When putting the stemmed brooches in the foam ball, I pulled them about a 1/2 inch away from the foam. I covered it with enough brooches that you couldn't see the green foam underneath, but if you don't have enough brooches to do that, try covering the foam with some pretty fabric first, then putting the wire through that.
Once I had all of the brooches in place, I shaved off the excess foam that was left around the edges. Then I took strips of ribbon, folded them in half, and pinned the folded edge, just up underneath the flower-line. I kept doing that until the whole base was covered, then I just wrapped the rest of the stem like you would any other bouquet, pinning it each time I wrapped it.
Here's some pictures of my shoes as well. They originally came with skinny, very unattractive bows on the front, so I clipped those off, and bought two more of one of my favorite brooches from my bouquet and sewed them on instead. I think they're perfect for my dress, which I was able to finally bring home Tuesday night!
