Look Ma, I made a Wreath!

Sort of... Okay, I bought a plain wreath and decorated it. But aren't you impressed with that bow?!
First I wrapped it with white twinkle lights, around and around and around... I started wrapping at the plug end to be sure that the plug stuck out where I needed it to (who know that that bizarre outlet in the middle of my kitchen wall that I've been cursing as as eye-sore would be so useful in the end!)

Next I wrapped it (loosely) with the ribbon (which I had purchased at Target's after-Christmas sale last year- can I tell you I lugged that stuff through two moves this year?!) Around and around you go, starting where you want your bow to be, sure to leave about 6 inches of extra ribbon with which to secure your bow.
To make the bow you use the tail end (the part coming off the roll) of your WIRED ribbon (SOOO much easier with wired ribbon) and fold it back and forth on itself, twisting the ribbon once (alternate directions) every time you pass the center (hold the center down with your finger) which makes it easier to fan the bow out. Secure the center by wrapping your tail end around a few times, then tying it to that 6 inch section you left out at the beginning. Fan the looped bits around and puff them up to cover your knot. VOILA!

I also wrapped cinnamon sticks in gold ribbon and wired the clusters into the wreath.

And I may not have made the wreath, but I did make a pomander ball!

You can do this yourself by sticking cloves into an orange (I used a clementine so it wouldn't be too heavy for my wreath) and rolling the finished product in a mixture of Ground Nutmeg, Ginger, and Cinnamon. (I've also read that Orris root is recommended, but I couldn't find any and Mom says she never bother with it and her lasted 20 years!)
If, like me, you want to skip poking holes for the cloves and just push the cloves themselves into the orange (really only possible on the thinner-skinned citrus fruits), I recommend using a thimble, because OW! The top of the cloves are spikey, too.

A NOTE ABOUT SPICES: You can find MUCH better prices on spices like cinnamon, clove and ginger at ethnic markets than you can at super markets. Indian, Armenian, Middle Eastern, I've found great prices at them all. My super market (Stop and Shop) wanted about $1 apiece for cinnamon sticks, whereas the large bag (probably about 25 sticks) I purchased at the Indian store cost me $2.95. No difference in the spice, mine just came in a plastic bag instead of the fancy glass jar.