Gothic Fantasy Florals by Kay

Every season the world outside changes colour and our oldest festivals celebrate and revolve around them. Spring, Imbolc, heralds the beginning of new life, as we bring the bright yellows and greens of new flowers and shoots into our homes and onto our tables. Summer brings long hazy days and of course the solstice, so we celebrate with fire, while leaving honey and fruit offerings for the fae folk. When the season turns to autumn, the leaves turn red and burnt orange and some of our favourite festivals approach! Halloween especially, with its bright orange pumpkins and grinning skulls against a backdrop of gothic lace and cobwebs, is a particularly visual holiday. It is also usually the first season that we begin to put extra attention and effort into decorating our houses – inside and out! Thanksgiving continues the celebration of autumn and harvest colours, as our tables and doors are decorated with cornucopias and wreaths. Christmas often surpases All Hallows in the decoration stakes, as we bring green branches and lights into our homes to rail against the winter darkness. Bringing a little of each season inside our homes, is something all of us do in one way or another, but not all of us have the time to create something as beautiful as we would like to decorate our tables and hearths. Kay, owner and creative mind behind Fantasy Florals, has the perfect, and long lasting, solution.

Fantasy Florals is a small, independent company, run by blue-haired gothic chick Kay, and she specialises in seasonal table pieces and custom wreaths. “I decided to start my own company on June 2nd, 2015. I had found myself in a situation where I could not work outside of my home. I needed to find something that I would enjoy doing, and would be able to work into my daily schedule. In the past I had worked as a professional floral designer, and I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do this!” So, I decided to combine my loves – flowers and my Goth background/lifestyle. Lucky for me, they’ve turned into something beautiful!”

Fantasy Florals combines its founders many creative talents, and she calls on all her experiences when putting together a decorative piece. “I am also an artist. I work in chalks, oil pastels, oil/watercolor/acrylic paints, graphite pencil and charcoals. One of my first loves is dance and I had planned a career in that discipline, but unfortunately I found it did not suit my life at the time. I am also a gourmet chef! My mother was an artist, as are my brothers; so it’s in my blood so to speak!”

When starting a brand new design, Kay let’s the vibrant colours of her materials inspire her. “The flowers speak to me, they set the mood of my design. You would not believe some of the gorgeous colors you can find in silks and dried flowers that you are unable to find in fresh flowers! Like some people hear music, and it evokes in them certain emotions; my flower colors do the same. I never quite know what is going to come out of my designs – they just seem to happen, they just fit together! Every piece is an original and completely individual in style.” It is this intuitive way of putting an arrangement together that sets Fantasy Florals apart. “I truly put my heart and soul into my work. I love designing, it is my Zen. So I take extra care over my designs and only release quality work that will not fall apart after one season! It is my pride and joy.”

It helps that Kay’s designs have well chosen foundations. The materials Fantasy Florals are have one thing in common. “Quality! I look for materials that are of high-quality and seem almost, if not, real. I have no love for generic designs! The colors must pop and the customer must always know that my work is unparalleled! I do some wholesale and some retail, depending on my needs. Flowers and other elements that I require to be purchased in bulk, I order from Darice Wholesales. For smaller lots or bespoke commissions, I prefer Michaels’ Retail craft store for quality and selection. Sometimes my husband comes across wholesalers who specialize in florals; if that is the case, he orders items for me!”

So, how can someone order something special from Fantasy Florals? “Anyone interested in working with me on designs, color schemes, etc. are free to email me their thoughts! The designs on my site are my own creations and can serve as examples of what I am capable of creating. Truth be told, I can design everything and anything. The only thing I will not do, by any means, is copy another’s designs. I could create something similar, or in a certain color idea – but never complete copies.”

“I have a plethora of customers from all different backgrounds and lifestyles. Since I design both year-round and Holiday arrangements, they draw a mixed customer base, but my Gothic friends and family here in the Orlando, FL area love my darker designs!”

Speaking of ‘darker designs’, Fantasy Florals must have something special in mind for our favourite holiday Halloween! “Yes, this year is going to be exciting! I have found the most amazingly vivid violets, along with more “antique-style” flowers and greenery. There are greys and blacks in my new designs. I am thinking of maybe incorporating a more vintage, Victorian-style feel to my designs, mixed with accents from the grave. I don’t want to give too much away but, suffice to say I can’t WAIT to get started! I think it will be beautifully macabre, so everyone keep an eye out for my new designs, they will be irresistible!”

What about personal plans? “Halloween is my New Year’s Eve, so to speak, so we do it up right with decorations, feasting and, even though my son is too old for Tricks & Treats, I still adore walking around the little ghoulies and goblins as they take candy, skip about and dance in the dark! After all – it is our favorite time of year!”

Check out Fantasy Florals on Facebook facebook.com/FantasyFloralsbyKay
And Etsy etsy.com/shop/FantasyFloralsbyKay