Upcycled Plastic Flower Wrapping

I buy a bunch of flowers every week (I love having fresh flowers in the flat, and as I spend no money on a garden I think it's an affordable luxury). Every week I was putting the paper from around the flowers in the recycle bin and it seemed a waste. I had seen some great instructables on fusing plastic bags (especially https://www.instructables.com/id/Fusing-Plastic-Bags-the-eclipse-way/ ) and thought that they would make a good reusable wrap. This is the first one and I hope to make some more with patterns and maybe a tie.

For someone who doesn't want to recycle a piece of paper a week I seem to have a lot of plastic bags. I have cut off the handles and the bottom seam. This is my iron and some baking paper, they are sitting on my metal 'cafe' table but I think any hard surface would be OK - you are going to protect it with the paper and iron on a low heat.

I cut the bags again to make long pieces. With a the baking paper underneath and on top I started with just 2 layers of plastic I started the ironing too low and had to move up to between silk and wool. I ironed the plastic in patches and batches, using a long piece of paper underneath and a smaller piece on top and running the iron over it quite hard. I tested each patch and if it came apart just ironed over it. The plastic doesn't stay smooth and ended up looking like crepe paper. 

I ironed 2 pieces together 3 times, then fused them together to make this. I cut it in half and fused it with the cut sides at the bottom. Then I folded the bottom up about 8cm and put the paper between and over the folds to iron in a crease (so the bottom of the flowers could stay wet).

So much choice, but when ranunculi are $5 or under the rule is - gotta buy them. And the lovely flower girl says yes of course she can use my wrap. It only takes a little bit of sticky tape to close it. I'm really pleased with it.

The flowers are in a vase, the wrap has a place and is waiting for next week.

I made another one for my friend Vanessa's birthday (she had mentioned she likes to buy flowers every week). I pressed very hard with the iron and was pleased with the result.