little more colorful with street art made with yarn.

In the latest episode of Tristin + Tyler's webseries What's Up, City Kid?! (yes, a bunch of new episodes coming your way this Spring!!), we meet London Kaye, a dancer turned street artist who has made creations all over New York City just for fun, and even for brands like Gap + Starbucks!  Here's a peek at the episode, but make sure to watch when it on YouTube when it launches later this week! :)

Stay tuned!

xo, Tiffany

What's Cool: Mission: G-Rok

We are not big on video games in my household. Honestly, we spend more time creating fun stuff than we do playing around with it. BUT...and this is a BIG but (no pun intended), when a game comes around that is not only fun, educational and has a great message...all bets are off. By now you've probably heard about Mission: G-Rok, a game "revolving around a hip, outgoing 11 year old boy, G-Rok, who is an aspiring music star that has been chosen to save the world before it is destroyed by the world's worst evil villain." What makes this game different than the rest? G-Rok is on a mission to save the planet and rescue his best friend Binz captured by the evil villain Smogorex. Now, you know we here at Tristin + Tyler headquarters are all about caring for the planet and trying to make sure that being "cool" doesn't just mean wearing the latest fashion - it means taking care of yourself, and everything around you. It's not often that a game keeps these themes at the forefront AND manages to infuse cool music at the same time. Oh, and let's not forget that this game is the first of many creative, kid-friendly projects from greenROKS, a venture between Russell Simmons, Natalia Weisman, Cesar Zapata and hip-hop artist, TI. I'm excited to see what's next. You can download the game here!  Does your family play a lot of video games at home? How do you decide what games your kiddo plays? Let me know in the comments below. xx

Eco Brand of the Month: Sprout Watches

Accessories are key to any good outfit don't you think? Our Eco Brand of the Month is a company all about making fashion-foward watches and accessories, AND doing it with sustainable materials! Let me introduce you to Sprout Watches. They are an awesome company that makes their products of out materials like cork, bamboo, and organic cotton. The boys LOVE them. As you can see Tyler pretty much wanted to wear ALL of the watches at the same time. The boys especially love the cork watches and they are fascinated by the fact that parts of their watches might have been something else in another "lifetime." Sprout Watches are not only for kiddos, they have really stylish designs for men and women too. What's better than being stylish and conscious of the Earth's resources --ESPECIALLY during Earth Month? Nada, in my book. Check out Sprout here and let us know what 'cha think!  xx

All opinions expressed are my own, as always. We were not compensated for this post but were provided with watches to review.

4 Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids: Tristin + Tyler on CBS TV

Tristin + Tyler were invited to go on the CBS morning television show LIVE FROM THE COUCH! The boys shared eco-friendly Thanksgiving crafts kids can do to keep busy while their parents are cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Each craft had a reusable element to it which is great for the planet! From decorating reusable napkins made by Kids Think Big, to making flowers out of coffee filters, the boys shared ways to dress up the Thanksgiving table with kid-made, planet-friendly crafts! The boys also used amazing plates and cups from Be Kind which are made of tempered glass. Tempered glass is much better for the planet than plasic AND safe for kids because if it breaks, it doesn't shatter into a million sharp pieces.

Check out the segment below or see it here and let us know what you think! Special thanks to Kids Think Big and Be Kind, two awesome companies helping the planet and starting with our kids first!

On the Next Episode: I Heart This.

I know, I know. It's been a long time since we had a Tristin & Tyler's Tales from the City! episode. Things have gotten busy and we've spent a ton of time covering green events and fun kid happenings instead of featuring our favorite people helping to save the Earth! But we're back, and just in time for Earth Month (YAY!), we're hanging with a woman who wants to spread love for food and the planet at the same time! Meet Fatima Fazal. Fatima started I Heart This, our Eco Brand of the Month!!! I Heart This is a company all about sharing the things we love. Fatima's first product is one that has many purposes, but most importantly, keeps plastic forks and knives out of landfills-halleluah! Stay tuned this week to meet her, and watch us take the city by storm spreading love to a few strangers.

xx

A Farm in the City. Yes, a farm.

When I was little, Easter was all about a basket full of candy and toys. Since we try to keep things green and healthy (but still fun), I wanted to do something with the boys this year that was more of an experience, and not the purchasing of more stuff that would end up in a landfill one day.  What better place to go than to a farm to see bunnies, huh?  The best part about visiting the farm is that we were able to hang with animals of all shapes, sizes and colors and NOT LEAVE NYC! Welcome to Art Farm in the City an eco-friendly, organic facility where kids can get creative and have fun with animals and our ECO BRAND OF THE MONTH!

The boys put on their Diesel Kid overalls (what else would you wear to a farm?) and our Polarn O. Pyret striped cotton tops and marched into the farm and had it all to themselves! Art Farm has a ton of activities for little guys including the ability for kids to feed the animals like the guinea pigs and rabbits. That was the highlight of course, they boys gave the rabbits a whole bag of parsley. They also have chickens, birds, turtles and so much more.

The Art Farm is open on Easter Day! You can take the kids to "Mornings on The Farm" for kids 1+ years Saturday/Sunday 8am - 10am. Check out the prices by visiting the site here.

"Where else in New York City can you begin your day on the farm? With a basket full of hay and goodies, you and your children can spend the morning feeding and snuggling animals!"

Definitely let me know if you go, I would love to feature your photos on the blog!

HAPPY EASTER!!

#Eco Brand We Luv: Little Swappies

Swap don't shop is what I always say.  From jeans to coats, I've always given away my kids' outgrown clothing. Not only is it better for the environment because the items don't end up in a landfill, I like that swapping benefits the new owner by saving them money.

Remember when I worked with Green Halloween to create this fun video about swapping Halloween costumes? Tristin and Tyler have no teeth in that video, so cute! Yup, I've always been a swapper kind of shopper, but now I can do it with a community of other parents thanks to Lauren Patterson who started Little Swappies, a swapping event for children's toys, clothes and books.

Lauren started Little Swappies because she thought NYC could benefit from a community-based way to swap items. You know how kids outgrow things soo fast and you have brand new items that your kids never got to wear? Well, Lauren had the same problem - and Little Swappies is an awesome solution. I like the idea of bringing people together for common goals, like new stuff and helping the planet. AND, as if those aren't enough reasons to head to a Little Swappies swap - here's another - all items remaining after the event will be given to Covenant House's Mother/Child Crisis Center. It's a win-win-win!

Below is info for the next swap, can you make it? If you're not in New York, would you support this type of event in your town or city? Why?

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE NEXT LITTLE SWAPPIES KIDS CLOTHING SWAP

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12 FROM 10:00AM TO 12:30PM

AVENUES SCHOOL
259 Tenth Avenue (@25th Street), 3rd Fl.
             

Purchase tickets at WWW.LITTLESWAPPIES.COM [4] or RSVP to:
INFO@LITTLESWAPPIES.COM and bring along at least (5) clean, like-new
or new items.

Have unused holiday presents, outgrown clothes, stored up toys and
books that your kids will not play with or read anymore?  It’s a new
year so swap them all for things you actually need!

Swappable items include maternity clothes, children's clothing (sizes
0 to 8), books, and toys.  You can take home as many items as needed
within reason.  All remaining items will be donated to Covenant
House’s Mother/Child Crisis Center.

Need more reasons to come?

·      Tons of amazing raffle prizes, 

·      Gift bags for all participants,

·      Free babysitting – thank you Urban Sitter,

·      Free arts and crafts and music – thank you Kids at Work,

·      Free chair massages by Equinox Fitness,

·      Free food and drinks, and

·      Meet and mingle with over 20 of your favorite kids companies.