Cotton Candy Clouds Creative Adventure Studio

I wanted to take a moment and introduce my family. This is my crew. The air I breathe in and the love I pour out every single day. My husband Jeff, and my Annistyn Renea, Brek Tyler, and Ellie Mae. Jeff and I are proud to be raising our children in the heart of Northern Nevada. It’s a little rugged, and probably not for everyone, but there’s a whole lot of heart here that I believe is still waiting to be discovered. We sometimes joke that we are raising ferrel children, but Nevada inspires a love for adventure and instills a sense of wonder. There is always something new to discover. The change of seasons provides a refreshing restart and excitement of what’s to come. 2023 will mark the beginning of Jeff and I’s 10th year of marriage. We said our vows in a little apple tree orchard at Jacob’s Family Berry Farm in Gardnerville, surrounded by strength and love of some of our dearest family and friends. Since then, we’ve added a +3. Our son is the luckiest little sir in the world to have two sisters (1 older, 1 younger.) I remind him of it everyday— just so DANG lucky, Brek! We live on a little piece of land, with 4 dogs, chickens and a bunny farm. We live in a wonderful community, with incredible families!

A few years ago, I was outside with my daughter, Annistyn, who was two at the time. “Look, mommy,” she said as she pointed her little finger towards the clouds. Annistyn invited me to look up, and her sense of wonder sparked an idea.

I had been searching for an organized experience for her that went beyond what I could find. I wanted to find something adventurous, something that inspired Annistyn’s creativity and stirred her senses so that she could grow into who she uniquely is. But it didn’t exist. So I began to dream about how I could start something to inspire kids and parents to shed distractions, overcome boredom, stimulate their imaginations, and create experiences that would keep them buzzing; an overall zest for life. I wanted to create a unique environment that would help kids cultivate a love for adventure and would inspire their creativity, uncover what makes them happy, and encourage them to dream about what’s possible. Becoming a mom inspired me to create the things I wish existed.

With help from some friends, I started organizing outdoor experiences with
no itinerary. Then, in the fall of 2019, we hosted our first organized event—an adventure inspired by a wonderful book called The Boy and the Moon. We sat in a circle and read the story together, created a moon tambourine, entered a rocket ship made from a cardboard box, and launched ourselves into space. We went on a moon adventure, jumped in flour, and returned to earth with tin foil moon rocks, a huge mess, and a whole lot of fun. Surprisingly, this brave group of parents stuck with me. Since then, we have grown organically and have been creating immersive outdoor experiences that have been so much fun the kids don’t want to leave. Their parents don’t, either. My family has also grown, and I am now a mama to three of the sweetest souls. They inspire me daily and are my greatest adventure.

I’ve come to realize that I’ve completely found my passion.

***What’s to Come***

I wanted to share something that’s been constantly on my heart and pushing me to pursue in 2023. I’m confident in finally making it public! Things are moving rapidly toward opening a creative adventure studio in the Carson Valley early 2023. The studio will provide children, parents and grandparents in our community with daily hands on art, exploration and adventure activities. We will be a creative adventure studio located in the heart of Northern Nevada, but I’m especially excited to bring this to our Carson Valley community. We will offer an environment that truly inspires our little ones and each other to create, explore, experience, imagine, grow and play daily. We will also offer community gatherings for parents. Without giving everything away, we will also be providing a space for community art, a reading lounge, local kid’s books, a Montessori style play center, a performance center, dramatic play, surprise character pop ins, room exhibits, extended learning exploration, shop and gift wrapping center.

We will also provide creative classes- art, science, sensory, seasonal, etc. Family movie nights, mom’s nights, parents date nights and mommy/daddy & me bunny yoga ‍♀️ . (Seriously!)

Home economics inspired classes, career exploration, children’s music classes, confident kids workshops and kid entrepreneur exhibits.

Local book signings, birthday parties, themed family photo shoots, and community collaboration.

In order to make this happen, we have collaborated with THE Santa & Mrs. Claus to create a different Santa family experience this holiday season. We are working with some of the best photographers in our area and are working really hard to make this a truly unique and one of a kind experience we can continue to provide year after year for the families in our community. This is our effort in raising funding for the studio to open and all the opportunities it will give us to grow together in childhood, parenting and community experiences and memories.

I’m asking for your help in reserving a spot for your family, spreading the word and helping make this an overall successful event!

In addition to The Artful Santa, we also have a local mom who has donated her incredible cookie baking skill set to raise funds for the studio. She is graciously donating 100% of proceeds toward the Cotton Candy Clouds Creative Adventure Studio. THANK YOU CHELSEA!!!

We have also had several people reach out who are not able to attend The Artful Santa events or purchase Christmas cookies but are still looking to find a way to contribute.

For ANYONE interested in supporting our mission, we have created a GoFundMe account to support our mission for cultivating a love for creativity, adventure and a zest for life. 100% of proceeds will go toward opening the studio and providing a place for our community to experience unique opportunities for childhood and parent enrichment programs.

Our vision is to inspire the creation of childhood enrichment programs across the globe.

We promise to provide creative learning experiences that create lasting memories, bring joy, and foster community bonding.

Thank you literally from the bottom of my heart,

Jessica

Tickets for The Artful Santa can be purchased at:

Cottoncandycloudsnv.com

Or

eventbrite.com

Visit our website: cottoncandycloudsnv.com for more information, including all dates, times and locations. Our new website is currently in progress and is scheduled to be released mid December.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much for supporting the future of Cotton Candy Clouds!